Personal branding and storytelling: tales from the Tourism ESP classroom

Abstract

Today, the pervasiveness of technology in everyday interactions is mirrored by the pressing need to establish strong personal brands, that can be customized and projected across multiple digital platforms. As recruiters canvass social networks looking for prospective candidates, having a distinct and consistent personal brand is decisive in standing out, particularly in highly competitive global industries, such as tourism. As part of a high-in-demand, service-centred industry that relies heavily on multinational and adaptable teams, tourism professionals are increasingly required to be effective and creative communicators, who can not only interact with guests and stakeholders but also project a positive image of their employer. Based on these premises, this paper describes a strategy designed to develop tourism students' personal branding skills through the use of digital storytelling techniques and the production of video-based personal pitches. Framed by a theoretical rationale and an entry questionnaire, this strategy is currently being implemented in an English for Specific Purposes course, involving multiple workshops and a critical viewing session that will ultimately help tourism and hospitality students create professional pitches that are aligned with the industry's current recruitment trends.