BUILDING YOUR BRAND. DEFINITION: What is a personal and professional brand? STARTING: Where do I begin to create my brand?

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1 BUILDING YOUR BRAND DEFINITION: What is a personal and professional brand? Developing a personal and professional brand involves self-reflection to gain a genuine understanding and a strong picture of who you are and what you want to become. Your brand should ignite personal and professional growth. You have to work at it; branding cannot be forced, and it is a continual process. It is the sum of your strengths, skills, passions, and attributes. It is the value you bring to your target audience that makes you unique. How is your brand related to career development? Your brand helps communicate why you are distinct and, thus, why you are the ideal candidate for the position. There will be many ambitious, intelligent MBAs interviewing for the exact same positions you are. How are you unique? What sets you apart from your competition? Why should they hire YOU? STARTING: Where do I begin to create my brand? Developing your personal and professional brand is a process. To begin, start brainstorming your strengths, skills, passions, and attributes. These first steps will help you uncover your own self-understanding and how you want to define yourself for the next business level. There are a number of tools and resources that can help you jump-start the process: Online Tools Kiersey Sorter: kiersey.com HumanMetrics Online Test: humanmetrics.com/cgi-win/jtypes2.asp Independent Exercises Pull out past performance evaluations. What do they say about you? Your own SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats (enclosed) Branding worksheets (enclosed) Other assessments: You will be doing a number of self-assessments in your teams course and will be taking StrengthsFinder 2.0 prior to orientation. CHANNELS: How do I support and communicate my brand? Think about the places and events where you can express your brand. There are multiple channels to communicate your brand; intentionally think about the channels you want to use to align with your branding goals. The end result is that your channels support your brand in a consistent manner: Business Cards Résumé Cover Letter References Portfolio Blog/Website LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Wardrobe Signature Networking Events Job Interviews Meetings Public Speaking Articles/Publications

2 THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF YOUR BRAND The following worksheets will give you some foundational work towards discovering your personal and professional brand. This discovery will continue throughout your time in the MBA Program. ADJECTIVES Example (the authentic you): Ethical, experienced, intellectual, level-headed, methodical, productive, cool under pressure, resilient, tenacious, driven, environmentally proactive, NOUNS Example (titles and/or areas that capture the authentic you): Business strategist, troubleshooter, turnaround artist, transformer, corporate marketing, leader VERBS Example (your impact/results/ advantages/value proposition): Resurrect failing or fledgling telecom ventures; bring technology concepts to reality; leverage market opportunities Brand-Building Questions: What do people admire/love most about you (including your boss, coworkers, colleagues, friends, family members, etc.)? Brand-Building Questions: What reputation are you most proud of? What products/services are you most passionate about? What roles or titles do colleagues most associate you with? Brand-Building Questions: If you could have just one impact on your work world, what would it be? What s your value proposition? For example, I make money for my employer/clients by [fill in the blank]. My description: My description: My description: How others describe me: How others describe me: How others describe me:

3 SWOT ANALYSIS FOR JOB SEEKERS S: Strengths Transferable job strengths: Where do you excel? W: Weaknesses Areas of development: Which areas need improvement? O: Opportunities Based on experience, skills, and willingness to relocate. T: Threats What challenges might you need to overcome to achieve your career goals? Close the Gaps Paying particular attention to the W. Consider options for developing those skills and overcoming them as a weakness. University of Wisconsin-Madison coursework Projects within courses Extra work with professors Additional projects/committees in the community Volunteer activities/clubs/organizations

