- Dan Schawbel, Personal Branding Cheerleader

“A man’s true purpose is to find the path into his self.”

- Herman Hesse, novelist

My dearest Gen Y careerist, I am sure that, as many of you are job seekers or are beginning your careers, you have by now – or will shortly – be given the advice to develop your “personal brand.” That very concept should give you pause. Let me share with you why.

Personal branding is described by advocates such as the Personal Branding Blog as a process by which you “create your career and command your future.” “You will learn how to position yourself for success so that you become known for your passion and expertise. In the digital age, your name is the only currency….” Now, the first question is whether this is actually something new. Is this just fancy new jargon to describe something as old as putting on some nice clothes and brushing your hair before a job interview? If so, then you are just being marketed to, like the proverbial salesman selling an icebox to an Eskimo. But I believe that something in the above quote betrays the fact that this is a new concept of us and our roles in this society.

What does the word “brand” add to the former concept of “reputation.” Our name and reputation, our set of skills, connections, and track record have always been what defined us in the job marketplace. That has always been our currency. What does the word “brand” add to the mix? The same thing it adds in any other marketplace. The elevation of a created identity over the product itself, where the image becomes the identity, where what people buy is the identity itself. (Think of the substantive differences between brands of cola, or jeans.) If you are a brand, rather than a professional with a list of skills, accomplishments, and connections, it is your image that you are creating and marketing. This image is not represented by any kind of packaging, by a logo. It is represented by how you sell your personality. This is the hidden risk I see in a concept that gets talked about as if it were no big deal, because when your personality is what identifies you and your “brand,” then there are consequences that don’t occur with the normal building of a professional resume.

This is a critique not just of the phrase “personal branding,” but of the very concept, and what it implies about our culture and society here in the US. People are using this phrase without realizing what the concept implies or what they are giving away. To say that I am a personal brand is to force me to reduce myself, my whole multi-dimensional self, to the economic dimension. This raises some serious problems for those who value authenticity. For if we allow this idea of personal branding to go to its logical conclusion, then every aspect of our personality, in our quest to know ourselves and become responsible, caring, autonomous adults is not questioned as to whether or not it is the real self – as opposed to the self defined for us by our parents and community, the one we are supposed to start to outgrow in adolescence – but rather whether it is marketable to some niche out there. Self-reliance and self-knowledge, always the most difficult of our Homeric quests in this life, are suppressed and superseded entirely. (In other words, in practice, the danger is that the marketing will distort the product.) Your worth can never again be found to have any inherent value, based on your own autonomy and self-esteem, but must from now on be based solely on social approval. I sure hope you liked high school. I suppose this is fine for those shallow enough not to question popularity and marketability as the ultimate measure of your life.

And you can’t resolve it by saying that personal branding is actually quite empowering, that it’s all about leadership, about building your “Tribe.” Bullshit. Not when everyone is forced to compete as a fucking “brand.”

What this concept signals is the ultimate in economic insecurity, where we all collectively agree to reduce our personality and our value to the gods of consumerism, and let our “tribe” – our potential employers and bosses – see our Facebook page. Privacy gone, growth becomes about developing a sale-able personality, and branding becomes wishing it won’t be me to fail in this supposed meritocracy of “brands.”

This goes to our notions of success and failure in this country. The reason why I view the concept of personal branding as detrimental to our grown-up responsibility to strive for some measure of self-knowledge and authenticity is because of how strong this other concept is in US society: the concept of meritocracy. We already live in a culture that believes we live in a uniquely meritocratic society (despite having far less social mobility than many other industrialized nations – as always, our myths outpace reality by quite a lot). Which means we already live with quite a high degree of pressure. I just recently witnessed a talk by Alain de Botton where he quite brilliantly explained this, making the key powerful point that totally turned my own thinking on personal branding. He said that in a meritocracy, you’ll believe that your position in life is merited and deserved, which makes failure more crushing. Rather than being unfortunate, you are now a loser. What happens when you take this cultural myth of meritocracy, and then say to people, “Your success or failure in life will depend in large part on how you market your personal brand.” People will focus on their personal brand. In fact, it will generate a new line of self-help books. As it has. And branding will take preeminence over substance.

