Hi Readers!
For those of you who celebrate winter holidays, I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. And for everyone, as 2025 kicks off I wish you a happy New Year!
With a new year comes the opportunity to make goals, refresh priorities, and begin anew. Our topic today is professional branding and I find it to be extremely fitting. After reading this, you may want to think how YOUR brand can be introduced (or re-introduced) for 2025!
Branding 101
First off, what is it? One definition describes it “as the process of creating a "mark" around your name or your career. This is achieved by having specific strengths and messages that people remember about you. It is how you express and communicate your skills, personality, and values—in person and online. To be truly memorable and impactful, your brand should represent your authentic self. It is the culmination of what makes you unique.”
What does this mean to you? Personal branding can greatly impact your career mobility and progression. It can be particularly critical for lawyers’ careers, especially when it comes to securing sponsorship, mentorship, and professional advancement. Branding for you as a pre-law, law student, or new attorney allows you to make your own mark in a competitive field. You get the opportunity to showcase your uniqueness relevant to the legal profession. And it allows you to foster and grow a positive reputation.
When does this start? NOW.
Myth busting
When I was in law school, I was self-conscious, nerdy, introverted, and suffering from imposter syndrome. Don’t get me wrong. I’m still a lot of those things, I am just now much more comfortable with owning who I am.
This brings us to myth 1: branding is a competition. In law school, I often felt I needed to compete against others. There was always someone smarter than me, someone who had a better opportunity, someone who was more proactive, etc. While some competition is expected in law school, the only person you truly have to compete with and not against is yourself.
The reality is your branding shows why YOU are right for a position or opportunity. Sure, there is competition in the legal field, in law school – you name it. But rather than spending futile energy comparing yourself to others, you can get ahead of the game and think about your attributes, skills, and accomplishments. What are you proud of? What do you like about the law? What skills do you take particular pride in?
And….this takes us to myth 2: waiting until we are “more” established to develop our brand. You may think that branding comes with experience, niching down into your specific field, et cetera. I want to dispel that idea right now. You already have experience, knowledge, and interests. No time like the present to hone those skills and let others know what you bring to the table.
Myth 3: you only can talk about your professional self and never show your personal side. While I will add a word of caution about not mixing too much personal information (no wild bar pictures or risqué information), you can still allow your personality to shine through. If you run half marathons, that’s really good to know. Are you a mother of three? Also great to know. Branding is not about being a perfect, professional robot. Allowing the real YOU to shine through, along with your professionalism and relevant skills, shows a more well-rounded individual.
How to get started
So now that we talked about what branding is and how to circumvent misconceptions, let’s chat about finding your own personal brand.
First, I would encourage you to take personal inventory. Take some time to think about three words that would describe you. Why did you choose them? How do those words make you feel?
Next, identify your strengths. Where do you excel? Think about the positive feedback you have gotten from peers, professors, or employers.
Finally, write down your values and priorities. What matters most to you? How do you want to be seen by others?
All of these steps are important as they relate to your authenticity.
Now what?
Take the information you have collected and study the content. What are your three greatest strengths? Where do you find commonalities? Use the information to help craft your elevator pitches, your “About” section on LinkedIn, and other platforms. This is not a one and done opportunity. Frequently refer to the information and think of how and where you evolve as a professional throughout your career.
Once you have taken personal stock, now is the time to share your message. You can do so through in-person communication (think your elevator pitch), as well as online.
In person, your elevator pitch is your introduction to others. How do you stand out professionally and positively? What are one or two words that you want others to think about YOU when you’re not in the room? If you want a deeper dive on how to craft an elevator pitch, check out my last blog post.
When online, what does your LinkedIn profile say about you? Your online brand can also be shared through Facebook, X, and other platforms that allow for a professional presence. Use these spaces to show who you are as a student or lawyer, and to connect with professionals, classmates, and contacts that you meet at networking events. Pro tip: if you keep certain platforms for personal use, keep a clear division between professional and personal identities (while keeping in mind that personal information can still be found by others).
Additionally, think about and document how you evolve as a professional. For example, as a 1L in law school you may be interested in your doctrinal classes and figuring out what it means to be an aspiring lawyer. Then, as a 2L, you can document your summer experience and what you have learned thus far. Have interests changed? What are you most looking forward to continuing?
I also want to add a note about weaknesses. No need to document these publicly to share with others. But you can definitely think about them when taking inventory and how you are working to mitigate them.
Key Takeaways
What are you good at? This helps determine your personal reputation. And, if you couple what you’re good at with what you enjoy, you can really stand out.
Elevator pitch practice. The response to the proverbial question, “Why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself?” Write it down, edit, rehearse, polish, practice in the mirror. Don’t be afraid to modify it based upon your audience. Keep the message clear. Keep it true. And don’t be afraid to self advocate!
Share the message. Let people know who YOU are – both in person and online. Present at conferences. Serve on panel discussions. Utilize LinkedIn. Take on a leadership position. Volunteer. Work on pro bono initiatives. Blog.
Be confident. This is your time to showcase your interests, passion, and expertise. Don’t be shy! What do you want others to know about you? And where do you excel? What lessons have you learned along the way?
Putting it all together
There is only one of you. Who you are is defined by you and you have the right to evolve on a continuing basis. Craft your story and ways to be professionally memorable. Your holistic self is important and is an opportunity to share with others.
What do YOU want others to learn about you in 2025?
Kristina Bilowus is an Assistant Director of Career Development at MSU College of Law. She is also the current Treasurer of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan, vice president of the Hellenic Bar Association, co-chairs the DEI Committee for the Oakland County Bar Association and co-chairs the DEI Committee for the Ingham County Bar. She is also a board member for the Michigan Center for Civic Education.
