Career branding for career beginners: Build a professional brand that opens doors to your first job

Exude industry-ready energy through your personal brand and position yourself like a pro for your first big break.

I remember the feeling well. Months of rejection emails before I finally landed my first ever marketing job. I didn’t know then what I have since learned about career branding and building your professional personal brand to be first-job ready.  Building a confident personal brand isn’t something you wait to do after you land your first job. It’s how you get the job in the first place. 

Here’s what I wish I knew back then: 

1. Transfer your skills. Turn your student experience into industry-ready strengths 

You’re not just a student or recent graduate. You’ve likely already spent years honing your professional skills. 

From your resume to your LinkedIn profile, articulate your academic achievements with the same confidence as paid work.  For example, use a group project to highlight your professionalism and understanding of industry issues, showcasing your contributions and impactful outcomes as though they were part of your paid job. 

2. Turn research into professional experience

Research projects are often overlooked gems of professional experience. Whether it’s a major undergraduate project, honours thesis, Masters or PHD, don’t relegate potentially hundreds of hours of research and writing to a line in the education section of your resume. Reposition your research like a professional role. What did your research involve? What problem did you solve? Who were the key collaborators? What measurable outcomes did you achieve?

There is no rule that professional experience is paid work. At least while you’re trying to land your first job, give yourself the extra credit you’ve earned.

3. Build trust by association. Partner up to power your personal brand

When you’re just starting your career, you likely haven’t gained industry trust yet. To overcome this obstacle, attach your professional brand to established brands. Promote trust by association. Reference the institutions you have studied with, what industry clients did your student projects collaborate with? Or, even if you haven’t had formal education, the other organisations you’re affiliated with.

4. Highlight your professional affiliations or volunteering

Just because you lack formal experience doesn’t mean you lack leadership. Volunteering or other affiliations can showcase your skills, values and leadership potential before you’ve ever landed your first role. 

Highlight how you used your skills and interests to make a meaningful impact.

5. Make your work placements work for you

Even your week-long work placement, when communicated with confidence, counts toward your credibility. Include it in your resume and LinkedIn profile as part of your professional experience. Showcase the stakeholders and teams you collaborated with and the technical skills you gained. 

6. Put your side hustle in the spotlight

Did you work the shop floor or wait tables while you studied? Don’t view your casual job with a casual attitude. If this were your full-time work, even better. Reflect on the achievements or skills you’ve developed. Did you get promoted to team leader or supervisor? Did you win an award? Did you learn important admin skills? What was the scope and scale of your role? Early career jobs can often require high-value people skills and high-volume work. View your early jobs with a fresh lens to qualify your skills and quantify your contributions. 

You might not even need to look far beyond your current role to progress your professional experience. I know many people who have turned their casual jobs into sought-after senior management roles within the same businesses. Use your insider advantage to elevate your career. 

7. Learn in public. Build your portfolio

You don’t have to be an ‘expert’ to start sharing your unique point of view. Build your online professional brand alongside (or before your job search). Consider sharing: 

• Projects in progress

• Your perspective on industry trends

• Your latest learnings

• Your reflections on what you’ve learned

• Your passions

Show potential recruiters that you have a genuine passion for your profession and industry. I once had a soon-to-be recruit tell me in passing they had a social media account established just for fun. It turned out it had an audience of over 100K. Safe to say, I understood that despite their limited official experience, they were skilled for the role.

8. Leverage your current connections

I didn’t know what I now know about career branding back at the start of my career. So my lacklustre resume played only a supporting role in my landing my first job. My first professional role in marketing came from an organisation I was already affiliated with, yet never imagined I’d work for. While no one on the hiring panel knew me personally, I had a connection to the brand, which helped me write a standout cover letter. Reflect on all your experiences to date and consider what opportunities you’ve overlooked. Target your job search to where you already have organic alignment. 

First impressions begin before your first role.

You don’t need a job title to have a professional brand. You need the confidence to claim the experience you’ve already earned.

You don’t start to build your professional personal brand once you’re established in your career - it’s what opens the doors for you. 

Every group project, research paper, casual job or volunteer role has shaped your story. Translate those experiences into a clear and confident narrative about your skills, values and professional potential. Be so industry-ready that they can’t ignore you.