Personal branding is also an extension of the ethos demonstrated and articulated by George W. Bush in the aftermath of 9/11 when he famously told a (finally) introspective and ready-to-sacrifice nation to go shopping. If we are consumers rather than citizens (and money rather than majoritarian interests determines policy), then of course we are brands rather than self-determining beings. Wake up! You, sir, were mistaken to think that you are an autonomous self seeking meaning. You aren’t a citizen with human rights and responsibilities. You aren’t a contributor to culture. You are a consumer, nothing more, and your only creations and productions judged to be of value are economic. Don’t think you can create your own self on the side, for you are a brand. Someone who matters – a consumer of your brand, the owner of your soul – is watching, viewing your video or status update, reading your blog post.

You see, this is the real risk of where the ethos of personal branding and the self as consumer leads. Self-censorship. Self-censoring does not lead to flourishing, to diversity. Where marginal differences in image are what make or break a product, you and those around you will be engaging in a whole lot of image/reputation micromanagement, which means that aspects of your personality that don’t lead to a marketable advantage will tend to be self-censored. Your image, and therefore, your personality, will have to be managed to a fine degree to create this marginal competitive difference.

Nor is there any utopia about how your authenticity will be appealing as your brand. The truth is that the authentic personalities of the charismatic few sell really well. They are called celebrities. For example, when Gary Vaynerchuk talks of his social media success, of the success of his “brand,” he time and again talks about how he was just blessed with his particular DNA. Now, I am aware that the delusion that we can all be celebrities – Reality TV, for example – is so widespread that unless Orwell was right in protesting that sanity is not statistical, then I am certainly in need of joining the medicated masses of the US. But if you will grant that celebrity necessarily means a few will be loved by many (kind of definitional), then it is apparent that the rest of us will find very small audiences for our authentic selves, and not purchasing audiences either. These audiences for our “brand” will be identical to those we used to call “family” and “friends.” But I’m worrying about a mute point, because fewer of us will be seeking authentic selfhood anyway. We’ll be looking for our marketable selves.

We all live in the economic dimension as one of the dimensions of our lives. We must work to eat, to contribute to community, and to in fact be ethical beings. And we have always needed to develop marketable skills to survive or thrive and be of value in this dimension. But there was always something – call it a soul, a self – that could, sometimes, remain untouched, have non-economic dreams, and be explored. What the concept of personal branding does is says that you must now not just develop marketable skills that to a greater or lesser degree conform to your authentic self, but must also develop a marketable SELF! The supplantation of authenticity and autonomy by marketability. And the newest self-help gurus of personal branding are cheerleading this along. Life, personality, authenticity, no longer multi-dimensional, but flattened, subjugated to one dimension. Welcome to the machine, son.

To close, I’d like to ask whether one can use personal branding, and then transcend it. I’d like for us to look at a particular person who has done very well for himself through marketing his personal brand. He began as a community organizer with ambitions of helping the community, and ultimately of changing the way politics are played in this country. He wanted to prioritize Main Street over Wall Street, majoritarian concerns over monied interests. He became Brand Obama, a brand offering hope, transformational leadership, and an end of “politics as usual.” The campaign was a marketing campaign, like all of our political campaigns, focused on brands rather than substance, and Brand Obama won, beating out other established and powerful brands, such as Clinton, and then Republican. Brand Obama won. Brand Obama made history. But Obama the president, and more importantly, Obama the person, is facing a specific problem at the time of this writing. Health care reform is mired in turmoil, with nuts carrying automatic weapons to rallies, following just a few weeks behind other wackos getting plenty of media coverage for conspiracy theories regarding birth certificates and Hawaiian newspapers. But that’s not his problem. (Clinton faced a lot of weird media stuff when he pushed for health care reform.) Obama has recently seen his poll numbers drop by ten points in just a week. That’s a lot, but it’s not his problem. His problem is highlighted by where he lost support, and why. Obama lost the most support from Democrats, liberals. And he has lost support because he is not living up to Brand Obama, the brand that was to transform the politics as usual into something more about real reform. Obama has lost support because those who bought his “brand” see bailouts to Wall Street without any real reform, and they see concessions being made on health care, and with his softening on the public option, they see fading hopes of real reform here either. The hopeful are becoming disillusioned. Now, I can’t know what’s in the head of our president, but I view his tale as cautionary. If you promise people a slogan (whether it be “change you can believe in” or whether it be the slogan you establish for your brand), you are building expectations. Being able to deliver is not just about intentions. It is also about knowing what you can deliver. It is about self-knowledge. We have before us a man who became a brand. And what is being questioned now is his integrity as a self. What did he intend to do, and what will he actually do? Can he transcend a marketing campaign, and deliver to meet the expectations created by his brand?

More importantly for us, can we?

