Personal Visibility – The Power of You! | A First Impression Guide & Visibility Resource

I’ve Seen You Online & You Look Nothing Like Yourself

Its true. I’ve looked at most of your online profiles and you appear to be nothing like yourself in person. The pictures you’re using aren’t very flattering––you’re much more attractive in person! And the background and accomplishments you’ve listed make modest look a bit egocentric. If I didn’t know better I’d think you were making a concerted effort to be as unimpressive as possible. In the for-what-its-worth category, I’m afraid an opportunity giver wouldn’t give you a second look. You can only hope that the people looking at you online know your attributes better than your profile would suggest. Guess what? Fat chance––casual relationships as well as complete strangers are looking and evaluating and some may have an offer you wouldn’t want to miss out on… at least not on purpose! In today’s world of virtual relationships, you can’t afford to be modest. If you don’t promote you, who will?

Person-to-person contact continues to give way to the efficiency of online interactions and it’s become very simple, if not preferred, to access profiles on sites like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Qnary, Brand Yourself, About Me or a host of other platforms to learn more about a person. Frankly, with search engine functionality being what it is, you will be found and the question is this: Will your profile merit a second look? Whether it’s a passive recruiting effort, a social opportunity or someone simply checking you out prior to or after a meeting, the digital version of yourself might just be the first and only chance you have to make that important first impression. It doesn’t matter if you occupy the corner office or you’re a stay-at-home-mom, people are looking––you can count on that! Maybe it’s a neighbor, a supervisor, the HR department, a recruiter, the person you’re meeting with next, the person you just met with or a start-up parsing through profiles for a particular expertise.

Unfortunately, many people stand out in person but simply blend in online. Here’s the challenge: Can you bridge the gap between your offline persona and your online profile? Can you properly portray the dressed-up digital version of yourself? You have an expanding virtual network of online relationships and if you don’t make your profile(s) a bit stickier, you will continue to be part of that vast sea of sameness––both anonymous and irrelevant in the online sense. In today’s digital world and just a small step beyond your immediate person-to-person sphere of influence, visibility and opportunity go hand in hand.

Don’t be unimpressive––it doesn’t look good on you.

Digital Exhaust––What Kind of Trail Are You Leaving?

Is your online persona an authentic representation of you? Have you taken any liberties in the description of your attributes, characteristics, skills or experiences? Is there any fudge whatsoever in a past title or scholastic achievement? Would someone recognize you from your current profile picture? In today’s digital environment, any and all representations are likely part of your permanent online record––whether you want it to be or not.

Person-to-person relationships are one thing in terms of familiarity, however, with the expansion of virtual networks across a myriad of social and professional networking sites and no validation of any kind taking place by the very platforms where our personal information is being posted, a real temptation exists for some to exaggerate and misrepresent their qualifications and backgrounds. Whether it’s an online profile or a professional resume, we are all playing by the so-called honor system. However, as tempting as a little “spin” might be, one should understand that there’s an increasing likelihood that a digital prevarication will be discovered––it’s probably just a matter of time and the consequences could be costly.

“Everybody has the capacity to be dishonest, and almost everybody cheats”—but “just by a little.” That’s according to the behavioral economist Dan Ariely, the author of The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone—Especially Ourselves. In addition, a professor from Cornell, Jeff Hancock, has done substantial research on the dynamics of dishonesty and concluded that at least one in 10 text messages involves a lie of some sort. In a recent survey done by Consumer Reports, one in four people admitted to falsifying information on Facebook. According to another study of online daters, over 80 percent exaggerated attributes on their personal profiles. Hancock says, “When people are spatially distant from the people we’re interacting with, they have an easier time lying.” Put differently, that might suggest that utilities like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, among others, are great “truth-stretching” platforms. And, if you’ve spent any time on these sites, you’ve likely experienced it firsthand with someone you know well enough to know that a misrepresentation is being made.

Many of us were taught early in our professional lives that anything we put in writing is discoverable and that was true even prior to email, Facebook and Twitter. Today, all communications leave a trail, particularly in this digital age where cloud storage, screen shots, cell phones, email chains, digital archives or a multitude of other storage and capture methods are recording the details of everything we do online––can you say Big Brother?

