Social Media and Personal Branding for College Students

By Dr. Sviatlana Kroitar

Personal branding is becoming increasingly important in the era of brisk virtualization. It is no longer enough to be a good specialist – you need to be visible, stand out among others, and be able to “sell” your skills in the digital labor market. If we are visible, we exist. 

Our recognition creates an aura of trust and confirms our reliability as a professional, collaborator, colleague, or partner. Available information about us is a signal to others that we are trustworthy and can be built professional relationships with. 

As today you are a college student, talking about professional positioning may seem premature to you. But believe me, it is difficult to find a better time to start constructing your personal brand. Firstly, the habit of regularly recording your academic achievements will make you more disciplined and organized. Secondly, you will always have a well-structured self-introduction at hand and quickly share it when needed – while applying for a student grant, a summer job or a half-time research position. Thirdly, you will definitely appreciate your self-promotion skills in the future, at the working stage of your life trajectory.

Let us see what personal brand of a college student may look like. Basically, it is not much different from the professional image of a working specialist. The only distinction is that while a specialist focuses on describing their accumulated work experience, the goal of your personal brand as a student is to describe yourself as a promising future professional.

Your personal brand as a college student is your image as a member of the academic community preparing for a successful professional career. This image is formed from your competencies, accomplishments, professional goals, aspirations, and values which are transmitted through:

– references to courses, internships, and student exchanges you have participated in; 

– references to your academic awards, prizes, and certificates (e.g., a scientific paper contest, a creative writing competition, a competition for the best diploma thesis, etc.); 

– references to you as a recipient of academic or research grants or scholarships;

– references to your internships in companies and organizations; 

– references to your involvement in the college academic community (debate and discussion clubs, academic workshops, etc.);

– references to your participation in academic events, including conferences, public talks, etc.; 

– references to your participation in scientific projects (e.g., as a member of a research team);

– references to your publications;

– references to your participation in social and volunteer projects; 

– your appearances in the media (electronic or analog ones) as a successful student, enthusiastic volunteer, aspiring researcher, etc.;

– publications in social networks mentioning your academic or non-academic achievements and/or involving you as a collaborator/co-author; 

– video and photographic materials.

Today, one of the most powerful tools for personal branding is social networks, primarily represented by LinkedIn in professional communities. This doesn’t mean you should only have a LinkedIn account, but if you plan to brand yourself across multiple online platforms, make LinkedIn one of them.

Using social media for building your professional image will help strengthen your name, establish academic connections, promote your ideas and projects, keep in touch with like-minded people, explore the possibility of receiving grants, internships, and jobs – in a word, to prepare the ground from connections and reputation for your professional future.

Here are some tips to make your self-branding efforts more effective and ensure that the resulting picture best reflects your strengths and potential.

Before you set up an account, think about what image you want to create in the eyes of your target audience.

Choose communication channels (LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook). 

Think about the format of your content. How long will your posts be? What visuals will you choose to illustrate your content? The style of your images or/and photos should be consistent.

Decide on your communication style. Choose between formal, informal, and neutral. Stick to it in all your publications.

Take a high-quality, formal profile photo. Formulate a short, but capacious and original description of yourself. 

Describe your key educational stages and achievements on your page. 

Add clickable links to organizations where you study, do an internship, or have training. 

Upload certificates of successful completion of trainings and internships. This will show what skills you have acquired and confirm your achievements.

Ask your colleagues, professors, and mentors for recommendations. The more information about you comes from other people, the more verified and trustworthy your image looks like.

Participate in educational, scientific, and social events and share this information in your profile. Active people usually command respect and sympathy. In addition, events are a great opportunity to meet new people and expand your network.

Share news and media publications you find worth attention. Give them likes and substantially comment the most interesting of them (avoid putting a smile or a flower, as it looks unprofessional). This way you will show that you have your finger on the pulse and follow what is happening around you. 

Update your social media pages regularly. Don’t exaggerate your achievements, write the truth. Be open and friendly.

Good luck!