Your Personal Brand: An Investment That Starts at University

Contents

1. Why being an ambassador matters so much to me
2. An ambassador for yourself and your company
3. Stepping outside your comfort zone
4. What students took away
5. Looking forward to what we will create together this semester

When I told students of the Business Leadership Programme at the start of last semester that LinkedIn, their own posts and at least 30 new professional connections were waiting for them, I saw more worry than excitement on many faces. A few months later, I read their reflections and knew it had been worth it.

Why ambassadorship is close to my heart

For me, ambassadorship is not just a topic I teach. It is an inseparable part of my professional life. When I worked in in-house HR, candidates knew me from my LinkedIn posts before we ever met at an interview. Through me, they also got to know the company, which helped us enormously in recruitment. Those same posts led to many great collaborations, and my personal brand still helps me build them today.

An ambassador for yourself and your company

A personal brand is not a privilege reserved for influencers or top managers. It is the way you present yourself in the business world, build connections and sell the product or service you create. Even as an employee, you can represent a company you identify with and support its employer branding. For students, it is an advantage they can start building today. During their studies, it opens doors to internships and valuable contacts. After graduation, it gives them a head start on the job market, and for those running a business alongside their studies, it helps that business grow. From a headhunter’s perspective, I see it clearly: a strong professional identity is an added value that people carry with them.

A step outside the comfort zone

Throughout the semester, students wrote posts, joined professional discussions and built their networks. For many, it was a huge step outside their comfort zone, and some did not see the point at first. One student admitted she felt she did not belong on LinkedIn yet, “after all, I’m just a student with no achievements.” Another, although active on Instagram, found that two professional posts required more thought than dozens of personal stories.

What they took away

Gradually, though, came the realisation that building a professional identity is no small thing. It takes effort, but it also makes you stronger. “The fear I had was all in my head,” wrote one student. Another described how he stopped being just a student and began to feel like someone with his own voice in his field. And a student who runs a business alongside his studies admitted that his new connections brought opportunities that had a real impact on his business.

Looking forward to what we will create together this semester

I am grateful to the students for not being afraid and giving it their all. I know it was not always comfortable, and that is exactly why I value it so much. I am delighted that this semester we can continue working on their personal brands and take them to the next level. This time, we will also start writing articles, so you may soon see them here on NEWTON Today. And I am already looking forward to everything ahead of us, their new posts and watching them continue to grow as ambassadors.

And to you reading these lines: take an honest look today at how you are building your personal brand. What do you do to support it, and do you give it any attention at all? If not, that is fine. It is never too late to start.

About the author

Ing. Zuzana Bedřich
Coordinator & Lecturer, NEWTON University

She works in HR and headhunting, focusing on finding talent for companies with a startup mindset. At NEWTON University, she coordinates the Premium Care service for International Programmes students and lectures Ambassadorship within the Business Leadership Programme. She helps students build their professional identity, personal brand and network of contacts that open doors for them in the business world. She believes that each of us is, first and foremost, our own ambassador.