It all started with Madonna, really. When I first saw Madonna on MTV, back in junior high, it was a revelation. She was the first woman I’d seen who was pretty, feminine, sexual AND powerful. In Madonna, I saw what I wanted to be. She had it ALL, and one day, I would too.

Well, I don’t quite have it all. I’m not famous (yet), and my taste in men has been slightly more, shall we say, subtle. But I do have a lot of what she’s got. I keep up with my appearance, and I’m not afraid to use my femininity to my advantage. I also have power. While I’m no CEO or even the biggest boss in my workplace, I have exactly the position and salary I want. And more importantly to me, people listen when I talk. In a male-dominated industry and workplace, I get to be a decision maker.

So how can a girl keep up with the boys at work? Simple – act like a man.

• Don’t be afraid to speak your mind. I don’t care if you’re a man or a woman, if you don’t have faith in your own ideas and opinions, you’ll never get ahead. Be willing to put it out there. If your ideas fail, shake it off. You’ve got to remember to…
• Never take things personally. If a man is put down or slighted at work, he gets a little aggravated but soon forgets about it. If it happens to a woman, we often worry that the offender won’t be our pal or she’ll quit inviting us to lunch or we’ll never work in this town again!!! Just. Stop. It. It’s not about you or the way you wear your hair or where you went to school. It’s not personal – it’s work.
• When you score, always take credit. Women often like to share the glow and good feelings. And that’s very important. Giving your coworkers credit for sharing in your accomplishments is nice, and helps ensure that you’ll work well together in the future. But the key word is sharing. Not giving away. You did it. You worked hard to wow the client. Your great idea slashed the budget. You you you. Do not be afraid to take credit when you’ve done something well.
• Have a personal life. When a guy leaves work early to catch his kid’s soccer game, he’s praised for being such a good family man. Women try to slink out incognito so that no one thinks they’re shirking work duties for family. So what if a man’s hobby means he has to slip out on Wednesday afternoons every once in a while to play on the best golf course? Can you imagine if you wanted to take an afternoon off to attend a cooking demonstration? You can’t? Well, do it! Tempt fate and take some time off with no explanation and no excuses. Personal days and vacation time aren’t exclusively for men.
• Always apologize for your mistakes. Never apologize for who you are. Men don’t often apologize enough. They screw up and try to throw someone else under the bus. That’s just jerky. But women tend to apologize too much. We apologize for our ideas or for not doing something we weren’t supposed to do in the first place or for numerous things that are beyond our control. And that’s just silly.
• Look good. I don’t mean get plastic surgery or doll yourself up beyond recognition. I mean stay well-groomed and well-dressed. Get your nails done. Put on at least a little bit of make up. Wear the best clothes you can afford. Make sure they’re always clean and well-pressed. Keep up with the latest styles. Show off your assets. A sharp-looking woman simply stands out more than a man in an expensive suit. It’s all about demanding attention.
• Never undervalue yourself. Think of everything you can do, all the education you’ve completed, all the energy you have to give. Then demand you be compensated for those things. I know this is a lousy job market, and you might have to take a lesser position to pay the bills. But never, ever resign yourself to accepting less than you deserve without a fight. Here are two things I’ve said before in interviews:

“I understand that my pay requirements aren’t in your budget right now. However, I’d really love to work with you. Let’s just put it in my contract that we’ll review my compensation after six months.”

“I appreciate your offer, but the compensation is much too low. I am, quite frankly, worth more than that. If you’re able to revisit the salary for this position, please let me know, because I’d love to work with you. Thanks for your time.”

Neither backfired on me. I knew my value, and I wasn’t afraid to let people know what it was. And for that, I was respected. And eventually, I got what I wanted.

And that’s what it’s all about – getting what you want. We don’t have to be Madonna, but we certainly owe it to ourselves and the world to live the life that makes us happy.

When Degree Is a Detriment

The current job market is certainly a pothole in the highway that is my life, and apparently, a large percentage of my generation travels the same intersection. Big, enormous pothole, and it took forever for the big orange warning sign to actually pop up. And – well – my bad decision to speed through that pothole happened before I noticed the warning sign.

I quit my job as an instructional designer at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center nearly a year ago. I didn’t enjoy the position, didn’t feel qualified to do it, and I have the millennial generation’s idealistic desire to have a fulfilling and satisfying career. When I turned in my two weeks’ notice, I did so on decent terms.

My glorious plan was to do freelance technical writing while pursuing a writing career of my own. I put together a non-fiction book proposal with three sample chapters, submitted the package to literary agents, and signed with one. Then the economy imploded. At the same time, I discovered that my chosen agent had a very different vision for my writing career than I did – but it didn’t matter which vision we went with, because in the face of the recession publishing companies were loathe to take risks on new authors.

