Name: Dan Schawbel
Major/Graduation Year: Marketing, 2006
Hometown: Newton, MA
Her Campus Bentley: While at Bentley, did you hold any leadership positions? Anything related to your current job?
Dan Schawbel: I held leadership positions in a variety of organizations, including Student Government, Alpha Gamma Pi, Bentley Marketing Association, Bentley Entrepreneurship Society, and several others. It was a great way to meet new people and gain leadership skills. Some related to my job, while others were done for fun.
HCB: What did you do directly after graduating?
DS: I worked at EMC Corporationin product marketing for over three years, while blogging and working on my side business part-time.
HCB: What is a short version of how you became a “personal branding expert?”
DS: I grew into my role in personal branding over time. I had 8 internships, 7 leadership positions and my own consulting business in college, but it took me 8 months to get my first position at EMC. I started blogging on the side, started my own magazine, and eventually Fast Company profiled me. The profile was picked up by EMC and they hired me to be their first social media specialist, which inspired my book Me 2.0. Eventually, through a lot of hard work, I turned the book into a full-service marketing and advertising agency.
HCB: What advice would you give to students at Bentley about personal branding during four years?
DS: Don’t try and be something you’re not. Be specific with the type of career you want to create and don’t apply to a thousand jobs. The more focused and passionate you are, the more people will want to work with you. Also, create your own website and get on social networks so that you can be found online and manage your brand before someone else does.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Bentley chapter.