Brand You Assignment: Analyzing LinkedIn and Personal Branding Report

This report, titled "LinkedIn and Personal Branding," delves into the evolving concept of personal branding in the digital age, emphasizing its significance for individuals beyond just companies. It examines the core elements of an effective LinkedIn profile, drawing inspiration from successful social entrepreneurs like Luke Terry, Sandra Capponi, and Eyal Halamish. The report highlights the importance of a clear profile photo, compelling headline, concise summary, and detailed experience and education sections. It also emphasizes the value of skills, endorsements, and recommendations in building credibility. The author envisions a future self with a strong LinkedIn profile, reflecting their expertise and aspirations. A mock LinkedIn profile is presented, showcasing the desired elements of a professional online presence. The report concludes by underscoring the necessity of consistent effort, education, and networking to cultivate a compelling personal brand, as well as providing a list of references.

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 1
LINKEDIN AND PERSONAL BRANDING
Name
Course name
Professor
Institution
City/State
Date

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 2
Introduction
We live in a world where the word brand keeps evolving, business and companies were the only
ones associated with the term, but today it’s more than them. In today’s world, firms and
companies aren’t the only ones related with branding, but also individuals. Talented individuals
whether artists or sports personalities are brands by themselves (Zaman 2014, p. 89). Their
names are an entity and their biggest asset. The current social world tends to know a name of an
individual than what he or she represents. For these reasons individuals keep working; to
improve their profile and have more people know their brand and what they stand for. In the past
years the subject name could only be associated with the above personalities and companies, but
in today’s world, professionals are adopting this marketing style to let people know what they do
and stand for. In the yesteryears, you could only develop your career through social and
professional networking; today through the internet and social media you can access the whole
world through one platform. As I researched on the subject matter I realized that entrepreneurs
especially social entrepreneurs are using LinkedIn, a social, professional network to express their
experience and love for what they do (Vosloban 2013, p. 8).
Core elements of an impressive LinkedIn profile
I love reading through Forbes magazine articles that extensively go through the subject of self-
development. As I went through them, I realized the importance and opportunities in self-
branding. I realized how critical it is to understand yourself and the value you possess so that you
can do what you love in the most effective manner as supported by Vitberg (2010, p. 9). Doing
what you love can benefit the world in an honest way by changing people’s lives. An article

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 3
about self-brand on Fastcompany.com explicitly explains the evolution and development of
branding. It influenced my understanding in accepting that it imperative for any career person or
entrepreneur to develop his name and earn trust from his audience. You have to understand what
is unique about you and what makes you special and different then let people know about it. You
cannot talk about Australia top social entrepreneurs without mentioning Luke Terry, Sandra
Capponi, and Eyal Halamish. These famous entrepreneurs are not only known for their
heartwarming work and projects but also for how they have presented themselves. Luke Terry
owns a 7 million dollar company aimed at helping individuals with mental illness find jobs.
Sandra Capponi holds a fashion shopping application aimed at improving the environment and
life of others through shopping. Through technology Eyal Halamish, assist young local leaders to
promote development agendas and ideas to people. What all these young social entrepreneurs
have in common are good articulated LinkedIn profiles that explain their brand and work in
short, straightforward terms, and in a well-detailed manner. Going through their profiles feels
like listening to a person introduce himself, explain their professional life journey and at the
same tempo telling you what their goals and plans are. All these In a clear and concise manner
that they earn your trust and following as you read through (McCorkle 2013, 65).
My Future Self
Investing your time and resources to make an excellent LinkedIn profile can be compared to
investing in a shrewd financial asset that reaps benefits passively (Makkai et al. 2016, p. 78). I
tend to see an attractive profile as running an advert about you and expertise in the world top
news sites and papers for free. It is like having the whole world as your audience, therefore

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 4
making it essential to be very well prepared on what you are going to say; a sound profile that
state it all in a clear detailed manner. A below average looking profile looks typically ordinary
and unattractive. Furthermore, it repels trust and credibility. The first element of a good profile is
a photo; it is the human psychology that we form an impression of a person based on what we
see first. A good profile photo is not based on how groomed you are but a clear face photo. An
explicit close shot photo is one of the elements I will use to make my profile. A person title is as
important as his clear photo; position and title headline tells you at a glance who the person is
(Galvin 2012, p. 3). A person tagline should be keyword oriented using all the essential names
and words that explain his or her role and expertise. The more titles you have the more educated
and experienced you usually look to your readers and followers. Below a person’s headline and
title, is the summary of where you started, experiences and goals for the future. Under the
summary, you should briefly indicate the skills and success testimonials. As an individual who
aims to have a profile that I am proud of, I learned how important it is to expose myself to
opportunities and experiences that can boost my profile to a proper title and at the same time
have an interesting summary.
In a broader perspective, an individual profile should explain education information and
experience in detail. A more educated person will generally have a long and exciting story under
education topic and subject. A professional LinkedIn profile should have a flowing, consistent
education and professional experience elaborations. Skills and endorsement sections should also
be included to have a full looking profile; endorsement reinforces credibility and trust
(Anumundu 2016, p. 19). Career coaches typically advise how important this section is to your

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 5
targeted audience (Clemson 2014, p. 23); to make it clearer, a profile should be well articulated
in a bullet point manner for faster and easy reading. Just like a complete curriculum vitae, a top-
notch profile should have a recommendation section, coming from trusted people goes a long
way into proving your credibility. Modern LinkedIn profiles usually have completed projects and
publication sections to demonstrate your professionalism]
Conclusion
As I went through the three social entrepreneurs profiles, I learned that to have a good looking
professional profile you must have the endorsement part to make it a full profile. The more
educated you are, the more significant and outstanding your profile looks. The more informed
you are, the more professional you look in the network. Other than getting knowledge and
experience, education and professional expertise are integral ways of improving your brand I
discovered how paramount social networking to having a reliable brand. When you meet people
in your area of expertise and socialize, that’s a chance to get a recommendation and
endorsement. Over the next few years, I want to have an excellent looking LinkedIn profile that
proves credibility. Without the above vital components, such a profile will not be possible.

