I Got Skills

Since I started my professional blog for class, I decided to start a personal blog on the side. For now, it is not something I am interested in doing for income. It is more so for journaling and writing practice. But this week as I learned about personal branding, I made sure to take note just in case I change my mind. My husband on the other hand has a side hustle. He created a pizza delivery app for a small pizza shop in town and is currently trying to expand his idea to other stores. I think he could really benefit from building his personal brand to become a more legitimate resource to potential customers.

So, what is personal branding anyway?

According to BetterUp personal branding is a very strategic and intentional process used to create a public image of yourself. You’ll create this image through various avenues. Not only do you present this image through how you dress, but through your business cards, headshots, business cards, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, personal website, portfolio, etc. And it’s not just about having social media, but’s about who you follow, what you like, and what you share.

What is a personal brand so important?

A strong personal brand helps to differentiate you from others in your field or industry, and it can contribute to building your reputation, credibility, and visibility. By strategically managing your social media and public image, you can shape the way you are perceived by colleagues, employers, clients, and the public. This can lead to increased opportunities, networking prospects, and career advancement. Additionally, a well-defined personal brand can help you establish a sense of authenticity and trust, making it easier for others to connect with you on a personal and professional level.

This past week I went to a Skills USA event for work. Part of my job is to represent my college as a recruiter. When I put my recruiter hat on, I go full all in. For my recruitment table, I have a tablecloth in our college’s color and of course our college’s name and logo on full display. I also like to have a vertical pull-up display to catch people’s eye. To peak people’s attention in stopping at my table I like to bring free goodies to give away like ChapSticks, sunglasses, notepads, candy, all things with our college's name on them. Then of course I make sure I am dressed professionally with my college name tag on. The last thing I make sure to wear is a smile. And I always bring business cards.

Unfortunately, at the start of the Skills event, I made a huge mistake. But, with the help of personal branding, I believe I was able to turn it into a success. Just like every other event I brought all the things. The tablecloth, the candy, the giveaways, the business cards. But I did not bring a backup table. As a recruiter, you always bring a backup table. In my defense, the organizers of the event guaranteed me a table, but just like Dr. Kline mentioned in his book, there is a difference between listening and hearing. I think they meant to have me a table, but they probably just got a bunch of tables and said “hear are tables for the vendors” without properly distributing tables for us.

Luckily for my college, one of my natural personality traits is to make lemonade out of lemons. So, in that moment as a representative for the college, my personal brand and my image to everyone else came across as totally unbothered and calm about the ordeal. I was the only person who did not get a table in time, and I didn’t get one for two hours. There were other vendors around me who were so perturbed about the situation. In fact, I had multiple people on my behalf asking staff why they did not have enough tables for me. I really appreciated their help but kept reassuring them I was okay and that I was happy to wait. I stood by my little rolling cart of giveaway items and waited until a table showed up. Because of the unfortunate series of events, I believe I was able to strike up conversations and make connections with the vendors around me that I wouldn’t necessarily have gotten to have made if my table had shown up in time. In fact, the reason I ended up with a table at all is because a vendor up driving to his job site down the road and getting one from work and bringing it back for me. We ended up talking about what we both do for a long time after that, and he brought me some hand warmers because it was 30 degrees outside. I truly don’t believe any of that would have happened if the day had started out with a table and if I hadn’t been true to my character.

There were other people in attendance who pressured me to be more aggressive and to demand a table because we paid a lot of money to be there. But that is just not who I am. I can't remember what part of the brain it was that tells your gut that something just doesn’t feel right, but I had that feeling. It just didn't feel right to throw that “well we did pay for a table” card. I felt like I stood out for the right reason. I controlled the message. And I helped build my reputation. I ended up walking away with more business cards than I normally do, and this was not even an event where I was anticipating meeting potential clients. But that’s the power of creating a personal brand and staying true to it.

Here is a photo of me at the Skills event.

I am in the bottom left corner, tableless. Talking to an upset attendee about my lack of table while I am clearly unbothered.



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