Personal Branding Activity, Part 1

Section A: create or substantially edit your LinkedIn profile to strengthen your

COMPANION TO THE WEEK 3 COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE AND THE DISCUSSION FORUM GUIDES | PREPARED

As A Self-Contained Working Resource

The Week 3 journal, “Personal Branding Activity Part 1,” is different from the other Week 3 deliverables. The two discussion forums analyze companies; this journal turns the same marketing discipline on you. It is anchored to Weekly Learning Outcome 4 — examine the importance of personal branding in the world of demanding employers — and to CLO 1. It is worth 7 points, is due on Day 7 (Monday) by 11:59 p.m., and is submitted through Waypoint. It is also a doing assignment more than a writing assignment. Part 1 has two sections: Section A, in which you create or substantially edit a real, live LinkedIn profile, and Section B, in which you design a business card in Canva that carries a QR code linking to that profile. The thing you upload to Waypoint is a Word or PDF document containing the business-card design; the LinkedIn profile is graded as a live page, with its URL supplied to the grader. This guide explains why the assignment exists, decodes its preparation readings, walks through both sections, breaks down the rubric, and gives you a workflow and a submission checklist. The Prompt, Restated Read the journal’s instructions as a checklist. Part 1 requires you to:

• Have a job title. Use your current work title if you are employed; otherwise select a globalmarketing job title that interests you from a site such as CareerBuilder, Indeed, or LinkedIn Jobs.
• Section A — LinkedIn profile. Create a LinkedIn profile, or edit your current one, applying the UAGC “Create an Effective LinkedIn Profile” checklist and the tips in the assigned video and the “Killer LinkedIn Profile” article to make the profile look more professional and noticeable.
• Section B — business card. Design a business card in Canva using your chosen job title; include a QR code that links to your LinkedIn profile page, generated with a QR-code generator; download the design as a PDF.
• Submit. Upload a Word or PDF document containing the business-card design (with the QR code) to Waypoint. Include the link to your LinkedIn profile in the Waypoint comments if the URL is not on the card itself. PART 1 OF A TWO-PART ACTIVITY The journal states plainly that the Personal Branding Activity has two parts submitted in different weeks. Part 1 is this Week 3 journal — the LinkedIn profile and the business card. Part 2 is the Week 5 journal. The job title you choose and the profile you build now carry into Part 2, so choose a job title you can develop further and build the profile properly the first time.

It can seem odd that a global-marketing course asks you to edit a LinkedIn profile. The logic is deliberate, and understanding it will improve your work. Weekly Learning Outcome 4 frames it: personal branding matters “in the world of demanding employers.” Everything the course teaches about positioning a company — identifying a target audience, choosing a distinct position, and communicating it consistently through every touchpoint — applies directly to a professional’s career identity. The assigned readings make the argument explicit. Avery and Greenwald (2023), writing in Harvard Business Review, argue that everyone today must think of themselves as a brand — for job applications, for promotions, and for professional relationships. Groysberg and Lin (2023), also in HBR, present research suggesting that a more detailed, complete LinkedIn profile is associated with measurably better compensation outcomes. Read together, the two readings make personal branding both a strategic necessity and a decision with a financial return. So treat the journal the way you treat a marketing-mix decision for a company. Your target audience is recruiters and hiring managers in global marketing. Your positioning is the distinct professional value you offer. Your communication channels are the LinkedIn profile and the business card. The assignment is an application of the course, not a detour from it — and a reflective journal that names this connection will read as more sophisticated than one that treats the task as mere profile housekeeping.

mechanics.

The journal lists a set of resources to review before you begin. They are not optional background — the rubric rewards a profile and a card built “according to the tips in the assignment instructions,” and those tips live in these resources. The table below decodes each and states what to take from it.

Resource

elements employers expect. Use it as the literal to-do list for Section A. The argument that everyone Avery & Greenwald (2023), HBR must manage a personal brand. Use it to frame your reflection and your positioning choices. Research evidence that a Groysberg & Lin (2023), HBR detailed, complete profile is linked to better compensation. Use it to justify completing every profile section thoroughly. Practical, visual tips for a How to build your personal brand on LinkedIn? (Business Insider India video) stronger profile. The journal names it directly as a source of enhancement tips for Section A. A second tips source named in How to Create a Killer LinkedIn Profile That Will Get You Noticed (webpage article) the journal for enhancing the profile. Confirm its author and date from the link before citing it. The journal points specifically to Learning LinkedIn for Students (LinkedIn Learning course) its “Digital Footprint: Build Your Brand” and “Search for Jobs” modules — useful orientation if LinkedIn is new to you. An overview of UAGC Career Job Resources and Career Assistance (UAGC webpage) and Alumni Services — the journal asks you to visit it as part of preparation. The design tool for the business Canva card. The journal notes a Marketing & Communications template section you can start from.

webpage article “How to Create a Killer LinkedIn Profile That Will Get You Noticed” is named in the journal, but Canvas does not display its author or year — open the link and confirm the exact citation before you cite it. Do not present a guessed citation as fact.

