For those out there who are the one sentence type: don’t waste your time reading Me 2.0.
If you’re more a paragraph person and are interested in reading the frustrated ramblings of someone who just wasted several hours of his life, read on.

Me 2.0 was recommended by well known and respected blogger, Phil Gerbyshay. Phil may write a great blog, but at least in this instance, makes lousy book recommendations. I really hope that this was a quid pro quo type of thing.

Written by Dan Schawbel who is more or less Paris Hilton famous. The guy graduated college 2 years ago and has become successful solely because he talks about how successful he is. His Me 2.0 reads like a the notes taken from a couple of marketing classes. With advice like “Don’t get drunk and spill your beer on people you’re trying to impress” and “Don’t ask for a job before you introduce yourself” you have to wonder who the target audience is.

The fact that Schawbel has no professional expereince is abundantly clear throughout the book. He  just scratches the surface when anything of substance is brought up, and his story telling is sophmoric at best.

If you really want to build your brand, you would be much better off reading:

• Career Builder’s Seven Interview Tips
• Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty
• Guerrilla Marketing for Job Hunters

If you still insist on reading this book because “even if there is just one thing in there new, it’s worth it”, here is anything of value:

Differentiate  yourself – stand out in the crowd.
Be marketable – provide something others want.
Create a robust professional network.
Get endorsements from respected people.
A proper mix of confidence, passion, likability, determination, and focus are all you need to build your brand.

Did you get a flashback from 100 level branding and marketing classes too?

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2 out of 10 – Not even if I couldn’t sleep and it was the only book in my house.