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 6
MOCK LINKEDIN PROFILE
MY NAME
Founder and Ceo of HelpGenius.Org an organization aimed at helping financially constrained
but intellectually talented individuals achieved their dreams. Have a belief that we should be
given an equal opportunity to showcase our talents and gifts.
1.0 EXPERIENCE
Ceo- HelpGenius-Started organization that has helped over 350 poor talented kids acquire
scholarships
2018- present
Board member- Kids help Australia .
2019-2021
Taskforce member- UNICEF AUSTRALIA( currently deputy head of child affairs, Melbourne)
2019-present
Council Member- Phoebe house Australia
2018-2021
Member- Philanthropy A Australia

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2017- present
Volunteer at
Swinburne University- student affairs
2016-2018
Australia community Foundation- member
2018- present
Red cross Australia- volunteer
2015-present
2.0 EDUCATION
Swinburne University
University of Leicester
BA, Hons, French and psychology

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2018-2021
3.0 SKILL AND ENDORSMENTS
Nonprofits activities- endorsed by Mr. Charles Stevens of association of nonprofit
organizations.
Speaker and career development- career development center, Sydney. Endorsed by Wayne Cahill
and 13 others, Who are professionals at this.
Rehabilitation expertise- as endorsed by Australia rehabilitation services and 3 other
rehabilitation organization.
Community development and engagement- endorsed by martin Philips and 3 others highly
skilled at this.
INDUSTRY KNOWLEDGE
Fundraising motivator/speaker
Event organization Personal developer
Career coach project management
4.0 RECCOMEDATIONS

LinkedIn and Personal Branding 9
James cooks (Career developer and life coach)- a well-educated personality that you only keep
learning from every time. An organized speaker and motivator for both the older and younger
generation
Luke Terry( social enterprise winner)- he only has good intention for society, his organization is
a clear indicator of how he cares for equal opportunities.
5.0 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
(A) French
(B) Most promising social enterprise 2020
The above mock LinkedIn profile would make any aspiring social entrepreneur proud. However,
such an attractive profile will be impossible without complete hard work and dedication. It can
only be achieved through a combination of exemplary academic excellence and love for the work
I do. Social entrepreneurship is not about money and profit but more about respect for others and
love for fairness. Working in diverse humanitarian and social enterprises would provide the basis
for experience needed to run such organization. Through Networking and personal development
initiatives such as education advancement would go a long way in making such a LinkedIn
profile a reality (Haig et al. 2018, 34).

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List of References
Anumudu, C. 2016, ‘Identity Development in Personal Branding Instruction’, Adult Learning,
27(1), pp. 23–29. doi: 10.1177/1045159515616968.
Clemson. 2014. ‘Personal Branding and Social Media for Students in Today’s Competitive Job
Market’, Journal of Research in Business Education, 56(2), pp. 33–47. Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=eft&AN=115062843&site=ehost-live
(Accessed: 2 October 2018).
Drucker, P 2005 ‘Managing Oneself’, Harvard Business Review, Jan, Vol.83(1), pp.100-109
Galvin, M. 2012, ‘Organizations’ Use of Linkedin: An Analysis of Nonprofits, Large
Corporations and Small Businesses’, Marketing Management Journal, 22(1), pp. 113–121.
Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=82541874&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 2 October 2018).
Haig, N. 2018, ‘your PERSONAL BRAND: Building a professional identity, and promoting it
effectively, can be vital to an internal auditor’s career’, Internal Auditor, 75(1), pp. 54–59.
Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=128494740&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 2 October 2018).
Hongzhi G. 2018. ‘Social Media Ties Strategy in International Branding: An Application of
Resource-Based Theory’, Journal of International Marketing, 26(3), pp. 45–69. doi:
10.1509/jim.17.0014.

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Machaz, H-A & Shokoofh, K 2016, ‘Personal Branding: An Essential Choice?’, Journal of
Multidisciplinary Research (1947-2900), vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 65–70, viewed 2 October 2018,
<http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=120436503&site=ehost-
live>.
MAKKAI, J. A. 2016, ‘Personal Branding of Contemporary Novelists in the Digital
Age’, Journal of Media Research, 9(2), pp. 100–105. Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ufh&AN=116350240&site=ehost-live
(Accessed: 2 October 2018).
McCorkle, Y. L. 2012, ‘Using Linkedin in the Marketing Classroom: Exploratory Insights and
Recommendations for Teaching Social Media/Networking’, Marketing Education Review, 22(2),
pp. 157–166. Available at: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=78729818&site=ehost-live (Accessed: 2 October 2018
Vitberg, A 2010, ‘Developing Your Personal Brand Equity’, Journal of Accountancy, vol. 210,
no. 1, pp. 42–45, viewed 2 October 2018, <http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=buh&AN=51877174&site=ehost-live>.
Vosloban, R. I. 2013, ‘Employee’s personal branding as a competitive advantage - a managerial
approach’, International Journal of Management Science & Technology Information, (10), pp.
166–178.

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ZAMAN, A. 2014, ‘Build Your Brand’, Internal Auditor, 71(6), p. 68. Available at:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=100244267&site=ehost-live
(Accessed: 2 October 2018).