This post is the second in a series discussing how expat professionals and entrepreneurs can stand out in the global marketplace. Before reading this article, I invite you to read Expat Careers & Businesses: How to Stand Out in the Global Marketplace - Part 1.
The second strategy for standing out in the global marketplace is through media or industry recognition.
MEDIA OR INDUSTRY RECOGNITION
Given the global war for talent and trends like telecommuting and working via VOIP and videochat, you are competing in the global marketplace even if you are looking for a job or business locally. With such a phenomenal increase in competition, how can one be found and stand out?
Pursuing industry or media recognition is a very effective way to differentiate yourself from your competition. Consider the ratio of people in any given industry to those who have been recognized by industry leaders or the media and it would be hard to argue otherwise.
Not only will it increase your visibility and help you stand out, but it also helps build trust in your thought leadership in your area of expertise. This trust is critical when competing amongst other well qualified professionals or businesses.
Why? Because people hire experts. People featured in the media or industry publications are seen as experts. They are seen as people you can trust to know what they are talking about. No credible media or industry source is going to quote or feature someone without demonstrated authority on their subject matter expertise.
HOW TO GET NOTICED
Doing stellar work is of course one way to be recognized by recognized authorities in your industry or the media. But with the amount of stellar work out there sometimes that's just not enough.
First and foremost you must have a clearly articulated, compelling and differentiating personal brand so that both industry and the media can "hear" you as a unique voice amongst the noise of the masses both on and offline.
That unique voice will most likely prompt people to take notice when you take a definitive stand on a issue aligned with your brand and of real interest to your target market or audience in your target country.
It was my taking a stand about personal branding being THE way to find true professional satisfaction and success abroad back in 2006 when very few people were talking about it that helped me stand out. It was also my focus on the critical nature of your online reputation and networking to your career success overseas over the last five years that has further distinguished me from my peers. (A HUGE hat tip to William Arruda and Kirsten Dixson for opening my eyes to the power of personal branding and your online identity - both pioneers in these areass. They both continue to stay on the cutting edge in these areas and the career space.)
Even with a powerful message, why would people listen and take me seriously? It was my client successes that provided evidence to support my words. Words not backed up by anything to prove them true will make you anything but trusted media source.
ITS NOT JUST WHAT YOU SAY ITS HOW YOU SAY IT
You'll want to make sure your differentiated, unique perspective on a particular topic will resonate with industry authorities or the media that your target audience listens to, watches or reads. The chances of them featuring you if they don't agree with the tone, style and essence of your message - or if the timing is not right - is significantly reduced. For this reason you need to evaluate each of these factors when taking strategic steps to share your thought leadership such as submitting articles to particular media sources or publications that your target audience or market reads.
BECOME THE MEDIA OR AN INDUSTRY AUTHORITY
With so many forms of social media (in particular blogging) providing platforms from which people can reach and influence millions of people, getting increased visibility does not have to be dependent on media or industry sources. It is now possible for YOU to become an industry resource or authority yourself.
For example, my colleague Jason Alba (and former expat) became a thought leader and an online "hub" in the career space by blogging everyday for a year. He shared about his own challenges as a job seeker and the tools that he developed to try and help him manage that process. The wealth of knowledge he shared, his authentic and engaging style and his regular engagement with his readers made him a credible, real, and respected voice amongst thousands of blogs in the career space. He then leveraged his technology experience and his own learning from the job search and blogging to build an incredibly powerful service called Jibberjobber. To say it helps jobs seekers manage their career and network effectively would not do it justice. There is nothing else comparable in the marketplace and I invite every career professional to visit Jibberjobber see what it can do for you.
Jason's thought leadership in job search and networking naturally led him to becoming an expert on how other online tools can be of help to job seekers - namely Linkedin and Facebook. He has written two excellent books to help guide job seekers and careerists - I'm on Linkedin - Now What? and I'm on Facebook - Now What? (co-authored with Facebook expert Jesse Stay). Both of these publications further enhanced his status as an expert. Now he is in high demand as a speaker for events around the world as well as a media source for leveraging Linkedin in the job search.
Gary Vaynerchuk (also an expat from Belarus) is also someone who has leveraged social media to make himself a household name worldwide (and his business millions of US dollars). In 2006 he launched a daily video blog about wine. His very unique and unorthodox way of looking at wine garnered so much attention that it would be impossible to list all of the media credits here. With Wine Library TV garnering 90,000 daily viewers, Gary's daily "converations" with his customers have made him an indisputable authority in the wine space. A New York Times bestselling author, highly sought after speaker and business consultant, Gary is an inspiring example of how to become an industry authority. When Gary talks, people not only listen, they are inspired to take action in whatever he is guiding them to do. To learn to do what Gary did, read his book: Crush It! Why Now is The Time to Cash in on Your Passion.
Granted the time and work to become an trusted authority is not for everyone, but it is another option for those keen to stand out and get noticed in the global marketplace.
EXPAT CAREER AND BUSINESS SUCCESS TIP: First, be sure to read Expat Careers & Businesses: How to Stand Out in the Global Marketplace - Part 1. Then ask yourself:
- Do I have a compelling and differentiating personal brand which will help my voice be heard amongst the masses?
- Am I taking a stand for something that the right media or industry authorities will consider timely, relevant and engaging to your target audience or market?
- Am I missing out or being proactive enough about being recognized for my expertise in the media or my industry?
- Are there media channels on or offline to whom I could be a resource?
- Have I been using visibility resources to help increase my visibility?
- Does the idea of becoming an online industry hub by blogging about my expertise excite me?
Based on your answers, identify and take specific action to increase your chances of standing out from the competition through media or industry recognition.
Stay tuned for part 3!
Would you like to use this article in your newsletter or website? Permission will be given to those who include this information: Author: Megan Fitzgerald, expat and international career coach, helps forward-thinking expats become highly visible, sought after experts and leaders and succeed abroad. Sign up for expat and international career success tips: www.careerbychoiceblog.com
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ career by choice can help you...become an expat and experience a global lifestyle ~ explore international career options and find work abroad ~ understand your Brand DNA and how you perform at your best ~ clarify your personal brand so you can stand out and be sought after for top jobs overseas ~ develop marketing tools and strategies to communicate your unique expertise in a compelling way ~ strengthen your online reputation to attract employers and secure international jobs ~ become highly visible, recognized and well compensated for the value you create ~ overcome challenges and grow as a leader on international assignments ~ leverage social media to build your global online network ~ develop a global mindset ~ find an international career coach and experienced guide ~ conduct an international job search ~ optimize your choices and discover success abroad on your terms by being your best self. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hallo Megan! Great series of articles! Your authentic help and unique knowledge and expertise about how to improve our business and career is always very special! Many thanks:-)
Posted by: Paola Fiore | April 2011 at 17:07