The Importance of Personal Branding and Networking Report for Students

This report delves into the critical aspects of personal branding and networking for final-year students, examining the significance of establishing a strong professional identity in today's competitive landscape. The report begins with a literature review, exploring various strategies such as leveraging social media platforms like LinkedIn, actively participating in industry events, and building connections both internally and externally. It emphasizes the importance of a consistent online presence, content creation, and the use of influencers to amplify one's brand. The report also discusses theoretical foundations including sociological, economic, and psychological perspectives to comprehensively understand the nuances of personal branding. Furthermore, the methodology chapter outlines the research design and methods employed, including cross-sectional research and semi-structured interviews to gather data on student perspectives. The report provides valuable insights into how final-year students can effectively build their personal brands, network strategically, and prepare for successful career launches. It highlights the importance of self-reflection, content creation, and active engagement in professional environments to enhance their visibility and credibility.

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Chapter 2:Literature review
Personal branding is a method for building up and reliably strengthening owns identity and a big
motivator in both profession and life. Here are five different ways one can be on the front foot of
reinforcing own image especially a final years students taking up their profession or career in a
particular organization. This enables students to network through use of social media (LinkedIn)
in order to build their personal brand.
Professionals perspective on personal branding and networking
Express Yes to Relevant Opportunities
One approach to reshape your expert notoriety is to take part in tasks, jobs, or activities that
reinforce your ideal personality. For example based on professional perspective of Jo Miller,
CEO of Be Leaderly, clarifies that a person’s own image needs to develop at specific focuses in
your profession, or it will keep you down. She prescribes one to consider where you need to be
in a couple of years, at that point think about which explicit exercises will enable an individual
to construct the individual brand you have to achieve that objective (Del Bosque,2013,p.89).
"Effectively search out and volunteer for prominent jobs and assignments where you can exhibit
your new image in real life."
Speak At a Conference
Students perspective should be based on the fact that Be that as it may, being the included
speaker, either before individual partners inside an organization or different experts at a bigger
industry meeting, can be an unfathomably amazing approach to construct ones expert reputation
and strengthen ones credibility as a space master.

Jeff Butler, a professional writer who has filled in as a TEDx speaker, clarifies that individuals
who step onto a phase are viewed as specialists and pioneers. "Talking gets you that quick
believability inside as well as remotely where different organizations are currently considering
you to be a specialist." He additionally expresses that talking at industry gatherings isn't
beneficial for you yet in addition useful for your organization (Gray,Vitak, Easton and Ellison,
2013. p.78)."Organizations need the introduction, so they are anxious to have workers talk."
Network internally beyond the immediate team
One should be aimed at creating connections and network positively inside the organisatin.in this
way can be always be referred in case an opportunity arises.
Morgan Chaney, Head of Marketing Blueboard.com, says that that inside networking
administration and relationship-building is basic to building you’re a person’s image (Wetsch,
2012,p.44). "This implies that inner networking works well beyond the quick partners." Chaney
states raising your perceivability among associates additionally makes you progressively
promotable. "Individuals advance the general population they know, trust, and who they see
extending past their quick obligations. Interfacing with different groups and their administration
gives you a commonly recognized name, and makes open doors for you to turn into an all the
more balanced supporter of your business."
Offer personal Voice with Influencers
A standout amongst the most ideal approaches to intensify own image is to use the range of
journalist, influencers, and industry pioneers.
One should joint ley groups programs, make connections and also Participate in both on the web
and offline networks."

