Learn how to articulate your values, understand your authentic self, and tell your brand story
Sean Corp, University of Michigan
You’ve done the hard work of learning the new skills in an in-demand field. Perhaps you’re looking to advance your career or you are one of the 53% of people who who quit their job who changed their career field altogether. In its 2023 Learner Outcomes Report, 77% of Coursera learners said their online courses provided career benefits, including 81% of learners in developing economies.
Equipped with new skills and professional expertise in high-growth areas like coding, data science, health care, and business, there are just a few key questions remaining. How do I effectively package and promote myself? How do I convince a hiring manager that I’m the right person for the job?
The University of Michigan’s new course Personal Branding: Stand Out and Succeed is here to help you sell yourself and land the job you’re after. Taught by business and marketing experts from U-M’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business, you can enroll in this online course to learn how to identify your core values, craft your personal brand, understand your authentic self, and tell your brand story.
Branding is the core of any company’s marketing approach, and the same principle applies when presenting yourself to others, including potential employers, says Marcus Collins, a co-lead instructor of the course and clinical assistant professor of marketing at Michigan Ross.
“We help people understand how powerful brands are, whether you’re talking about a billion-dollar company or about your own personal brand,” says Collins.
“Telling your brand story can help you better understand yourself, and also help influence the way people think about you. But an impactful personal brand means your actions and words have to be aligned, so it’s important to connect with your authentic self, your beliefs, your goals and your core values,” Collins says.
Marketing professor Collins has deep experience in the professional world, as he previously served as the chief strategy officer at Wieden+Kennedy New York. Similarly, co-instructor Cheri Alexander spent more than 30 years working at General Motors and now teaches leadership and business management courses at U-M’s business school.
Alexander says understanding your personal brand and being your authentic self are keys for anyone who has the goal of becoming an organizational leader.
“Trust is the currency of transformational leadership, and this course helps you build that trust in yourself and in others, because we know that those who desire to effectively lead others need to display a unique and honest representation of who they really are,” Alexander says.
The course explores what makes some of the top global brands in business resonate and transcend the products they offer. Learners gain a firm understanding of branding and apply it through a personal lens to help them identify and tell their brand story. Learners also examine case studies from transformational individuals, including Steve Jobs, Beyonce, and Malala Yousafzai, and how they inspired and motivated others.
“Knowing your story and telling your story is so important,” Collins says. “When you tell your story, you don’t simply list the things on your resume—your work experience or your academic accomplishments. You start with your beliefs. Your values, and what matters to you. I tell people you start with the soul and end with the sale, and we teach you how to do that in this course.”
Learn more about the course and enroll by visiting the Personal Branding: Stand Out and Succeed page.