Personal Branding

Decide what you want to be known for, then show it the same way everywhere a recruiter might look.

Start here

Try it: Brand Statement Builder

What a personal brand is (and is not)

A personal brand is the perception people hold of you, built from your skills, your actions, and your values. It is the story people tell about you when you are not in the room. You already have one. The only question is whether you are shaping it on purpose.

This page is shared by MARK 465 and MARK 475. In 465 you will look at your brand as a strategy problem: who you serve, where you compete, and how you get found. In 475 you will look at it as a visual narrative: how your photos, colors, and style tell that same story before anyone reads a word. You need both.

A personal brand IS	A personal brand IS NOT
A story people tell about you	Just a logo or a color scheme
A feeling people get from your presence	A one-time campaign
A promise of a consistent experience	Something you fully control
A relationship with your audience	Separate from how you act
The perception in other people’s minds	A mask you wear for a while

Clarity, consistency, visibility

A simple three-part model, rooted in Tom Peters’ idea of “the brand called you,” keeps the work manageable.

• Clarity: know your purpose, your strengths, and the value only you bring.
• Consistency: line up your actions, content, and messages across every platform.
• Visibility: show up and take part where your audience already spends time.

Find your positioning

Start with Mark Schaefer’s four elements from Known. Answer each one in a sentence or two. Be specific. “Marketing” is a field. “Social media for small businesses” is a position.

Element	Question to answer	Student example
Place	Where do I want to be known? (industry, niche, or platform)	Consumer packaged goods marketing
Space	What do people already come to me for? What is my focus inside that Place?	Turning customer research into clear personas
Content	What stories and knowledge can I share to be memorable?	Short LinkedIn breakdowns of campaigns I admire
Audience	Who am I helping, and how do I reach them?	Brand managers and the recruiters who hire for them

Write your value statement

Turn your four answers into one sentence. Use this formula:

I help [audience] achieve [outcome] by [approach or method].

Example: I help small food brands get found online by pairing customer research with search-friendly content.

MARK 475 students: write a short tagline too, one line that captures your value in your own voice. Example: I translate complex data into stories that drive action. Then list three values, three adjectives that describe your vibe, and three adjectives you think other people would use. Where those two lists differ is useful information.

Take five minutes and draft yours now. It does not need to be perfect. It needs to exist so you can test it.

Tell your story

Stories make you memorable. Facts on a resume blur together; a short story about a challenge you worked through sticks. Choose honesty over polish. Recruiters can tell the difference.

Write a three-sentence elevator story about your career journey:

• Sentence 1: who you are, in a few roles or identities (student, analyst, creator, athlete, first-gen grad).
• Sentence 2: the path that got you here, including something hard you did or learned from.
• Sentence 3: what you do with all of it now, and where you are headed.

Use STAR stories for proof

When you need to prove a single skill, use a STAR story: the Situation, the Task you owned, the Action you took, and the Result. Keep two or three ready for interviews, your website blog, and LinkedIn posts.

Your visual identity

Every visual choice tells part of your story. Color, type, imagery, and layout all speak before you do. The strongest brands line up three things: your core values, your personality, and your visual expression. When those match, people trust what they see.

• Profile photo: a current, clear headshot. Face centered, good light (a window works), a plain background, and only you in the frame. Use the same photo everywhere so people recognize you.
• Colors: pick two or three colors you naturally gravitate toward and that fit your values. Use them on your website, resume header, LinkedIn banner, and portfolio.
• Fonts: one font for headings and one for body text is plenty. Choose readable over trendy.
• Imagery style: decide on a look (bright and clean, warm and candid, bold and graphic) and stick to it.
• Consistency check: put your LinkedIn, website, and resume side by side. Do they look like the same person?

Learn from brands that do this well

In MARK 475 we study creators and brands whose visuals carry their message. Emma Chamberlain’s candid, lo-fi look signals realness, and it carried straight into her coffee brand. Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS era uses a purple palette and handwritten type to signal a bolder, more personal chapter. Duolingo built a playful, unpredictable mascot voice that feels native to TikTok.