4 ELEVATOR PITCH The next sections will focus on four areas most commonly used to communicate your personal and professional brand to employers. Elevator Pitch Résumé Cover Letter LinkedIn Profiles During your time in the Wisconsin MBA program, you will encounter ample amounts of networking opportunities. Creating and practicing a personal marketing message is essential for successful networking. A good approach to represent yourself in networking situations is to develop and use a 30-second commercial or elevator pitch. Think about the elevator pitch as a clear and concise introduction statement designed to convey key points to your target audience: 1. Who you are (name, year, UW-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business, specialization) 2. Where you have been/accomplishments (previous employer, key highlights of transferable skills) 3. Where you are going (internship/employment goal) Tips It might be helpful to write it out, but do not memorize. It may not always be formal, so adapt to your environment (hallways, career fair, coffee, etc.). An entire elevator pitch is rarely communicated all at once. It usually comes out in an interactive dialogue. It can start a conversation or allow room for you to ask questions. Adapt to your audience be flexible. (Examples below) Target Audiences Classmates Professors Wisconsin Alumni Advisors/Mentors Guest Speakers Example #1 Job Fair Representatives Employers Members of Professional Associations Executive Advisory Board Members You are at a reception following a guest speaker at a Graduate Business Association event. You notice the speaker chatting to a couple of people a few feet away. Hi, I m Jill Lee, a first-year MBA student here at Wisconsin. Thanks so much for coming to speak at our Graduate Business Association event! I really enjoyed your discussion of the relative merits of various foreign investment vehicles. My MBA concentration is in corporate finance, and before coming here, I was a financial analyst for Kraft Foods near Chicago, so I ve spent many hours poring over similar financial decisions. Hopefully I will do something similar this summer. Example #2 You are having a conversation with your Center s advisory board member: Hi, my name is Pat Black and I m a first-year student in the Nielsen Center for Marketing Research. Previously, I worked for Sony Corporation in the finance area, where I used my research and analytical skills to build forecast models. I hope to land an internship in marketing research for a technology company, ideally on the West Coast, but I m open to relocation anywhere. As these demonstrate, the exact content of the message will change depending on your audience, but the basic info will remain constant: who you are, what you are studying, where you have been, and where you want to go.

5 ELEVATOR PITCH PRACTICE WORKSHEET (Name, year, UW-Madison, Wisconsin School of Business, specialization) Who are you? (Previous employer, key highlights of transferable skills, your strengths) Where have you been? (Internship/employment goal) Where are you going?

6 WISCONSIN MBA RÉSUMÉS A résumé has two main purposes: 1. Marketing Tool Allows you to highlight your skills and experience and communicate your brand tailored to the prospective job. 2. Screening Device Employers use this as a tool to sort through prospective employees and trim down a pile of applicants. Primary Résumé Template As a result of a recommendation from the Dean s Advisory Board and several corporate recruiters, we provide a template format for a primary version of your résumé. As many companies request an MBA résumé book, this use of a template tends to set one particular business school s résumés apart from others with a unified appearance. This approach also ensures a simplified review process for recruiters and hiring managers, as well as an increased chance of exposure to your résumé. The full résumé guide with examples can be found in Section F. This primary version should consist of the following components and be developed in a chronological manner. NAME BLOCK: Composed of basic contact information. Includes your full first and last name in CAPS with a larger, bold type. Do not include nicknames or inappropriate addresses. Provide both permanent and temporary addresses if a move or relocation is planned after submission of your résumé. Do not use abbreviations. EDUCATION: Chronological listing of your educational experience. It is your preference to add GPA; however, be consistent. If you add your GPA under your MBA, also add it under your undergraduate degree and include the scale. After initial identification of a school s location, list your specialization focus followed by either key coursework or class projects. Add key accomplishments or memberships. EXPERIENCE: Listing of present to past employers. Think about goals accomplished which conclude in specific results. Include numbers and percentages whenever possible. For past or current positions held, review job descriptions (if saved) and incorporate verbiage into the construction of attention grabbing statements. Adjust the quantity of bullets you include based on relevance to the position for which you submit your résumé. Move statements most applicable to a job, closer to the position title listing. ADDITIONAL HEADINGS: If applicable, include one or two headings, ensuring that your résumé length continues to be one page. Refrain from including very personal, revealing information. Consider including a final line to the document stating your work authorization status if applicable. Listing a note on references is not necessary. An employer will notify you if they need contact information on your past experiences.

7 COVER LETTERS Your cover letter is viewed as your first writing sample and should complement (not just repeat) the information on your résumé. In addition, when applying to a specific position, make sure to match your writing with the job description. It should be a shadow of the job description to showcase that you have the skills and knowledge the employer needs. Purpose of a Cover Letter Initiate contact with: An employer to introduce yourself and inquire about job or internship possibilities An employer to apply for an actual position An alumnus, family, or friend to ask for an informational interview Capture the employer's (or reader's) interest Invite the recipient to read the résumé in depth Secure an interview (for information or employment purposes) Basic Guidelines One page 3-4 paragraphs Written in a standard cover letter format Language matches each different job description As much as possible, address your cover letters to a specific person, rather than To whom it may concern. Do your best to find out who the hiring manager is. If you cannot, address the letter to Director of Human Resources or Dear Hiring Manager or Dear Hiring Committee. Completely error-free enlist classmates, staff or your career coach to proofread your letter. Four Steps to Writing Your Cover Letters Step 2: Compare your credentials with the position. List at least three key accomplishments or experiences relevant to the position. The desired format would be in bullet points. Identify transferable skills that make you an ideal candidate: Communication skills Teamwork and interpersonal skills Leadership skills Work ethic traits (self-motivation, initiative, ambition, reliability, drive, stamina) Logic, intelligence, proficiency in study Technical and/or analytical skills Step 3: Write the letter. Use the cover letter template Answer the following questions: Why are you interested in the position and company? How are you qualified for the position? Why should you be hired over other candidates? Step 4: Proofread and review. Have a career coach and a peer review your letter Step 1: Analyze the position and the company. Underline key words or phrases in the job description that offer clues as to what the employer wants or requires Identify why you are interested in the position and company Identify the recruiter or hiring manager for the position Identify any contacts you have within the organization

