5 Things Every Professional Should Be Doing Right Now
Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the workforce, you have a personal brand. How are you managing that brand? What are you communicating online? In this episode we're going to talk about five things every professional should be doing online right now.
How to Build Your Personal Brand Online
With skyrocketing unemployment rates, it may feel scary and overwhelming. While there are things in life you can’t control, there are really important things that you can - like how you show up for yourself professionally. These principles I’m about to share apply on any social channel but I’m specifically going to talk about LinkedIn because it has personally benefited me so much and I think it would be relevant to share with this community.
I also want to encourage my stay at home parents out there that even if you don’t have a traditional job or career track, you are still a smart, beautifully complex human being who has interests and causes that you care about. Show up for these and choose to give in those circles of influence.
Okay, let’s get started.
01 Show Up
Take inventory of your current social media presence. How many accounts do you have open? Which ones are actually using? Consider deleting those that no longer serve and focus on the ones that do. Update your profile and clean up things to better reflect where you are personally and professionally right now.
Showing up means speaking up too. Sometimes we get a little too comfortable with just scrolling and liking but showing up means sharing your professional interests and meaningful expanding your network.
Take action: Leave at least 3 meaningful comments every day on any posts that genuinely pique your interest.
02 Grow Your Network
Connect with current class mates or co-workers who are on LinkedIn. Join groups within your current or aspiring field. Share helpful, relevant information from industry publications. Are you currently open for work or are in between jobs? Connect on LinkedIn groups.
Take action: Find LinkedIn Group within your desired industry or field of study and commit to participating in at least one group discussion per week.
03 Share Content
You’ve got the profile all set up. Now what? It’s time to curate and create content. Sharing inspiring and informational content tells your network that you’re on top of the latest news and trends. "But Tatiana, I have nothing relevant to say. It's just going to get lost in the noise." Let me drop a knowledge bomb on you: only about 1% of LinkedIn’s monthly users share posts, and those 3 million or so users net the 9 billion impressions. In other words, there is plenty of room for impact and influence when you share original content.
Take action: If you like to write, aim to publish at least one article a week. It doesn't' have to be a novel. Even if it's a 500-word piece summarizing a study within your industry or an opinion piece on some recent news, it's something original that your network can engage with. Don't like to write? Are you more of a talker? Press that record button and talk about some tips or your take on industry news. You can still create an original LinkedIn article, embed the video and provide a bullet recap of talking points.
04 Give More Than You Get
Living by this axiom has benefited me personally and professionally. It can be easy to just do the essential thing, but what if you chose outright to be a giver? When you give more than you get, you get way more in return. On LinkedIn, this means finding ways to be helpful. See a thread or post that you can shed some light on? Give details and offer help with zero angles. People remember who shows up to be helpful. All it costs is a little bit of your time.
Take action: Think of 3 former classmates or current colleagues whom you genuinely enjoyed working with and who may have a LinkedIn profile. Leave a LinkedIn recommendation for them without any expectation of them doing the same for you.
05 Be Consistent
You don’t have to spend hours each day on LinkedIn to reap the benefits. With as little as 15 minutes a day, you can share an article, comment on a post and grow your network. Consistency is key. Make it a part of your workday startup or shutdown routine.
Take action: Schedule a morning and later afternoon reminder to check LinkedIn. Set a timer for 15 minutes and aim to do three things: 1) Comment on a post; 2) Share an article from reputable publication and write 2-3 sentences on what stood out to you; and 3) Respond to all of your LinkedIn messages.
No matter where you are in your professional life - finding a job, bouncing back from being let go or making inroads at your current job - LinkedIn is an essential tool to help you build your professional brand online.