Start engaging online to get noticed BEFORE your next move.

Last week I challenged you to begin engaging on LinkedIn. Did you actually start? How did you do? If you put it off, tell me why. Bad timing or just not a priority? If your reasons why fall into the category of feeling intimidated in this online forum, I have some things to get you over that hump. 

Put on a sharp top, find some good lighting and stand against a plain white or light wall. Snap a smiling headshot that will look professional enough to post as your new avatar on LinkedIn. Then I want you to take a moment to take inventory of what you currently do. No, not your job title…what you do and the skills that are required for you to do it. Who benefits most from the work you do? What impact do you have? Craft that into one concise sentence and post it as your bio headline. This will appear right below your headshot on your profile page. Are the words not coming to you so easily? Open up ChatGPT and type in what you have written so far. Ask ChatGPT to help you rewrite it to sound “more creative” or “more professional” or whatever you like. Keep asking it to revise your bio as many times as you need to get the version you like best. 

Then I want you to browse through your contacts list. Who have you missed connecting with in recent months or years? Find 3 people to message directly. Send them a short and sweet message to reconnect. The worst thing that can happen is they don’t see the message. However most will respond positively and see your updates. The human-to-human connections will elevate your profile on LinkedIn and allow more connections to find you. Why is this important? When you are ready to look for career opportunities, having high visibility on this platform will work in your favor, especially with hiring managers and recruiters.

After all these steps to dust off your LinkedIn account, I suggest setting aside just 10 minutes per day to do one or two things. Plan to post something either educational or inspirational, and to comment or respond to other people’s posts. This is where the networking magic happens. First of all, you are jumping in and letting your connections know who you are and what you have to offer. You will appear genuine and interested, and that will matter when job or business opportunities come around. Staying visible will keep you and your skill set top of mind. The whole point of staying active and networking online is to nurture your professional connections before you need to call on them for an opportunity.