LinkedIn | At Home with Tech

March 3, 2019

Why You Don’t Exist If You Can’t Be Found Online

If someone Googles your name and you don’t show up, what does that say about you? Well, it says a lot more than nothing. Here’s why…

I was chatting with a friend recently about her online presence… specifically her lack of an online identity. And her choice was a conscious one:

No LinkedIn
No Facebook
No Twitter
No Instagram
Nothing!

With all of the concern lately about personal online security and enterprise password breaches, I know it’s become something of a trend recently to actually reduce your time online.

But what about having no online identity? As in… if someone Googles your name… and you’re not there… at all. Does that mean you don’t exist?

Well, I suppose the next question is whether you want to exist online.

I know some (including my friend) might put together a pretty compelling argument that there’s no ‘good’ reason to have an online identity and/or engage in social media.

But I think for most of us, there are still legitimate reasons that essentially demand that we play in our ever-growing virtual world.

Looking for a Job and LinkedIn
These days, if you’re looking for a new job and you don’t have a LinkedIn profile, you’re putting yourself at a distinct disadvantage.

In fact, many companies’ job application portals require you to add your LinkedIn URL to scrape all of your key data.
(Yep.)

Do people who might want to hire you also want to see a well-lit, professional-looking photo of you on LinkedIn?

Yep.

I think the fundamental expectation today is anyone who’s looking for a job needs to properly package their professional brand and credentials online for others to browse through.

How you present yourself used to begin the moment you walked into the job interview or during your exploratory phone call.

Now that process begins days or weeks earlier when your name gets Googled.
That’s the point of first contact!

So, do make a point of posting a friendly photo of yourself on LinkedIn (unless looking angry is important to your personal brand).

And do write up a few authentic and relevant sentences at the top about your value proposition.

Think of it as your virtual self handing out business cards 24/7 to anyone in the world who might be interested in you…

It matters… a lot.
Otherwise, the default impression you give if you can’t be found is there’s something wrong…

Photo Sharing on Social Media
I know we can debate the wisdom of sharing personal photos with family and friends on our favorite social media sites, because we’re really giving up ownership of those pics to giant companies. And despite how many privacy guarantees are out there, we need to recognize that we’re handing over those photos to the universe… forever.

But at the end of the day, many of your connections are still going to share an ongoing photo stream of their lives. Why wouldn’t you want to see the pics?

This method of group communication has clearly become a standard way people stay in touch. So, you probably want access to view these important moments.
(Arguably some more important than others)

But to have that, you usually need to activate your own accounts on these social media platforms.

Keep Up!
If you’re hedging on the whole social media thing and believe you can still stay connected using old fashion methods, I say that’s much harder to do…

For example… If you’re waiting for photos from a family event that you missed to show up in the mail, I think you’re going to be left in the dark… forever. Those priceless pics got posted online hours after the event.

I know this is yesterday’s news, but if you still house any doubts, social media will absolutely help to keep you connected to what’s happening with family and friends.
(That’s the entire purpose!)

Do you need to see every pet pic or every dinner plate photo? Maybe not. But the totality of the visual experience will keep you informed on the lives of others who matter to you.

I know it’s odd that you end up knowing so much about friends without having to talk with them for months… or even years at a time. But how different is that from the old practice of keeping pen pals? Sharing photos and notes online is simply a more efficient method enabled by technology.

You Shouldn’t Be Surprised When You Google Your Name
Ultimately, feeding your online identity helps to more easily maintain your personal connections. Plus, it’s arguably your most important asset to projecting your professional brand to the rest of the world.
(And to be clear, zero professional identity online is not good for your career.)

If you don’t exist online today, in many ways… you don’t exist. From an existential perspective, I know that may sound troubling. But from a practical perspective, it’s not that hard to fix.

So, do you exist?

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January 28, 2018

How Would You Handle These Impossible Video Production Challenges?

If our heroes from LEGO NInjago were video producers, I bet they would solve production obstacles differently than me. You can always learn a thing or two from Sensei Wu!

My seven-year-old son is a big “LEGO Ninjago” TV series fan. We also watched the movie in the theaters when it came out, and I recently bought it for him on iTunes. So, we’ve been watching it a few times…

For those of you who believe it’s the weakest of the three LEGO movies so far… I originally felt that way too, but I find that the more times I see it, the more I enjoy it. (Who doesn’t like Jackie Chan?) The interactions between hero Lloyd and his ‘evil’ father Garmadon actually have a fair amount of emotional depth. And the story contains some good lessons for kids (and adults too)!

Like when Sensei Wu says to Lloyd, his Ninja in training… to look at a problem “from a different point of view.”

Not Impossible
So, I share Sensei Wu’s wisdom as a lead up to an article I just wrote on LinkedIn –

Leadership Stories from the Field: How to Handle Impossible Gauntlets

I recalled a few scenarios where I faced these seemingly impossible video production challenges…

Someone steals your equipment
There’s a Hong Kong misunderstanding
One of your teammates is about to miss your flight
You lose all of your video footage

I didn’t have Sensei Wu to guide me, but I did try to see things in a new way….

And how did it all work out?
Well, please click through to see!

And always remember what “LEGO Ninjago” teaches…
“You have the power. Look within. Harness what you already have inside and let it out!”

Thank you, Green Ninja and Sensei Wu.

June 22, 2014

I’d Like to Connect with You on LinkedIn

If you use LinkedIn, there are a few roadblocks to avoid. And remember, your profile represents you to the rest of the world. Feeling the pressure? Good. It’s time to get to work!