Ask the same questions about your own presence: What story am I telling? Who am I targeting, and can you tell from the visuals? What feeling do my visuals create? Do they support my message?

LinkedIn essentials

LinkedIn is the first place most recruiters will check. The existing Personal Branding and Portfolio page has a headline makeover lab. Use this list to finish the rest of your profile.

Section	What to do	Tip
Headline	Focus + value + one piece of proof. Up to 220 characters.	Skip “Student at UT.” Try “Marketing senior | Customer research and SEO | GA4 certified.”
About	Open with who you help and how. Then your story, skills, and what you want next. Up to 2,600 characters.	Readers may see only the first lines before clicking “see more,” so lead with your value statement.
Featured	Pin your best proof: your website, a portfolio PDF, a case study, or a strong post.	Two to four items. Update it when you finish a project you are proud of.
Skills	List skills that match the jobs you want, such as SEO, content strategy, Canva, Adobe Express, or GA4.	Use the same words that show up in job postings you like.
Recommendations	Ask a professor, supervisor, or client partner while the work is fresh.	Make it easy: remind them of the project and the skill you hope they mention.
Photo and banner	Your headshot plus a banner in your brand colors.	The banner is free space. Use it for your tagline or a visual of your work.

Google yourself

Recruiters search for candidates online. In CareerBuilder’s long-running survey, 60% of employers said they research candidates on social networking sites. Do your own audit before they do.

• Search your full name in a private or incognito window. Then search your name plus “University of Tennessee” and your name plus “marketing.”
• Check page one of results and the Images tab. Does what you see match your goals?
• Review every public profile: LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, X, and any old blogs or accounts.
• Lock down or delete anything you would not want a hiring manager to see.
• Make sure each profile has a complete bio, the same photo, and a link to your website or LinkedIn.
• If nothing shows up, that is a problem too. Your website and LinkedIn are how you fix it.

Content you can post

Visibility comes from sharing what you know. Pick one or two platforms that fit your audience and strengths. For most marketing students, LinkedIn is the place to start. Plan for 20 to 30 minutes a week.

• A short takeaway from a class project, with one visual.
• A breakdown of a campaign you admire and why it works.
• A lesson from an internship, job, or student organization.
• A certification you earned and what you learned from it.
• A thoughtful comment on an industry leader’s post.
• Behind-the-scenes of how you built something, such as your website or a brand identity board.

A 30-day starter plan

Week 1: Follow leaders in your Place. Note trends and gaps in your Space. Week 2: Comment thoughtfully on posts in your field and introduce yourself to new connections. Week 3: Publish your first piece of content. Week 4: Look at what got engagement, then plan your next post.

Fear of judgment, perfectionism, and time will all try to stop you. Start small. Progress beats perfection, and your brand will keep evolving as you do.

Common mistakes

Mistake	What it looks like	The fix
The Chameleon	Changing your look and message to chase trends or please everyone.	Pick your values and visual cues, then hold them steady.
The Aspirational Mask	A brand built on who you wish you were.	Describe who you actually are today and what you can prove.
The Disconnected Experience	Polished visuals, but your actions or work do not match.	Let your real work and behavior lead. Visuals support them.
The Generic Professional	Playing it so safe that you blend in.	Add one specific focus and one personal detail people will remember.
The Ghost	Incomplete profiles, no photo, nothing to find.	Finish LinkedIn and launch a simple website.

Self-check

Before you apply anywhere, make sure you can check every box.

• [ ] I can say my value statement (“I help… by…”) out loud in one breath.
• [ ] I have written down my Place, Space, Content, and Audience.
• [ ] I have a three-sentence elevator story and two or three STAR stories.
• [ ] My headshot is current and the same on every profile.
• [ ] My colors and fonts match across my website, resume, and LinkedIn banner.
• [ ] My LinkedIn headline, About, Featured, skills, and at least one recommendation are done.
• [ ] I have Googled myself and cleaned up what I found.
• [ ] I have a plan to post or comment at least once a week.
• [ ] What I project visually matches my values.

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