A Personalized Branding Strategy for Job Seekers: Mechanism, Boundaries, and Optimization in Vocational Education

Amidst the structural contradictions in the current labor market, job seekers must stand out through differentiated positioning rather than traditional job-hunting methods. This paper reconceptualizes the job-seeking process through the lens of a “Personalized Branding Strategy,” restructuring the traditional paradigm of “Roadshow-Exploration-Matching” into a logical sequence of “Brand Presentation-Brand Building-Brand Effectiveness.” Using Minxi Vocational and Technical College as a case study, this research investigates how job-seeking roadshows (brand presentation) facilitate person-job fit (brand effectiveness) through career exploration behaviors (brand building), with career adaptability acting as a boundary condition (moderator). By integrating Social Cognitive Career Theory, Career Construction Theory, and Experiential Learning Theory, this study uncovers the underlying mechanisms and effective boundaries of personalized brand strategies, and proposes a “precision-oriented” optimization pathway to resolve the conflict between standardized training curricula and personalized brand development.