Successfully cultivating your connections on LinkedIn is as key to maintaining a strong professional network as an organized Rolodex once was.
(Remember those?)

You’ve just got to follow a few common-sense rules…

Your Digital Clone
If you’re not already… you should really join with the LinkedIn ecosystem.

Yes I know some otherwise reasonable and successful people who shun social networking sites and are consciously absent from places like LinkedIn and Facebook.

But doesn’t it feel a little strange when you opt out of a major tool that people use to interact with each other?

It would be like not having a cell phone.
Or a landline a couple generations back.
Or the postal service before that…

These days, I think everyone needs an online presence.
Otherwise, at some level, do you even exist…?
(If you get Googled, and nothing comes up, one may wonder if you live in the Twilight Zone.)

No, you don’t necessarily need your own website, but the sad reality is you no longer get to make your first impression in person.
Your digital self has that honor…

Today, you can instantly look up a name on LinkedIn, view a photo and digest an entire career.
That’s much more than anyone needs to glean a first impression!

And if you’re the kind of person who’s focused on nailing that first firm handshake at a meeting, don’t bother. The whole room probably knows more about you than your local bartender.

Your 24/7 Resume
If you haven’t figured this out yet, your LinkedIn profile effectively functions as your resume.
Whether that’s your intention or not, it is.

No, it shouldn’t be as detailed as your actual resume, but LinkedIn is where someone will often turn to check out your background.

So if you happen to be applying for a job, know that your LinkedIn profile has a strong chance of being viewed by the hiring manager before the resume.doc you uploaded gets opened.

A Numbers Game
Are you somehow better off if you have 300 connections, as opposed to 23?
What does a big number say about you?
Well, it shouldn’t say anything… other than you’re a strong networker.
But it doesn’t stop there.

I think the conceptual jump is the more people you’re connected with on LinkedIn, the more successful you are. Or at least it suggests all those people have enjoyed working with you.
Why else would they have agreed to connect in the first place?
(Why else, indeed…!)

Well… a healthy-sized network wields its own power.

By association, your network brings you closer to a much larger universe… all those people your contacts are connected with….your 2nd-degree connections.

Some of those folks you might already know…
Others, probably not.

It’s weird to say, but for that population of strangers with two degrees of separation from you, a low-grade familiarity is already present.
This irrational sense of connection exists just because you both know someone in common.

Who Should Be a Connection?
Once upon a time, I thought you should only connect with the colleagues you work with throughout your week. The ones you know really well.

Eventually, I expanded this strict rule to include people I’ve enjoyed working with on a specific engagement.
I figured you don’t need years to determine if someone is ‘worthy’ as a LinkedIn connection.

Then I had to decide what to do with invitations from people I’ve only met, but not worked with. That seemed like a stretch… but then I realized that it was a reasonable networking tactic.
If you decide it serves your larger networking goals, and so does the other person… where’s the harm in that?
(You’re both consenting adults.)

And there’s all those 2nd-degree strangers you already kind of know, but don’t.

If You’re an Outsider, Don’t Act Like a Stranger
But every so often, and more recently of late…
I get invitations from complete strangers.
(at least six degrees of separation!)

They typically work in the same industry… so I figure it’s some sort of
cold-calling technique. I don’t think I’ve ever accepted one of these requests.

And I’d absolutely never accept one that uses LinkedIn’s default invite phrase-
“I’d like to connect with you on LinkedIn.”

Those eight words reek of ‘robotness!’

Come on… At least introduce yourself and say something interesting that might encourage me to connect with a complete unknown. Just using the default wording says you don’t think I’m worth any extra effort other than clicking on my name.

Thanks.
But no thanks…

Remember Me?
And that same philosophy applies when you’re trying to connect with someone you know, but it’s not a slam-dunk they’ll accept.

A prime example is when it’s more of a reconnection moment… when you haven’t been in touch with that person for years, and suddenly you send them a LinkedIn invite out of the blue.

Say something. Anything!
Don’t be so lethargic as to let the default hello represent you.

The Nirvana of 500+
Do you marvel at those people who’ve joined the 500+ Connections club, and you wonder, “How does someone do that?”

If it’s a list of 400 people you can’t easily remember, then what have you really accomplished?

I think properly crossing the 500+ connections threshold simply reflects an organic and ongoing effort.

Over the years of your career, keep paying attention to new colleagues and others you want to have in your network.

Invite them as a LinkedIn connection as soon as you’ve completed some great project together.
(And remember, they’ll be inviting you too!)

Don’t just think of LinkedIn when you’re looking for a new job.
Building out your list of connections is a career-long process.

Protect Those Connections!
If you’ve made the wise decision to create a strong professional network, you’ve also got to nurture and protect it.
That’s another reason to not connect with someone you don’t know.

You probably don’t want some stranger to suddenly have access to the rest of your 1st-degree network.
Sure, you can turn off that functionality in your LinkedIn settings, but shutting off access to your other associates may annoy some of your other connections.

What?!
Do I mean to say your LinkedIn contacts don’t only love you for who you are… but they also may covet your connections…?

Yes… I’m sure for some, you’re viewed as a package deal.
That’s how networking works…
So deal with it!

Pace Yourself
I really see no downside to using LinkedIn as long as your paying attention to the quality of your connections.

Just be sure to treat your LinkedIn exercise like a marathon…not a sprint.

And don’t act like a robot!

Tag: LinkedIn

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