1

MODULE 1: BRANDING YOURSELF

1.0 DESCRIPTION

This module prepares participants to portray great values of oneself. It helps participants to
define strengths and weaknesses in enhancing marketing and selling of themselves. The unique
brand that a person carries will help in promoting and building up personal reputation.
Distinguish reputation is essential to succeed in mobility and employability.

2.0 KEY CONTENTS

2.1. Branding is an image created in a product or service that make it unique and perceived
value of being ‘better’.

2.2 Personal branding describes yourself, outstanding qualities and contributions from the
perspective of potential employers.

2.3. Powerful personal brand is critical requirement because all things are equal with access
to resources, education, skills, knowledge BUT the only unique thing is “YOU” and with
increased competition you need to create personal competitive advantage to stay ahead of the
others.

3.0 OBJECTIVES

At the end of the module the participants shall be able to:

(a) Define and create their personal branding.

(b) Enhance and demonstrate the personal strengths and distinctive qualities.

4.0 TARGET GROUP

- Final / Graduating (50 to 250 participants).

5.0 ACTIVITY
 2

5.1 ACTIVITY 1: Visualizing Me !!!

Learning outcomes

At the end of this activity, participants are able to:

1. identify characteristics and achievements.
2. demonstrate the personal strengths and distinctive qualities.

Methodology

1. Talk

2. Individual work

3. Random presentation

Duration

1. 15 minutes

2. 10 minutes

3. 15 minutes ( 2 minutes per participant)

Tools

1. Paper, pen and Form A

Procedures

1. Speaker gives a talk on branding yourself and the importance of branding.

2. Present / distribute Form A to the participants.

3. Ask participants to identify at least five (5) of their own characteristics and
achievements.

4. Pick participants at random to present – 2 minutes per participant.

 3

Handout/Attachment

Refer to Appendix

5.2 ACTIVITY 2: PAINT ME !!!

Learning outcomes

At the end of this activity, participants are able to:

1. discover the non-apparent characteristics and achievements.
2. portray individual strengths and distinctive qualities.

Methodology

1. Individual work

2. Random presentation

3. Discussion

Duration

1. 5 minutes

2. 15 minutes (2 minutes for each participant)

3. 20 minutes

Tools

Paper and pen

Procedures

1. Each participant selects one favourite colour (blue, red, green, yellow, purple and
orange) and gives reasons.
 4

2. Pick participants at random to present – 2 minutes per participant.

3. Discuss participants’ findings in general.

Handout/Attachment

Refer to Appendix

5.3 ACTIVITY 3: I ADORE…

Learning outcomes

At the end of this activity, participants are able to:

1. exploit outstanding characteristic and reputation.
2. create unique personal branding.

Methodology

1. Individual work

2. Imitating the characters of the chosen personality

3. Discussion

Duration

1. 10 minutes

2. 20 minutes

3. 10 minutes

Tools

Paper and pen

 5

Procedures

1. Participants MUST choose one famous personality (corporate figure / politician /

artist / academician).

2. Imitate and elaborate the chosen personality – random oral / role play
presentation.

3. Discussion and comments by the speaker.

Handout/Attachment

- Refer to Appendix

6.0 SUMMARY

In order to be outstanding and having impressive reputation, participants need to know their
own unique characters and personal strength and qualities. Branding yourself should be done
by enhancing, polishing and optimizing personal experiences and special qualities that would
make your self memorable.

7.0 REFERENCES

________, “Personal Branding”. Available online at:

http://www.honeytechblog.com/personal_branding. Accessed on 20th October 2010.
 6

_________, Available online at: http://www.job-hunt.org,personal-branding/branding-with-your

colors. shtml. Accessed on 20th October 2010

Lindsey, Robert. “Effective job hunting strategies”. Available online at:

http://www.toanline.com/ticpages/ticjobhunt. Accessed on 20th October 2010

Shafizal Shahidan. (2009). Branding yourself: presentation slides. Finishing School Programme.
UiTM Shah Alam: Hal Ehwal Pelajar Division.

8.0 APPENDIX

8.1 Module Summary

ACTIVITY 1
No. Methodology Tools Duration
 7

1. Talk 1: Branding Yourself Presentation outline 15 minutes

- PA system
- LCD Projector
2. Individual Task: Visualizing Me!!! - Form A 15 minutes
- Stationary
3. Oral Presentation (Randomly pick) - Cordless Microphone 10 minutes
maximum 5 participants

TOTAL 40 minutes
ACTIVITY 2
1. Individual task 15 minutes
2. Oral Presentation (Random/Voluntary) 10 minutes
3. Discussion Outline Presentation 15 minutes
TOTAL
40 minutes
ACTIVITY 3
1. Individual task 15 minutes
2. Oral Presentation (Random/Voluntary) 10 minutes
3. Discussion Outline Presentation 15 minutes

TOTAL 40 minutes

8.2 Lecture materials.

8.2.1 Activity 1

A. Branding Yourself

- Helps to define who you are/what you are about (or why an employer should hire you)
- Branding yourself is a way of associating great value with a product (the product being
you)

- Become “top of mind” in a rather commoditized world

- All things are equal with access to resources, education, skills, knowledge – The only
unique thing is “YOU”
- With increased competition you need to create personal competitive advantage to stay
ahead of the pack
- First impressions inform decisions so make an impact
- You will thrive even in the recession
- You will reap higher rewards
- Better, interesting, challenging jobs and assignments
B. Why Branding Today?

