Why It Pays to Be Noticed
By Catherine Kaputa, founder of SelfBrand (
www.selfbrand.com), a brand strategy company that works with people, products and companies.
It used to be that you could submit a one-page resume, interview with one person and get an offer. Or fill out a college application and get accepted on your academic merits. . Boy, are those days gone, and maybe forever.
The Tale of Two College Applications
Recently, I was at my alma mater, Northwestern University, to speak on self-branding to two alumni groups and reconnect with my college roots. I got into a discussion with my freshman roommate and other alumni over their kids’ college application process.
My college roommate took the straight and narrow path on her daughter’s college applications. Paula was a strong student - a girl interested in science - no less. Friends were using consultants. My roomate’s daughter filled out the forms and wrote the essay herself.
Another Northwestern alumna told me how her husband arranged for their son, David, to have a summer job working with a start-up company creating natural medical remedies. The twist was the company was located in the Amazon rain forest. The parents, no doubt, thought if would be a great experience for David, but I suspect forefront in their minds was how this experience would set David apart from the pack. Like Paula, David was applying to several prestigious private universities - schools with hundreds of applicants for every spot. His descriptive accounts of fending off poisonous snakes and bugs the size of tractors as he learned about tropical medicine became the topic of his college admissions essay.
Now, we may all long for simpler times, and the later approach may sound contrived, but it was highly successful. Unlike Paula, David had multiple applications to consider. Admissions officers may talk of the need for simplify applications, but the fact is there is so much competition, so many applicants, that you have to differentiate yourself in a memorable way to stand out.
Think Different to Become a Brand Apart
It may not be fair, but society and the business world, not just college admissions departments, reward differentiation. Let’s be fair to David as well. His experience in the Amazon was a life changing experience. But it was also a smart self-branding tactic. David built a strong identity around this experience that set him and his abilities apart from the pack. And Paula and her parents learned an important lesson that they’ll never forget.
Having a different idea for your brand is powerful. It will position you apart from the crowd. You’ll give people a reason to chose you and not a competitor. You’ll find this is true whether you want to get into the school of your dreams, the company with all the buzz, or the job that’s the perfect match for your talents.
There are many people competing with you, for your job, your opportunity, your money, your _____. It used to be about whether you can you do the job. Now, many people can do the job, so it has to be about something more. That’s why your brand must stand out from your competitors in the minds of your prospects.
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U R A BRAND
How Smart People Brand Themselves for Business Success.
By Catherine Kaputa with foreword by Al Ries.
Order from
Amazon.com
bn.com
Click to find out more
Who We Are
Catherine Kaputa is a brand strategist, speaker and author. She is president of
SelfBrand, a marketing consultancy that works with companies and individuals
who want to unlock the optimum marketing focus and game plan.
Speaking and Workshops: Visit www.selfbrand.com
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