Building a Personal Brand

What's the first thing a potential employer or program director does after reading your application? They search your name online. Research shows 85% of hiring managers say a candidate's online presence influences their decision. You already have a personal brand—it's what they find when they look you up. The only question is whether you're building it on purpose or letting it build itself by accident.

Your personal brand is the story people tell about you when you're not in the room. It’s what they think, feel, and say when they see your name. Right now, you have one, even if you didn't create it intentionally.Building a personal brand isn't about being fake or becoming an influencer. It's about deciding what parts of your genuine self—your skills, interests, and values—you want to highlight for the world. It’s about being intentional.A strong brand is built on three pillars:Clarity: Know what you're about. What are your top 1-3 interests or skills? Being known for something specific (your niche) is more powerful than being generic.Consistency: Show up regularly with a coherent message across platforms. Your bio, your posts, and even your comments should align with the story you want to...

Jayden (18) was a talented coder and applied for a competitive summer program. His application was strong, but he never heard back. Later, his mentor told him why. The program director had searched his name online and found nothing—no profiles, no projects, nothing. He was a ghost. Meanwhile, another applicant, Maya, had a simple professional profile where she occasionally shared articles about coding and posted links to small projects from her classes. She got the interview. The director said Maya's visible passion and engagement gave her the edge. Jayden realized that having no online presence made him invisible, a missed opportunity to show who he was beyond a paper application.