Boldness and Bow Ties with Expert Networker: Alexander Smith

Happy belated Easter Weekend! Welcome back to the 15,648 of you opening up today’s newsletter! I’m excited to introduce you to my second guest in my interview series. Drop me a note at the end to let me know what you think!

The Setup:

?? Get a fresh perspective on how to develop a personalized brand

???? Meet Facebook project manager, Alexander Smith

?? Learn intentionality when planning content and listening to community feedback

Intro:

This week I’m joined by my friend Alexander Smith. Alex is a project manager and policy advisor at Facebook. His other professional experience includes PBS, NBC, and The Obama White House. His writing has also been featured in USA Today and Huffington Post.

He’s also a big Taylor Swift and Grey’s Anatomy fan. I first got to know Alexander through exchanging messages on LinkedIn and teaming up on #studentvoices campaigns through our articles and posts. He always strikes me as a humble force behind the scenes continually striving to help young professionals understand the world of job searching.

Get ready to take some notes...??

JH: What’s your #1 tip for building community around your brand?

AS: Be bold. 

People read my content on LinkedIn because I have a unique perspective on career searching. I offer innovative strategies and often challenge the traditional model of networking. I'm authentic and vulnerable as I share my story.

JH: What do you consider to be signature elements of your personal brand?

AS: I love wearing bow ties! 

Once life returns to normal, I'll be sporting some new bow ties at networking events.

 JH: How intentionally do you build your brand? 

AS: I'm very intentional. 

Each week, I plan out my LinkedIn posts and have a Google Doc with future LinkedIn posts. This strategy helps me when I'm experiencing writer's block. 

For those getting started with content creation: I suggest doing the same thing.

JH: What’s one thing you wish your online community knew about you?

AS: I learn so much from my community. Every conversation teaches me something new. My LinkedIn content is often inspired by my audience.

JH: What do you think people often forget when trying to build a personal brand?

AS: Building a brand requires strong emotional intelligence and empathy. It's important to understand your audience and their goals.

ACTION BYTES ??

Think about your audience.

Do you engage with them? ??

Do you listen empathetically? ??

Do you learn from them? ??

If you’re not scoring 3/3 on your answers, you need to rethink your engagement strategy.

Try these:

• Celebrating people in your network
• Be open to opposing ideas and views
• Commenting with encouragement when people share their struggles
• Connecting job-seekers with those that are hiring

?? Let's give a BIG thank-you to Alexander Smith for being such a great newsletter guest. Be sure to send him a note or follow him on LinkedIn to stay in touch!

Last Week's April Fool's Joke...

In case you missed it, here's a funny joke I pulled last week on my followers that involved Reed Hastings (CEO of Netflix)…

One Platform I've Been Testing...

If you haven't heard about BitClout already, you probably will later this month. The crypto social network has been earning lots of spotlight in the press, so I decided to test it out.

If you want to check out what a profile looks like, here's a look at the one I created.

Drop me a message if you're active on BitClout and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

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If you have any ideas that sparked from today's newsletter or you want to suggest a future guest to be featured, drop me a note here!

Stay outta’ trouble and catch you next week.

??? Joel

P.S. Like the newsletter? You’ll love my online course! Click here to get 50% off for being a newsletter subscriber.