Maria Fischer writes about how many students dedicate far too much time doing classroom work and not enough time building their personal brand.
Research papers, final exams, group projects — professors create assignments to help students harness their strengths and develop their skills in a rigorous academic setting.
However, as students work to meet their professors’ expectations, they often set their own personal projects on the backburner. In a world of 20-page papers and lengthy exams, there is little time to build and maintain websites or engage in in-person networking. Students need to make such things a priority.
Many students dedicate far too much time doing classroom work and not enough time building their personal brand. Instead of looking into industry happenings or scheduling networking opportunities, students are writing papers for classes or studying material that could be considered unrelated to their future careers.
Straight A’s mean little if students do not have a professional presence. A paper on medieval history isn’t going to get you hired, but a website full of impressive clips and stunning visuals will.
While students may carve out a few minutes to tweet at editors and CEOs or scroll through LinkedIn, professionals have noted that Twitter and LinkedIn are only part of strong personal branding. Lynne Sarikas, director of the MBA Career Center at Northeastern University, told NerdWallet.com that LinkedIn isn’t a substitute for other forms of networking.
“While it can be a great enabler in the job search process, it does not replace the power of building relationships,” she said.
“You do not want your personal brand to tell employers that you are passive.”
Rather than constantly burying themselves in books, students should take time to go around and visit professionals living in the city they want to work in after graduation.
This isn’t to say that classroom assignments are irrelevant and unimportant; they teach students how to adapt their writing styles and work ethic to meet the standards of their professors so that, in the future, they will know how to fulfill the expectations of their bosses. But even during the busiest of semesters, students still need to take time to build their personal brands.
Keep striving for good grades but don’t neglect your professional needs. As one USA Today College headlines recommends: “Build your brand now, get hired later.”
Remember, classes only last a semester; personal brands last a lifetime.
Maria Fischer is a junior studying journalism. Email her at mf628211@ohio.edu.