Based on both the efficiency and increasing personal preference for online interactions, more and more encounters are taking place digitally and that means it’s more important than ever that personal representations are not only accurate, but hold up to a closer-than-cursory look, particularly with the convenience and anonymity of 24/7 access to your various social media sites by anyone choosing to look. You have a burgeoning permanent record and you should make certain it’s accurate––there’s no going back.

Remember, you never know who’s looking.

Or, who’s keeping score.

What You Don’t Know WILL Hurt You

How many people have peeked at your profile, made a snap judgment and simply moved on? With search engine functionality being so effective and more and more people using these powerful tools to find candidates for everything from social events to jobs to advisory board opportunities, ask yourself this question: Are you positioned to make a quality first impression––it may be the one and only chance you get! Given the ubiquitous media platforms, social and otherwise, continually pushing data our way combined with limited time availability, we are all relegated to triage our media consumption (read: self-inflicted attention deficit disorder) if we want to survive but still participate in the various platforms such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr, Drudge, ESPN, YouTube, text, email, and so forth and so on––there’s just too damn many to name. We all have our favorites and with each new platform we choose to participate in means that we must divide our available time into yet another and even smaller slice of cursory glances and snap judgment interpretations.

Given that “consumption triage” is simply a survival technique while drinking from the proverbial media fire hose, one should be very cognizant of the requirements for making their own profile stand out versus blend in––being noticeable at a minimum. Whether its your product or your personal profile, social or professional resume, a little stickiness is required or you will find yourself just another zero or one in the vast sea of digital sameness that adds a high level of invisibility to most people. So the bigger question is how do you position yourself online so you don’t get skimmed over or ignored all together?

Start with a quality professional photo of yourself––its worth whatever you invest and can be used across multiple platforms. No selfies. No glamour shots. Just a good old fashioned headshot by a professional photographer. Next, get your resume right––both social and professional, including your ever-expanding list of online profiles. If you cannot write a quality summary, bio and related background information, hire someone that can, period. Given the shift that’s taking place toward online interactions versus person-to-person contact, the online version of yourself should be the dressed up version of you. Your online image should be the equivalent of the same effort you make when trying to look your best for those meaningful special occasions where its important for you to make a quality impression. Most all of us do the same thing in those circumstances: we put our best foot forward, both dress and behavior––its just common sense. Your online image requires the very same effort. More often now than ever, your online profile is your first impression opportunity and the question you must ask yourself is this: How many people see your profile and simply move on? If you haven’t made the effort to bridge the gap between your offline persona and your online image, the good news is this… you’ll likely never know that someone found you online, wasn’t impressed and moved on. Consumption triage is the same for everyone––we all do it. That means you must stand out rather than blend in or you’ll never be seen!

Don’t be unimpressive.

Snap Judgments––Don’t Be A Victim!

Snap judgments? Let’s be honest, we’ve all made plenty and plenty have been made about us––that’s just the way it is. Maybe it was the shirt a person was wearing, the car they drove or their tone of voice. Maybe it was an email or even a voice mail. It could have been their walk, an interesting hairdo or some quirky mannerism. Isn’t it funny how we can take one small thing and overlay a complete persona. Yes, we all do it. And the scary part: it often sticks and in some cases we become a broadcaster and proliferate an opinion based on our limited if not single interaction with a person. “She must be a bitch.” “I bet he’s a real asshole to work for!” “What a nerd.” All based on a snap judgment, formed in the instant, without deliberation. How many times have you thought one thing and then had an opportunity to really get to know someone only to learn just how wrong you were? And, whether we like it or not, we’ve also been on the receiving end of a snap judgment––that’s just the way it works.

Getting to know someone adds context to who they really are and that person-to-person intimacy allows for a close familiarity and nearness that often reminds us of a metaphorical phrase we were taught as children and yet have a reasonably difficult time following: “Never judge a book by its cover”. In today’s digital environment, one that includes a new social media platform almost daily, person-to-person contact continues to give way to the efficiency of online interaction. And with only 24 hours in a day, who doesn’t thrive on being more efficient? We have connectivity platforms like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Four Square, Yelp, Tumblr, Instagram and too many others to list. Each comes with a personal profile page and the ability to connect and interact with others. As our online relationships continue to grow in numbers, the intimacy of person-to-person contact and interaction is getting more and more difficult to come by. Your ability to add “context” to who you are is getting more difficult and that’s not going to change. As a matter of fact, it’s going to get more and more challenging and that’s why its so important that you take charge of your online persona, control the narrative about yourself and work diligently to add the necessary personal context for your burgeoning network of colleagues––you can influence that all important first impression, even if it is occurring online!

