Читать книгу How You Are Like Shampoo for College Graduates - Brenda Bence - Страница 16

Step 1: Define It

2

Defining Your Personal Brand

I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific.

— Lily Tomlin, Actress and comedian

Now, you know you can’t touch your personal brand because it exists in the minds of others. So, if you can’t touch your brand, how can you take charge of it in a way that actually helps you get the job you want as you get ready to leave college? It may seem like an incredibly tough challenge, but name brands have been successfully created in the minds of millions of consumers for years and years. You can absolutely take control of your college graduate personal brand, too. Just like smart marketers have helped buyers choose one brand over another, you can use the same strategies to help company recruiters choose you over the next candidate. The key is to do what all great brands out there do as a first step: Define it.

Fact: Every name brand you know and love uses six “positioning elements” to carefully define that brand. It doesn’t even matter if the people in charge of managing those brands know about these elements. Trust me: All six are a big part of what makes the brand tick, and it’s a tried-and-true formula.

You’ve already asked yourself the question, “Who is ______^TM — the trademarked YOU^TM? And maybe you’re saying, “But Brenda, give me a break! I have no idea how to answer that question!” If this is the case, don’t worry. We’re going to work with a step-by-step formula that borrows from those same six positioning elements used by the most successful marketing experts around the world. That formula will help you pinpoint the best possible personal brand for you as a college grad — a personal brand that will present your best talents, strengths, and attributes and that distinguishes you from other people applying for the kinds of jobs you want most.

The Power of a Framework

Let’s take a look at the six parts of this formula and see first how they work for the name brands we all love and use every day. Then, you will see how to apply those same elements to YOU^TM.

Your College Graduate Personal Brand Positioning Statement

Hopefully, by now, you’ve asked yourself: “Who really is [insert your name here]^TM?” If you’re not sure how to answer that question yet, stick around. We’re going to walk through each part together in detail as you go through the book.

As we work our way through Step 1 — the “Define it” step — I’ll share with you what you need to complete your “College Graduate Personal Brand Positioning Statement.” Your Positioning Statement will show you exactly how to define who YOU^TM really are — which will help you to get the absolute best job for you upon graduation.

Bottom line: This is where “you” become “YOU^TM.”

As we work our way through each of the next six chapters, you’ll be able to fill in each portion of your College Graduate Personal Brand Positioning Statement, just like the one below. Then, we’ll get into how to communicate that well-defined personal brand before, during, and after job interviews. After that, we’ll focus on how to avoid damaging the personal brand you’ve worked so hard to create.