Crafting Your Career: Mastering Personal Branding

At a recent FUA Career Center event, Dean of Students Mattia Delle Piane empowered students with practical tips on building a strong personal brand—from polishing social media profiles to perfecting resumes and cover letters for that dream job.

written by Guido Togliatti for SPEL: Journalism

Pursuing a career can be daunting for everyone. As part of Florence University of the Arts’ (FUA) Career Center activities, the university recently held an event for students on personal branding. Mattia Delle Piane, the Dean of Students, began the night by emphasizing that social media is key to building a personal brand in today's digital age.

He asked the audience what they thought of personal branding, and when no one answered right away, he advised, “Make sure your media platforms are clean.”

The discussion then moved on to keeping resumes brief and using cover letters as another tool to make a good impression in an interview. Before explaining their importance, Delle Piane asked if anyone knew the difference between a resume and a cover letter, and again the audience was unsure. He explained that job recruiters often struggle to understand the job they are interviewing for, so it is important to review the job description and highlight keywords.

The event continued with a focus on preparing for job interviews. Delle Piane stressed the importance of understanding the process and developing strong answers to interview questions. I could really feel how self-confidence plays a role in an interview. He also discussed whether it is helpful to ask questions during an interview. According to him, questions should be saved until the end to maintain a natural flow. Asking thoughtful job-related questions can show that you are engaged and curious about the company, and it can also help you seem more mature.

Delle Piane also underlined the value of researching a company before an interview. He used FUA’s mission, “Cultural integration and community building,” as an example. Knowing a company's mission and keywords can give you extra points in an interview and boost your chances of being hired.

The event went on to highlight the need for cover letters, which are considered by 50% of hiring managers. One audience member noted that cover letters should be mandatory. Delle Piane agreed, saying they are very helpful, even if the statistics on their usage vary. He mentioned that while only 20% of recruiters read cover letters, another study suggests that 56% of companies want applicants to attach them. It all depends on the job requirements and company expectations.

In his final point, Delle Piane reminded us that a dream job is something worth pursuing. The more interviews you do and the more practice you get, the closer you are to landing that job.

During the Q&A session, one question stood out about how to identify keywords in a job description. Delle Piane answered, “First, you want to read through the entire job description and then look at the company's goals. You want your goals to align with the company's.” The audience agreed and left feeling motivated to put these tips into practice.