Personal Branding 101: Marketing the most important product-
‘You’

Imagine two students of Commerce, Ajay and Suraj. Both are in the same set of classes at 9:40 A.M., attending the same lectures, sitting for the same exams and applying for the same internships. They seem to have a lot in common on paper, but where do they differ? What sets one apart from the other?

Ajay goes to his classes, completes his assignments and leaves when the college gets over. Suraj, on the other hand, actively participates in class discussions, shares his knowledge about accounting with his classmates and organizes his friends for group projects.

If you were to ask a classmate about Ajay, they might not be able to tell you much. But if you were to ask them about Suraj, they would say something along the lines of- "Oh! He is a reliable guy. Good in calculations and accounting."

See what Suraj has done here. He has effectively invested in his personal brand and actively participates in areas where he can market himself as a competent, organized and friendly person.

We all are building a personal brand based on our skills, interests and relationships every single day.

Think of yourself as a product

Whenever a company launches a product, they first chalk out its USP (Unique Selling Proposition), i.e., the attributes that set this product apart from the others in the market. Similarly, you need to identify your own USP.

What are you competent in? Financial analysis? MS excel? Accounting? Communication? Team management? Leadership? Problem-solving? Time management?

Your USP should be a unique blend of hard and soft skills.

Positioning: Occupying a unique position in minds of people

Brands are positioned in the mind of the customer based on their USP. Nike is associated with sporting goods, Sony with televisions, and so on. Similarly, we need to build our positioning. Are you the calculation genius in the group? The creative head? The organized person who manages everything? Whatever it is, focus on it and keep reinforcing it.

Promotion: Let your work speak

LinkedIn promotion is not the only way to promote yourself. When you express yourself in the best possible manner during a classroom discussion or presentation or college fest, you are promoting your own skills without actually talking about it.

Similarly, your college, internships, and social handles are all a part of your promotion.

Don't over promise

While it's important to have a good first impression, it should be followed by consistent actions. If you claim to be a responsible and organized person but don't deliver on time, the credibility of your personal brand gets affected. Your personal brand is all about building a perception in the minds of people. It involves a strong first impression, realistic expectations, meeting those expectations, and managing any discrepancies that might arise.

College is your R&D lab

I believe that's where the magic happens. During your college days, you are free to explore different interests and discover new skills. Experiment with various activities and see which ones help you build your brand. You can join the literary society and organize book clubs, join coding competitions, and take up research projects with your professors, or go for some internships.

Your college brand building journey should be fluid and not static. As you discover new skills, you can update your positioning strategy.

So instead of focusing only on what you want to become, focus more on what you want people to remember you for. Because in the cutthroat corporate world, the latter is significantly more important than the former.