Branding Yourself Strategically

(BUS 194)

In a difficult economy, finding a new job, gaining recognition in your current one, changing careers, and building a new business can be challenging. In this course, we will explore how students can think strategically about their uniqueness and how to communicate it. The key is the development of a personal “brand.” This means knowing how to craft a personal story; articulate features of your personality, life history, and work experience; and convey those through various media channels — which is almost as important as creating the identity itself. Through short lectures, small group activities, and guest speakers, we will look at building a personal “brand” both offline as well as online. By the end of the course, students will know how to identify themselves in face-to-face meetings and how to use Web 2.0 media (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and others) to make a lasting personal and professional impression.

Angelika Blendstrup, Business Communications Coach; CEO, Blendstrup & Associates

Angelika Blendstrup received a PhD in education from Stanford. She coaches self-marketing to Silicon Valley business groups and professionals looking to develop their personal brand. Her specialty is high tech branding through social media. Blendstrup is the author of They Made It!, a book about how foreignborn entrepreneurs succeeded in Silicon Valley.