Positioning Yourself for Success: An Introduction to Personal Branding

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In this experience, you’ll explore how self-awareness, motivation, and purpose come together to shape your personal brand – a powerful tool in both life and business. You’ll begin by learning what personal branding really means, how to align it with your values, and how real people like Emma Chamberlain and Stormzy use authenticity to stand out. Drawing on strong psychological concepts, you’ll identify what truly motivates you and how those motivators influence your daily choices and long-term goals. You’ll also discover the Japanese concept of Ikigai, and use it to reflect on your passions and potential career paths. Through guided reflection and engaging examples, you’ll start crafting a personal brand statement that’s future-focused and true to you. Ultimately, this experience will help you understand what drives you, what makes you unique, and how to express that in a way that opens doors. Whether you’re figuring out your next steps or exploring who you want to become, this journey will empower you to align who you are with where you’re going.

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About University of Hull

Change the world, or change your world? At Hull, you can do both. For nearly 100 years, we’ve inspired students to think differently. Rated Gold in the Teaching Excellence Framework, we combine outstanding teaching with career-boosting placements. Learn from academics whose research tackles real-world challenges and shapes everything you study. Our safe, green campus in the UK’s most affordable student city has a library, sports centre, modern accommodation, cafés and bars, all within 10-minute walk. With over 130 clubs and societies, Hull is an inclusive, supportive community where every student can thrive. The University of Hull – unwritten futures available now.

Meet the academics

Claire Carr

Claire Carr is the Director of UK Recruitment at Hull University Business School. She’s also a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Certified Management & Business Educator, which means she’s widely recognised for her expertise in leading and teaching business and management at university. Claire teaches students in their foundation, first, and second years, focusing on learning and development, helping students grow their skills and confidence in the business world. Before working in higher education, she had a successful career in international sales within the education sector, so she brings those real-world experiences into the classroom. She’s also worked with many universities and training providers to improve leadership and management courses, including MBA programmes. Since joining the Business School, Claire has worked with businesses to create learning opportunities that connect theory with practice. As a Chartered Manager, she led modules for the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), giving students the chance to earn academic and professional qualifications while studying.

In every Subject Spotlight you'll find

On-demand interactive video content

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Remarkable & relatable academics

Learn from some of the UK's finest and most decorated academics as they give you a genuine, insightful, and engaging experience of studying their courses at their universities.

Interactive quizzes and activities

Have a go at fascinating interactive quizzes and activities, then get meaningful and intuitive feedback from the academics to see how you've done.

Content to enhance students university applications

Hear direct from the academics what's expected of you in your university application, and the things you can do to improve your chances of getting on the course you most desire!

Certificate of completion

You'll receive a certificate of completion to evidence your learning - why not add this to your CV and university applications to show your dedication to your future pathway!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Subject Spotlight?

Subject Spotlights fuse education and entertainment to bring you the new way of researching your university options.

Entirely free and available on-demand, you can choose to engage with the content in the way that best suits you - whether that's in bite-sized chunks or in binge-sessions!

Why should I check out Subject Spotlights?

Get a real, representative impression of what pursuing a subject at university is actually like, so that you can make the right decision for you.

Stand out from the competition by completing a Subject Spotlight to gain the most relevant references and evidence for your personal statement.

Who is this Spotlight for?

This subject spotlight is made for students aged 16 and above, that are considering applying to University, particularly to study the subject in the title, or similar areas.

How should I talk about completing a Subject Spotlight on my UCAS application?

Completing a Subject Spotlight shows the university you're applying to that you've taken time outside of school to engage with relevant content.

The easiest way to include it would be to briefly mention one or two things you learned from it and how/why those learnings have furthered your desire to study the subject. We don't want to prescribe an answer because it's your personal statement but this is a good starting point!