Graduates: Stand Out Using Your Personal Brand

  • 1 min read

You’re about to graduate college and join millions of other graduates in the competitive world of the job search. Of course, you won’t all be competing for the same jobs, but many of you will.

Now, more than ever, it’s essential to tailor your personal brand to your advantage. Here are a few ways you can use your personal brand to stand out among your fellow graduates:

Be consistent.

It’s important for your personal brand to always reflect your professionalism. In every aspect, both on and offline, you should represent yourself in the exact same way. Use the same professional photo on all of your social media platforms. Use the same name and username wherever it makes sense to do so. Use the same bio for all of the outlets you use. Consistency in your personal brand makes you more memorable to employers.

Be knowledgeable.

Prove you know about your industry by using social media to share relevant information. Look for industry trends and articles to share. Write your own content based on new things you learn about your industry. Sharing these things online and in-person can really increase your credibility compared to other graduates.

Be creative.

Showcase your talent by building your own website. There are plenty of free website builders to help you get started. Use your website to share your knowledge and your portfolio to potential employers. You get bonus points if you get your own personalized domain name. It’s not very expensive and gives your site a more professional image. In return, you seem more credible than your competition.

Be reachable.

Always provide employers with your phone number and email address. Both of these means of contact should be professional. Stick to a simple answering machine message, in case you miss someone’s call. Stick to a simple email address based on your name. These are not the places to be creative. Again, you get more bonus points if your email address is routed through your personalized website domain. You’ll stand out among the generic websites, and you’ll look a little more professional.

Picture of Heather R. Huhman

Heather R. Huhman

Heather R. Huhman is a career expert and founder & president ​of Come Recommended, a career and workplace education and consulting firm specializing in young professionals. She is also the author of#ENTRYLEVELtweet: Taking Your Career from Classroom to Cubicle (2010), national entry-level careers columnist forExaminer.com and blogs about career advice at HeatherHuhman.com.

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