Your unique graduate identityBuilding your personal ‘brand’

Catrina Holmes

Careers Consultant

Careers & Student Employability (CaSE)

University of East London

This workshop will look at:

• What makes a good ‘brand’

• Identifying your personal roles and goals

• Networking planning & preparation

Welcome

Let’s all shake

hands!

Exercise

• What does a good brand mean to you?• What brands do you feel positive about?

Log into:

http://padlet.com/wall/1ac7lrk2sj1o to share your ideas

What is personal branding?

• Your values, abilities and actions communicated in a clear and positive way.

• WHO you are• WHAT you do• WHAT makes you different or HOW you create

value

Your graduate identity

Key Considerations

• Who is your target market or audience?• What is your motivation for building your

brand?• What can you offer to your potential

‘customers’?

Building the brand of YOU!

• A strong personal brand has clearly defined goals.

• Provide a clear message in terms of your skills and experience and give good examples of how you demonstrate these values.

• The best personal brands are unapologetic about their accomplishments, strengths, and weaknesses.

Building the brand of YOU!

When you know who you aspire to be, how you are perceived and who you really are, you need to be

consistent in presenting that picture in every facet of your digital, social, and work life.

Which is why it is critical to be who you really are. It is far too exhausting to be someone you aren’t all the time!

Your personal mission statement

‘I help students to recognise their skills and abilities so they can achieve their

career and personal goals.’

Roles & Goals Exercise

Roles: what you can offer others

Goals: your needs & priorities

Knowing your motivators and what you can offer others…

• …will give you greater sense of self awareness…

• …which will increase your confidence when talking to others

• …and can help you to be clear about your personal agenda

Identifying your personal roles and goals to aid self-validation when networking

Stage Activity

Step One 5 mins (approx.)

Identify a maximum of three roles & three goals.Add your own detail (if useful) to use as a prompt.

Step Two 10 mins (approx.)

Within your pairs take turns to talk about your roles and goals (5 mins each)

Step Three If you have time, use the mapping template to map your roles and goals to skills areas and identify any areas that you would like to develop (if applicable)

Example: Role One:Communicator – educator – explainer - spokesperson

Examples to talk about:• Presentation given to

peers on a specific researched topic

• Teaching my children to read

Link Skill Area:• Verbal Communication• Ability to teach others

Goal One: Adviser – consultant-guide-counsellor

Examples to talk about:• Supported homeless

people by providing advice during a short volunteering project

Link Skill Area:• Resilience• Empathy

Think about how you would talk about your examples in a natural and meaningful way – this might take practice!

Digital Footprint

• Where do you post information about yourself online?• Mind your images or adjust your privacy settings

accordingly. • When someone looks at your profile, do they get a full

picture of your personal brand? • What kind of content are you sharing or creating?

Using social media to build your brand

• Optimise your personal profile – make sure it is up to date and complete

• Gain and build recommendations - LinkedIn has a search by number of recommendations

• Place important phrases and keywords within your profile

• Join groups and participate in forum discussions to raise your profile

Source: Nonprofit strategies for getting more out of LinkedIn [Online] Available from http://www.socialbrite.org/2011/07/14/nonprofit-strategies-for-getting-more-out-of-linkedin/#sthash.DdBWJmvc.dpuf [Accessed 26th

February 2015]

Attending networking events

• Try to find out who you might be networking with – for example, keynote speakers, organisation representatives…

• Make sure you are up to date with your subject area - read specific publications & organisation websites

Tips to start a conversation

• Begin with shared experience – talk about the event• Be prepared to have something interesting to

contribute – ask open questions• Introduce yourself with your name and some key

information

Try to remember people’s names – it can help to use their name a few times in conversation but

don’t overdo this!

Sustaining the conversation

F.O.R.M. can be a useful memory tool. Remember to try and listen more than you talk

• Family – ask about themselves, how they got to the event

• Occupation – what do they do? Gives you an opportunity to find out more and give your ‘pitch’

• Recreation – what do they do for fun? Use this after you have established rapport

• Message – what is the key message you want this contact to take away from meeting you?

Exit Lines/follow up

Think of a few exit lines so the conversation doesn’t just dry up

It was great to meet you – I’d be interested to find out more about…would it be possible to stay in touch through email?

Body language

Body Language Tips

• Take a deep breath before you enter the room, exhale to release tension

• Maintain regular (around 90%) eye contact

• Smiling creates positive feelings for both

the giver & receiver – this can help rapport & engagement

Body Language Tips

• Try not to fidget whilst in conversation

• Be aware of closed body language

• If using your hands to gesture, keep movements open and controlled

Planning your brand

• Identify any areas that you would like to develop in relation to your personal brand.

What support can you access to help with this?

Skills development Online presence

Networking

opportunities

Confidence

Careers & Student Employability

• Professional Development Award

• Careers guidance appointments

• Volunteering opportunities

• Paid work opportunities

Careers & Student Employability

• Work experience

• Professional & peer mentoring schemes • Online resources to develop your skills & identify

your goals• Workshops and events throughout the academic

year (and beyond)

Cass Support

• Careers support drop in sessions Tuesdays 9am-1pm & Wednesdays 1pm-5pm in ED.G.15

• Book an appointment by emailing c.holmes@uel.ac.uk

• Careers events throughout the year• Events and information posted on Moodle