Chen (2013) states that with active social media, consider effectively captivating in dialogs on
significant LinkedIn, Quora, or Facebook gatherings. On the off chance that a person need to get
ones voice included in significant industry inclusion, it’s critical to be accessible as a specialist
pundit among writers covering specific exchange. One can likewise react to columnists
effectively composing pieces on explicit beats, taking advantage of online assets like HARO,
ProfNet, or Pressfarm.
Media’s role on personal branding and networking
A final year’s student should also use social media to build personal brand.
Social media is presently the most famous device for advancing and showcasing personal image,
which is the reason the expression "social promoting" has turned out to be so prevalent. In any
case, dependably recall that you shouldn't utilize it essentially as a promoting device – "social" is
fundamentally for interfacing and drawing in with your group of onlookers, not just offering
them your items or administrations.
Even though content creation may enable one to draw in a group of onlookers, recall that
individuals keep on getting a charge out of interfacing with a genuine individual (Leekha
Chhabra, and Sharma,2014,p.60).On the off chance that a person’s deal with a Facebook page,
for instance, guarantee that the general population who collaborate there realize who they're
associating with. Social media creates a platform where employers look for employees and gives
people a chance to showcase their skills such as in CV.
Steps

One should make the interactions more personal by sharing several tidbits of personal life in
order for people to be able to relate well with one’s personal brand.one should also learn the
audience such as customers, clients and the employer.
Offer value
One should be ready to offer value as a resource such as through marketing and promotions.
Social media help one to talk, connect, engage and positively respond to followers. Through
listening to them one can build a strong mutual and satisfying relationships.
Using online life for own image is unquestionably an amazing thought, however one should not
simply bounce directly into own image correspondence crusade (Oberst,Wegmann, Stodt, Brand,
and Chamarro,2017,p.78).one should ensure good preparation, and recall that social keeps on
being about commitment and interfacing.
Build up connections
The relationship you have with other individuals additionally characterize your own image. No
man is an island, and you truly can't make due in reality without having any associations or
doing any systems administration.
Content Creation
Students can profit by sharing their considerations through digital broadcasts, Medium articles,
or curated Instagram sustains. A person should Concentrate in on long haul objectives and
afterward figure out an arrangement for the sort of substance needed to be designed.
Youngsters regularly feel like they don't have enough educational experience to manufacture a
group of people, yet that is a confusion. Youth are great communicators – simply think about all

the adolescent You Tubers and Instagrammers who are trailed by millions. Regardless of
whether a student need to compose on Medium or digital broadcast by means of Spotify, there
are as of now students utilizing that stage. With enough arranging, you can utilize your
childhood further bolstering your good fortune and build up your very own specialty viewpoint
(Soares, Pinho,and Nobre 2012,p.78). Youth are making significant substance each and every
day, and you also can manufacture a group of people on the web such as instagram and youtube
platforms
DeAndrea et al (2012) states that putting oneself out on the Internet will no doubt make you a
superior variant of yourself. The reason to utilize the admonition of "in all probability" is on the
grounds that there are individuals who utilize their stage to menace others and post socially
coldhearted junk. Making online content influences a person to consider own identity and how to
improve as an individual.
Final Year Student’s Perspective on personal branding and networking
Student’s perspective based on the meeting steps.This step is important since final year student
should be ready to actively engage in staff meetings, launch events or other programs.
Give Schreiber, Editor, Founder and CEO of Schreiber Media says meetings are a particularly
important open door when making great inquiries can help manufacture your own image. "Come
arranged with an abnormal inquiry that reveals another insight into the point being talked about
—original should as much as possible (Bunce, Baird, and Jones,2017,p.14). Present yourself
before making the inquiry with your full name, title and, friends." Schreiber portrays this as the
"best free personal branding you'll ever get" that enables you to likewise raise your profile
among individual associates in participation.
-Final Year Student’s Perspective on personal branding and networking

