The Golden Arches. The Nike Swoosh. The Disneyland Ears.

These represent brands.

Me, I am just a twenty-something giving it a go in a somewhat confusing, and constantly changing, world. I can’t get you fries with that, I can’t help you dunk from the free throw line, and I most definitely can’t create a magical kingdom before your eyes.

Why do I need a brand?

I guess I always knew it was important to define my brand; I just never got around to fully considering what made me different from every other person I passed on the street, rode with on the subway, or stood in line next to for the ladies room.

Instead, I took the easy way out. I relied on the organizations and universities with which I was affiliated to determine my brand. During my time in graduate school I was comfortable being tagged as “the published academic researcher.” During my years in business I was happy to be considered “the consultant focused on employee development.”

I did not create these brands – I let these brands create me. And, let’s be honest, what is the fun in letting others define who you are and who you will be?

Now that I have finished my graduate education and am not affiliated with an organization, I find myself, rather suddenly, to be brand-less. For the first time in my professional career I have to seriously consider what my brand has been in the past, what it is now, and what I say it will be going forward.

I need to create my brand, and rebuild my career, from the ground up. I am not aiming for perfection here, and I am sure that the process of building my brand will most closely resemble a competitive Jenga game - pieces added one at a time, with some uncertainty, until something resembling a complete structure materializes.

For those of you who think your personal brand is already strong, as I did before I took a closer look, I challenge you to take the following three part test:

1) When your parents rave about your professional accomplishments to their neighbors, are they accurate even half of the time?

2) Ask your friends later at happy hour, can they tell you what your work entails beyond the words “finance” or “marketing”?

3) At cocktail parties, when you get asked for the 100th time what you do for a living, (and, to avoid complete boredom, you are not yet to the point of saying you are an astronaut, rocket scientist, and/or brain surgeon) are you be able to give a clear and precise explanation of what makes you, well, you?

The great thing about being part of a generation that is comprised of wonderfully unique, diverse, and intelligent people is that building a brand should be easier than ever before.

Consider what makes you unique. Do you have a particular interest, background, or hobby? Do you have skills that set you apart, beliefs that make you special, or ideas not often considered by others? If so, these are all Jenga pieces that need to be added to the creation of your personal brand.

In my case, I am working on building my brand. What I do know is that my experiences as a researcher, a consultant, a colleague, and a friend make me uniquely aware of the questions that run circles around the minds of twenty-something’s. I know that as a twenty-something I am skeptical of anyone who claims to have answers to these questions. My hope, therefore, is that as a blogger and a writer I can ask the questions that will lead twenty-something’s to find the answers for themselves.

If you are looking for easy answers, you have come to the wrong place. However, if you are looking for a conversation that may spark an idea that will help you (and maybe me – is that selfish?) create a spot in the world that leads to success on every level, you have an idea of where my personal brand is taking me.

Now that I have shared a bit about what makes me unique, I have to ask, what makes you special?

You know that Aunt Millie and Uncle Earl will be asking the same question in a few weeks over Thanksgiving dinner, so you might as well come up with a reasonable response. Or, just go with the astronaut thing. It gets them every time.