James Spillane
How can your LinkedIn profile be found by the companies you want to work for?
How can you get companies to find you as the solution they need?
It’s by understanding personal branding.
Why do you do what you do? Why would someone want to be in business with you?
Differentiate yourself from the competition and stand out from the rest – personal branding is the ‘secret’ to being discovered for your talents!
Your brand is what defines you and it’s something we all have; it simply needs to be unearthed.
Determine what type of style or personality you have, how do you want to be seen or found, and also what niche do you want to claim to be the expert or go-to person.
Work it over and over until you can find clarity with your branding message. Once you can pinpoint with clarity what makes you unique, valuable and worthy, you can leverage this to proactively reach your goals. So what niche do you want to own?
Here are five ways you can become discovered as you start your journey of self-discovery!
1. Be genuine and 100% you
Be confident in what you can offer and stick to that ‘message’ as you should live and breathe your brand. This doesn’t mean you just turn it on during an interview or business meeting, but focus on your brand, who you are 24/7. You may struggle at first, but take a step back and look at this from the perspective of you as a whole person. This will help you create the credibility and trust needed because your brand will be a reflection of the true you.
People are attracted (or buy from) people they trust and like. Put some personality into your brand and the likeability will be there too!
2. Communicate and support your brand
Everything about you needs to communicate and support that brand positioning. Connect with like-minded individuals, join relevant groups, and customize your profile to reflect your message. Think key words and think about how you want to be found.
Be proactive and offer advice or share articles that support your message. You don’t need to author a new book, rather share or comment on what is already out there.
3. Position yourself
Position your personal brand so that you are perceived as the best logical choice by including the key elements in your LinkedIn profile.
Utilize the sections ‘above the fold’ to describe your brand. This includes your headline, contact info, opening statement in the summary section. And don’t forget a professional photo! Branding key words should be represented in all parts of your LinkedIn profile.
4. Manage your brand message
Manage your ‘personal brand’ as it’s critical you remain active and contribute and support what your brand represents. Some tips include:
- Actively participate(daily) on LinkedIn: Offer advice, share content and use the “Give 10X more than you ask for” rule. You will attract the people you want!
- Start discussions in relevant groups
- Comment and share on topics that align with your brand or personal opinions
- Post status updates with helpful advice, links and/or re-share other posts from people you respect.
- Consider starting your own group
You will soon start to find people are coming to you asking for your opinion, thoughts and more! You are creating a niche of expertise one day or post at a time.
5. Keep Your Brand Fresh
Like joining a gym, it’s wise to mix up your exercises occasionally. This will keep you current, relevant and avoids a static profile that will start losing attention, ranking and so on.
Your brand should evolve over time as your goals, focus and career changes. The key is to have clarity in who you are while maintaining consistency with your messaging.
So what will your brand look like? Choose a few steps and get started today!
This article was written for Business 2 Community by James Spillane.
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As a graduating senior, this was a very insightful article. I think social networking is the next big thing with finding jobs and getting discovered. When updated properly and truly, potential business HR teams can get a feel for you personality which isn’t available through initial f-t-f interviewing and communication.