So, in the midst of a recession, I hit the job market like everyone else. I knew I would have trouble, but I knew I’d be in good company. I’m determined, tenacious, and I have software skills, along with a couple of degrees. While my MA and BA are both in history, which is not exactly pertinent to most professions, I assumed their presence on my resume would indicate a certain amount of ambition and drive, essential characteristics for success in any workplace. Plus, all of my work experience is wrapped up in those degrees – my entire working career has been at universities, and the positions have been related to my degrees.

I have never been so wrong in my life. This job hunting experience has been eye-opening, to say the least. I have absolutely no snobbery regarding work. Yes, someday I would like to have that fulfilling career I mentioned. But when push comes to shove and I’ve got to find food and shelter, I’ll do almost anything, with a smile on my face. I applied to everything I could find – from retail to medical offices, from technical writing to telemarketing.

The first place to call me for an interview was Starbucks. Even though it pays just slightly above minimum wage, an hourly position with Starbucks comes with decent insurance, and I’m friendly, I like working in customer service. I also liked the idea of learning how to make their awesome pastries (although I tried not to think about the ensuing potential weight gain). I was excited. Somehow, the idea of trying to further my writing career at home meshed well in my head with working at a coffee shop.

When I arrived at the interview, I wore what I’ve always worn to job interviews – a suit. First mistake. I realized a suit was overkill for an interview at Starbucks as soon as I walked in the door. But the interviewing manager was really nice and friendly, and she offered me some coffee, so I was hopeful, despite being terribly overdressed.

Then she opened her mouth for the first official question: “So, I had to call you in for an interview, out of curiosity. Why did you apply to be a barista? It’s not like I can hire you. You have a master’s degree.”

I stared at the interviewer in disbelief. “Um…why can’t you hire me? I know what the pay is.”

She said, “It doesn’t really matter. I mean, are you looking to pursue a career in management, or what? This store doesn’t need anyone in management.”

Long story short, I spent the remainder of this “curious” interview trying to convince her that I didn’t want to steal her job, wasn’t a know-it-all, and sincerely wanted to learn how to do a barista job. Didn’t matter; she had already made up her mind before I got there. I was so disappointed, and, really, I was hurt. Why would someone do that? Call me up and “interview” me just to satisfy personal curiosity – how cruel.

I chalked it up to experience, vowed never to purchase anything from Starbucks again, and refused to brood about it. A few weeks later, I got a call from World Market for a scheduled “group interview”. I had never heard of such a thing, but it sounded interesting, and I do love World Market. I figured I’d be an excellent employee there, probably spending half my paycheck on their wares.

The group interview was odd, to say the least, but I felt like I navigated it fairly well. There were 7 of us, ranging in age from 16 to mid-thirties, and the interviewing manager randomly fired questions at each of us. Then she took each of us aside for a brief private interview. She chose me first. I was nervous, but I was also excited. I though I actually had a shot at this position. I was crushed when the first words out of her mouth were “I had to interview you because I’m curious.” Indeed, curiosity ruined my day. I remained perky and sincere in the interview, even though she, too, echoed the Starbucks interview almost word for word.

Now, nine months older, and slightly wiser, I’ve realized that desperate times call for desperate measures, and I’ve had an epiphany: when applying for a job below your education level, no experience and no education is superior to being over-educated and over-qualified. I actually have a better chance leaving all of my work experience and education off my resume entirely. But what to do then? How to explain the unemployment?

There are two realistic options that make you sound like a responsible human being that might be a good employee. Option 1: pick a relative, any relative, and explain that he or she has some grave illness and you’ve been taking care of him or her for several years. Nothing unusual – maybe heart trouble, mild stroke, etc. Option 2: illustrate your entrepreneurial spirit and describe your efforts at self-employment. Use my sad story as your own – I mean, everyone can at least pretend they want to be a writer. I actually do, but it’s a believable story from anyone. You wanted to write your memoirs, your grandmother’s memoirs, the next great literary novel…or you had some invention that was going to change the way we use post-it notes but somehow it didn’t catch on. Whatever works. Software development startup companies are all the rage now – if you’re a techie, do that.

Potential employers don’t check the IRS’s records for employment (unless you’re applying for some sort of government position, and then they just might) so you don’t have to worry about getting “caught.”

I never thought I would endorse lying to look less qualified. But the tide has turned, and I’ve seen the light. I need to look like more of an idiot if I’m ever to find and secure a regular job.