I am thankful to have met David Meerman Scott a number of times over the years, including welcoming him as a guest speaker at past Boston Product Marketing Association events. I’ll hazard a guess that it is likely you have David Meerman Scott’s WebInkNow blog bookmarked already; if not, you’ll probably want to once you visit his site.

Recently David Meerman Scott featured 20-something author – and fellow Bentley University alum – Dan Schawbel on his blog. Although just starting out in his post-Bentley career, Dan Schawbel has already racked up some impressive accolades old 40-something guys like me would be very proud of. He has positioned himself as a personal branding expert, with a self-branding blog and magazine, and now a brand new book hot on the shelves: Me 2.0: Build a Powerful Brand to Achieve Career Success.

I can vouch for the value of Dan’s advice in his book, not to mention his wise advice in his free e-book Blogging Your Brand (PDF), which I have found indispensible as I get this blog, and in so doing, my own personal brand, off the ground.

David Meerman Scott’s discussion with Dan Schawbel is well worth reading in its entirety. A few specific comments from Dan Schawbel I found of particular personal interest follow:

Most people my age are afraid to take risks, we’re given the same traditional advice in college that is not as applicable anymore and don’t embrace their age in the first place [now that surprised me, I thought kids these days were fearless!-MU]…The sooner young professionals start holding themselves accountable for their career, the better off they will be. In my new book, Me 2.0, the major theme is this idea of “commanding your career,” where you take charge, instead of relying on your company, parents or teachers to guide you (although mentorship is important)…

Personal branding is how we market ourselves to others. Each and every one of us has a brand because we are constantly being judged based on first impressions…

Personal brands own their reputation, and that reputation is transferable between companies [my emphasis added – I think this is a critical point worthy of further exploration].

I will have much more to write about personal branding, and look forward to connecting with Dan Schawbel directly soon. The portability of one’s personal brand when someone leaves a company is especially interesting to me, as someone who is actively seeking a new career opportunity amid a tough economy!

What do you think about the whole concept of personal branding? Has personal branding helped your career? What individuals and their accompanying personal brands do you find especially interesting, helpful, inspiring?

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