Gen Y Guest Blog: Don't Just Build Your Personal Brand, Brazen It!

Generation Y, our generation, is a strong and ambitious one, and now that many of us have begun to launch our careers, we are constantly seeking advice, feedback and new ways to improve and advance ourselves.

I know that in my own career, short as it may have been thus far, I am already admiring the successes of fellow professionals and genuinely want to earn the same for myself.   It is just in our Gen Y nature to ask, “Are we there yet?” and to wonder when we too will reach our goals and achieve career success.

While we must be patient and remember that we are still young and will be leading this nation and this world before we know it, we Gen Yers can ensure such success by building strong personal brands for ourselves off and online in our chosen areas of interest and expertise.

However, each of us is like a pillar.  Without a strong foundation, we will fall no matter how strong and confident our individual personal brands may be.  Therefore, it is essential that we also build a strong Gen Y community that will serve as that foundation and that will foster the sharing of our own individual knowledge, expertise and experience with one another for mutual benefit.

Brazen Careerist, the brainchild of Penelope Trunk, Ryan Healy and Ryan Paugh, offers us this opportunity to build our personal brands while connecting and collaborating in THE online networking community for top Gen Y thought leaders and forward-thinking organizations. 

Here are six ways you can build your personal brand and launch your career on Brazen Careerist:

1.     Connect - Similar to other social networks, get connected with fellow Brazen Careerists to expand your network of potential career contacts and supporters.

2.     Research - Brazen Careerist collects and publishes blog posts and articles, including advice, stories and ideas on all of today’s hot topics for Gen Yers by Gen Yers. This provides you the chance to research and begin the process of becoming an expert in your area(s) of interest.

3.     Discuss - Offer your comments, opinions and advice in response to the articles from fellow members.  This increases your visibility and helps support your brand-building efforts.

4.     Contribute - Brazen Careerist encourages member contribution through the syndication of articles from your own blog on relevant Gen Y topics and/or the invitation for guest expert posts and full-time blog contributors.  This optimizes your visibility, helping establish your expertise through published contributions to which you can refer in your resume and career search.

5.     Join - You can now join and/or create groups within the Brazen Careerist community.  Find groups relevant to your area(s) of interest, join them and start discussions to become more involved and grow your network.  If there isn’t a group for your specific niche, start your own!

6.     Network - Whether through fellow members or through company bloggers under the company profiles, make meaningful connections, create two-way dialogue and nurture these relationships.  You never know when your efforts will lead to a new career opportunity or more.

Brazen Careerist is still only in its beta version, but is already proven to be a valuable network to which all Gen Yers should belong.  So get involved in this growing community and brazen your brand today!

Chris Perry is a Gen Y Brand and Marketing Generator, a Career Search and Personal Branding Expert and the Founder of Career Rocketeer, the Career Search and Personal Branding Blog.