Personal Reputation

When considering ourselves as customers, reputation of business is an important element for us to choose brands and sellers. From business to personal level, we still own our personal business to represent the “brand” of ourselves. I guess it might be a little hard to consider our reputation because college students haven’t exposed to the real world too much. However, I found some interesting skills and personality traits can be built as reputation in individual level.

As an international student, there is no doubt that I have a strong reputation in my English skill in my whole family. The reputation development process is pretty simple in the case because I am the only person study aboard and major in communication and economics. It is interesting to see people’s intuition on the relationship between major and proficiency in English. One of my cousin studies accountancy in Australia. But the perception of his English skills is lower than mine because my family tends to think B.A. requires a stronger skill. It somewhat makes sense even though I believe that this stereotype is not necessarily true. People also perceive this reputation during my summer internship in China. I usually helped my colleague to translate documents. I don’t perceive the reputation in language skill is an intentional development process. Sometimes it is just something people believe and they insist their perception no matter how you explain. I felt like reputation itself is not necessarily making me feel good, but I try to maintain it by satisfying people’s needs and requests. For example, I was responsible for teaching my younger cousin’s English during my summer break. Even though I don’t like teaching kids, this is something that my family perceive as I have obligation to do. In workplace, sometimes it also bothers me. I was asked to help my supervisor to write an English essay to pass a journalist certificate exam. It is quite similar as helping her to cheat but I didn’t refuse it because I didn’t want to make her feel bad and have a hard time with me. Even though I maintain my reputation in my skill, sometimes I personally don’t appreciate it too much in this circumstance.

It is obvious that different reputations require different process to develop; some are easier, while some are harder. Comparing my two majors, I felt like I have more reputation in communication major and especially about gender communication. I didn’t realize it until my friends invite me to speak about feminism in China in their RSO’s weekly discussion and my professor of that class recommend me to assist a research conducted by her PhD student. To develop some reputation in certain academic or research area as an undergraduate student, I think taking a relevant class and keep passion in doing research and sharing some updated news and findings with people are important. I don’t consider myself as an expert and I am not that interested in academic field. I just have passion on it and wrote a blog about it for my James Scholar project. I also keep sharing relevant news and articles after finish that class. I think people have more incentives to maintain reputation in the field they are interested in. For example, I participate in that research even though I knew it would make me really busy in this semester. It can help me not only maintain the reputation, but also gain some rewards from it. For example, I can get recommendation letter from relevant professors and easier to be admitted by communication department if I apply their programs as grad school. I can also get something write in my resume and broaden my network. I don’t think it is wise to “cashed it in” reputation and abandon the coming opportunities because a long-term relationship with low uncertainties will always be more helpful. Though I don’t have experience in cashing in my reputation, I think this is something that might bring me rewards and new opportunities. So I have incentives to do extra work to maintain it.