The Ultimate Guide to Personal Branding for Students

Personal branding for students has never been more critical than it is today. It’s not just a trendy term – it’s your key to career success. Think of your brand as your story. It’s what you share with others and what they say about you when you’re not there. As a student, you can build this story from scratch.

We’ll show you simple steps to build your brand while you’re in school. Maybe you want an internship. Maybe you’re planning for life after graduation. Or perhaps you want to differentiate yourself when job hunting. Good branding helps with all these goals.

This guide will help you create a genuine, honest brand. You’ll learn to show off what you’re good at and what you care about. You’ll also learn how to make yourself shine in your chosen field. Ready to make yourself stand out?

Understanding Personal Branding Today

Your brand is more than just a nice LinkedIn page or clean Twitter feed. It’s about how people see you online and in real life. Think of your brand like your fingerprint—no one else has one exactly like yours. Furthermore, you’ll want to ensure your brand is consistent everywhere people can find you–your website, social media accounts, etc.

Here’s the thing: whether you work on it or not, you have a brand. Whenever you post on Instagram, comment on a friend’s post, or finish a project, you leave a mark online. You need to take charge of these marks.

Keep these basic facts in mind:

• Once it’s online, it stays online. Even when you “delete” something, it’s still on the web in some way, shape, or form. Think of it this way: if you wouldn’t share it with your grandmother, don’t share it online.
• People often check you out online before meeting you, so you must make a great first impression via your online presence.
• Your friends and contacts can help or hurt your brand. Just as you should in real life, it’s essential to surround yourself online with people who support you and your goals.
• Being real matters more than being perfect. Nobody likes a fraudulent person, so strive to be the best version of yourself in your online interactions.

Why Branding Matters for Students

You might wonder why you need to consider branding while still in school. The short answer is that it’s the perfect time to start! When you build your brand now, you open doors for later.

Good branding can help you:

• Get noticed for internships and jobs
• Meet people in your field
• Build trust with others
• Get picked for leadership roles
• Find mentors who want to help you

Starting your brand now is like planting a tree. The sooner you start, the bigger and stronger it will grow. While other students wait until graduation to work on their image, you’ll be steps ahead. Your brand will grow with you through school and into your first job. The work you do now opens doors later. Best of all? The friends you make and the good name you build can lead to chances you never expected.

Check Your Online Presence

Before building your brand, you must research what’s already out there. Here’s what to do:

1. Search yourself on Google and review at least the first five pages of results. Pay special attention to the first page of results because nearly 100% of search traffic goes to the links on the first page of a Google result.
2. Review all of your social accounts. With a fine-tooth comb, go through old posts, photos, comments, and the groups you’ve joined over the years. You’ll want to remove any less-than-flattering or outright inappropriate content.  
3. Click on Google Images and review the photos associated with your name. These could be from news articles, social media, or websites you may have forgotten about posting on. As with general content, you want all photos to present you in a positive light.
4. Search for old accounts on forums, blogs, or websites you used to visit. Many people forget about accounts they made years ago. You need to be careful with these since they can show up when a college admission officer searches your name.
5. Compare your online presence with your career goals and values. Consider whether your past posts and photos match the professional image you want to build now. It’s 100% okay if your posts and media don’t match the image you want to present. That’s why you want to develop and shape your brand ASAP.

Next, you’ll want to make a list of everything you find and sort it into three groups:

• First, we have the good stuff that helps your brand.
• Next, we have the average stuff that doesn’t hurt you but could be better.
• Lastly, the bad stuff that could potentially damage your brand and needs to go away ASAP.

Build Your Brand Identity

Your brand should show the real you – who you are now and want to become in the future.

Ask yourself the following:

• What do you care about most?
• How are you different from others?
• What are you good at?
• Do you have any problems you want to solve?
• Who needs to know about you?

Use these answers to write a short statement about who you are and what you offer.

Craft Your Online Presence

Now that you know who you are, it’s time to show it off online. The internet is an endless abyss, so you’ll want to focus on establishing your brand in a few key places:

Must-Have Sites

• LinkedIn is your digital resume, so complete every section with detailed work history and skills.
• Research and join the top professional websites and forums where experts in your industry gather.
• Create a personal website to showcase your portfolio and control your own professional narrative online.

Places to Share Your Work

• Write articles on Medium or start a blog to demonstrate your expertise and industry knowledge.
• Use GitHub to display your coding projects and contribute to open-source development communities.
• Share your creative portfolio on Behance to connect with other designers and potential clients.

Social Media

• Build a professional Twitter presence by sharing industry insights and engaging with field leaders.
• Create an Instagram feed that tells your professional story through compelling visual content.
• Start a YouTube channel to share tutorials and insights that establish you as an industry expert.

