The UVA Darden Career Center provides resources for students throughout their MBA experience. Whether you are looking to switch industries or grow in your current role or company, creating a lasting impression is crucial.
In a recent session with Executive Coach, Jim Collins from the Career Center, he walked through best practices when Building Your Personal Brand.
Here are the highlights:
Why is having a personal brand important?
Creating an effective personal brand distinguishes you from the crowd and makes you more memorable. It can aid in focusing your career decisions and the value you deliver. Take the opportunity to define yourself in terms of where you can grow and what you can become rather than what you’ve done or are doing.
What are companies looking for?
Whether you’re looking for a promotion or to transition to another company, these are 8 things to keep in mind when curating your personal brand:
- Type of professional
- Essence of your expertise
- Difference you make
- Core competencies (Your superpowers)
- Passions
- Results you’re known for
- Soft skills
- Field or industry in which you work
When hiring managers are looking at your resume, application or LinkedIn, they want to know if you can do the job, if you are motivated to do the job and if you’ll fit into the culture and community of the company.
Clear communication is essential
Start with your headline. This is a functional title that communicates the essence of your expertise and the impact you deliver.
Create your professional summary. Combine your headline with your hard skills, soft skills and impact statement. This builds on your brand and includes key words in a consistent narrative style or voice.
Tell your story. When asked, “Tell me about yourself,” have an answer that expands on your resume in an effective way. This orients the listener and answers the “why” rather than the “what” of your story in 2-3 minutes.
Tune into the full session below for more information and examples of how these tips translate onto a resume and LinkedIn profile.
This is the first session in a series of webinars that will be hosted in the next few months. Click here to sign up for more events.
