Did you go to a party last night and ask Karen, the other Expat Spouse across from you, how she managed her transition to Switzerland? And did Karen say: “Just reinvent yourself!”.

This is a dreadful sentence to tell any newbie in a new place. 

This sentence is advice you often hear when you lose your work or are still looking for a new job in Switzerland. 

You are a New York, London, Frankfurt, or Mumbai professional. You have a career stamped on yourself. Telling you to reinvent yourself is like saying, “Why don’t you just run a marathon after recovering from COVID-19.” People make it sound so simple; it makes you feel guilty and shameful because it seems to them it’s something that you can or should do.

Not only is reinventing yourself a considerable challenge (on top of the extra obstacles you will face in a new and less well-known environment), but doing so often means letting go of your dreams. And accepting that is a big challenge in itself when you are sacrificing your goals so that your partner can follow theirs.

At parties, you say, “I’m a Senior Consultant / Director / Lawyer / Doctor / Scientist.” Then, you talk about the pleasure of long-distance travel in times of terrorism, or you mention that your partner is away too often and that the kids know the nanny better than their parents, or you explain that you never go to the city because you feel that childcare is too expensive. You rather stay at home than trust your kids to another person.

Your professional reputation has fueled your ego, and you did everything to improve it. You attended courses, webinars, conferences, and networking events and read everything you could about the topic while commuting to work. Not to mention that you routinely ensured that your social media profiles reflected your success only, and you confirmed your name was published at least once a year.

Then out of the blue (or even because you were following a long-term idea), your spouse gets a job offer in Basel, Switzerland, or your job is outsourced to Pune, India. After the initial excitement or shock, you start to consider what a career change means for you right now. You can consult blogs and books on the matter. From one day to the next, you worry about your branding as a professional. And you might even notice that you don’t know what you want.

Finding out what you want is difficult, so I recommend you work with a career coach to develop a vision of your next role and a long-term career vision. What I found even more challenging, though, is to let go of my old career. 

I had acquired a status in HR, and in my new role, I felt like a beginner again. In our cultural context here in Switzerland, we say, “Schuster bleib bei Deinen Leisten!” (Cobbler, stick to your last!). We are encouraged to change our chosen career paths.

Let’s hang with the cobbler analogy for a while. I might not have told you yet that my grandpa was a shoe repairer in post-war Germany, and my grandma ran a shoe shop for the longest time, so I have a particular fondness for shoes, and the smell of leather and glue always brings me back to their workshop.

We know well that a shoe we have worn for a while is comfortable. New shoes often feel too tight or too big for us to fill. Imagine getting out of your patent leather shoes and into hiking boots. That would be comparable to the change you are going through.

It would help if you broke your new career boot in. You might know already consciously that the hiking boot is more practical, fits better to your personality, and has more value on icy mountain grounds, but you still feel the burden of a heavier shoe.

It would be best to throw your old patent leather shoe into the mental “Altkleidercontainer” (the recycling bank for old clothes and shoes). Here are seven ideas on how you can do that.

• Advantaging: Write down all the advantages of the hiking boot. Think of every aspect of your new career and how it looks and feels. Run meticulous research. Interview industry experts and speak to friends who work in this area.

• Wearing: Work in your hiking boot at least one or two days a week by volunteering or finding a cause in this profession worth supporting. Get a consulting project before you commit full-time.

• Pretending: Pretend you are already experienced in walking with the hiking boot, attend seminars and networking events wearing a badge with your new role, and have business cards printed.

• Updating: Update all your biographies, social media profiles, and websites and show that you are wearing the boot already. Mention your new role and functional title. Be the career you want to be.

• Noting: Leave post-its in your office, bathroom, and home with a visual anchor. For example, if you want to become a scientist working in the pharma industry, you could jot down a company logo that you find attractive or a picture of you with security glasses.

• Spacing: Develop a space that signifies “productive work” in your new career. It could be an office or an area on your kitchen table. This area is reserved for work in your new job only.

• Storytelling: Write down your ideal client’s story, someone who will depend on the results or fruits of your new labor. Who is that person, what is essential to that person, and how does this person live?

