Well Connected (Using LinkedIn well) by Michelle Sandford
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The introverts guide to using LinkedIn to establish credibility from a distance, influence by volume and gain access to people and networks you couldn't reach in person. You can use the skills you learn here to position yourself for the career you want.
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Well Connected (Using LinkedIn well) by Michelle Sandford
- 1. Well Connected //small steps you can take to increase your chances Michelle Sandford
- 2. @msandfor
- 3. By the end of this session you will be able to // Establish credibility from a distance // Influence by volume // Access all areas // Use these skills to position yourself for the // career you want @msandfor
- 4. Visual Credibility Personal Tagline Thoughts Visual storytelling Be active = Be known Elevator pitch Who can help you? @msandfor
- 5. Fill it all in Add meaningful context No Duplication Don’t return null Use searchable names @msandfor
- 8. Referenceable and Reliable 360 degree feedback Recommendations are References Fully transparent Permanent record Blockchain @msandfor
- 11. Everyone knows something worth knowing @msandfor
- 12. Just do 3 things each day @msandfor
- 13. Tell a story about your life @msandfor
- 14. Establish credibility from a distance @msandfor
- 15. Establish credibility by association
Editor's Notes
- How many of you are introverts? I used to claim I was an extrovert. What I realise now is that I had extrovert-envy and I had developed a whole bunch of coping mechanisms that allowed me to pass as extrovert. One of them is standing up on this stage to talk to you today. Another one was what I did at a big gala dinner last year…
- I arrived about an hour early so I could scope out the room. I know it’s super important to network at these big industry events, but I’m afraid to approach the higher-ups with my introduction and elevator pitch. It just seems super awkward. This strategy worked and I saw someone I knew talking to someone I didn’t. This approach allows a soft entry. I can go say hello to my friend and he will give me introduction #1 – I’ll be off to a strong start. I went over and said “Hi Pat”, he turned and smiled at me and said “Hi Michelle, do you know So-and-so? He’s the CTO of the department of big government things?” I immediately felt a little faint. I was not prepared to go straight in and meet some C-Level Executive and from Government… I work in the commercial space – I never have access to government execs. This was a great opportunity for me and I was about to blow it. My tongue was stuck in my mouth. I started sweating. I could not remember my elevator pitch. Hell, I couldn’t remember my name. Does anyone else get like that? Just me then… But then he leaned in and smiled at me. He said “Hey, your Michelle Sandford – I follow you on Linkedin. I love your articles” I immediately relaxed. I didn’t need to say anything to impress him. He already knew who I was. He already knew what I thought. And he liked it. We were able to skip over that awkward part at the start of any relationship where one of you is thinking – who the hell is this? And the other is thinking – on dear god, please don’t look and me and judge me as insignificant. I realised I had discovered something particularly sweet…. How to use the tools to shorten the time to prove MVP – and by MVP, I of course mean – minimum visible person. I have used the tools to skip the elevator pitch. This is the holy grail for introverts – less face-time with maximum impact.
- Profile. And luckily there are a bunch of tools that you can leverage that will allow you to raise that profile for free and without requiring much of that horrifying in person networking. I’m mostly going to talk about LinkedIn because that’s the platform that brought me to where I am today. But I’ll also talk about Twitter, because I use that in combination to multiply my efficiency especially when I’m at conferences. Those tools allow me to tweet out content while I am talking to you – so if you are following me on Twitter and LinkedIn – you’ll have access to a bunch of extra information that will help you raise your game.
