March 9, 2016
WilsonHCG’s University Recruitment Committee held the February edition of its monthly #HireU/#HireUEMEA Twitter Chat. Students and recent graduates around the world were given direct access to interact with professional recruiters to discuss and learn about the importance of personal branding. Here are some key takeaways from the chat.
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What is a "personal brand?"
To kick off the discussion, it was important to define exactly what a personal brand is. Whether one realizes it or not, every individual has a personal brand. Similar to an organization, these brands depend heavily on perception, in this case, how others view the individual. Taking ownership of your personal branding means taking control of the way that you promote yourself both professionally and personally.
Why is personal brand so important?
It’s common to hear about how important branding is from a corporate perspective, but it can be just as instrumental on a personal level. There is a lot of information that explains why your brand is the most important thing that you have. Personal brands ultimately have an impact on personal success. While a strong brand can become a career asset, leading to potential growth opportunities, similarly, a weak brand can hinder your growth.
Does having a good social media presence make a difference?
Recruiters everywhere agreed, social media can make all the difference in the world. With people’s information so easily accessible to others, social media can effectively make or break an employer’s first impression of your personal brand. With this in mind, it is essential to keep social media profiles professional. Inappropriate content is a quick way ruin your personal brand.
What are best practices for social media to help and improve my personal brand?
As much as social media has the potential to harm a personal brand, the recruiters came together to agree that — with some effort — it can also benefit. It is important to be cognizant of the audience when posting on social media, as it varies greatly between platforms. LinkedIn should remain strictly professional, while Facebook can be appropriate for personal content (although still make it appropriate for someone in your professional world to see it). Posts need to be well-thought-out and should contribute to the goals you have set out for yourself. Delving deeper, it was also noted that less is often more when it comes to posting on social media. Not every topic needs a response and smart social users avoid oversharing wherever possible.
Our chats can be found on TWUBS and on Twitter by using the hashtags #HireU and #HireUEMEA. If you missed this one, join our next Twitter chat on internships! The University Recruitment Committee will host a Twitter Chat every month to discuss issues of interest to millennials entering the workforce. Future topics and details will be announced on Twitter through the @WilsonHCG_U handle.