8 STANDARD FORMAT OF THE COVER LETTER Your contact information Date Name of Contact Person Title Organization Street Address City, State, Zip Code Salutation (Dear XXX): First Paragraph - Introduction: Use this paragraph to state your reason for writing and explain how you learned of the position. For example, Please accept my enclosed résumé in application for the position of senior analyst at Smith and Company. I learned of this opportunity through your online posting on erecruiting.com and feel my qualifications are an excellent match for the responsibilities of the position. Body Paragraphs What you can offer them: Use this paragraph to emphasize and elaborate upon your strongest qualifications and be certain to address the specific qualifications the employer may have listed in the job description. If it seems that the position requires leadership skills, be sure to highlight your own leadership skills and demonstrate how your own skills and those the employer is seeking are a good match. You may also want to address why you want to work for them. Almost every employer will ask the question, Why are you interested in this position? or Why are you interested in this company? You can explain this in your cover letter if you wish. Last Paragraph Closing: Generally, this section is used to thank the reader for their consideration and request an opportunity to discuss the position further. You should also use this paragraph to indicate to the employer how he/she can reach you. Alternately, you may indicate that you will contact the employer to follow up. If you do this, make sure you actually follow up! Sincerely, Your name Enclosure: Résumé Additional Sample Cover Letters are available in the Cover Letter section.

9 LINKEDIN PROFILE BASICS Why should I be on LinkedIn? Companies are using LinkedIn to find people like you. Employer uses of LinkedIn: Search for candidates Contact candidates Keep tabs on potential candidates Vet candidates pre-interview It gives you an efficient way to manage your network. New tools to keep notes, contact information and other key pieces of information for each of your contacts Schedule reminders to follow up Reach out to current network to start increasing connections LinkedIn is a very simple personal branding platform. But only if you have a complete, clear, and consistent message reflected on your profile Tips for a Successful LinkedIn Profile 1. Have a professional photo. You will have a professional headshot taken early in your time at Wisconsin. Using this photo will immediately make your LinkedIn profile look professional and intentional. 2. Customize your URL. LinkedIn immediately assigns all users a messy URL for your public profile link. But they also give you the option to create a personal URL for your profile. Just go into the edit options while you are logged on and simplify your URL. 3. Utilize the summary. Almost all of you will be in an active job search at some point during your two years. Utilizing the summary section of your profile allows you to write about your career goals, what you hope to learn with your MBA and how you plan on using it in the future. It will also signal to employers that you are seeking. 4. Have an informative headline. We suggest you include the words Business, your specialization, and MBA in your headline. (ex. MBA Candidate in Real Estate, Wisconsin School of Business) 5. List relevant projects. LinkedIn allows you to highlight class projects in the education section. By doing this you have the opportunity to expand what s on your résumé and give the recruiter better examples of how you are applying what you ve learned. 6. Match your résumé format. Recruiters expect to see similar things listed on your résumé and LinkedIn profile. Although you don t have to copy and paste, the professional experience section should look and feel similar to a résumé. Don t leave recruiters wondering why you left something off, or wondering why you are presenting an experience differently. 7. Use endorsements. Utilizing this feature will allow you to collect endorsements from your connections, and highlight skills you want employers to see. 8. Display valuable volunteer experience. This is the opportunity to highlight experience you may not have room for on your résumé. Community involvement and volunteer experiences is impactful on a LinkedIn profile. 9. Join relevant groups. Research professional organizations, educational and industry groups to join. Not only does it expand the number of people you can ultimately connect with, it gets your profile out to a group of people most relevant to your job search. 10. Update, update, update. Like a résumé, a LinkedIn profile is only useful when it s up to date and working for you. Whenever you have a new experience, new project success to highlight, or when the objective of your job search changes, update your profile to make it work the best for you.