Position Yourself as an Industry Expert

Creating a positive, effective personal brand isn’t accomplished in a day, but you can position yourself as an industry expert with some consistent time and effort. Procter & Gamble didn’t become a dominant force in the market by establishing consumer trust and confidence overnight, and neither can you. What you CAN do, is begin to create a positive online presence, become visible in your business community, and be ready to contribute at every opportunity.

Create a positive online presence.

Choose a few social media platforms, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, and become visible. Fill out your profile in full, use a professional head shot, and make sure your skills, knowledge, and experience are current and accurate. Highlight your eMBA. Then, once your profile is full, begin to connect to your business community. Once you’ve got connections, make time at least once a week to offer solutions to common industry issues, links to news and articles about your field of expertise, and interact with your contacts.

Become visible in your business community.

Part of becoming visible is participating substantially in the industry dialogue online, as seen above. It’s also important to be seen and interact in person. Attend industry networking events and build your contact list. Add value to conversations about industry issues, offering solutions from experts and your own experience. Take every opportunity to get to know the movers and shakers in your field. Become a valuable contact, connecting people you know with open positions and offering information about both candidates and positions to recruiters and other hiring influencers. Create a website and begin a blog, or if you don’t feel you have the time or commitment for your own, be a guest blogger for others in your field. They’ll be grateful to take a day off and you’ll enjoy the exposure.

Be ready to contribute.

Once you are confident that you are easily searchable and have a positive online presence, consider how you can contribute online, at networking events, and to your business community as a whole. Is there no networking event for your specific field? Start one! Are they looking for guest speakers at an industry event? Step up! Guest blogging, hosting or coordinating events, and even writing an article or book about your industry or field are great ways to contribute.