Why fit in when you were born to stand out? I’ve never been basic. I’m always in some sort of chunky sweater or cardigan in lieu of the college girl uniform of a Lululemon matching set. I prefer tea over coffee, and my music taste consists of 2016 golden-age EDM.

When it comes to my professional life, being myself is just as important in terms of standing out. 

My Brightest Idea Yet

I remember when I was on Maymester in Manhattan in a crowded elevator with all the Maymester kids and Dean Hardin pointed out my hot-pink Kate Spade tote and said something along the lines of, “I love that bag…You know what you’re doing…You’re standing out.” I knew I was onto something.

Ever since then, one of the main ways I stand out is wearing bright colors that match my personality. I’m always bubbly and happy–never corporate–so why condemn myself to a wardrobe of solely black and blue?

Make It Match

When I discovered how many doors wearing bright clothes opened, I thought why not apply that to my digital appearance? My resume has a bright yellow header with my initial logo I created myself in Adobe Illustrator. When I took this to Success in the City Career Fair and shared it with New York recruiters, they continued to remember me year after year as “the girl with the yellow resume.”

But why stop there? I continued to build my personal brand visually, extending this branding onto my website and my LinkedIn. This cohesiveness not only shows my professionalism, but it shows my personality across platforms.

The Golden Rule

When it comes to personal branding, all you have to do is be a person, one in particular: be yourself! At the end of the day, businesses will hire you for who you are, so why not express that when you’re presenting yourself?

Jensen, D. G. (2017, April 27). In interviews, it’s not about ‘right’ answers. It’s about being yourself. Science. https://www.science.org/content/article/interviews-it-s-not-about-right-answers-it-s-about-being-yourself

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I’m a Pennsylvania girl with New York dreams who used to be very insecure about her small-town upbringing. Growing up in Amish Country, I’ve been asked numerous times at college and in my NYC internships if I am Amish. Standing there in a patterned top and pants, I reply to them, “no.”

But growing up in such a small town did teach me some valuable lessons going into my big city career.

It’s All Relationship Building

My town is so small that gossip spreads faster than the farmers can spread manure. That being said, everybody knows everybody–the grandma who checks out your order at the local candy store’s son is your basketball coach kind of small, to be exact. 

You never know who is listening, so it’s important to speak about people with kindness in public. If you burn a bridge, there’s no going back. And with the advertising industry just as small, this rule in building and maintaining positive relationships goes a long way.

Staying True To My Values

I first started to realize what I was up against when my mom and I stood in line at our local library when I tagged along with her to watch her vote in a contentious election. It was there where I realized some of our close friends and family members did not think the same way we did on certain topics.

Being in the minority, I always had to hold my own when the community around me shared an ideology that did not align with mine. I learned to brush it off, find my allies, and stay true to what I believed is right.

Dreaming Big

There were barely any opportunities for communications in my hometown; the district pushed us into STEM or agriculture, while small town society pushed women into teaching or nursing. There’s nothing wrong with those careers, but it wasn’t what I was passionate about. The town, like Luke Bryan’s album, has a “born here, live here, die here” mentality, and that was not my own.

That’s why when any career growth opportunity at school arose, I was the first to say yes, never taking the opportunity for granted. That hustle mentality and optimism has served me well in the city where anything is possible, and I’m so excited to continue pushing myself to grow this summer.

Forbes Business Council. (2022, June 6). Why building relationships is essential to business success. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2022/06/06/why-building-relationships-is-essential-to-business-success/

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I’m only 21 and have about 40+ years in the advertising industry ahead of me. Over the years, I’m sure there will be wins. There will be losses. There will be close calls. There will be tears and even some explicit words said. 

I lost my first big pitch a few weeks ago as Executive Creative Director for my advertising competition team, coming in second to Syracuse. But even though we “lost,” I won so much more than I even realized.

The Work Is Still Winning Quality

Out of the three years I have been a part of our collegiate team, this is by far the best work strategically and creatively that we’ve produced. From the initial plans book to the final slide of our deck, everything was on-brand and on-brief. But according to our judges, there was one team that did that better. 

In this process, I’ve realized that advertising is so subjective. For instance, if you put us in front of a completely new set of judges, we might have won. 

No matter the outcome, we’re incredibly proud of what we created, and that should be celebrated.

Deadlines Are A Big Deal

Not only did we create great work, but we also did it in record time. Working with our Executive Director, we created a timeline that did not only increase efficiency by three weeks, but also allowed us to finish our campaign early. For the two weeks leading up to the competition, we did not require our agency to come to our sessions, as their work was already done! The fact that we did this exceptional work with tons of time to spare is a credit to the work hard, play hard agency culture we created.

The People Make The Place

I could go on and on about our incredible work, but it’s because of the even more incredible people behind it. Science says that the more companionate love people feel at work, the more productive they are, and that 100% showed throughout this campaign. Not only is this team extremely talented, they are extremely kind, hungry, and goal-oriented.

This “we over me” mentality really pushed us to be our best. In 10 years, this loss won’t be on my resume, but the relationships and network we’ve built throughout this process will remain strong.

Barsade, S., & O’Neill, O. (2014, January 13). Employees who feel love perform better. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2014/01/employees-who-feel-love-perform-better