By Alexandra Krylova
AMA New York Volunteer
“Personal branding is about managing your name — even if you don’t own a business — in a world of misinformation, disinformation, and semi-permanent Google records. Going on a date? Chances are that your “blind” date has Googled your name. Going to a job interview? Ditto.” – Tim Ferriss, podcaster and blogger
Taking to heart this essential reminder from Tim Ferriss, I still struggle with how to present myself in the professional arena. When I think of “creating my own brand,” I feel lost. Where to start? How to start? What to include and how to promote?
Understanding that many of us are searching for guidance, AMA New York recently hosted a virtual boot camp dedicated to personal branding. Attendees had the opportunity to hear insights and learn hands-on practices from career experts. I attended an interesting session with social media strategist, Christine Gritmon of Christine Gritmon, Inc., who talked about how to define a personal story and what platforms to use for personal branding. Importantly, she identified four critical questions for which every professional should have a clear answer:
- WHO are you?
- What makes YOU different?
- WHO do you serve?
- HOW can they find you?
I especially identified with her vision corresponding with author Simon Sinek’s book, Start with WHY. Christine’s essential advice for answering “WHO are you?” demands that the “Why?” approach should be underlying. Each of us must clearly know what makes us want to do what we do. Because, at the end of the day, this is what defines us. This is what makes us different from one another.
Other valuable advice given toward building a professional personal brand was to not be afraid of aligning past experience with a position we apply for in the present, even if it seems somewhat different from what is required. “Abilities matter more than your experience,” assured Christine. Or in other words, transferable skills can be useful and applicable for a role.
Session videos are available here on-demand:
- Refining your personal brand for the next phase of your career
- Build your brand from intern to professional
- Brilliance in Marketing: Using LinkedIn to Build Your Personal Brand
- LinkedIn Image Sizes and LinkedIn Text Limits Character Counts
- Marketing Career Boot Camp: How to Stand Out on LinkedIn
AMA New York would like to thank our Gold Hospitality Partner, Touro GSB, and our Premium Partner, GreenBook, for assistance in making this wonderful event happen.
