All week, I’ve been writing about personal branding and how young nonprofit professionals can build their reputation online. But we all know that personal branding isn’t just about what you do online, it’s also about what people think of you in person. How do you present yourself as a leader, even when you have no leadership position, even when you’re “just an intern”? Let me tell you two stories.
Yesterday, I was in a meeting with about 20 other nonprofit leaders in the Washington, DC area. Before the meeting got started, we all went around the table and introduced ourselves, our organizations, etc. We went all around the room and got to the intern who had been assigned to coordinate our meeting. When it was his turn to speak and introduce himself, he raised his head meekly, and said, “Oh, I’m just here to take notes for the meeting.” No matter what perception we had already made about him, at that moment he deemed himself completely insignificant. He made it seem as if even his name was of no importance to anyone, since he did not even tell us what it was. He really missed an opportunity to shine while the spotlight was right on him. For the record, someone laughed at his response, then asked him if he had a name. Apparently it was Matthew.
Here’s a better story.
Last week, I met an impressive young woman named Urrikka at an event for young black professionals in the nonprofit field. She was in my small discussion group where we were going in a circle talking about about career successes. Her background and research in college was working with seniors and the aging population. She lucked out and landed an internship at AARP. She loved working there, and worked hard to build their respect for her as a colleague. She began new projects and did stellar work for whoever asked her to do something, even if the task was an menial as making copies. When her internship ended six months later, the AARP staff couldn’t bear to let her go. Now what do you think Urrikka did at that point? Did she wish upon a star that they would hire her? Or did she just give up on her desire to work with the organization? Nope, Urrikka just shined even brighter in that moment. She went ahead and got herself set up as a business, and suggested to AARP that they could hire her as a consultant. And what did AARP do? Well, they did just that. And at her young age, Urrikka’s first client in her consulting business was AARP, one of the largest organizations serving seniors in the country.
Wow.
Urrikka literally was shining so bright that her colleagues found her to be indispensable in knowledge and productivity. In just six months, she had built up such a strong personal brand that people viewed her not just as “the intern” or the one who takes notes for meetings, but a professional with valuable knowledge about that particular cause. If young nonprofit professionals want to build strong careers in this field, we have to strive to be less like poor Matthew and more like Urrikka the rockstar. Here are a few tips of mine, please share yours in the comments!
Do a Memorable Job
Perform as if this is your full-time job with benefits, not just an internship. It will help you to connect more deeply with your colleagues and excel at every task presented to you if you think of yourself as a long-term employee, not someone who’s just there for the summer. Be as productive, creative and innovative as you can in the projects you’re responsible for. Then take it up even one more notch. If you do the kind of work that people can’t help but remember, it will reap benefits for you over and over when you need recommendations for other jobs, or are looking for other opportunities, or looking to get hired full-time at that particular organization.
Begin a New Project
As someone with fresh eyes coming into the organization, you may see brand new ways to improve the office, make life easier for everyone,or help the nonprofit save money. When I began my current job three years ago, we had a small base of corporate donors. Nobody really tasked me with increasing that amount, but I thought there was more potential out there for more support. So I created a tiered corporate sponsorship program, and now we have doubled our corporate support from when I first began the project. That is one thing the organization will remember me by, and a success I can take to future jobs.
Help the Organization Solve a Problem
Maybe they need someone to help them get a blog started or dive into other types of social media. Don’t wait for someone to ask for your expertise; they may not even know you have any. Pipe up in meetings if you can help with a particular issue facing the organization, even if that’s not the specific job they hired you for.
Find Opportunities to Learn From Others
I had an intern a few years ago named Erica, who wanted to learn more about fundraising. She asked me to sit down with her and explain a few of the fundraising concepts, and give her a chance to write a grant proposal. I was happy to do both, since we always need more hands to do any of this work. I was also impressed by the initiative she took to learn more about a skill she wanted to utilize in the future.
What are some of YOUR ideas or experiences for turning an internship into leadership?
Sometimes i wonder how the culture of confidence (or outspokeness as some visitors like to call it) in the U.S. can become debilitating to shy or introverted people. Confidence does not come naturally to some people, and instead of condemning them, perhaps suggest ways of self-development?
Rosetta, Thank you for featuring me in your post! I didn’t even know about it until today when I googled myself
You are an incredible writer and told my story even better than me! Since meeting you at that fateful networking event, I have been inspired to do even greater things. In building my personal brand and following your suggestion, I now can include “blogger” in my repertoire of initiatives and accomplishments.