Personal Brand (aka Your Brand Plan): marketing yourself may be the key to finding a job during hard times

By Lizzy Scully
This is the first of a three-part series...

Business owners write detailed brand strategies when developing their organizations. Without a unique brand identity that communicates the essence of the business, customers would have nothing to identify with. So shouldn’t most job seekers brand themselves as well?

“Definitely,” says Metro State alumni and Your Brand Plan owner David Sandusky. “People need to understand who they are, what they stand for, and what their voice and purpose are.”

Business plans fail because people don’t understand their brand first. It’s no different with individuals, Sandusky adds. “Your brand should reflect your core values and passion. That is what gets potential employers on board.”

The next step is marketing your brand, says Sandusky. And what is the most productive way to do that? “Establish a communications strategy using social media platforms,” he says. “It is required for your ability to be successful. The new definition of marketing and public relations is online. People who aren’t engaging their community and developing their network are going to find it difficult to do business.”

Sandusky recognizes social media platforms can be intimidating for Internet newbies. But, they are very easy to use. Just click on one of these (the most popular social media platforms) and sign on: Facebook, LinkedIn, or MySpace. Facebook is the most popular site with more than 350 million users, while LinkedIn is the most commonly used by professionals who are networking for jobs. If you’re still confused, send an email to the Office of Alumni Relations Social Engagement Manager, Lizzy Scully, at escully@mscd.edu. Or, visit the Office’s social media site, and click on any of the social media links.

“It’s new and scary,” says Sandusky, “but people’s lives turn around entirely when they realize what they are supposed to be doing.”

See next month’s Enewsletter for the second of this three-part social media series, “The rise of the citizen journalist: blogging 101.”

Metro State Alumni Relations Office Launches Mentoring Program

Metro State Alumni Relations Office Looking for Mentors

The Metropolitan State College of Denver Office of Alumni Relations and the Student Academic Success Metro Scholars Program recently launched the new, pilot Alumni Mentoring Program (AMP), and is looking for additional alumni who are Denver-based professionals to serve as mentors. The purpose of this program is to facilitate a connection between students and alumni mentors in the student’s field of study, fostering the student’s development through this newly created relationship.

According to Acting Co-Director of Alumni Relations Joshua Anderson: “Providing students with access to successful professionals gives them invaluable opportunities for networking, getting questions answered, and potentially getting real-world experience in their fields. It helps bridge the gap between life as a student and life after graduation.”

The program also benefits mentors, Anderson added. “As with any process in life, the more you put in the more you get back,” Anderson said. “Not only could you have a direct and positive impact on someone’s professional and personal development, but you may also find your next new hire. The time commitment is minimal—a couple hours per month—but the rewards are huge.”

The pilot program will take place spring semester, 2010, and includes scholarship students in the Metro Scholars Program. For more information, please email Gini Mennenga at vmille17@mscd.edu, or call her at 303-556-4076. If you would like to sign up, please take this short SurveyMonkey survey.

Metro State graduates search for jobs in tough economic time

President Obama's top economic adviser predicted for the first time Sunday that job growth would begin as early as this spring. It's good news for the hundreds of graduates who received their degrees from Metro State in Denver Sunday afternoon. To read the full story, click here.