So Tell Me About Yourself: Personal and Professional Branding for LIS Students and Professionals

1

So Tell Me About Yourself –
Personal and Professional Branding for
LIS Students and Professionals

Scott Brown & Kim Dority
SLA Rocky Mountain Chapter
December 20, 2012

© 2012 Kim Dority & Scott Brown

2

What is a brand
and
why should I care?


3


4


5

A professional brand is NOT about…

• Creating a phony “persona”

• Pretending to be someone you’re not


6

It IS about showcasing the best of
who you are –

• Strengths in areas you care about

• Shaping others’ assumptions about
your ability to contribute, add value


You take your brand
with you –

no matter where
you go

7

Why your professional brand
is really important
to your career


Provides stability and continuity
in the midst
of workplace, economic chaos


Helps shape how people are
willing to let you contribute –

Should they trust your judgment?


Positions you in the path of
opportunity…

even when you have no idea
where those opportunities
will be throughout
your career


You have a professional brand
whether or not you “own” it….
…you must realize that if you aren’t managing your own
professional image, someone else is. People are constantly
observing your behavior and forming theories about your
competence, character, and commitment, which are rapidly
disseminated throughout your workplace. It is only wise to
add your voice in framing others’ theories about who you are
and what you can accomplish.
– Laura Morgan Roberts


Key brand characteristics –
what should a professional brand
say about you?


Competencies –

What do you do –
or are you learning to do –

really well?


Standards –

What are your expectations of how you
deliver those competencies?

What level of performance should
others expect from you?


Style –

How do you communicate and
interact with others?

Not just first impressions, but your
ongoing relations with classmates,
co-workers, bosses, customers, etc.


How do you start building
or continue to build your
professional brand…

while in college – and beyond?


Think of all your interactions and
connecting points….
• Co-workers
• Faculty
• Administration
• Advisers
• Mentors
• Guest speakers
• Fellow association/committee members
• Classmates

Then consider the impact of…

• Your language
• Your clothing
• Your contributions as a student, co-
worker, volunteer
• Your public communication,
especially online
• Your attitude


Pop quiz:

What’s
your brand?


What core values do you want
people to associate
with you?


What passions do you want
to go public with?


What talents and skills
do you want others
to think of when they
think of you?


What if you’re just
starting out in
your career?


Easy to work with,
plays well with others


Strong team participant,
whether as leader
or team member


Enthusiastic and energetic –

Someone who contributes
positive energy to the
work environment


Someone whose judgment
can be trusted


Reliable –

• Meets deadlines
• Willing to help others
• Handles pressure well
• Shows up ready to engage,
physically and mentally


Confident enough in your
own skills and knowledge to
understand and respect
the value of others’


Key take-away…
The quality of the opportunities you get correlates
directly to the work you’ve done building your
personal brand.

Strong brand builders get great mentors and solid
networks, and those tools, in turn, build stronger
brands.

In a world where there are no more corporate
ladders to land on, your brand is the platform
your career will stand on.

- Penelope Trunk, author/career columnist


Bottom line:

Who do you want the world –
especially potential employers –
to know you as?


33

Social tools give you another
means of building your brand in
the world


34

Social Media and Branding 101
Using social media to build
professional visibility


Branding with social tools
• Visibility, awareness, access
Layers of presence and visibility
Multiple access points to you

• Reinforce YOUR brand
Demonstrate your expertise, knowledge,
personality

• Enhance opportunities and “serendipity”
Attract potential employers, colleagues, and
clients to you

35

Owning your brand –
and your future
• What are your passions?
• What are your skills?
• What do you want to learn?
• What do you really want?
• Where do you want to grow?

36

And so…

How can you demonstrate your passions
and your expertise?
• LinkedIn?
• Blog?
• Tweet?

37

Which is best for you?
LinkedIn
• “Resume or CV on steroids”
• Connection is key
Blogs
• Professional online journal
• Content is key
Twitter
• Personal news feed
• Connection, content and speed are key

38

What would you share?
• Articles, books, reports, items of interest
(not just your stuff)
• Resources
• Services
• Interests
• Promote others’ events, content
• Interesting stuff
• Fun stuff
Most importantly: Add your perspective –
this is what makes you stand out
39

Owning your brand –
and your future

MAKING yourself relevant
by SHOWING UP
and DEMONSTRATING your
PASSION, VALUE, and EXPERTISE

40

Resources
The 10Ks of Personal Branding. Kaplan Mobray, iUniverse, 2009.

Career Distinction: Stand Out by Building Your Brand. William Arruda
and Kirsten Dixson, Wiley, 2007.

Get Slightly Famous. Steven Van Yoder, Bay Tree Publishing, 2007.

Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success. Dan
Schwabel, Kaplan, 2009.

Managing Brand You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Most Successful Self.
Jerry S. Wilson, AMACOM, 2008.

Self-Promotion for Introverts: The Quiet Guide to Getting Ahead /
Nancy Ancowitz, McGraw-Hill, 2009.

You Are a Brand! How Smart People Brand Themselves. Catherine
Kaputa, Davies-Black, 2006.


42

What are your next three steps?

#1: Evaluate your current brand

#2:

#3:


43

Questions?


44

Thank you!

Please don’t hesitate to contact us!

kimdority@gkdority.com

scott@socialinformationgroup.com


So Tell Me About Yourself: Personal and Professional Branding for LIS Students and Professionals

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Viewers also liked

Viewers also liked (20)

Similar to So Tell Me About Yourself: Personal and Professional Branding for LIS Students and Professionals

Similar to So Tell Me About Yourself: Personal and Professional Branding for LIS Students and Professionals (20)

More from Scott Brown

More from Scott Brown (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

So Tell Me About Yourself: Personal and Professional Branding for LIS Students and Professionals