1. Personal Branding for College,
Professional Career &
Unemployment
Women in Business Group
University of St. Thomas
Sarah M. Manley, MA

2. Sarah M. Manley, MA:
• 16+ years professional marketer –
health care, technology and manufacturing
• Manages 17 social media accounts for
Fortune 14 organization
• National Blogger/Speaker
• Established & implemented 100+ marketing
programs/initiatives for Fortune 500 and SMB
clients
• Grew SMB from $2 Million sales to $10
Million sales within 3 years

3. What is Personal Branding?
• Creating a personal brand is a process of
education & rests on your credibility.
• The goal is to
make
decision-makers
aware
of what skills
you have and
what value
you can add.

4. Why Personal Branding?
• You are your Google
results.
• Personal brands and
careers can be crafted
• Decide who you are &
what you represent
• Amplify you! Nurturing
your networks to
become an authentic
influencer

5. How Personal Branding?
• Contribute articles to
industry websites
• Follow influential blogs
& make thoughtful
comments
• Tell followers — Say
“Here are insights that
may interest you” not
“Look at my
comments”

6. How Personal Branding?
• Launch your own
website. Link to
your LinkedIn
profile.
• Your personal
brand is how you
engage with the
world.

7. By the Numbers:
• 277 million professionals (2/14)
• 2 new profiles created/second (2/14)
• 48% of Recruiters ONLY use LinkedIn for
social outreach (1/14)
• Only 13% of millennials use LinkedIn (9/13)
• Recruiters have on average 616 connections
(1/14)

8. Profile:
• Create a profile – If you have one, click on
“Improve Your Profile”.
• Professional Image: Use action words & avoid
jargon. No vanguards, mavens, gurus or ninjas!
• Complete volunteer/skills information
• If you are unemployed, write a headline that
gives people an idea of who you are & what
you can do.
• Brand yourself! Personalize your LinkedIn
Profile URL

9. Profile:
Edit
Headline
Professional
Image
Personalized
URL

10. Privacy:
Edit,
Profile
and
Customize
Visibility
under
Privacy
Controls

11. Contacts:
Explain how
you know
them & why
you are
connecting.
Explain you
will follow up
with the
connection.

12. Recommendations:
Give
recommendations
to receive
recommendations;
people may look at
that statistic.

13. Endorsements:
LinkedIn will ask if
your connections
have skills – a
simple click will
“endorse” them.
Rearrange your
skills to be ranked
the way you want
them.

14. Presentations:
LinkedIn has
partnered with
Slide Share; upload
presentations to
give your profile a
boost. Great way
to keep your
network in the loop
on career
presentations.

15. Groups:
Join groups – start small and consider:
•High School Alumni
•College Career Boards and Alumni
•College Professional Associations
•Groups or organizations you aspire to be a part
of.
•Review annually and eliminate groups w/little
engagement

16. Following:
• Follow targeted industry organizations
• Follow schools
• Follow business and industry thought leaders:
Sheryl Sandberg, Richard Branson, Bill Gates
• Follow professors who have inspired you, in
your major or even in your general studies.
• Follow professional associations: local &
national chapters

17. Jobs:
2 Places:
Jobs Tab
and within
Groups

18. The Pulse:
Get news;
tailored
by
groups,
interests,
industry
and
contacts