The first time I began to think about my personal brand, you know, how you want people to perceive you, was a few months ago. I was graduating from Michigan State (GO SPARTANS), eye-deep in student loans and in serious need of a job.

My job search was probably the toughest thing I’ve ever been through. First, you’ve got to have an amazing resume. Then if you get to meet your future employer in person, you have to look, think and speak the part. Any misstep, however minute (a speaker once told me she discarded resumes for fonts she didn’t like … a little hasty, no?), and its ramen and PB&J for another month.

So, I began to take a good hard look at my current image and what I needed to do to build it into a brand that employers couldn’t resist. The more I thought about my brand, the more I began to see it not as a professional facade, but as a real life change for myself. I didn’t know what my brand was, but I knew what I wanted it to be and I had a good idea of how to get there.

As I dove deeper into my search, I found that personal branding was a professional strategy used by many. I started following The Personal Branding Blog (great, by the way), talking to mentors and role models, and being more self-aware, and within a few months, landed my current position at Dittoe PR.

I’ve come to realize that one well-branded person makes a great company addition, but a team full of those people is pretty unstoppable. What’s more, those people drive one another to dig deeper, try harder, and be better. Here at Dittoe, I’m finding myself still building upon that personal brand day-by-day and working with wonderful people who are doing the same. And wouldn’t you know (voila!) building great client brands flows so much more naturally from people who are cognizant of their own.

So, if you haven’t thought about your personal brand, maybe today’s the day to start. And Lindsay, girl, give me a call. We’ll see what we can do about yours.