Branding Documents
Following career assessment, students begin the process of branding themselves so that they can clearly and concisely communicate their career goals with employers and other networking contacts.
CCD works with students to develop a personal rocket pitch, as well as résumés and cover letters that are targeted to the function and industry of interest. In addition to working one-on-one with our MBA Relationship Managers to craft their personal branding strategy, there are several resources available to students to assist with refining and developing their personal branding materials.:
Résumés
The résumé is a key way for students to communicate accomplishments and a value proposition to employers and other professionals as they expand their networks. During the MBA program, a student’s résumé is a continuous work in progress due to the leadership activities, special projects, internships, experiential learning, and extracurricular activities that students participate in. CCD Relationship Managers work with students to refine and develop their résumés to ensure that they accurately represent the student’s experience and that they are tailored toward the career goals of the individual student. Resources for developing student résumés include, but are not limited to:
Cover Letters
A cover letter is a brief document (approximately three or four paragraphs, no more than one page in length) that usually accompanies a résumé. Its purpose varies according to circumstance—for example, it can be used when trying to obtain an interview with an employer, after meeting an employer or networking contact who has asked for a copy of your résumé, in response to a job listing, or to request an informational interview with a networking contact.
Cover letters are an essential component of a successful job search. CCD Relationship Managers work with students to refine and develop their cover letters to ensure they are formatted properly and tailored to the specific opportunities for which as student is applying.
Why are cover letters important?
- They offer the employer a sample of your writing abilities and skills
- They allow creativity of text, unlike résumés, which are more rigid in format and style
- They allow you to expand upon relevant information from your résumé, or to introduce additional information
- They can help to generate interest from an employer and lead to subsequent interviews
- When written well, they can be an excellent tool by which to market yourself, make convincing points about your salient qualities, and demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of an employer’s business and why you would be a valuable addition to their business
- When written poorly or containing errors, they can cause you to be eliminated from consideration by employers
Resources for creating effective cover letters
Social Media
Many students choose to leverage social media platforms to assist in self-branding and networking efforts. The most common mediums include LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and blogs; all powerful tools that the Center for Career Development will help you take advantage of by teaching you the most effective ways to use these platforms. We work with students one-on-one to review their personal social media branding strategy and we hold classes and webinars on best practices for leveraging social media tools.
Business Cards
We recommend that all students carry business cards with them everywhere they go. Business cards are a valuable self-branding and promotional tool. Your cards should look professional and contain your up-to-date contact information. We suggest that students use the Babson business card template during their time in the MBA program. For instructions on how to order the Babson template business cards, please visit the Student Business Card Ordering Website.