Personal Branding 101: Positioning Oneself for Early Career Success

In the Skills to Succeed course open to undergraduate students at Rutgers University School of Engineering, students are exposed to key strategies in order to prosper as they begin their career. Topics in this course include professional ethics, effective communication, evaluation of career options, and interviewing skills. This class highlighted the importance of collaboration and professional networking as key elements of the early career journey. An example of this is the Informational Interview assignment. By conducting informational interviews with industry professionals, students are able to obtain a better understanding of a company's internal culture and how cross-functional teamwork is applied to real-world problems. Confidence and self-awareness are also valuable traits in career development. When discussing their experience, students should actively highlight their personal contributions, skills, and achievements. Recruiters often discuss being the 'proper fit' for a role. For a student to know if they are a proper fit, they must first take the time to fully understand their personal and professional strengths, goals, and values. Learn how a senior honors industrial engineering student was able to apply the topics in this course to improve their communication ability, secure multiple internship opportunities in program management and supply chain at Fortune 500 companies, and successfully expand their professional network of connections. This Case Study will develop multiple topics related to early career development and personal branding. This practical and valuable information will be useful to all students on an industry path, especially those seeking guidance in obtaining internship and co-op opportunities.