Brazen Careerist

Yesterday I briefly mentioned Brazen Careerist in my blog post. Today I’d like to share some information about this site and how Penelope Trunk came to offer her career advice online.

Brazen Careerist is a social networking site that helps young people manage their careers. In addition to her blog, Penelope has also written articles for over 200 newspapers and magazines including Time Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle and Boston Globe. I really enjoy Penelope’s writing because I find it  brutally honest and engaging. I’m sure you’ll agree if you take the time to read some of her personal stories. I was interested in learning that
Penelope’s name is really not Penelope.

She began using Penelope as a pen name but her original name was Adrienne. When she began working for Time Warner as a columnist, they suggested that she change her name to Penelope Trunk.

Now the thing I’m wondering is would Penelope have had the same level of success as a columnist and writer if she kept the name Adrienne. The last couple of days in my blogs I’ve spoken about professional branding. Creating your professional “brand” not only revolves around identifying your personal strengths and talents but also the name you use to promote your brand. Although I’m not suggesting that you change your name, I am recommending that you take a hard look at who you are based on your interests and talents and then begin to think about ways you want to market your brand early on in your career development.