Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to attend The University of Tampa and learn the foundations of business and explore the world of my major, Marketing. Originally interested in accounting, my love for marketing was years in the making. I have been in customer-facing roles since I was 15 and have been obsessed with sales, positioning, and promotion of various products and understanding customer mindset. With my education, the most important takeaway I have learned is the importance of personal branding and being able to essentially “sell” yourself when the opportunity comes knocking.
What do I mean by personal brand? Well, it is how one portrays themselves in all aspects in real life as well as in the digital world. For example, the foundation of my personal brand originates from my LinkedIn, which hosts all my professional experience as well as accomplishments and successful projects. Additionally, my personal brand includes my Instagram, which hosts photos of myself and my endeavors in my free time. In both cases, these sites are well polished and thought out. Routinely posting on LinkedIn has gotten me numerous interactions with recruiters, account executives, and thought leaders in the fields I am interested in. I have even received several job offers from my LinkedIn presence. On the other hand, I could be more active on Instagram through concrete posts rather than stories, but that’s not what my main focus is.
Personal Branding has been such an important aspect for me in the last year. When I first switched my major, I had to figure out what I could do differently to set myself apart from other students and future job applicants. I created a business card, which I have passed around and use to continue to expand my network. I have been able to pass it out when coming across high-end clientele at my serving job, or in class when I need to give out my number in a very fast manner. My favorite part of creating the business card was when the person at the printing store had complimented me on what a good idea this was. You never know who you are going to meet, so you always have to be ready and “sell” yourself. This comes from the foundation of the book Every Job is a Sales Job: How to Use the Art of Selling to Win at Work by Cindy McGovern. She details personal branding and why you must always be ready to make a sale, even if you are not in a sales role. The business card allows me to always be ready.
This website is a continuation of my personal brand, where I will share my thoughts, professional encounters, and advice on professionalism and personal growth. Additionally, it will also host some of my professional experience as well as my photography which demonstrates my ability to think creatively and use software in order to finalize content that I create.
Let me know what you are going to do to expand your personal brand.
Andrew O'Connell 