Both sections depend on a job title, so settle it first. The journal gives you two paths: if you are employed, you may use your current work title; if not — or if you prefer not to use your real title — select a global-marketing job title that interests you, using a site such as CareerBuilder, Indeed, or LinkedIn Jobs. Choose the title with the rest of the assignment in mind. The title becomes the headline of your LinkedIn positioning and the central line of your business card, and it carries forward into the Week 5 Part 2. A title that fits the program — an MBA in a global-marketing course — gives the profile and the card a coherent story. Realistic global-marketing titles you might consider include Global Marketing Manager, International Brand Manager, Marketing Analyst, Digital Marketing Specialist, Product Marketing Manager, or Market Research Analyst. Pick one that matches your actual experience level or your genuine career target, so the profile you build around it is credible.

makes every element of both deliverables tell the same story.

Section A asks you to create a LinkedIn profile, or substantially edit your existing one, so that it looks more professional and noticeable. The rubric criterion for this section is worth 3.20 points and rewards a profile that is enhanced “according to the tips in the assignment instructions” — so the work is to apply the UAGC checklist and the tips from the video and the article, completely and visibly. The Profile Elements to Build or Strengthen A complete, employer-ready LinkedIn profile addresses each of the elements below. Use the UAGC “Create an Effective LinkedIn Profile” checklist as the authoritative list; the guidance here orients you to what a strong version of each looks like.

• Professional photo. A clear, current, professionally presented headshot. Profiles with a good photo draw far more engagement than those without.
• Headline. More than a job title — a concise statement of who you are and the value you offer. This is your one-line positioning statement.
• About / summary. A first-person professional narrative: your focus, your strengths, what you are working toward. This is where the Avery & Greenwald branding logic becomes concrete.
• Experience. Each role with a results-oriented description — what you did and what changed because of it, not just duties.
• Education. Your degrees, including the MBA in progress at the University of Arizona Global Campus.
• Skills. Relevant global-marketing skills, which let recruiters find you in searches — the completeness Groysberg & Lin link to better outcomes.
• Custom URL. A clean, personalized profile URL — you will need it for the QR code in Section B.
• Additional sections. Certifications, projects, volunteer work, recommendations — the details that make a profile noticeable. C APTURE EVIDENCE AS YOU GO Because Section A is graded on a live profile, the grader needs to be able to see it — the journal asks you to supply the LinkedIn URL (on the card or in the Waypoint comments). It is also wise to take dated screenshots of your finished profile as you complete it, so you have a record of the state in which it was submitted. Set your profile to public, or at least ensure the URL is viewable, before you submit.

Section B asks you to design a business card in Canva using your chosen job title and to place on it a QR code that links to your LinkedIn profile page. The rubric criterion is worth 3.20 points and rewards “a clear and complete business card” — so completeness and clarity are the standard. The Canva Workflow

• Start from a template. The journal points you to Canva’s Marketing & Communications templates section. Beginning from a template gives you a professional layout to adapt rather than a blank canvas.
• Put the essentials on the card. A clear, complete business card carries your name, your job title, and contact details — professional email and phone — in a clean, readable layout. Keep the design uncluttered; white space reads as professional.
• Generate the QR code. Use a QR-code generator to create a code that points to your LinkedIn profile URL. Test the code with a phone camera before you place it — an unscannable code is a missing deliverable.
• Place the QR code on the card. Add the QR code to the Canva design, sized large enough to scan reliably. Consider a small label such as “Connect on LinkedIn” so its purpose is obvious.
• Download as PDF. The journal explicitly says to download your design as a PDF file. T HE QR CODE IS A GRADED ELEMENT — DO NOT SKIP IT The rubric criterion for Section B names the QR code specifically: it rewards a business card “including a QR code to the LinkedIn profile page.” A card without a working QR code loses points it did not need to lose. Test the code, confirm it opens your profile, and make sure it is clearly on the card. If the LinkedIn URL is not also printed on the card, include it in the Waypoint comments when you submit.

The Waypoint rubric divides 7 points across three criteria. Knowing the split tells you where to spend effort: the two deliverables — the profile and the card — carry 6.40 of the 7 points, in equal halves, and clean writing carries the rest.

