What’s your story?

What makes you different?

What’s the future of you? What do the next 5, 10, 15 years look like thanks to your digital brand?

We live in a limitless connection economy. This means there is boundless opportunity, but it takes tenacity and a solid personal brand to turn that opportunity into reality. A well-utilized personal brand breaks through the networking noise. Whether it’s Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, email, or YouTube, digital channels provide an avenue for crafting your image. So, be prudent when sharing content and ensure it’s grandma-friendly. ‘Cause if your grandma loves it, we bet your future employer will love it even more.

In this podcast episode, The Niche Movement Founder Kevin O’Connell sat down with 40 George Washington University undergraduates to hold a workshop. Together, they untangled the foundations of what makes a good personal brand.

Propel your career forward: follow these steps to ensure your digital footprint reflects the best and brightest parts of your identity.

Your digital brand is a way to communicate with the world. What are 3 traits that will define your offline and online brand? These traits should carry across different channels, so an external audience can glean a comprehensive picture of who you are and where you fit in the world.

Do something today that starts your story and takes 10 seconds. You don’t need to start a YouTube channel, write a book, or record a podcast. Take the work you’re already doing and use it as a springboard. People will notice you even if you don’t have 100,000 followers.

Treat social media as a dart board. Don’t fret over being perfect. As long as your posts are close to the center of the dart board, you’re golden. New connection, job, and thought leadership opportunities are waiting. You just have to show the world who you are.

Listen to the episode now and subscribe on iTunes.

Thanks! You are one step closer to building a digital brand that works for you.

Download the presentation here!

According to U.S. News & World Report, 80% of New Year's resolutions fail by the second week of February. (We know, not exactly what you wanted to hear).

In this podcast episode, we confronted the 80% statistic head-on and broke down what successful goal setting looks like. The Niche Movement Social Media Intern Jaylene Perez and The Niche Movement Founder Kevin O’Connell got together to talk through their fumbles and triumphs when it came to personal goals, career goals, and even mental health.

For Kevin, there’s no five step process to goal setting. He thinks big about what he wants to achieve in a year then breaks that goal down into increments over 90 day sprints. When he isn’t seeing the result he wants, he stops to remind himself to be flexible with his own goals.

Success we have in one year isn't always contingent upon the goals we set at the beginning of that year. Goals have ripple effects two, four, and five years down the road, so be patient.

With The Niche Movement’s help, you can get over the New Year’s resolution slump. Kevin and Jaylene encourage everyone to take a one to two week refresh before slowly adding on a goal that could eventually become a habit in 2019.

Listen to the episode now and subscribe on iTunes.

The Niche Movement founder Kevin O'Connell and Forbes contributor Jessica Lutz discuss the issue of underemployment. Jessica’s main advice for young people trying to get a job is to keep at it. It can take a long time, but if you keep pursuing your goals, a door will be opened for you.

The Niche Movement Founder Kevin O’Connell returns to podcasting with Dustin Ramsdell to discuss working for yourself, building personal brands, and establishing careers in higher education.

Dustin started his digital reputation with Higher Ed Geek Blog before getting involved with higher education as a career path. After graduate school and working for a few years, Dustin was hired at 2U where he worked until August of 2018. Described as a “software as a service” company that helps colleges integrate their online graduate degree programs, 2U brought Dustin down to the Mid-Atlantic region from his upbringings in Maine: “Once I started talking to someone, it was quick, it was efficient, it was casual, it worked.”

Also explored in this episode is a conversation about marketing transferable skills for employers and creating a unique resume. Kevin and Dustin discuss major life transitions, being flexible, crafting digital brands, podcasting before it was cool, networking via podcasting, Baltimore craft beer, and creating the life you want to live.

Dustin’s current podcast is the Higher Ed Geek.

In this podcast, a George Washington University student Adrian Oliver, interviewed our founder Kevin O’Connell for an informational interview as part of their First Year Leadership Development course.

In this interview, Kevin talks about how his interest in entrepreneurship began in college, and how FYN Creative (Find Your Niche Creative) came to be. Kevin shares what it is like to be an entrepreneur working for yourself, with the both the rewards and difficulties it comes with. Having a work life balance, freedom and flexibility is Kevin’s end goal, while being productive and able to work when and where he desires.

