How to Establish a Personal Brand (and Why You Need One)

Whether you’re a first-semester freshman or already several years out of college, one of the keys to setting yourself up for success is to establish a personal brand. Creating a brand for yourself is a great way to show the world who you are, both personally and professionally, and to tell others what you’re passionate about and what motivates you. It’s also the perfect way for potential employers and colleagues to get a sense of your skills and your career goals.

Ready to build your brand? Here’s what you need to know to get started.

Identify 3 Things That Define You

Before you start telling your story, it’s important to figure out what story you want to tell. The best way to do that is to focus on a few key things that define you as a person and that you want to communicate to the world. For example, if you’re an athlete who wants to become a software developer and is passionate about volunteering with nonprofit organizations, those things should be part of your personal brand. This will help highlight your interests and showcase the things that make you unique.

Craft Your Personal Story

Once you’ve identified your key traits, start crafting your story by coming up with a simple two-line bio that you can add to your social media profiles. Be sure to include where you work or go to school, your side gigs and interests, and a fun fact. Here’s how to do it:

For college students

Senior @ABC University studying chemistry and computer science. Love running, volunteering with @XYZ Organization and traveling — currently planning my backpacking adventure around Europe! 

For recent grads

Marketing associate at @ABC Company and freelance writer at @XYZ Magazine. Passionate about politics, social justice and finding the best avocado toast in NYC.

Pro Tip: If you want to develop your brand even further, consider starting a blog where you can share your interests and the projects you’re working on. This can be as simple as setting up a blog through Medium or Squarespace and it can boost your online presence significantly.

Create a Professional Profile

With your personal story firmly in place, it’s time to focus creating a professional profile that will highlight your skills and interests, and show off the things that make you unique. The best way to do this is by creating a profile on WayUp and filling it out to include a short bio and information on what you’ve studied and where you’ve worked. Best of all, since WayUp profiles are all about showcasing your personality, you can also add your Instagram, YouTube account or Github to highlight awesome places you’ve traveled, videos you’ve created or apps you’ve built.

Use Your Social Media Presence to Build Your Brand

Once you’ve developed your brand, it’s time to start putting yourself out there and building your network. The easiest way to do this is by joining relevant Facebook groups that match your interests, following and engaging with brands you admire on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and liking and commenting on posts that inspire you and that are relevant to you and the brand that you’ve developed.

Establishing a personal brand is a great way to show others who you are and what you’re passionate about. By following these steps, you’ll create an online presence that’s fun, professional and (most of all) authentic.