As far as personal brands go, "The Hardest Working Man in Show Business" is a pretty good one. Everyone knew who James Brown was and why he was so good at what he did. And it helped that he had his own personal hype man, Bobby Byrd, who would tell everyone James's many titles and sterling attributes before, during, and after his songs. Unfortunately for you, though, there's no hype man following you around who will brag about your professional track record. And we don't hype ourselves, either. We don't let our network know about our strengths, experiences, and the successes that we've had. This comes back to haunt us when we reach out … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Use LinkedIn in 3 Minutes Daily
I often get asked "So what am I supposed to actually do on LinkedIn?" Usually this is asked with a mix of confusion, annoyance, and desperation. Online social networking represents a fundamental evolution in how we communicate - and it can be overwhelming. So how can you start using it in a way that helps you accomplish your work goals? One of the best ways to get acclimated to LinkedIn is to use it consistently - you want to make your social media use a habit. You might be afraid that this takes a lot of time - never fear, once you do make it a habit LinkedIn requires just a few minutes a day to use effectively. Social media moves … [Read more...]
2 Keys to Building Your Personal Brand on LinkedIn
When we worked for the same company our entire careers, the idea of a personal brand wasn't important. These days, with shorter job stints and a "free agent" economy where it's common for professionals to bounce from project to project, having a strong brand is more critical than ever. But how do you manage your personal brand and get everything done on your to-do list? Here comes social media to the rescue - and on a professional level, LinkedIn. Your brand is based on how you are viewed by your network, the people that you know and the people that know you, i.e, your LinkedIn connections. There are two main pieces that make up … [Read more...]