Chat with Dan Schawbel: Promote Yourself Better Today

I'm thrilled to share that at long last, my pal Dan Schawbel is releasing his new book, Promote Yourself!  I couldn't wait to talk to him and get the scoop on what this new title brings to the current literature about Millennials.  Here's what Dan had to say.

Dan, given the success of Me 2.0, what did you want to accomplish with this new book?

Both of my books are targeted at millennials but with advice that can benefit anyone who is serious about building a successful career. While Me 2.0 was focused on getting your first job out of school, this one focuses on how to advance your career when you already have a job. My goal will this one is to support my generation, give them a reference book and changed how they are perceived in the workplace, from negative to positive. From a professional standpoint, I turn 30 after the book comes out so it marks a new phase in my life and it's my best work. I've made a lot of sacrifices to pull this book off and it took me over three years to get this publishing deal. I hope my story inspires others to work hard and never give up on their dreams.

What's a secret or two of Promote Yourself that readers won't find on the Personal Branding blog?

Promote Yourself has an exclusive study I did in partnership with American Express on millennials in the workplace and over 75 interviews with millennials, their managers and executives from top brands like EY, PepsiCo and DreamWorks. I've relentlessly researched the topic, I lived the topic and now I'm reflecting on it in this book. 

You have done such a great job of branding yourself in addition to giving advice to others on branding.  What are one or two personal must-dos every day?

Read as much as you can. When I wake up, I just start reading so I know what's going on in the world and the latest workplace trends. The more I learn at the beginning of the day, the smarter I will be as I work through my projects during the day. The most successful business people I know are also the ones that read the most. If you aren't in touch with what's going on around you, it's extremely easy to become irrelevant and lose your edge.

Make at least one new connection each day. We are living in the social age and the more connected you are, the more valuable you become. If you want to increase your value, and your network, you must strive to reach out to new people. It's never been easier to connect and you can do it on social networks ,at conferences, at association events and even through your college alumni network.

What is the greatest hurdle you've faced in establishing and sustaining your own brand? 

The biggest hurdle is to be able to constantly think of new ideas, keep my name out there and adjust to new economic realities and topics. It's getting increasing hard because of how fragmented the media is, how the publishing and speaking market is changing and just the sheer global competition.

Anything exciting happening around the launch of Promote Yourself that readers should know about?

I have two really exciting things going on for the book before and after it comes out. I'm going to have a New York City launch event where I'll be keynoting and having a panel of corporate executives on with me. Also, I've worked with a computer animator to create a new infographic video that's coming out soon called "Why Millennials Matter".  For more information, please feel free to check out our website!