An Expert Discusses Identity And Personal Branding In Emerging Adults
Photo of Cynthia Johnson, used with permission
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For many emerging adults, graduating high school and/or starting college is the first time in life in which seemingly all aspects of life can change. Moving out of the home, finding new friends, developing new routines, and experiencing new challenges are just some of the transitions that can seem stressful. A 2023 report by U.S. News & World Report suggested that stress is the second most frequent emotion that college students reported feeling during the previous day. However, this report also stated that enjoyment was the most frequent emotion experienced. These findings highlight how the transitions during emerging adulthood can also bring opportunities.
Cynthia Johnson is a sought-after expert and keynote speaker on personal branding. In 2019, she wrote the book, Platform: The Art And Science Of Personal Branding, which has been translated into multiple languages, resulting in Johnson speaking all over the world on this topic. According to Johnson, emerging adulthood is an opportune time to develop one's personal brand. She stated, 'The beginning of developing a personal brand is a shredding experience. We wear a mask to impress others, but entering college gives young adults an opportunity to expand their brand and perception.'
Johnson described personal branding as the concept in which every choice and behavior that a person makes affects how others perceive them. When asked why personal branding is important for emerging adults, Johnson gave a list of reasons. The first reason being that it's impossible to avoid personal branding. The author stated, 'Everyone has a personal brand whether we worked on it or not. We're all being perceived by others in every moment.' The second reason is that personal branding affects many of the opportunities and barriers that young adults experience including social relationships, leadership opportunities, and even potential job opportunities. Johnson stated, 'There are two truths here. If you say that you're going to law school, people tend to think, one, that you want to be a lawyer and, two, that you don't want to be anything else.' According to Johnson, personal branding affects how the world interacts with emerging adults.
Johnson said the main reason why emerging adults should manage their personal brand is the connection between personal branding and self-identity. Johnson explained, 'It's not necessarily caring about what people think about you, it's more about aligning your true self-image and values with what you project into the world so that you don't miss out on opportunities that match what you really want.' Johnson argued that many students enter college seeking a niche in the campus environment to fit into. However, according to Johnson, students will have more success by shaping their identity first and then searching for a fit. 'If you shape yourself first, the rest of the world will notice your shape and opportunities will come to help you find a fit.
Johnson also explained that many emerging adults experience stress when their self-identity doesn't match their personal branding. 'If students build a brand that they want to be in law school because they love how their parents or others view them, but they really don't want to be lawyer, then their self-identity is not the same as their brand, and this creates anxiety.'
According to Johnson, emerging adults can develop a personal brand by first conducting online searches of themselves and ask, 'what would you keep, what would you eliminate, and what needs to be change? Act as if there's not a single situation in which you are not looked up online first.' According to the author, 'there are many situations where people didn't get a job or missed out on a social opportunity, and they think the rejection was personal, but it was really about a picture someone found online.' Johnson argued that social media accounts and internet presence should be an intentional reflection of one's values and identity.
Johnson also stated several times, 'Think for yourself, act for others.' According to Johnson, thinking for yourself represents authenticity and behaving in ways that reflect identity, which builds trust in others. Acting for others represents focusing more on serving and connecting with others than wondering how others perceive you. Johnson explained. 'When we combine these two things together, we become real and relevant.'
According to Johnson, a key aspect to personal branding, which is often missed, is removing dissonance and barriers between identity and behaviors. She argued, 'Self-identity is the engine of the personal branding and just like any vehicle, if the engine is not a fit for the vehicle, then you won't travel very far.…People also notice dissonance. You can still fit in, but you won't stand out because your brand doesn't align with your self-identity.'
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