Final years Personal reflection: Building your own image compels you to consider what you
need out of life — and that is inconceivably significant. Taking shape an arrangement to construct
your own image will profit your future. Your arrangement may be to compose each day on
Medium, cold email 15 experts, or include 100 associations LinkedIn. Your own image will say
"thank you" – and over the long haul, your wallet will likewise be upbeat (Tsai and
Men,2013,p.66).Students who have solid individual brands are bound to dispatch themselves into
an effective vocation. Improving your own marking is much the same as getting ready for a
prospective employee meet-up a long time ahead of time.
Various theoretical foundations based on personal branding.
Personal branding is a quite a multidisciplinary concept which usually employs several different
theories and approaches need to discuss it.
Sociological theories
This ensures that students acknowledge positioning personal branding and understand how
onstage performance like first impression and immediate feedback usually influence the
perceptions of other individuals towards a person.
Economic.This helps students to understand the macro environment where personal branding
takes place, it attempts to explain the current economic condition available that highly ensure
personal ghinteraction s with the professional environment. These include emotional capitalism
that often results to establishment of probable reputation economy.
Psychological. This particular theory is significant since it attempts to indicate the responsibility
of personal branding in identity formation (DeAndrea et al,2012,p.89). This concept also

highlights self-esteem, self-fulfillment, and advocacy, personal reflection in a bid to demonstrate
people’s leadership fit and acts as a tool for self-development.
Along these lines, we presume that extensive comprehension of personal branding lies on
expansive theories like psychological, sociological and economic. Driven by specific needs and
forming own character (mental viewpoint), an individual takes part in on the web and
disconnected associations with others, endeavoring to deal with their impression of him/her to
pick up a specific advantage (sociological point of view). There are explicit standards and
practices of making, situating, and dealing with possess brand (promoting point of view), and
these exercises are predicated by bigger moves in the authoritative and societal settings
(monetary viewpoint).
Chapter 3: Methodology
The section describes the research design and the research methods used for collecting data
related to the research topic.
Research Design
There are two research design which were used in the research (Barnett et al., 2014 p.78).The
designs involve the cross-sectional research design and semi-structured interview design.
The cross-sectional research design.
Bélanger, Bali and Longden (2014) argues that for any research it is necessary to identify the
design that correlates with the research question. The cross-sectional design will be used because
it helps in collecting data from more than two case studies. The design gives the quantifiable
results by use of two or more variables that helps in detecting the pattern of association research.

Therefore, the focus for this research is to analyze the perspective of final year students on an
aspect of personal branding and networking meaning more than one data results will be needed
thus the need to use the cross-sectional research design. Indeed the design will provide adequate
data that shows how each student has different experiences and background information
desirable to future career paths. The data collected through this design has different concepts
from different participants thus understanding the problem statement of the research. The
empirical data is collected through the use of cross-sectional design since it pairs with the
quantifiable research (Bunce, Baird & Jones, 2017 p.83).
On another hand, the semi-structured interview design permits the research to explain on the
meaning attributed to particular phenomena. The design in our research is supported by the use
of interview such as face to face interview to get data related to student's perception of personal
branding and networking.
Research Method
For the study the research method attributes to data sources and the participants. In the study, the
experts were chosen and interviewed by the use of a single questionnaire (Chen, 2013 p.72).The
questionnaire follows the original research statement so as to find out the effective practices to
maintain and develop successful personal branding and networking. The interview design used to
collect data for research included parts such as;
1. What is the common aspect of personal branding? How is the aspect useful in building one's
career?
2. How would you measure the success of a personal brand? Give an example.

3. In what capacity can one use personal branding? How can this help in building the
professional environment?
4. In your own opinion and perspective, how does one use personal branding and networking
concept to develop the career path? Kindly give an example.
The data collection on this study was through the use of students and personal branding experts
who interviewed the students on their perception related to personal branding and networking
concepts in career development (DeAndrea et al., 2012 p.100). All the students were required to
complete the questions outlined in the interview guideline's the students were being interviewed,
the experts were supposed to fill questionnaires which were structured to collect data related to
personal branding and networking capabilities in career development. The questions were
categorical so as to get the correct answers for future career success and development. After the
information was collected, data presentation strategies were employed. The face to face
interviews was collected using audio records then questionnaires were paraphrased and results
tabled.

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