What does your brand say about you?

 

Are you a social loafer? A pessimist? A go-getter? Let’s admit it. Everyone can use some help with their resumes, or brand, at any point throughout their careers. This semester, take it further and brand yourself.

 

“A basic definition for branding is the act of creating a name, term, sign, symbol, design, or a combination of them, intended to identify the goods and services of one seller and to differentiate them from those of a competitor,” said Roscoe Hightower, associate professor of marketing at the School of Business and Industry.

 

So what’s your brand? Personal branding is something most of us do daily.

 

Just check your Twitter or LinkedIn accounts. In college, group assignments, presentations and involvement in organizations are considered resume builders.

 

However, there are many websites, like studentbranding.com, that help students brand their products or attributes.

 

Branding merchandise versus a person seems opposite, but Hightower says they’re similar.

 

Delores Dean, director of the Florida A&M Career Center, said creating a slogan is a great start to determining a brand because it helps to understand what the purpose, or use, of the brand is.

 

“You have to utilize the social networks,” Dean said. “You have to get the information out to family, friends and any other services that may need the type of business or what you are trying to sell.”

 

David Hagenbuch, associate professor of marketing at Messiah College, wrote that college is an equal playing field. Setting goals in college helps determine what to expect in a competitive global job market.

 

“Branding will help you with your professional and personal lives by enabling you to establish a reputation for yourself both professionally and personally in the marketplace that will, over time, allow you to build what is known as brand equity,” Hightower said.

 

Brand equity is the added value endowed to products and services. In this case, a personal brand has a positive consequence because it helps improve the quality of life for an individual.

 

Lanika Moore, a senior business administration student from Chicago, says a reputation is often associated with a person’s work ethic and can benefit once students graduate.

 

Branding helps establish a name for yourself as well as associate quality work you’re able to produce and achieve,” she said.

 

If you need a help creating a brand that’s consistent and reliable, take advantage of the resources in the Career Center, located in the Student Union Plaza Suite 100, or call 850-599-3700.