While the comfort of my bed and the coziness of my pajamas normally have a hold on me, I do enjoy the opportunity to get dolled up every now and then. Dressing up is even better when I have an amazing party to attend, awesome people to share it with, and delicious food. (Y'all really thought I wasn't going to mention the food? Pshh.) Last weekend, I not only had the opportunity to attend a amazing function, but to actually be a part in executing it!

After 4 years of annoying homework problems, exhausting all-nighters, and constant visits to the career center to improve our resume, graduation forces us to leave that comfort zone that we've been dwelling in for more exciting opportunities. While my "exciting opportunity" only brought me about twenty minutes away from campus, it still feels great to have a fresh start in a new apartment with only one roommate. (There were four of us in my last apartment!) But, new apartments also mean having to move...which is the devil. Since this is the fourth time I've had to move over the past five years, I'd like to think that I'd have some insight on how to make the process easier.

In the past three months, two of my sorority sisters and one of my best friends have gotten engaged. ENGAGED. In less than a month, one of my friends from college is getting married. MARRIED. Are we seriously at "that" age? You guys know which age I'm talking about: the one where we spend more time buying gifts from Bed Bath & Beyond than we do actually in bed. The age where everybody decides that they all want to get married at the same time. Since so many people that I love have been getting engaged and starting their brand new lives, I've decided to use my talents to help them out a little bit.

In this day and age, more students are graduating from college than there are jobs available. We all know what that means: more supply = less demand = more competition. So in this annoying time of competition galore, how does one stand out in the crowd? You guessed it: by branding yourself.

Fortunately, I have some awesome friends who do super cool stuff, like branding! Last week, I had a chat my friend and branding aficionado, Liana Miller to talk about personal branding and why it's so important. She even threw in some tips for creating a personal brand. Everything from conception to visual implementation!

Kayla (KA): What is a personal brand?
Liana Miller (LM): A personal brand is how you see yourself. It's how you're perceived and what you stand for. That can go for a company and what they stand for or what they value. Your personal brand is what makes you unique and defines you and the skills and personalities that you have. Also, a personal brand can be your reputation: how do people know you? How do they view you?

KA: Why is having a personal brand so important?
LM: It's so important because of the competition right now. It's like supply and demand: so many students are graduating with the same degree and similar experiences but there aren't any jobs. You need to present yourself as a product that your employer needs. You need to differentiate yourself  because when you're able to define yourself, you are learning more about yourself and what you have to offer. It's super important to separate from the pack because a lot of people aren't doing that and that puts you a step ahead of everyone else. When thinking about your brand, think about how people think of you.

Okay here's an example: think about an employer shuffling through a bunch of resumes that all have similar experiences. If one candidate has a great website with a portfolio, the employer is gonna say "oh wow, look at this person whose got a great website" rather than go with one of the candidates who doesn't, ya know? Like think about all the people that don't have websites: employers have no way of distinguishing them from the other thirty candidates.

KA: I completely understand, that's a great point. So now we know why having a personal brand is so important. How do we get started? What are the first steps?

LM: Your first step is to do some soul searching - what do you bring to the table? Not the dumb bullet points that you put on a resume (everybody has great communication skills). Think about diversity and life experiences: what makes you special? What do you specifically bring to the table? Your brand is essentially your perspective. For example, Whole Foods has a different perspective on healthy food than Target does. But Target's perspective on food is price, thus their products are more inexpensive.

People think that their brand has to be professional but it's just defining what makes you different. It's not just about the skills you have. People aren't worried solely about your skills, they care about working with real people and the stories you have to tell.

KA: So how does one visually express their brand?
LM: There's a lot of ways for you to express your brand. You just have to make sure that it's relevant to your field. I'm in marketing so it makes sense that I have a website but an English major would probably start writing a blog to showcase their work. Whatever it is, it has to be career specific. No matter what you do, you should represent yourself online and know your audience.

Now, a logo is a visual representation of your brand so take that into account when designing your logo. Logos are the most effective representation of your personal brand. The style and colors that you choose reflect who you are. It's font, it's color, it's shape. If you're a more straight and narrow person, use more geometric shapes. If you're more outgoing, use polka dots or something more creative. Logos can be very symbolic because they say "what's important to you?"

Sometimes, people try to get a logo done for them that's got some pink swirly font but in real life, they're just blah. An employer is going to notice that your personality doesn't match your logo or visual brand instantly. Make sure that your logo is a representation of you, not just some cool design.

KA: Since you just told us what to do, let's talk about what NOT to do. What are some bad logo examples?
LM: Well...it's hard. It's like telling someone that has bad style that they have bad style. I will say that, if you're not good graphically, to hand it over to the professionals & let someone create it for you. It doesn't matter who or what you are, whether you're super outgoing, introverted, over or understated, just make sure it represents you. However, remember that you're going for a professional look. There's no need for curly, over the top fonts because, even though that might be how you are, it's not professional and the whole idea is to separate from the pack positively. You may be over the top and eccentric, but know the audience that's gonna be looking at your resume.

Liana Miller is a Hispanic Marketing Intern at General Mills. Need a logo, website or just some personal branding help? Head over to her website at www.lianatmiller.com to check out her portfolio and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.

It's been over one month since I walked across the stage and took on a new starting role: the real world. I can't lie - life is pretty good right now. Aside from the fact that I still live in my crappy student housing apartment and have to look forward to loans kicking in soon, I'm extremely happy. I was fortunate enough to graduate with a job already lined up for me (networking is KEY!) and I can honestly say that I have learned a lot in this past month and a half. Below are eight things that you'll learn, if you haven't already at your first "grown up" job.