Unarmored Talk
Unarmored Talk—where emotional armor is left at the door. Host Sgt. Maj. (Ret.) Mario P. Fields and his guests lean into open, heartfelt conversations that reveal personal stories, raw emotions, and authentic connection. Tune in for intimate, unfiltered discussions that invite vulnerability and celebrate honesty.
Unarmored Talk
Pro Tips: Building Your Personal Brand Online for Service Members & Veterans
When the uniform comes off, people don’t see your rank or ribbons — they see your brand.
Your personal brand is your reputation when you’re not in the room. And today, it shows up first on social media.
Are you being intentional about how you show up online?
👉 Watch this short video: https://youtu.be/-9BvJXYDFQo
- Watch: Unarmored Talk Playlist
- Mario's Socials: Parade Deck
- Support My Nonprofit: Still Serving, Inc.
- Email: host@unarmoredtalk.com
When you leave the uniform behind, people don't see your rank, your ribbons or your military occupational specialty. A lot of people will see your brand, what is your brand? And in today's world, your brand will almost always show up before you do, either for a job interview or a business transaction or more. Welcome to this special Unarmored Talk episode called Beyond the Uniform, and this short and quick episode will focus on personal branding and social media. Now, thank you to those who have sent me multiple messages and requests, especially on my TikTok live, that made me and inspired me to start to do these episodes. I know I was going to do sink or swim, but you guys wanted me to do more of these because you had a lot of questions, so I would drop these episodes every Sunday, once a week, and let's get into it. So why personal branding matters? Here's the truth. Employers, recruiters, even potential business partners, will look you up online Over 80% latest research that I've done will search you during the hiring process and they want to know who are you beyond the resume. Does your conduct conflict with their company values? Your personal brand is simply a story about you all right, and what people believe about you your reputation when you're not in the room. Your brand will speak for you when you're not present and precede you. So here's some social media do's and don'ts. First, start with LinkedIn. What I've noticed is a lot of veterans don't even have LinkedIn profiles or if they do, they don't have a strategy. Their banner is blank. Their photo is not enhancing their personal brand or industry. So think of it as your professional hub. Share your skills, your leadership experiences, essentially what you bring to the table. Write in civilian language so people outside the military can understand the value you bring. Your soft skills are in more high demand these days than I've ever seen in my 50 years of living. Next, I'm going to leave you guys a simple rule of thumb for your social media. Next, I'm going to leave you guys a simple rule of thumb for your social media. If you wouldn't say it in a job interview, then don't post it online. Your online presence should reflect your you know, your passion, your brand, what industry you're headed to, and not clash with any industry or company's values.
Mario P. Fields:So here's your challenge. Start off with putting your name in a search engine. So here's your challenge. Start off with putting your name in a search engine. Click images. What do you see? Because whatever you see is what they will see, or anyone else will see, when they put you in a search engine. And does it reflect your professional brand? Is it what you want employers to see? Some of you are like I don't want anyone to see anything and that's your choice. That's, that's your choice. But remember the majority of business partners stakeholders, you know, hiring managers will search you to see what your brand is.
Mario P. Fields:So take one step this week just to see what is your current brand. Update your LinkedIn. Update your LinkedIn headline. Current brand. Update your LinkedIn. Update your LinkedIn headline. Kind of clean up some old posts. If you see you posted a few years ago and it clashes with your brand, go ahead and get rid of them and be positive about your transition journey. You guys are bringing a lot of skills out into the private sector. So here's my encouragement for you all Remember this your personal brand is more valuable than any money or metal.
Mario P. Fields:It is your soft skills, it is your unique experiences. But if you don't communicate them to industry, then how can people know what you bring to the table? And I'm going to close with this Bible verse. I wrote it down right here so I'll read it to you All right Proverbs 22.1. A good name is more desirable than great riches. To be esteemed is better than silver or gold. Build your personal brand intentionally and you'll be amazed what your brand, your reputation, can do for you without you physically being there. If you want some more tips or you have some ideas of topics for me to quickly discuss, email me at marioatstillservinginccom. That's marioatstillservinginccom, and let's take that first step. Put your name in the search engine and let's build that personal brand using social media in a strategic way. Till next Sunday, may God continue to bless you, your families and all living beings around you.
