Building your personal brand as a student might be overwhelming. When you develop your unique brand, you are trying to show to the world what you've accomplished, your professional skills, your academic achievements, your biggest, best valued strengths and basically everything that "sells" you on the labor market. Together on this list, you would also like to share your views, your prospects and the reason why you are "the one" - in this case, the one to be hired. Yes, don't worry, you can still take care of your personal brand, even if you have no professional experience behind yourself!
So, what makes you unique? Are you at the top of the class? Are your grades astonishing, or perhaps your projects are basically future start-ups? Each and every personal brand is super individual and that is why you must find your communication style, your most useful platforms (some graduates might need Instagram too, for example) and other things that will help you stand out from the crowd. The more specific you are about what makes you different, the better. You speak 4 languages? Splendid. You are a visual thinker? Great. You are a master in marketing? Awesome. Now get to work and start taking notes.
Focus on what's important
What is your dream job? What do you want to do in 1, 5, 10 years from now? How can you make it happen? Do not be afraid to ask yourself questions that you might not be able to answer properly at this very moment. However, focus on what you know: you are good at X, you have achieved Y and you would like to work in the field Z. Pinpoint something specific and follow the lead. Create relevant professional profiles, work on your portfolio, polish your CV, get involved with events and activities, maybe even start a blog. If you believe that, for example, a certain kind of platform will best present you in front of the right people, then you must create a profile and upload all the necessary information about yourself.
Find an example you would like to follow
Do you have a favorite influencer who happens to be working the job, desired by you? Or maybe you know an individual, a family member, friend or acquaintance who is highly successful and can be followed as an example... Perhaps, you may also want to look at some instances of prosperous people who are thriving in their careers - CEOs, business owners, entrepreneurs etc. Do you have anything in common? Can they be an example for you? Would you like to be just as successful? Then following is the best option you have. How did they do it? What pushed them forward? Research, discover, analyze and plan your strategy.
Take care of your "business" accounts
LinkedIn, Google +, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook - which one are you using for personal needs, and which one for professional purposes? What kind of content do you post on these platforms? What type of content do you want to share with others? Your projects, you CV, your portfolio, your volunteer work, the career events you have been to... These are all important things that will help others get a better picture of you. Would you need a website? A blog? Decide in accordance with your desired field, your goals and objectives.
Your personal accounts
Private. Simple as that. Unless you never post anything remotely interesting (parties, fun events, bathroom selfies, things that your professors and your boss shall not ever see, unless you're BFF), then we recommend that you keep your personal profiles private and accessible to your friends only. Imagine if a company does a research on you after you've been recommended and they stumble upon your IG and whoop... yes, that photo of you and your friends being drunk as hell won't help much.
Recognition
From professors and peers. Your brand isn't only existing online - you are a walking brand. Your reputation counts and according to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, "Your brand is what people say about you when you're not in the room." After all, your classmates might be future CEOs and your professors might be those who recommend you for your next position. Don't miss out on the opportunity to get some recognition as a valuable expert of whatever you are doing, even if you are still just a student.
