If you ever went to business school, the word you heard most frequently must be “branding”. Networking, interviews, socializing. These are all typical events teaching you how to brand and sell yourself. We are constantly eager to establish shiny images of ourselves. Most people, however, have forgotten the true purpose of branding. We all have taken lots of classes, workshops, and conferences focusing on how to build the business success based on effective branding, but how many of us actually did a good job on it?

After reading the article “5 Steps to Empowering the Brand You”, I have discovered that some students have been missing some key points on branding. First of all, understanding yourself is essential to branding. Branding is about presenting your true-self to others. When some of us try to brand themselves, they only bring out the good sides of them, mean while hiding the disadvantages that are not desired. People need to understand that there is no absolutely perfect person, and no one is hiring you to do everything. Show them your true image as a real person, but not something glorified. Although it seems that extroverted, positive, and cheering persons are more likely to succeed in their careers, in fact, a lot of truly gifted people are introverts. During networking events, a lot of people will always force themselves to be sociable and outgoing. This is a series mistake as they are not presenting their true image, and they won’t be able to deliver the same image over time. Embrace who you are, share it, and be proud of it.

Branding is marketing. STP is equally important in branding. When choosing a career, one should always first segment the job market, followed by targeting the ones that suit you, and then position yourself based on honest branding. In conclusion, never change yourself to fit the job, and let the job fit you.