Tips On Developing A Personal Brand For The Modern College Student

In The Time Of LinkedIn, Squarespace And Twitter

Follow my journey on Twitter @Blovelace_Jr

Congratulations,

You’ve worked hard for four or five years at a major university and are now leaving with a diverse set of skills that will take you to your dream job.

Now what?

In today’s age, college students have to learn how to promote themselves across multiple media platforms to land a job — Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, just to name a few — but many struggle with ways to do so effectively.

I am learning as I go but I thought I’d share a few insights with you on how to promote yourself to a future employer.

Note: Most of these examples are for those in journalism fields or mass communication. But you can tailor these examples to your specific job.

Pick A Job Title

Select a title for the job you want. Before selecting one, get an idea of the types of job titles in your industry. Your job title will attract certain employers to your portfolio and media platforms.

Here is a few example of job titles in my industry:

1. Broadcast Reporter

2. Photojournalist

3. Digital Producer

Craft A Personal Branding Statement

A personal branding statement is ideally something that describes a bit about yourself while highlighting your skills. It is one of the most mentally strenuous undertakings you can do — and it’ll probably never feel perfect. But once you’ve crafted a descriptive, concise message it’ll be easier for employers to see if you’re an ideal fit. So, set aside a good amount of time to craft one. I would say make your statement no longer than one paragraph.

Here is an example of a personal branding statement:

“[Name] is an intrepid visual journalist studying photojournalism at the University of Missouri. He currently works as a multimedia editor at [current occupation] and a staff photographer at [another occupation], both in Kansas City, Missouri. Outside journalism, he likes doughnuts and flightless birds.”

Make sure to use a strong set of adjectives that describe you. An easy way to do this is to get a pen and paper and write down all your strengths, then incorporate them into your statement. Really highlight the skills that make you different from others in your field.

Make Sure All Your Platforms Have Ubiquitous Messages

Once you’ve crafted a personal branding statement, make sure that statement is consistent across all of your professional media platforms. Nothing is more confusing for employers to look at your twitter and see, photojournalist and then on your LinkedIn see multimedia producer.

Make Sure You’re Active Across Multiple Platforms

It’s essential to keep up with your multiple platforms as often as possible. It goes a long way if you interact with your followers on a day-to-day basis too. That way you’ll build more connections for potential future employers.

Hire Someone To Take Fabulous Photos of You

Show off yourself in the best light. If you have a friend who does any sort of professional photography, ask them if they’d take some portraits and headshots of you. Employers will appreciate having a fresh, clean photo of you on your platform rather than say a selfie.

Berkeley Lovelace is a multimedia storyteller and producer at the Missouri School of Journalism. He’s currently working with The Associated Press, for his senior capstone, on ways to incorporate 360 video and virtual reality into storytelling. Follow his journey on Twitter. Critiques welcomed.