My Branding Statement

Professionalism noun

/prəˈfeSHənlˌizəm/

As we proceed as undergraduate students at the University of Rhode Island and embark on our journey to the workforce, it’s important that we familiarize ourselves with the term professionalism. Professionalism is a term that perfectly encompasses my personal branding statement.

As an incoming college student, my desire was to apply for and hopefully be selected for every leadership position that interested me, specifically with the URI Campus Tour Guiding team. I applied for positions like Tour Guide Trainer, Visit Enhancement Coordinator, Summer Campus Tour Guide, and Tour Manager. To my surprise, I was rejected from every position. I was disappointed for so long and blamed the decision makers rather than working to discover my own room for improvement.

This experience taught me an extremely valuable lesson. Professionalism is so much more than the conduct or qualities of a professional, it’s about their intentions as well. My motive in applying for the position of Tour Guide Trainer was to be a visible member of the team, not to provide new tour guides with an enjoyable training process. I applied for positions like Tour Manager and Visit Enhancement Coordinator to make money without having to deal with the inconvenience of going out on tour. Summer Campus Tour Guiding was my potential escape from the reality I must face when I return to my hometown.

I have learned that every person’s means of engaging in professional behavior, or holding a leadership position varies significantly. For me, one’s intention in acting as a professional is much more important than the serious manner in which they try to conduct themselves. If your intentions are pure and you feel the natural desire to use your skills to help provide others with a pleasurable experience and serve their professional development, you are acting as a true professional.

I now only apply for positions that mean something to me. I applied for the position of Recruitment Leader on the Tour Guide Team, with the sole purpose of diversifying the new tour guide class. I applied to work with New Student Programs as an Orientation Leader so I could ease any trepidations incoming students face, since I felt that orientation did not serve me as an incoming student. I applied for the position of Peer Leader at URI’s Leadership Institute: Serve, a first year student retreat that will allow me to teach incoming students about the importance of service.

As a Public Relations Professional, I will only apply for positions with the intention of using my strengths to serve an organization. I plan to work as a Publicity Coordinator for a large entertainment company, using my strength of communication to facilitate publicity events while conducting myself in the most professional way possible. I now know that if your intentions are pure and hopeful, the impact you make will be exceptional.