LOOK AT ME!

Self-Promotion on social media takes up at least 2 hours, each day, of the average American. We send updates for our kids, our sports team, or our new car, as soon as there is something to talk about, we do. However, most folks only update their online resume or LinkedIn profile when they need a new job. Why is that? Are we being paid to have kids (hopefully not)? Are we being considered for a raise based on the success of our sports team? The answer is, most likely, no. We are chosen and advanced based on our productivity and influence. Productivity comes with experience and constant self-improvement. Influence is garnered through exposure to challenges and promises kept, but there is another influence. That is the social influence that an employee has. Traditionally, mangers wanted to keep their high performers locked away, so no one would scalp them. Through experience great leaders have found that trying to hide the world from their top performers, or hide their top performers from the world is futile. Not unlike sports, you have to find a way to pay your all-stars what they are worth or the other team will soon have them. I think that professional, self-promotion is a great way to position yourself for vertical movement or employment. In this article I will breakdown why this is so important and some best practices.

Why?

Excuse A: I already have a good job and I’m moving up at a steady pace.

Excuse B: I don’t have a college degree so they will never move me up, but I am the top performer.

Excuse C: I don’t worry about what other people think.

Excuse D: I don’t have time for that.

I have worked with professionals that are seeking jobs, trying to move up, and trying to better their professional influence within a job market. The first thing I tell them to do is tone down their Twitter and Facebook accounts, and start, or beef-up their LinkedIn account. Employers want dependable people that have grit and can change with the needs of the job. They will pay you what your peers make until you prove to be above that median. Professional Social Media presence is one way that you can speed that process up. Have you ever wondered why 14 year old kids that play video games all day are out earning you? It’s because they have publicized their skill set through a relevant social media. Wait. Before you go trying to swallow a tide pod on camera or hone your Fortnite skills, think about a relevant social media for your profession. If you are a graphics artist or photographer, try Instagram. If you are an educator, try YouTube or Vimeo. However, you should remember that LinkedIn is a must for every professional. Your online resume is what people look for when you’re being considered for a job. What is on there is very important. LinkedIn should be that resume, not Facebook. Your previous employers, job titles, and accolades are all considered in the hiring process. I tell people to make their LinkedIn page louder and more interesting than their Facebook or Twitter account. The reason is simple, you will make business contacts and money on LinkedIn, and you will make friends and enemies on Facebook.

Its one thing to be a great professional with lots of experience and success, but it helps to turn the spotlight up on yourself, for two reasons. Reason one, to entice new employers or business partners. Reason two, to remind your current employer how valuable you are. Influence comes through sharing your educated thoughts and experiences. Writing articles on LinkedIn can garner you followers that share your views, and will most likely generate a debate or discussion. This is the equivalent of C-SPAN covering Congress, for those that care, it can be very inspirational or interesting. You can highlight your intelligence and relevance in your line of work. I cannot stress enough that being political or judgmental on LinkedIn can destroy your credibility in a second, so stay away from those kinds of posts or articles. If you are a political analyst you will obviously write about that sort of thing, but stick to fact based discussions. Your articles may speak to hundreds or thousands of people that read on LinkedIn. Be ready to join the discussions that follows, stay involved and your article or post could reach a trending threshold. You may be wondering why that matters. Well, if you have trending topics or articles and they are re-published on other sites, you can use that during your next evaluation to show your increased value. If you work for a manager or CEO that your believe doesn’t care, you need to think about your marketability to other employers. I can guarantee you that your CEO will take notice to their folks being hired away to competitors.

Best practices for building a successful LinkedIn profile.

What’s the first step?

• Get a LinkedIn account. (Consider a Premium account if you are in sales or actively seeking a job)
• Update your resume or CV.
• Create a selling statement that makes you unique.
• List any articles or publications that you have written in the past or are mentioned in.
• Network with like minded or well-connected individuals in your career field. (Don’t connect with everyone you know from the bar or church, this is not Facebook)
• Post an article about your journey to this point in your career. It should be easy and will get you started. (Spell Check and Grammar Check is mandatory)

Next, you start reading about the latest and greatest impacts in your career field. Make or forward posts with your educated opinion or spin on the subject. Take time to recognize the authors that created it. Publish articles when you feel you have a unique perspective on a relevant subject. This will go a long way in setting you apart from your peers.

Now that your LinkedIn account is working for you, try promoting your profile on other social media sites. You are a professional with unique skills that will get sharper over time. Makes sure that you are letting the world know in a meaningful way, and it will pay off.