Keep everything the same across all sites:

• Choose one professional headshot that clearly shows your face and use it consistently.
• Keep your professional biography consistent but tailored slightly for each platform’s audience.
• Maintain your authentic voice and personality across all your professional communications.
• Focus on your core professional topics and expertise areas across every platform.

Make Great Content

Making content helps show what you know. As a student, share:

• What you’re learning
• What you’re good at
• How to solve problems
• Your fresh take on the world around you
• What’s new in your field

Pick the types of content you like making:

• Blog posts are a great way to share detailed insights and improve your writing skills while boosting your ranking on Google. They’re easy to update, can be repurposed across platforms, and help establish your expertise through thoughtful analysis.
• Videos create a personal connection with your audience and demonstrate complex topics visually. They perform well on social media and can showcase your personality while building trust with your audience.
• Podcasts allow you to network with guests while sharing conversations that audiences can enjoy during commutes. They’re perfect for building intimate connections through voice and storytelling.
• Visual content like infographics and diagrams make complex information easy to understand and share. They tend to draw more engagement than plain text content and can demonstrate your ability to simplify complex concepts.
• Work-related stories and case studies prove your expertise through real examples while teaching others valuable lessons. They help potential clients or employers understand your problem-solving process and professional impact.

Build Your Network

Your brand grows stronger when you connect with others. Join:

• Professional industry groups connect you with others doing similar work. You can find mentors, learn about job openings, and stay up to date with what’s happening in your field.
• Being active in school clubs helps you meet other students who share your interests. You can practice leadership skills, work on real projects, and build friendships that could help your career later.
• Online forums let you talk with people around the world at any time. You can ask questions, share what you know, and learn from others who work in your field.
• LinkedIn groups are great places to read about industry news and talk with other professionals. You can join discussions, learn about jobs, and share your own knowledge.
• Twitter chats help you meet and talk with important people in your field. You can share quick ideas, join trending talks, and grow your professional following.
• Work events and conferences let you meet people face-to-face. These meetings often lead to better connections and chances to work together on projects.

Remember: networking means making real friends, not just collecting names. Think about how you can help others.

Protect Your Name

Keep your name clean online with these personal branding tips:

• Set up Google Alerts for your name so you’ll get emails when new content about you appears online. This helps you spot and handle any issues quickly, and also lets you know when others mention your work or achievements.
• Check your privacy settings on all your accounts every few months because social media sites often change their rules. Look at who can see your posts, photos, and personal info, and update these settings to match your comfort level.
• Answer comments and messages in a friendly way, even if someone disagrees with you. Kind responses show others that you’re professional and easy to work with. Plus, good conversations can lead to new opportunities.
• When you find negative content about you online, take steps to fix it right away. This might mean deleting old posts, asking websites to remove outdated info, or adding new, positive content to push down bad results.
• Keep your work and personal life separate by using different accounts and being careful about what you share. Use work accounts for professional content only, and keep personal photos and thoughts on private accounts your coworkers can’t see.
• Save emails, screenshots, and files that show your achievements and good work. These come in handy for job interviews, performance reviews, and updating your resume. They also help you remember your progress and successes.

Track Your Success

See how well your brand is working by checking:

• Track engagement rates (likes, shares & comments) for your content across all platforms.
• Monitor website traffic and visitor behavior using analytics tools.
• Track incoming job opportunities and recruitment messages each month.
• Measure the steady growth of your professional network and connections.
• Record speaking invitations and writing opportunities from industry leaders.
• Document mentions and recognition from peers and publications.

Use this info to determine what’s working and what isn’t working.

Your 30-Day Action Plan

Make your brand better in 30 days:

Days 1-7: Get Started

• Look yourself up online
• Decide who you want to be
• Write your brand statement
• Set up your main accounts

Days 8-14: Plan & Create Content

• Plan what to post
• Make your first piece of content
• Fix your profiles
• Start meeting people

Days 15-21: Get Involved

• Join work groups
• Comment on others’ posts
• Post regularly
• Make real connections

Days 22-30: Make It Better

• Check your numbers
• Change what’s not working
• Meet more people
• Plan future content

Conclusion

Starting your personal brand now will help you later in your career. By taking charge of your story today, you’re making tomorrow easier. Remember that your brand will change as you grow – what matters is starting now and staying true to yourself.

Want to begin? Use our 30-day plan to get going. Start by checking what’s already online about you, then follow the steps we shared. The sooner you start, the better your professional future will look. Your brand is waiting for you to build it. Start today with one small step from this guide. Keep at it, and watch your professional story grow stronger every day.