Offline and Online Presence is the Way Forward for Modern Professionals
These days, if you’re not on LinkedIn or any equivalent jobs platform, you’re either sitting on a large inheritance or seriously out of touch with the industry. For freelancers in particular and job seekers in general, having a digital presence is now perhaps as essential as being qualified to work, to begin with.
A network of peers and industry members is something that was essential in the offline era, does it not make sense that professional networking would be more important in the digital age? I remember starting online networking in 2004, a move that was particularly helpful for me – as I moved cities and countries, I was able to remain in constant touch with my established network, able to leverage it for various purposes as the need arose. For us nomads a network that travels everywhere with us is priceless.
Looking back at that time and analyzing the power that was afforded to me by my digital professional network, I got to thinking about how this could be used to empower job seekers everywhere. That is how HireMeExpress was set up: allowing professionals to hack the Swiss Job Market with strong business connections, both offline and online.
1 – Pinpoint the platform where you will find Hiring Managers and Clients for your industry
LinkedIn may be the ‘de facto’ professional networking platform for the masses, but certain industries are known to frequent alternative digital platforms. The publishing and writing industry, for instance, can be found on Twitter and Goodreads. Photographers and videographers have made their home on Vimeo, YouTube, and Instagram. The bottom line: Inhabit the right digital spaces so you can make the right connections.
2 – Understand that a digital presence takes longer to pay dividends.
The internet era is the era of scams and fake profiles. It takes longer to build trust with a stranger than it would through only real-world meets. You can speed the process along by building your digital home, ideally a blog or a YouTube channel that acts as a thorough resume for visitors. Once you’ve interacted with someone online, directing them to your blog would allow them to access not only your professional biography but also a way to contact you. Remember to use tools to set up a sign-up form so you can start building your list of followers.
3 – Support and develop the community.
Self-promotion is a big turn-off, you should instead focus on promoting other people’s work. A great way to be a positive influence in your network is to endorse other people’s work (on LinkedIn or otherwise). It is especially helpful for people who are modest or doubt their own achievements (a condition known as “imposter syndrome”). By fostering a communal and supportive network, you can create goodwill among colleagues and with peers in general. It is essential to create the right image online.
4 – Be genuine when you meet people IRL (In Real Life).
A general assumption about digital presences is that they are heavily curated, that is, they contain cherry-picked information that may not be representative of the entire picture. By showing that you’re as nice, if not nicer, in real life will be a pleasant and welcome surprise to all who meet you. Be genuine in providing help, be genuine in general and good things will happen to you. You will eventually generate an income.
We developed our HireMeExpress program so that we can help expats and digital nomads with a minority background in the new country to generate an income.
The HireMeExpress program gives you immediate access to a trusted circle of like-minded professionals. We can help you expand your networks faster! In any group, shared experiences are the key to building relationships and trust, while also providing growth opportunities through feedback from the group and the coach. The group gives you accountability and paces your efforts at the same time. Sometimes, especially when you would like to give up, the group carries you to the next step.
I hope the tips above can help you identify and maximize your digital presence.
https://globalpeopletransitions.com/start-a-business-or-land-your-dream-job/
https://globalpeopletransitions.com/the-social-media-newbie-series-part-1/
SociThe Social Media Newbie Series – Part 1 – Get Started on LinkedIn
