by Emily Martin

There is a common misconception that networking and marketing yourself is “taboo” or a bad thing, but in actuality it is one of the best things you can do to achieve your dream career! Knowing how to make genuine connections, talk about yourself positively and create a personal brand is a tool every professional should have in their tool belt. Before you even begin the journey into the professional world, you need to make sure your personal brand is formulated.

To create a personal brand you will use in networking, start by asking yourself a few questions. What three words would you use to describe yourself? What three words do others use when they describe you? For example, you could decide that your words are “creative, hard-working, and open-minded.” These words will serve as a guideline to how you behave, market and talk about yourself. The next step is to create a mission statement and an elevator pitch. Your mission statement is going to be a short one to two sentence summary of what you stand for and hope to achieve. For example, my mission statement might be “As a future PR professional, I hope to plan and execute events that are creative, fun and client-focused. My love for hands-on work and face-to-face interaction make me the perfect candidate for event planning in the modern age.” The elevator pitch is going to be a one-minute long version of your mission statement, and feel free to include WHY the person should listen to you and remember you. Use your personal brand to create a social media/online presence. This gives people a place to find you after meeting with you to see your work and to learn more information about you.

Networking cannot happen until your personal brand is solidified and ready to be presented to others. Once you are solid in your personal brand, the rest of networking comes from being confident, listening more than you talk, staying in touch with professional contacts and mentors and being memorable. Test your elevator speech on friends and family, and then make sure to get input on your personal brand as well. This will help ensure that it is as memorable and captures you as best as possible. Networking can start with a simple email to a professional in your desired career, to getting coffee and then staying in touch. Don’t approach the first meeting with the intention of asking for a job, but instead with the intention of creating a solid relationship with that professional. Maybe they won’t hire you today, but they might suggest you to a fellow professional or recommend you for a position later. Use this time as a college student to create those connections, as there are very few professionals who aren’t willing to help out a student. The most important thing with networking is, of course, the thank you card. Have it written and ready to mail right after your meeting. This not only comes across as more professional, but it will help them remember you, which is the whole point of networking. You have to network to make the dream work!

Emily Martin is a senior public relations major and PR Capstone student at Belmont University