These are seven ideas for letting go of your old career and reinventing yourself. There you have it. Do let us know how you are handling it, and if you need help progressing, you can always email me.

The HireMeExpress program is now closed for sale. We would still love to have you as a reader and Club Member here

https://globalpeopletransitions.com/become-a-reader-of-the-global-people-club-sandwich/

GUEST POST BY NABEHA LATIF

Instagram has seen dramatic development in recent years, from roughly a million clients in 2010 to more than one billion. One could contend that Instagram is an online media network like no other. Rather than words, the stage is constructed on the whole around sharing pictures and recordings. This visual contort is the reason Instagram is the social stalwart it is today — “Instagramming” is authoritatively an action word now.

Assuming you are keen on getting an Instagram account or just made one but are not sure how to utilize it, you are in the right place – Here, we will cover every one of the fundamentals, so you can see why Instagram is the top online media stage for commitment today.

To assist you with the beginning, we will stroll through the basics with your Instagram account.

Why Instagram?

Instagram is an online media stage that underlines photograph and video sharing through its portable application. You can take, alter, and distribute visual content for your followers and build a lasting relationship. With roughly two billion monthly active users, Instagram belongs to the most popular social networks worldwide.

It’s hard to remember a time before Instagram. “Do it for the ‘gram” has turned into a typical saying, which implies, basically, “Accomplish something so we can snap a photo and post it to Instagram.”

72% of users report making purchase decisions based on something they saw on Instagram. It makes Instagram a must-have for brands/businesses for building brand image via visuals. Also, it’s an amazing stage for staying connected to the target audience. Remember the trends are changing so quickly nowadays that if you have to keep an eye on social media in real time! (or hire a social media marketer to do it for you!)

Before you get started, connect with your social media and networking purpose again. Remember what you would like to achieve with social media and being connected with more people, grow a following or an audience, and what your one-sentence mission statement is. If you are in one of our programs or work with Angie Weinberger as a coach you probably already know that you need to make a few strategic decisions before you start. You should have clarity on your personal brand, your three labels, your main mission statement, your color scheme, and discussion themes, and decide about your filter already. You don’t just randomly add photos to Instagram, you do this with a purpose and mission in mind.

How To Get Started

To get on Instagram, you should simply download the Instagram application on your phone and get started on your new account by tapping “Join” Instagram is designed to be used via your smartphone only. You can access the platform via a desktop, but you won’t be able to upload content. You can decide to join through Facebook, email, or telephone number. Then, you have to pick a username (short, witty, and relatable to your brand)  and password. After that, you’re ready to get started! 

Once you are done setting up the profile, follow the steps below:

1. Download the application via App Store (iPhone) or Google Play Store (Android).

1. To sign up, click “Sign in with Facebook” if you wish to link the two together, or fill in the usual details such as phone number or email, name, username, and secret key. Then, at that point, click “Join.”

1. On Android, click “Join With Email or Phone Number.” On an iPhone, select “Make New Account.”

1. Enter your email address and phone number, then click “Next.” You can also join Facebook to reduce the time and effort to log in.

1. Whenever you’ve finished setting up your username and password, you will be told to complete your profile information. When you have, tap “Done.”

1. Remember your Short bio is crucial to reflect your brand’s personality. It should include a brief self-description, contact information, emojis, hashtags, and more. 

Bad  Example: 

A Coach, Author, and Keynote Speaker.

Good example:

Redefining success ✨

💡 Successful but stuck? I got you covered.

Global Mobility Lecturer * Author * Keynote Speaker

 🛋️ #HireMeExpress #RockMeRetreat 👩🏻‍💻

👩🏻‍🏫 #CareerStrategist

The Basics

At its core, Instagram is a friendly and casual platform, with most of the talking done through the visual content being posted. Each time you open the application, you’ll see the fundamental feed of ongoing posts from the accounts (people) you follow. A menu bar is available everywhere in the application at the base.