If Kevin were to give his college self advice, he would advise himself to worry less. Kevin offers suggestions of steps college students should take to thrive during and after college.

Listen to the podcast here: 

Our founder, Kevin O’Connell was interviewed by a George Washington University first year student in March of 2017. In this interview podcast, Kevin offers advice to college students about choosing careers and how your involvement on campus may align more to your career choice than your major. They also discuss how Kevin started working for himself, and how he found his passion. Kevin talks about how it is okay to be multi-passionate and involved in many different projects like he is, such as the Niche Movement and FYN Creative. However, you must find balance in your work and life priorities. Overall, this is a very candid 30 minute interview to aid college students and young professionals in succeeding in finding their niche.

Listen to the podcast here:  

On February 21st 2018, our founder Kevin O’ Connell delivered a keynote for Rhode Island College as part of their inaugural Majors Week programming on how students can take control of their story and not be defined solely by their major. 

In this 35-minute keynote, Kevin shares a personal story he has never shared in public. 

In May 2006, Kevin graduated from Fairleigh Dickinson University, where he majored in marketing. After college, he enrolled graduate school but quickly dropped out. Later on, Kevin worked at Centenary College where he worked full-time in their student affairs division, and a year later finally decided to start a masters degree in Leadership. 

Kevin’s main message in this keynote is that you are not defined by your major. You will find your niche and the career you love. 

In this podcast, Kevin mentions people  like Eppa Rixey and Megan Gebhart who have pursued careers that differed from their college majors and are thriving. If you realize that your major is not something you want to pursue a career, then take risks, and do things that will redefine what exactly you want to do. To redefine what you want to do, know your strengths, know who you are, and know what motivates you.  

For the last several years, millennials are frequently at the top of the list as it relates to the future of work and education. However, the generation often not discussed is Generation Z, who is on the horizon. As some of the Gen Z population (born 1996 or later) is approaching workforce age, it is important to gain perspective on what they want, and where they predict shifts in the upcoming years. 

In order to understand the future of higher education, it is crucial to begin dialogue both about and with the Gen Z group. This panel you are about to listen to was put on by George Washington University's Student Affairs department facilitated by Robert Schneider. This was part of a monthly student affairs professional development series at the university where they brought together young professionals and higher-ed experts to each share their unique perspectives and ideals, as well as begin this important communication. 

Our founder, Kevin O'Connell was invited as one of 5 professionals to sit on the panel and offer his perspective of how Gen Z communicates, how they learn, and how we can create environments for them to succeed after graduation. 

Panelists: 

Kendra Scott - Coordinator, New Student & Hallmark Programs

Murphy Miller - Assistant Director Admissions & Tours

Renee Kashawlic - Assistant Director, First Year Experience

Michael Mckenzie- Director, Career Services

Kevin O'Connell- Founder, The Niche Movement and FYN Creative

Moderated by Robert Synder - Executive Director Planning & Outreach Student Affairs 

What is it like to transition from the military and into a career? Four veterans from the Army, Air Force, and Marines share their journey, their struggles, accomplishments and their advice to find a job they love. This is part of The Niche Movement fireside chat tour where we sat down and interviewed for veterans who found their niche. The Niche Movement Fireside Chat Tour brings together a diverse population of career-ready millennials, from college students to more experienced professionals for monthly events and on-going digital discussions about finding your niche--and a company where you can grow--in the new job market. The events will cover topics such as finding your niche, entrepreneurship and intrapreneurship, and personal branding. Fireside chat guests include thriving young professionals from companies like HBO and General Assembly who have a compelling story, unique career journey, and have found their niche, loving what they do. All interviews will take place in front of a live audience as part of a series of 3-hour events organized across the country, starting with D.C., Philly, NYC, and Boston.

On September 27, 2017 our founder Kevin O'Connell sat down and interviewed Mary Johnson, Associate Manager of Corporate Social Responsibility at HBO (#HBOinspires) to find out how she landed a job she loves, how comedy writing is her true passion, and her obsession for buffalo chicken everything.

Mary has been with HBO since 2012 after graduating from Rutgers University. We interviewed Mary to hear about the inspiring work she has done with HBO including working with Chris Gethard around mental health awareness, supporting the American Black Film festival, and other philanthropic initiatives tied to HBO programming.