Set Yourself Apart -- Everyday

Most companies spend a great deal of time, effort and money fostering a brand for themselves, including everything from logo design to mission statement to value proposition. In fact, it can be argued that the most valuable asset any company has is its brand.

But branding isn't necessarily limited to businesses. With a grueling job market awaiting college students entering their final year, enterprising young people might do well to create a brand for their most important product -- themselves.

According to my colleague Denise Williams, East Coast manager and director of strategic marketing for Goodman Marketing Partners, a multi-channel, direct response marketing agency in Philadelphia, personal branding is a powerful tactic for setting yourself apart in the eyes of prospective employers. And if you do it well enough, your brand could remain with you throughout your career.

"Branding yourself is a matter of boiling down who you are and what your values are, and then being true to that. In other words, living it," says Williams, who also serves as president of the Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association. "For example, going out of your way to volunteer or lend assistance to other people, rather than always looking out for Number One. Or always maintaining your cool in a crisis or when the chips are down...these are traits that will not only serve you well, but will precede you through the door."

Like a corporation laboring over its mission statement, branding yourself might be a time-consuming process, requiring a thorough assessment of who you are, who you want to be, what principles you hold most dear, and what your strengths and weaknesses are. "Then determine how to make your strengths part of your daily life, while minimizing your weaknesses," says Williams. It also helps to choose someone whose "brand" you admire and try to emulate him or her, or even enter into a mentoring relationship with that individual.

Williams, who speaks to students about marketing themselves whenever she has the opportunity, offers the following five suggestions for building your most important brand:

Know Thyself

Understand what motivates you and the kind of environment in which you will thrive. Know what your goals are and create the strategies that will get you there. Every brand has a mission and a way to fulfill that mission. This is true for your own personal brand. Your education, your work, your affiliations, where you network, where and how you converse online, and the people with whom you associate, will define your brand.

Stay Positive

Negativity kills positive people. Negativity will kill a brand. Stay positive and be viewed as a healthy, positive professional, one that makes each and every person feel important. It's not always easy but worthwhile in that positive people are sought after to lead, manage and share their knowledge and energies. Learn to bring out the best in people. Be known for it.

Get Involved

Don't sit on the sidelines. There are a variety of professional and community-related affiliations that not only need volunteers or hire interns but provide networking. Selfish networking to hawk products is not what we are talking about. Getting involved and volunteering your time tells others that you care. People like people who care about things other than themselves. Reap the satisfaction of getting involved and helping others.

Maintain Reasonable Expectations of Others

Some people ask for help of others one too many times. It's OK to ask for help, but know when to stop. No one is going to get the job for you. No one is going to jump through hoops for you unless they are inclined to do so. Business is a give and take - better to be a giver than a taker. Better to be owed than owing. Once you are known as a taker, you've shot yourself in the foot. Ask for guidance but don't ask for too much. Find a couple of people you trust and respect, and look to them for mentoring.

Remember To Thank

Referrals, personal contacts, introductions, and invitations should never go without a thank you. If someone has helped your initiatives in any way, be sure to thank them the old fashioned way. Yes, it's 2009, but a text is not sufficient, and an e-mail is just OK. Send a note. A gift shows real appreciation. Make your brand an appreciative one.

I couldn't have said it better myself!