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When you start building your career, you’ll need to focus on developing your professional reputation. Your reputation is something that will build and accumulate naturally over time as you make a name for yourself in whatever industry you enter. But it’s possible, with the help of blogging and social media, to start developing your professional reputation now. 

Why Build Your Reputation Now? 

Why should you try to build your reputation now, when you have your entire career to develop it? 

Obviously, reputation building is not a one-time strategy. It’s something that you’ll have to work on throughout your entire career, not just at the beginning. But there are some impressive advantages to starting as early as possible. 

• It’s a critical early advantage. For starters, this is a critical early advantage. You’re likely graduating from college with hundreds, if not thousands of other people who only have a degree as a meaningful credential. Anything you can do to distinguish yourself from this pack is going to be useful, including any measures you take to establish your professional reputation. 

• It takes time to develop. Reputation and credentials are things that take time to develop. You can excel in your field for many years before you become recognized as an authority in it. Accordingly, the earlier you start, the faster you’ll begin to see meaningful results. 

• You likely have extra time. Finally, you probably have some extra time on your hands. Yes, college is demanding, but it doesn’t occupy every waking hour of your life. You’ll likely have more free time in college than you will in the thick of your career, so you should spend the extra time now, while you have it, building your professional reputation. 

Now, to the central question – how do you build your professional reputation while still in college? 

Start a Blog 

One strategy is to start a blog on matters related to your industry. Since you’re still relatively new to this career, you can start by documenting your learning process and talking about things that surprised you as a relative newcomer to the field. You can express your opinions on professional matters, showcase some of your work, and even provide tips and insights to people hoping to start a career in this field. 

These days, there are educational resources that make it incredibly easy to start a blog of your own. In less than a day, you can have the initial version of your blog up and running and can start writing and contributing to it on a regular basis. This alone doesn’t guarantee that your blog is going to be successful, but it’s a great place to start. 

Talk to Your Professors 

Another good strategy is to talk to your professors on a personal level. Tell them about your professional goals, your aspirations, and your strengths and weaknesses. They can give you some insights on how to develop yourself and how to achieve your career goals. They may even be able to introduce you to people in the field or help you form connections that can eventually land you a good job. At the very least, this is good practice for speaking to people with authority. 

Network With Other Students 

Make sure you spend time networking with other students – especially those in your field. You never know who might have a job opportunity for you in the future, or who might remember you when they decide to start building a business of their own. 

This is also an opportunity to show off your personality and working style. You can solidify your personal identity, get practice collaborating with others, and help to refine your professional disposition. 

Get an Internship 

If you have the time for it, consider getting an internship. Internships, including unpaid internships, are valuable opportunities to meet established professionals, get meaningful work experience, and potentially get your foot in the door of a valuable organization. 

Volunteer 

Alternatively, you can volunteer for good causes. It’s a great way of giving back to your community while simultaneously introducing you to powerful people within that community. If nothing else, it’s a fantastic experience to list on a resume. Consider looking for volunteer opportunities in your area that appeal to your values and sensibilities; odds are good that you’ll be able to find a solid fit. 

Earn Awards and Recognition 

Awards always look great on a resume, so consider trying to earn awards and recognition at your university while you’re still enrolled. Are there any special awards for academic achievements or extracurricular efforts? If so, try to capitalize on them. 

Add to Your Portfolio 

Depending on the nature of your work, this could also be an opportunity to add to your portfolio. For example, if you’re an artist currently enrolled in university, you can use this time to create pieces that demonstrate the full range of your artistic capabilities. 

Your professional reputation can have a massive impact on the course of your career, and if you leave college with a better and more recognizable reputation than your peers, you’ll have a noticeable advantage when you enter the job market.  

Developing a professional reputation does take time and effort, but the sooner you start, the easier it will become in the future. For many college students, now is the best time to get started.