The Instagram menu bar, or the hub, has five buttons at the lower part of the application screen. Each has a unique function and will be the easiest way to navigate the platform. This is what each button does, from left to right:

• Home Button (Little House): Your fundamental feed where you can look through photographs and recordings posted by the people you follow.

• Explore (Magnifying Glass): The magnifying glass symbol takes you to the Explore page, where you can look at and peruse content from accounts you don’t follow yet may find interesting.

• Upload (The “+” sign): Select the photo (or video) you wish to post from your device’s library or tap the camera icon to take a new image with your smartphone camera. This is where you get creative and share engaging content!

• Activity/Notifications (The heart sign): The heart symbol takes you to a page that showcases likes and comments on your posts.

• Profile (Your own picture!): Clicking your own image takes you to your account wherein you can see your posts, edit your profile settings as well as view your posts insights. Posts insights are crucial in understanding the type of posts which are attracting relevant audience.   

How To Post

To share a photograph or video on Instagram, tap the “+” button on the bottom middle of the screen, where you can choose photographs or recordings from your phone’s camera app to post. Instagram permits you to choose up to 10 photographs and recordings to post immediately.

• Decide your Instagram Theme. Decide a theme that you want to follow – which helps in giving your brand a familiar look. You can decide to apply a filter for each post, which, contingent upon who you ask, is vital for the Instagram experience. Filters make it simple to alter shots with various visual preset overlays. 

• Add Suitable Captions. Captions are dependably a smart thought. You can utilize words, emoticons, or hash tags. Very much like in remarks, you can likewise “tag” followers and friends by putting “@” before their username. Remember, you can alter inscriptions whenever — or erase them if it becomes necessary later on.

• Consider Tagging Contacts. Instagram permits you to “tag” somebody in your photographs. When you label somebody, they’ll get a notification in their news feed. Feel free to tag brands/businesses as they will love the promotion done. However, It’s best to ask permission prior to adding tags of people you don’t know. 
• Add Your Location. Location labels let others know where your photograph was taken. Tapping on an area label carries you to its related  area feed, where you can examine other public posts.
• Post to other Social Accounts. Instagram likewise enables you to simultaneously publish a post to other social records. You can cross-post to Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr by connecting accounts.

Explore These Great Features

As you would expect, Instagram carries out new highlights consistently. From a new substance to a continually growing arrangement of inventive devices, Instagram offers a lot of chances for self-articulation and inventiveness. Here are the best-in-class Instagram highlights.

• Instagram (IG) Stories

Many individuals use Instagram solely to make and survey Stories, which are adjustable posts that remain on your feed for 24 hours. These posts, which could be a blend of photographs and short-structure recordings, are introduced in a slideshow design and available through the highest point of the home feed.

• Instagram (IG) Live

Instagram Live is an element that lets you “Livestream” — as such, broadcast live video from your gadget to any individual who needs to watch. Viewers can send you messages and hearts while you stream, making this an extraordinary method for conversing live with audience and doing Q&A sessions in real time!

• IGTV

IGTV is Instagram’s committed video stage, allowing clients to transfer recordings as long as 15 minutes long (or an hour in the event that you utilize the work area variant). IGTV has its own application for iPhone and Android, yet you can likewise find it inside the customary Instagram application.

• Instagram Shopping

Given Instagram’s ubiquity, it’s nothing unexpected that brands are doing all they can to transform Instagram users into clients. As indicated by Instagram, a great many individuals shop on Instagram consistently.

• Instagram Reels

Worked as an adversary to TikTok, Instagram Reels allows you to record and transfer brief recordings as long as 15 seconds in length. When you record a video, you can alter it and add music, text, and enhancements.

Different followers can like or remark on your Reels recordings, which can be a pleasant method for getting more followers.

I know it can be overwhelming in the start so I always recommend to set attainable short term goals and work towards them. Don’t expect to go viral overnight, but stay consistent with postings. Use the right hashtags and engage! You can also run ad campaigns to attract relevant audience but your content needs to be compelling enough that it stands out and keep your audience engaged. 

Request:

Please follow Angie Weinberger on Instagram. You find her as angie_weinberger.

