Your hobbies are more than just fun activities that you enjoy in your spare time. They can also be powerful tools to showcase your personality, values, skills, and passions to potential employers, clients, and partners. In this article, you will learn how to use your hobbies to build your personal brand and enhance your business networking opportunities.
The first step is to identify the hobbies that you want to highlight in your personal brand. Think about what you love to do, what you are good at, and what you want to learn more about. You can also consider how your hobbies relate to your professional goals, industry, or niche. For example, if you are a graphic designer, you might want to showcase your photography, painting, or sketching skills. If you are a marketer, you might want to share your blogging, podcasting, or video editing hobbies.
Don't be afraid to talk about hobbies you're not good at, either. A little self-deprecation is a great way to humanise yourself if you're a senior leader. And it helps foster a work culture where mistakes and failures are accepted and seen as an essential part of innovation.
The next step is to create content around your hobbies that showcases your expertise, creativity, and personality. You can use different platforms and formats to share your hobbies with your audience, such as social media, blogs, newsletters, podcasts, videos, or webinars. For example, you can post photos of your latest projects, write articles about your tips and tricks, record interviews with other hobbyists, or host live sessions where you demonstrate your skills. The key is to provide value, inspiration, and entertainment to your followers.
The third step is to connect with other hobbyists who share your interests, passions, and goals. You can join online communities, forums, groups, or clubs where you can exchange ideas, feedback, and resources with like-minded people. You can also attend events, workshops, or meetups where you can network, learn, and collaborate with other hobbyists. For example, you can participate in online challenges, contests, or campaigns, sign up for courses or webinars, or volunteer for causes or projects related to your hobbies.
The fourth step is to showcase your hobbies in your profile, resume, portfolio, or website. You can use your hobbies to highlight your skills, achievements, and values that are relevant to your professional brand. You can also use your hobbies to show your personality, hobbies, and passions that make you unique and memorable. For example, you can include your hobbies in your bio, summary, or headline, list your hobbies as skills or endorsements, or link to your content or portfolio related to your hobbies.
Talking about your hobbies can be really useful to make you seem more relatable to your colleagues and team members, especially if you're in a senior leadership role. And if you're neurodiverse and find it hard to start conversations, you're giving other people an easy topic to engage with you.
The fifth step is to mention your hobbies in your conversations with potential employers, clients, or partners. You can use your hobbies to break the ice, build rapport, and demonstrate your enthusiasm and curiosity. You can also use your hobbies to showcase your knowledge, experience, and insights that are relevant to your industry or niche. For example, you can ask or answer questions about your hobbies, share stories or anecdotes related to your hobbies, or offer help or advice based on your hobbies.
The final step is to keep learning and improving your hobbies and your personal brand. You can always find new ways to enhance your skills, expand your knowledge, and explore your passions. You can also always find new opportunities to share your hobbies, connect with your audience, and grow your network. For example, you can take online courses, read books, or watch tutorials to learn new techniques, follow trends, or discover new tools related to your hobbies. You can also seek feedback, collaborate, or mentor others to improve your content, reach, and impact.
Just be sure your hobbies don't dominate your profile. Always be mindful that LinkedIn is primarily for your career and your focus needs to be on the value you can deliver for an employer.