By: Anna Newton, PRSSA Secretary
Matt Prince, the Sr. Manager of Public Relations and Brand Experience at Taco Bell, spoke at the PRSSA National Assembly in Portland, Ore. on April 7 about personal branding and networking.
Prince asked the audience, “If resumes didn’t exist, could you find a job?” In order to answer “yes” to this question, Prince recommended finding yourself on everyone’s “I know a guy list.” Prince relayed he has not secured any positions through the traditional resume process and has earned all of his high-level positions through professional and personal relationships.
Prince stated strengthening and capitalizing on your personal brand is essential to landing positions. The professional utilized the acronym BRAND (Behavior, Reputation, Appearance, Network and Definition). Prince believes a PR professional must ensure their personal brand is reflected through each of these categories.
Because Prince considers “the most important client of your career [to be] yourself,” he recommends writing a personal business plan, mission statement and swot analysis. This way, you can evaluate your strengths and weaknesses and walk a direct path to success.
Prince said having a mentor is integral to a fruitful career and suggests finding an outstanding PR professional on social media and reaching out for mentorship. He also mentioned PRSSA leaders can become mentors to their younger members and encouraged those leaders provide this assistance.
Prince emphasized the importance of “finding what matters most to you and never comprom(sing).” Prince strongly believes in a work-life balance and has set boundaries in his work life to keep everything in order.
