Matt Klein
Matt Klein (Founder at PRSNL Branding)
** Please note that when this interview was released, The Takeoff was called ExecU Weekly. We have since rebranded to The Takeoff. **
Welcome
Today's interview is with Matt Klein - the Founder of PRSNL Branding. We hope you enjoy today's content. Please feel free to leave feedback by filling out this survey - we would greatly appreciate your opinion on our first few releases!
Name: Matt Klein
Current roles and organizations:
Founder of PRSNL Branding
Cultural Strategist at Sparks & Honey (by day)
Prior Roles: Marketing Strategist at R/GA, L2Gartner, M&C Saatchi, Storyful
Education: Franklin & Marshall College
Majors: Psychology and Film & Media Studies; Concentration in Online Behavior
Please discuss your current company, what it does, and your role within the organization.
PRSNL Branding is a boutique, full-service agency for professionals' online presence. Or in other words, we help people establish their professional identity online. PRSNL Branding takes intensive learnings from marketing brands like Amazon, Verizon, Budweiser and HBO, and applies these effective digital strategies to the individual. We're the first and only shop to provide brand-tested, tailored solutions to personally develop the best online version of you.
Why do we do this? Humans are curious beings. As we live more of our lives online, academic and corporate institutions are using social media and Google to screen applicants, better determining our qualifications and personality. We can now learn a lot about someone without ever meeting them thanks to what's available online.
With this reality, all professionals need to realize our likes, photos and tweets are forming digital footprints behind us, most of these permanent, which are now being reviewed. But we should't hide! Nearly all 18-34 year olds are active daily online. So if someone can't find you, it's a big red flag. Today, admissions and HR expect and want to find you.
Too many professionals are passed over because they're not standing out, or fired because of what's been discovered about them online. PRSNL is turning these stories around and doing the heavy lifting for you. To succeed today, you need to be discoverable — and when someone finds you, they're blown the fuck away. We help you drop jaws in the best way.
As the Founder, I lead all organizational efforts as well as all client engagements.
How can people use PRSNL Branding's service? What are the fees?
From résumés and cover letters, LinkedIn profiles and personal websites, to search engine optimization, online privacy and social strategy, we work one-on-one with you, developing tailored solutions to help you stand out in this hyper-competitive job market. Emulating a traditional ad agency model, we provide custom services based upon our clients' needs, therefore our fees vary. We also offer a DIY Kit including checklists, guides and exercises for you to immediately use on your own... which is available for purchase online. Use "EXECU" for 50%... for real!
What has your career path looked like so far?
I've always been fascinated in the intersection of psychology and media, which has led me from agency to agency, ranging in specialty. People often question the relationship between my academic studies (psychology and film) and profession (marketing), but when you realize that digital marketing is simply persuading or dissuading thoughts and behaviors based upon they media they interact with, the connection becomes more apparent. PRSNL Branding has become the side-business to this interest of mine. Here it's: how do people perceive you and why do they hire you based upon the media they're presented with?
Do you have any favorite hobbies or passions? How do you spend your free time?
When I'm not building PRSNL or working my day job at sparks & honey, helping organizations better understand culture in order to inform significant business decisions, I'm all about my physical and mental health: cycling, yoga, meditation, etc. To counter-balance that, I'm a wine student working towards my certifications. I was also a film major, so I try my best to stay up on the latest in that space as well.
If you had to give one piece of advice for college students, what would it be?
Capitalize on your resources. There will never be a time when there is so much at your disposal to take advantage of. Go to as many office hours as you can, enroll in an extra course if you can manage it, get involved in as many clubs as possible, shadow or intern at a local business if you have the time, so on and so forth. It's these supplemental experiences that will give you the leg up among the competition and make you significantly more prepared in the working world. Before you know it, you'll be dying to get access to what you once had. So, take in the opportunities while you can.
Do any industries stick out to you in today's economic landscape? Are there any majors/career paths that you recommend today's college students to pursue?
Anything involving the humanities. The idea of robots or AI taking over our jobs is not laughable science fiction, it's a daunting reality. While automation is already taking over roles within food services, transportation, administrative duties and warehouse fulfillment, don't be mistaken it will stop there. In order to position yourself safely for 5-10 years out, roles dependent upon human intuition, touch, subjectivity and analysis will win. A message therapist has better job stability than anyone in finance when we think about jobs of the future. Who will trust a machine to give them a massage?
Does your organization offer any internship opportunities? If so, feel free to discuss these programs or provide a link/contact for students to find out more information.
We're always looking for help getting the word out about PRSNL, especially on college campuses. We're scaling like crazy in 2019! Learn more about opportunities here, or shoot me a note at: Matt@PRSNLBranding.com. We're a "call your own shots" type of business, honoring the energy and independence students bring to the table.
Are there any valuable skills or lessons you know now that you wish you had known in college?
Patience. I've had multiple internships and entry-level jobs where I'd have an idea and not been invited or allowed to act upon it. Nothing drove me crazier than wanting to help or having a better idea and not being able to do anything with it. It's taken me a long time to realize that you'll eventually be called upon. In the beginning, it didn't feel like chance would ever come. I needed someone to tell me to relax. Keep working hard, but your time will come.
What made you interested in being one of ExecU Weekly's early interviewees?
Once a college student always hungry for advice and networking, the opportunity to provide insight and an act as an outlet for anyone looking to connect feels great. This is exactly something I would have read as a student, so being able to contribute to this effort makes up for the lack of ExecU years ago.
Do you have any additional advice or insights you'd like to give?
Work smart, not hard. Whether it's school work today or job responsibilities tomorrow, a lot of people fetishize the hustle or all-nighters, believing that if you're not working 24/7/365, you're not doing it right. The belief is: success will only come to those who work that hard. Fuck that. You know what's better than staying up all night working? Eight hours of sleep! Don't cut corners, but certainly don't burn yourself out. Find ways to work smart, not hard, and you'll not only be able to find success, but a more enjoyable experience throughout the journey. Cheers!
Contact Info:
Matt Klein
Email: Matt@PRSNLBranding.com
Site: PRSNLBranding.com
Twitter: @PRSNLBranding
Facebook: @PRSNLBranding
My Twitter: @KleinKleinKlein
My LinkedIn: @KleinKleinKlein