About the Author

Nabeha Latif is a Digital Media/Branding Consultant specializing in leveraging online marketing channels to achieve desired goals. Since her majors in digital marketing, she has collaborated with names like UN, Ali Baba Inc, Uber, UNESCO, UNDP, etc., to name just a few. She is also actively involved in providing business development services related to marketing. Drop her an email at nabehalatif21@gmail.com for any queries

GUEST POST BY NABEHA LATIF

Ever since Twitter hit the internet in 2006, it evolved from a punny remark about your meal snaps to an integral part of online communication as a whole. With its simple ideology and a tweet (message) consistent with a set amount of characters, you witness an ever-growing set of to-the-point remarks and comments alike. However, Twitter isn’t only for some fun pastime. It can be utilized as a significant component of managing your business online. So here’s our guide to keeping your business up to the digital standard.

Why Twitter for Business?
There are many motivations to make Twitter a piece of your business’s digital media plan in an undeniably jam-packed online media scene.

Marketing and getting the word out on Twitter is particularly appealing because the platform fights at a surprisingly high level as far as reach is concerned. The complete number of individuals going on Twitter is more than the number of registered accounts!

This implies that you’re not simply getting your content to users when you tweet. Instead, you’re likewise contacting a more extensive crowd who additionally reads Twitter.

The Basics:
Assuming you’re completely new to Twitter, the initial steps are similar whether you’re making a profile for a business or individual use.

Whether you already have an account or not, utilizing these tips will keep your basics solid.

Creating a Profile

1. Profile Photo: The profile photo represents your account everywhere on Twitter. It should be recognizable and shouldn’t change too often. Most companies include their logo in their profile image.
2. Header/Cover Photo: This is where you can share the latest updates in a visually striking format. It is often replaced, unlike the profile picture.
3. Username: Your @name is the name of your account. It doesn’t change. You can change your display name, but it’s best to set it as your organization’s name and leave it at that.
4. Bio: Your bio is your brand’s elevator pitch. A concise introduction for your brand, Link your website!
5. Pinned Tweet: A pinned Tweet is the first piece of content users see when coming across your profile. It isn’t required, but it’s a great place to highlight content.

Twitter Slang/Terminology:
I’m sure we’re all familiar with what a “tweet” is by now, but when it comes to Twitter, that’s only a starter! Here’s some terminology you should understand before heading on in the circle:

1. Hashtag: A word preceded by a # symbol. It acts as a tag to content to categorize or relate to a particular topic.
2. Mentions: A tweet with the @ symbol followed by a person or brand’s username. This helps you tag people and monitor them to see what others say about you.
3. Retweet: Sharing someone else’s tweet is known as a retweet.
4. Quote: Similar to a retweet, but with an added comment about the original tweet.
5. DMs: Also known as Direct Messages, they are private messages between accounts. If a non-follower contacts you, they will be sent to your requests folder. This can be changed in settings.
6. Topics: These are headings and tags an account can follow in order to see content related to a subject of interest.

Verification:
Verification on Twitter means having a recognized account by Twitter and being granted a blue tick in front of your username. 

For a brand, you’ll need to provide your Official Website and Official Email. For a brand celebrity, an extra piece of information is required, which will be a form of Official Identification.

How to run your business on Twitter:
Once you’ve nailed down the basics and prepped your account for expansion, consider going through the following tips to grow your business.