Designs a Business Card, Including a Quick Response (QR) Code to Section B 3.20 the LinkedIn Profile Page Written Communication: Control of Syntax and Mechanics Whole submission 0.60 Two observations. First, the two sections are weighted equally — do not let the LinkedIn profile crowd out the business card or the reverse; each is worth 3.20 points. Second, for top marks the rubric uses precise language: Section A’s Distinguished level is “thoroughly creates or edits” the profile with the enhancements, and Section B’s Distinguished level is “a clear and complete business card” with the QR code. The gap between Distinguished and Proficient is, in both cases, missing details — so the route to full marks is completeness: every checklist item addressed, every required element on the card.

The two sections have a dependency — the business card needs the LinkedIn URL — so the order in which you work matters. The sequence below completes the journal efficiently and avoids backtracking.

Decide on your job title (current or chosen from CareerBuilder, Indeed, or LinkedIn Jobs). Create or edit the LinkedIn profile: photo, headline, about, experience, education, skills, additional sections. Apply the checklist and the video and article tips. Set a custom LinkedIn URL and confirm the profile is viewable. Copy the URL. Generate a QR code pointing to that LinkedIn URL; test that it scans and opens your profile. Design the business card in Canva from a Marketing & Communications template: name, job title, contact details, and the QR code. Download the business card as a PDF; place it in a Word or PDF document for submission. Proofread everything. Submit through Waypoint; add the LinkedIn URL in the comments if it is not on the card.

Run this checklist before you submit. It collects every concrete requirement the journal and the rubric impose.

• Job title set. A current or chosen global-marketing job title, used consistently on the profile and the card.
• LinkedIn profile complete. Created or substantially edited, with the checklist elements addressed and the video and article enhancement tips applied.
• Profile viewable. A custom URL set; the profile public or otherwise accessible to the grader.
• Business card designed in Canva. Name, job title, and contact details on a clean, professional layout.
• QR code present and working. Generated with a QR-code generator, pointing to the LinkedIn profile, tested, and placed clearly on the card.
• Card downloaded as PDF. The journal specifies a PDF download of the Canva design.
• Submission document. A Word or PDF document containing the business-card design with the QR code.
• LinkedIn URL supplied. On the card, or in the Waypoint comments if not on the card.
• Mechanics. Every word on the card and in the submission proofread — no spelling or grammar errors.
• Submitted through Waypoint. Uploaded via the Waypoint assignment submission tool by Day 7, 11:59 p.m.

• An incomplete LinkedIn profile. A profile missing the photo, summary, skills, or experience detail forfeits Section A points — the rubric’s gap to Distinguished is “missing details.”
• Skipping the QR code, or an untested one. The QR code is named in the Section B rubric criterion. A missing or unscannable code is a missing deliverable.
• The QR code points to the wrong place. Confirm it opens your LinkedIn profile, not a generic LinkedIn page or a broken link.
• A private profile the grader cannot see. Section A is graded live; make the profile viewable and supply the URL.

• Neglecting one section. The two sections are worth 3.20 points each — a polished card with a thin profile, or the reverse, leaves points on the table.
• Wrong file type. The journal asks for the Canva design downloaded as a PDF and submitted as a Word or PDF document. Do not submit a raw image or a Canva share link alone.
• Typos on the card. A spelling error on a business card is both a mechanics deduction and a branding failure. Proofread.
• Forgetting it is Part 1. Build the profile and choose the title properly now — both carry into the Week 5 Part 2 journal.

Day 7 (Monday) by 11:59 p.m. Submitted through Waypoint. Due Part 1 is this Week 3 journal (Sections A and B). Part 2 is the Week 5 journal. Two-part activity Create or edit a LinkedIn profile; apply the UAGC checklist and the video and Section A article tips. Worth 3.20 points. Design a business card in Canva with a QR code linking to the LinkedIn profile; Section B download as PDF. Worth 3.20 points. A Word or PDF document containing the business-card design with the QR code. Deliverable LinkedIn URL on the card or in Waypoint comments. Current work title, or a global-marketing title from CareerBuilder, Indeed, or Job title LinkedIn Jobs. UAGC “Create an Effective LinkedIn Profile” checklist; Avery & Greenwald (2023) Key resources and Groysberg & Lin (2023) in HBR; the Business Insider India video; Canva. Section A 3.20 + Section B 3.20 + Written Communication (syntax and mechanics) Rubric 0.60 = 7.00. Companion document to the BUS 622 Week 3 Comprehensive Study Guide and the Discussion Forum guides. Prepared as a self-contained working resource for the Week 3 journal. Verify all citation details and due dates against Canvas and Waypoint before submission.