- I’ve been reading Uncle Bob’s book – Clean Code – have you all read that? One of his recommendations is that code should clearly express the intent of the author. Don’t make people guess what your code is trying to do. Make it easy for people to read and understand. LinkedIn is the same – people are going to glance at this and judge you. Make it easy for them to see how awesome you are. So many people just leave the banner that default blue one. It is such a wasted opportunity. Make it eye catching. But also – use it to reinforce your credibility. This is Antoinette – the photo she has as her banner is the Microsoft Redmond Campus. In case you don’t know that, she has overlaid a Microsoft logo. That banner says Antoinette is backed by the might of Microsoft. The blank profile photo is also a big no. I don’t connect to ghosts. Part of the value of LinkedIn is that I can look someone up before I’m going to meet with them, so I will recognize them. And they will recognize me. There will be no awkwardness as we approach strangers. You’ll see most of my love of using tools to accelerate connection is so that I can skip over awkward face-to-face confrontations. I do that by attempting to establish as much credibility in advance of the face to face meeting as I can. To use the tools to accelerate relationship building from a distance. I rarely walk into any company or event in Perth these days and people do not know who I am. When you are familiar to people because you add value – they are happy to see you even before you open your mouth. Meetings are more likely to go well. One of the first things that I loved about Linkedin was…
- Recommendations. When I moved to Australia from Belgium I did my first round interviews via Skype. Two days after I landed in Australia I did my 2nd round interviews. They never called my references. It would have been difficult to. Perth and Brussels are not timezone aligned – so someone would be calling out of hours. Plus – they don’t speak French or Dutch. Of course, everyone in IBM speaks English… but still, it sounds like a painful experience. Plus – I could have given them anyones Belgian phone number and said it was the Vice President of IBM Belgium – how would they check that? It wouldn’t be easy… But they didn’t call my references. They read my recommendations on LinkedIn. I have 46 recommendations. If you read them from top to bottom you will have a very clear idea of who I am and what I am like to work with. They aren’t the weak references you get when you call a previous employer. They are the words of people I worked for, people I worked with, people who worked for me – customers, partners, vendors, team-mates, 360 degree feedback that spans the course of my career. If your LinkedIn Profile is very good, then like clean code – it should be obvious that you are worthy. But even in clean code, comments are a necessary evil – and recommendations are comments that amplify the meaning of your code. That ensures no-one misses how awesome you are.
- When connecting to people and when accepting connections – you must always ask yourself – what do I bring to this persons network, and what do they bring to mine. Ideally you want to give people a reason to connect to you. Something you have in common. Some way your networks will align and amplify each other. I’m not saying don’t connect with students, because they have less to add to your network now – students and junior devs are the future. There is every chance they will great value to your future network – invest in them now, as long as they have completed their profile as comprehensively as they can.
- Followers When I started using #LinkedIn they didn't let everyone write articles. You had to be an #Influencer and invited to a special program to blog. But a couple of years ago that changed - LinkedIn opened up the world of #ThoughtLeadership to anyone that wanted to give it a go. I didn't start writing straight away because I was scared. What if people didn't like what I wrote? Thought it was stupid, or boring, or irrelevant... But here's the secret no-one thinks to tell you. When you start writing, you don't have any Followers. The only people checking out your Articles are people that already really like you and want to know what you think about stuff. So you will either get no response, no Likes, no Comments, no Shares - or a little bit of positive feedback. And this gives you time to grow. Think more about your #Content Develop your ideas and improve your writing. The more you create, the more your following will grow. But I don't do it for the unknown Followers. I am building a #Tribe - I write about stuff I care about, and people that are passionate about that stuff follow me, collaborate with me and grow with me.
- We want code to be as expressive as possible. In the same way, when you are writing content for LinkedIn – write about what you are passionate about.
- Just do 3 things each day. Like something in your stream. Comment on something. And share something. And just like with code, don’t make redundant comments, misleading comments, noise comments – add something of value into the conversation. You will likely get new connections or followers out of it. Daphne. Sonia share articles, give advice, ask a question, publish a long-form post (something you are passionate about – what is interesting is your perspective, your take on something – make it personal. Tell a story – a business challenge you solved by partnering with your client. Start with a story. Move towards posting original content
- Good code is like a good joke, you don’t have to explain it. LinkedIn is the same – post something every day that is aligned to the field of expertise you want to exhibit, or the person you are. If you are doing those 3 things each day, liking something aligned to your field, making a comment that adds value to conversation in your field, and making a post that either demonstrates your thought leadership in your field, or shows something authentic about yourself – then you won’t need to explain yourself to a future employer. They will know you.
- I get quite anxious about networking with people I do not know – so I used a technique called standout to fit in. I write a post about a conference or event before I go, calling out the speakers I most want to see. I also call out their sessions on Twitter. Then after they like the post – I send them a linkedin connection request, saying I’m really looking forward to their session and hope they’ll connect. They usually do. I have effectively linked myself to these established experts in the field. In the minds of my network – some of that expertise and credibility rubs off on me. Plus I have paid those speakers some social currency – and when I go to the conference, I’m not queuing with the thousands of attendees – the speakers recognize me. I’m sitting with them having a coffee or a beer. They recognize me when they see me and want to thank me for the spruiking. We are already conference buddies. When the attendees see me always with the speakers – they also assume I am an expert in the field. You think maybe its false advertising? I’m not that technical – and my customers and network will think that I am? They don’t – because they read my content all the time. They know I am a translator. I am the API that connects developers to business – this is the brand I have established online. They don’t expect me to understand everything they say – but they love that I listen to them and I introduce them to people that will help them or people that need them.