The Personal Brand V.A.L.U.E. Career Development Tool

Abstract

The chapter provides insights into the ubiquitous term personal branding in the context of establishing a career development tool for university students and graduates. The chapter begins with an overview of branding and personal branding before offering an integrated theoretical framework drawing together branding and career theories. Next, the authors present the ‘personal brand V.A.L.U.E.' career development tool (diagrammatically expressed using a purpose-driven Venn diagram) for career counselors to use with university students and graduates. The tool was developed by the lead author and contextualized into the career space in collaboration with the second author. The V.A.L.U.E. acronym stands for (i) vision, (ii) ability, (iii) love, (iv) understanding, and (v) ecosystem. A critical sequence of five questions enables students and clients to inculcate their own specific and individual intra-personal and inter-personal brand V.A.L.U.E. to establish an authentic career development plan and respond to evolving labor markets.