Last month, I was chatting with a friend in Hangzhou, and she said that “I feel like I have no achievements to show when hunting for jobs.” We discussed it. Here are the notes.
More and more people realize that they need to be seen. Their contribution, skills, credit, and accomplishments can only be recognized when be seen. Personal marketing is on an upward trend. It can attract more attention, gain recognition and trust from others, build personal reputation and brand, connect with more great people, and get job opportunities.
Feel like you have nothing to show? Really?
In daily work, there will always be times when you disagree with your boss or clients. After completing the task, you can redo it following your ideas, make a comparison, and share it to see the evaluation and feedback from non-stakeholders.
For example, I wrote an investment report according to the boss’s request. Still, I partly differed from his analysis, so I wrote a research report based on my methodology, which is the work I can show.
Some people who do logo design, design the logos of well-known companies, such as Airbnb and Facebook, and send them out to compare with the current official ones. It’s also a perfect example of showing competences and personal marketing.
In addition, you can imitate the big names in the industry. For example, my friend is an advertising copywriter. She can reproduce Ogilvy & Mather’s car advertisements to write motorcycles, bicycles, and even skateboards. Of course, in this case, you need to indicate your references.
Notice: All of the above must be within the legal scope and not disclose company secrets.
Besides, referring to startup strategy – Build in Public, we can Develop Skills in Public, sharing our journey while mastering a skill or completing a project. It can help others see what you can exactly do, not just your job title and resume.
Content can include:
- Plans of new skills and projects
- The skills you are learning
- Completed assignments or achievements
- Tips for the realization of works
- The obstacles you encountered and how you overcame them
- Insights about the industry or company
Where to post this content?
There are two types of platforms for personal marketing, general-purpose ones like Twitter and LinkedIn, and industry-specific communities like GitHub and Indie Hackers.
P.S. When writing this article, I found a related book, “Show Your Work”. I think it’s good, you can read it.
Great post