• Create a Marketing Strategy:
  Creating, posting, and monitoring your Tweets is a key aspect of your business. So It’s best to be consistent and orderly about it all. A Twitter marketing strategy will help you bring your brand on track and help you achieve your set goals. Your Twitter strategy will tie into your overall Social Media Strategy and should be on your content calendar. Having a global view of your social media marketing will allow you to take advantage of each platform’s specific strengths.
• Finding a Brand Voice:
  Twitter is covered with the graves of accounts that didn’t think before tweeting. It pays to have your brand’s voice designed for the platform. Having a consistent voice on social media makes it simpler to interface with your audience. It likewise assists your brand with standing apart among the organizations battling a portion of the 1.9 billion hours that clients spend on Twitter every month.
• Use Twitter Lists:
  When you get active on Twitter and your channel begins to top off, Twitter Lists can diminish the clamor by sorting your channel into targeted topics. Making a Twitter List resembles making a timeline that just has content from the accounts you pick. There is an assortment of topics you should make a list about for your business. You can utilize them to monitor accomplices, contenders, or the accounts that draw in with you the most.
• Twitter Spaces: Twitter Spaces is another component that permits you to have live audio discussions with different clients. With Spaces incorporated into the Twitter platform, it’s not difficult to spread the news about your audio sessions. Joining is pretty much as simple as clicking a link in a Tweet. Announcing your Spaces talk with a Tweet allows you to use the span of your current Twitter brand into engagement on Spaces.
• Using Ads to Promote: Twitter’s millions of clients are a major piece of what makes it an alluring platform for brands. In any case, the volume of the content presented on Twitter consistently can likewise imply that your brand’s Tweets become mixed up in the conflict. Twitter advertising is the response to this issue. You can promote anything from a solitary Tweet to a whole account. With no base financial plan, there’s a Twitter advertising choice that will assist any brand in getting noticed.
• Utilize Advanced Search: For thousands of Tweets each moment about movies and memes, Twitter’s search bar generally isn’t to the point of observing the content you’re searching for. Twitter’s advanced option is an all the more integral asset for filtering through Tweets, with many capacities to assist with advancing your brand. You can look by account notices to observe clients drawing in with you. Commitment channels permit you to track down the most famous Tweets about a topic.
• Monitor with Twitter Analytics: Twitter Analytics is a robust platform that utilizes diagrams and reports to give experiences to your Twitter usage. This instrument gives data on everything from your top Tweet to ad transformation rates. Knowing how to utilize Twitter Analytics gives many advantages to your business. For example, you can use it to decide the days and times your audience is generally dynamic or analyze your ads’ profit from speculation.
• Twitter API: The Twitter API (computerized programming connection point) permits you to cause programs that collaborate straightforwardly with Twitter. There are numerous ways that this instrument can help your business. You can make your own channels to get constant data on just the most essential Tweets or make custom audiences. Not every person with a Twitter account approaches the API. To utilize it, you initially need to apply for a developer account.

A Tweet is a 280-character fresh slate. It isn’t always simple to know how to impart your brand’s message on Twitter. These tips and tricks will guide you to make Twitter content that gets results.

1. Keep it Concise: Simple, Short, and Clear. That’s how your tweets should be! Remember, you’ve got limited characters.
2. Keep It Organic: People don’t really talk to brands, do they? So why talk like one? Keep engagement on a high by toning down on the formal end.
3. Engage with People: If you’re just broadcasting out into the Twitterverse, it’s easy for your audience to tune you out. And you don’t want a passive audience. The more engagement you get, the more visible you are.
4. CTAs: Good business Twitter use strikes a balance between conversational Tweets and advertorial content. The traditional best practices of ad copy still apply on Twitter. And knowing how to write a good CTA never goes out of style.
5. Use the Emojis: Emojis help you cut down on long words with little emoticons to help get your points across. Tweets with emojis generate more engagement than those without!
6. Trending Hashtags: Hashtags cut through the noise of Twitter to get your Tweets seen by people who are interested in a specific topic.
7. Add Some Visuals: Twitter isn’t a picture-based platform, so that’ll help you cut through the crowd with more visuals paired with a fresh tweet. Tweets that include a visual element (an image or a video) generate more engagement than those that don’t.
8. Time Your Tweets: Don’t waste your perfectly crafted content by tweeting it when no one’s around to see it. Use Twitter Analytics to track when your Tweets get the most engagement.
9. Frequency of Tweets: In most cases, it’s best to tweet more than one or two and fewer than three to five times per day. There are several ways to schedule your Tweets so that they come out at the right frequency. Twitter has a built-in scheduling feature to ease your burden.

Request: Please follow @angieweinberger on Twitter too.