Professionals from 834 Design & Marketing spoke to Grand Valley State University students on Jan. 27 about creating a personal brand at an event titled “A New Year, A New Social Media Identity.”

The event was hosted by The Enterprise Systems Student Union (ESSU), the first student organization at GVSU created specifically for students in Enterprise Systems that is open to all majors.

One of the main messages conveyed to students was to remain authentic throughout their job search, interview process and careers as young professionals.

834 Design Project Manager Chantell “Telly” LaForest and Creative Director Marie Brown said the three laws of personal branding are be authentic, be transparent and be visible.

“Being authentic speaks to being a normal human,” Brown said. “The person you are is your brand.”

A personal brand is what makes people unique to a potential employer. A person’s passion will feed into the work that they do and will change their industry or company, Brown said.

“A personal brand is really how you perceive yourself and how you want others to perceive you,” LaForest said. “People are so much more than the work we do nine to five, and I think it is really important to carry over your passions and who you are as a person into all things.”

LaForest highlighted four steps to creating a personal brand: discover, create, communicate and maintain. After discovering what your passions are, it is important to find your place in the industry, she said.

One of the main mistakes people make is creating an excellent resume but lacking the ability to sell themselves to future employers. This is important to back up what you are trying to sell, LaForest added.

“Your resume is what gets you in the door,” Brown said. “Your personality and selling yourself are the things that are going to keep you there.”

Brown and LaForest said a presence on social media is crucial. A huge part of this is having a professional, clean online presence. They encouraged students to use social media such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook to connect with professionals and create relationships.

Companies can tell when you are not being authentic about your passion, LaForest said.

“If you say that you are super into your major, make sure that you’re actually expressing that on your social media channels,” LaForest said. “People watch you. Be sure that you are living what you are claiming.”

Brown said professionals want to see people reaching out and going above and beyond. She encouraged students to actively seek out companies and shadow someone.

“It is is never too early to get into the real world,” Brown said.

LaForest said this generation of students has received negative branding.

“Unfortunately, I am sure you have all heard it, our generation is the generation of slackers which I think is so far from the truth,” LaForest said. “We are the innovators, we are the creators, we are changing the way the work environment is.”

Brown and LaForest urged students to be persistent, to remain consistent with their brand, to associate with people who are winners and to view every experience as an opportunity.

“No experience is bad experience, “LaForest said.

For information about ESSU, visit
www.gvsu.edu/erp/essu-3.htm.

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