I learned about personal branding from a very unlikely source: Kwame Jackson, you know, the black guy from the Apprentice.

He came to speak to my class one day about how some people make fun of him for just being a reality show celebrity, but the last laugh is on them he said because the show helped him market and develop his personal brand. Something he did must have worked. Kwame is still giving speeches and milking his 15 minutes of fame five years after the reality show aired.

I surveyed the members of our Carolina Association of Black Journalists and most of them didn’t have a web portfolio, Twitter or a LinkedIn account so I created a checklist for them to actively create and monitor their personal brands online. I have spent the last month creating this site, establishing profiles on different networking Web sites and posting my resumes everywhere. It seemed like a wise step since I am graduating in December. However, DigiDave (David Cohn) brought up an interesting point in his blog about making sure to be authentic when you are creating a personal brand. Is it phony for students who are looking for jobs to develop an online personal brand?

I don’t think it is.

Personal branding guru Dan Schawbel said the following about the current job environment in the first chapter of his new book, Me 2.o: Building a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success:

Almost two-thirds of the American population— around 194 million people—is online, where the majority of recruiting is now conducted. The competition to get jobs is intense; more than 1.5 million graduates will be receiving their bachelor’s or master’s degrees this year and entering the job market, when the job growth rate is expected to be its lowest in five years…This intense competition for jobs is a driving factor in the acceptance of the personal branding practice. Another is the shift to Web 2.0, the transition from one-way communication to community-driven environments on the Web.

(You can download the first chapter here)

As long as you stay authentic and transparent about yourself, I think it’s a great idea to spend time each week developing your personal brand. In today’s competitive environment it may be absolutely necessary. Below are a couple web portfolios by students that I really think know how to develop their personal brand:

Julie Turkewitz – Julie is a true multimedia journalist. She can write. She can shoot photos. She can film and edit. Plus, she speaks Spanish. Her Squarespace site displays all her skills in a very visual site. One of my favorite features is her “Resume Snapshot” that declares her personal brand statement. She also has a blog that she regularly updates and solicits contributions from other young journalists.

Andrew Dunn – Andrew has created a following of journalism students, professors and professionals at his site. He does a great job staying authentic and discussing issues that he is going through. One of my favorite features is his “Online Tools” section which can be a continual resource for students trying to learn more about computer assisted reporting.

Daniel Bachhuber – Daniel has a Twitter account, Google profile, Publish2, LinkedIn, Uwire along with several other social network profiles. His blog is simplistic but original.