The Lack of Personality in Personal Branding

Abstract

PURPOSE - In this master's thesis, The Lack of Personality in Personal Branding, the overall research question why today's young job applicants in Denmark put so much emphasis on painting the "perfect" picture of themselves in their personal branding when recruiters - to a greater extent - are looking for personality and the job applicants' ability to stand out and differentiate themselves from the rest will be addressed.
DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH - This master's thesis follow a deductive approach to empirical research; and the methodology is based on semi-structured interviews with a branding expert and recruitment managers in order to shed light on the topics of personal branding and recruitment from different angles.
FINDINGS - The findings indicate that there is a lack of personality in personal branding. Young Danish job applicants lack in showcasing and 'forcing through' their personality in their job applications. They have a misconception of what the point of personal branding is, as they have too much focus on the 'branding'-part, instead of turning the focus on the 'personal'-aspect in their personal branding.
PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS - This research emphasize that successfully creating, building and managing a strong personal brand can serve as a young job applicant's pathway to professional success. Controlling your own personal brand can help you to stand out and differentiate yourself from other candidates.