FORMING A STUDENT'S PERSONAL BRAND AS A TOOL FOR POSITIONING IN THE LABOR MARKET (PART I)

Abstract

The article presents a description and results of a study of the possibilities of using a student’s personal brand for future positioning in the labor market and in professional activities. The purpose of the study was to determine the correspondence between the expectations of students, the need to form a personal brand for employment opportunities and the role of the personal brand of the applicant for the employer. The methodological basis of the study was a critical analysis of scientific literature, secondary data from ongoing studies, a review of expert opinions and primary empirical information necessary to achieve the goal. The first direction of empirical research (part I) in the form of an Internet survey was a survey of students of a higher educational institution in order to determine the attitude of a given social group to the problems of forming and developing a personal brand. The second area of  empirical research (Part II) in the form of an online survey was a survey of HRM specialists in order to identify the importance of a student’s (young specialist’s) personal brand in the process of recruitment and professional development for the employer. To comprehend the obtained empirical information, the methods of generalization and comparative analysis were used. The results of the empirical study indicate that there are some differences in the perceptions of the importance of a personal brand among students and HR professionals. According to the authors, the data obtained confirm the disagreements identified at the stage of analysis of expert assessments in public discussions regarding the significance and necessity of forming a student’s personal brand. Despite this, research needs to be continued. Increasing the coverage in terms of the number and geography of student youth, as well as HR specialists, as representatives of the employer, will provide better results.