How does one build presence at work after work and online? At work, look professional. Make ur points concisely. Make eye contact while speaking. Be consistent and under control even under pressure. Ask for honest feedback from colleagues. They can be ur allies.
After work. Ask for Constructive criticism from spouse family friends. Handle annoying people with grace. Go around when u arrive at a party. Think of conversation topics before hand
Online ur audience is vast. Be careful. Ask trusted online friends what they like and dislike abt you. Choose not to respond at times. That can be the best response.
Don’t be the two of u. Be urself. Try to adopt some characteristics foreign to u. So u grow. But don’t do a 180 degree style shift.
Get noticed , think out of the box, start a fight , start an argument, agree to everything anybody says, stay relevant , break the barriers , break some expensive thing in the room or house of the guest.
Get kicked out of the room/party then apologize profoundly.
Remember is is not the first impression which counts , it is all the impressions after the first one which build long lasting relationship, if you do not agree watch any desi romantic movie.
The differentiation of self is critical, or you are just perpetuating yourself as a commodity.
Effort, consistency, adding value, being a connector of others, being involved in overall segment (industry, field,etc) are critical.
There are easier ways, and I have seen examples which are people building fake personas, accomplishments, skills, education etc, and some get caught some don’t. That short term yahoo CEO had a little sprinkling of lies that finally caught up to him.
I had always been well connected within my company but a few years ago with broader issues in the company I was extremely concerned about my job. As I started looking in the toughest economy I realized that while my network was bigger than most and I had done some stuff to differentiate myself, it was not enough. It was my never again moment.
I landed a better gig, bailed from the old company and went ons process to slowly start building this presence in industry, from writing in company blogs to industry magazines, speaking at a few conferences and meeting people at industry events. I even got quoted in a book The difference between then and now has been pretty amazing for myself in terms of opportunity. It’s doable for anyone but takes some regular effort.
Btw to anyone reading, it starts with a slight mental shift. People use their employer or uni name as pedigree, which is fine and helps you seem different from others without that brand school or organization, but instead of John who went to MIT and works at google as a software manager, if you see yourself as John, an expert in XYZ who has done abc, had training and education at MIT and currently works at Google, that will help as a starting point and then just grow from there.
Brilliant. Quoted for posterity. This is so helpful for people who are either starting their career or have spent several years. One of the most useful pieces of career advice. Regardless of one’s chosen field of work.
The difference between then and now has been pretty amazing for myself in terms of opportunity. It’s doable for anyone but takes some regular effort.