Identity capital is defined as, "our collection of personal assets. It is the repertoire of individual resources that we assemble over time. These are the investments we make in ourselves, the things we do well enough, or long enough, that they become a part of who we are.... Identity capital is how we build ourselves – bit by bit, over time. Most important, identity capital is what we bring to the adult marketplace. It is the currency we use to metaphorically purchase jobs and relationships and other things we want." (Thank you, Ask a Young Professional for this. I haven't read the book yet, although I have now just put a hold on it at the library) This is what my blog is going to be about. This is what I will do every single day: build a bit of identity capital. I am 25, so it's something that I should be spending more time thinking about. In case you were wondering where this idea came from, watch the amazing TED talk below:
[ted id=1741]
Blogging is Great for Identity Capital
It really is, especially if you take the time to use your blogging to develop new skills and/or to showcase your expertise. If you do it regularly enough, like at least once a week, then it's great for online reputation management as well. If you're worried about what comes up when people search your name online, or if your social media profiles might get in the way of you getting a job, then blogging regularly means that you are creating something that can trump what you don't want to show up in search engine rankings. How cool would it be if all that shows up under your name is all of your awesome blog posts? Even if you blog about something that might not have anything to do with where you want to go professional, great blogs posts indicate a hell of a lot about you that you want a hiring manager or recruiter to take note of. These include:
- Dedication toward a project - You can stick with something and get it done, or have the discipline to take the time to accomplish something. This is especially true with blogging, where it takes a while to see results.
- Great communication skills - The fact that you can write well, or even market your work well (or all in my industries and professions), is a huge plus.
- Web Development - Being able to use Wordpress, or Blogger, or Typepad, or your web building/blogging platform of choice is also huge. It's also a skill that not a lot of people have, and might be a boost simply because a lot of people can't do this well.
- Expertise in Something - If you do choose to blog about something that is related to your career or desired profession, then how cool is it to be able to show this expertise through a blog? It's not quite the same as "three to five years of experience", but you're also spending time to develop your expertise, to communicate it, and to learn new things about it. This could help you because you can show that your knowledge is fresh, that you are aware of what's trending, and that you do take the time to get better instead of just do your job and show up everyday.
- Passion - People like other people who have things going for them, who actually like something in life other than sleeping, or hanging out, or just messing around. Even if you're blogging about something that isn't related to what you want to work in, a blog demonstrates passion and something outside of your job position that defines you.
So, what are you doing to build identity capital?