- Trust is essential in the corporate world

• People want to do business with and hire or promote people they know and feel
good about
 8

- There has been change in what a traditional career path looks like

• People today change careers an average of 8 times during their lives

• Branding can be consistent throughout the changes (ex. Hard work and creativity
can flow through to different occupations)

- There is also a change in the way people communicate

 Electronic communication doesn’t allow personality to show (compared to face-

to-face communication)
 Your first interview might be over the phone or your first communication with a
potential employer could be over e-mail.
 This type of communication could make it difficult to express yourself.

- Branding makes you more memorable (think about how the swoosh or golden arches
stand out in your memory) in the midst of the different type of communication.

 If you can get an employer to associate positive traits with your application or
communication, you will likely rise to the top of the applicant pool.

C. The Importance of Branding

- Creating a brand allows you to associate value with your product (you!)
- There are many competing brands…you must position yourself so employers
choose you
- By branding yourself – you’ll stand out from other candidates
- If you don’t brand yourself, someone else will do it for you

D. Your Personal Brand Success Cycle

- Know yourself
- Develop/ Define Your personal brand
- Communicate your brand
- Evolve with your branding to remain relevant

E. Winning Personal Brand Attributes

- Be Proactive
Have ability to make things happen, don’t sit back & wait for things to happen, reactive
people affected by environment
- Focus on your strengths
Improve on your gifts & talents & deliver your brand through those things
- Be authentic
Know yourself, be yourself, love yourself,
- Confidence & Communication
 9

Secret to powerful branding, your belief in yourself is the best strategy

- Accountability
We are responsible for our own lives, our behaviour is a function of our decisions & not
our conditions
- Engage, connect & network
Speak up, don’t just listen, build relationships with senior leaders, get executive sponsor
- Positive Framing
How do you see the world? Positive talk, attitude, drive action, think of solutions, “glass
half full”
- Manage energy levels
Identify what boosts & depletes you, self renewal, work life balance
- Know your purpose / meaning
Do what interests you & what inspires passion in you, you must be happy

F. Laws of Personality & Character

- One valuable trait is the ability to get along with all kinds of people
- Integrity – your most important asset
- Be aware of the effect your personal appearance has on others & in turn on you
- Refrain from using profanity in the workplace
- Understand what constitutes harassment & discrimination in the workplace – racial,
sexual, ethnic, Do not tolerate it
- Beware of what you commit to in writing & who will read it
- Beware of using your employer’s resources for your personal purposes

8.3 FORM A: Activity 1

 10

VISUALIZING ME!!!

CHARACTERISTICS ACHIEVEMENTS

1. 1.

2. 2.

3. 3.

4. 4.

5. 5.

8.4 Personal Branding With Your True Colors.

Activity 2

To help you determine the appropriate colors for you, here's a list of colors, with the attributes
we most associate with each one followed by some companies that use them, from William
Arruda and Kirsten Dixson’s “Career Distinction: Stand Out By Building Your Brand:

 Blue
Attributes - credibility, trust, authority, loyalty, fiscal responsibility, confidence, security
Brands using blue – Nokia, CELCOM, Utusan Malaysia, TM, Axiata, PNB, Bank
Rakyat, PDRM

 Green
Attributes - environmentally-friendly, fresh, natural, calming, healing, tranquility, wealth
(the color of money)
Brands using green - PLUS, MAXIS, Petronas, FAMA, Angkatan Tentera Malaysia
 Red
Attributes - excitement, risk, heat, desire, courage, power, energy, passion, strength,
danger, aggressiveness
Brands using red - Sani Ekspress, HSBC, Air Asia, Berita Harian, Secret Recipe, Canon,
Bank Islam, Guthrie, AGRO Bank, ASTRO
 Purple
Attributes - luxury, mystery, royalty, wealth, sophistication, spirituality
Brands using purple - Cadbury, UiTM, CELCOM X-Pax
 11

 Yellow
Attributes - bright, happiness, warmth, positive, visionary, future-oriented
Brands using yellow - DHL, McDonald’s, Maybank, DIGI
 Orange
Attributes - vibrancy, warmth, contentment, pleasure, endurance, generosity, strength,
productivity
Brands using orange – BHP, Jakel, Firefly

8.5 The Chosen Personality

Activity 3: I ADORE...

Example:

1. Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad

2. Datuk Nicol Anne David

3. Datuk Siti Nurhaliza

4. Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary

5. Prof. Ungku Aziz

6. Tan Sri Azman Hashim

7. Datuk Tony Fernandez

8. Datuk Fadhilah Kamsah

9. Oprah Winfrey

10. Lady Gaga

11. Maher Zain

12. Valentino Rossi

13. Micheal Schumacher

14. Bill Gate

15. Datuk Shah Rukh Khan

16. Warren Buffet

 12

17. Donald Trump

18. Lee Kwan Yew

19. Mahmoud Ahmedinejat

20. Angelina Jolie

21. Datuk Dr. Sheikh Muszaphar

22. etc…

8.6 Create personal branding and tagline

Activity 3

Example: a. McDonald®: I’m lovin’ it.

b. Nike®: Just do it.

c. KFC®: Finger lickin’ good

d. FedEx®: We live to deliver

e. Malaysia: Malaysia Boleh!!!

f. Gardenia®: sungguh enak dimakan begitu saja…

g. ADIDAS®: Impossible is nothing

Senarai nama penulis modul “Branding Yourself”

No. Nama No. Telefon

1. Abdol Samad Nawi 017-3863537

2. Norazlina Abdul Aziz 019-7540625

3. Wan Noradila Wan Mohd Zain 012-9092184

4. Ruzianisra Mohamed 013-2830319

5. Salwani Ibrahim 012-6631259

6. Azyyati Zakaria 013-2198113

 13

7. Ezlina Usir 012-2987556