Count on this: If I am scheduled to have a first meeting with you, I will definitely look you up on LinkedIn, Google you, peek at your Facebook page, check out your Twitter posts and browse through your Instagram pictures––all in an effort to develop a little advance intel and advantage prior to the meeting. I’ll probably enter your name into Spokeo for some additional color. In the process, I will form an opinion about you and if I am wrong, you’ll have to work extra hard to recover! What type of online first impression do you think you make?

Are you confident about your online persona and personal visibility efforts? Snap judgments and first impressions are happening online every minute of the day. Like it or not, people are looking at you and for you––don’t be a victim!

Cattle Have It Easy When It Comes To Branding!

What if someone else decided on your behalf what brand you should wear? And what if you had no choice in being identified as part of a particular herd?

And what if your sphere of influence was a relatively small area where you spent your days and nights and maybe a contiguous field or two in case you decided to stray for a evening or two (read: work, home and play)? Imagine a few people on the ponderosa getting together one day and searing an indelible mark onto your rear end and voila!… you have your own not-so-unique personal brand and you’re stuck with it! No thinking, no scheming and no effort required on your part. A passive branding victim as it were. Actually, come to think of it, that almost perfectly describes what many people do when it comes to their own branding and visibility efforts. No thinking. No scheming. No effort. And you guessed it, it shows! These are people that have decided not to take an active role in establishing and communicating their own brands. They simply allow those around them to silently develop their own opinions and thoughts as to brand and reputation attributes. They allow those throughout their digital network to make their own interpretations based on various online activities or the lack of, with the latter being potentially just as harmful. And contrary to what some believe, brand and reputation are not mutually exclusive. As a matter of fact, most people don’t take an active role in managing either, particularly in this age of ubiquitous social media and a personal digital footprint that expands by the day.

Don’t you think it’s time you grabbed this particular bull by the horns and took control of both your brand and visibility? Just being part of the herd doesn’t cut it any more. You have a personal megaphone (I could have said bullhorn) at your fingertips whether it’s LinkedIn, Facebook, WordPress, Brand Yourself, About Me, Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr or a whole host of other platforms to promote your most important product… YOU.

How will others know if you don’t tell them? Are you willing to leave it up to interpretation? If you’re not in control of your digital footprint, do you think all the pieces will add up to a correct representation of who you actually are? Are you willing to take that chance? Like it or not, search engine functionality brings world-wide visibility and opportunity-givers are combing the web looking for people just like you. Your friends, co-workers and neighbors are looking too. Separate yourself from the herd and stand out if you want to be considered. People are looking and you will be found. It might be a social opportunity, a new job offer, a promotion, a board seat consideration, a consulting role or any number of other life opportunities. With intimacy (person-to-person) giving way to technology, more and more discovery is taking place online and your reach and visibility is greater than ever! Are you positioned to take advantage of this powerful new medium?

Don’t be a cow.

Top 3 Reasons To Get Visible NOW!

The economy is recovering, digital utilities are improving and technology is dis-intermediating person-to-person intimacy, so you better have an online presence with a virtual representation of yourself or you’re carrying the equivalent of the old brick phone in a sleek iPhone world. Go ahead with that particular philosophy and let’s see where it gets you––just say’n. Visibility is key and central for your professional well-being and it’s easier than you might think! Why do it, you ask?

Reason # 1 – DISCOVERABILITY

There are so many connectivity platforms that you have no excuse. Whether it’s LinkedIn or a whole host of others you must rise above the sea-of-sameness and make yourself visible. Quit hiding in plain sight for God’s sake––intentional or otherwise. At least get your head above the fray by fine-tuning your personal profile (social resume), focusing on a couple of key words and phrases and getting a decent photograph of yourself… seriously! Don’t waste your professional visibility efforts on Facebook (neighborhood cocktail party equivalent), engage with LinkedIn, Brand Yourself, About Me, or Qnary, just to name a few of the more popular platforms. Get off the proverbial couch and put yourself out there!

Reason # 2 – OPPORTUNITY

People are looking. Opportunities abound––particularly in this recovering economy. Between social media and crazy-good search engine functionality there are ubiquitous queries taking place and whether its employment, social or advisory… there’s plenty of opportunities. Are your positioned? Passive online recruiting for all of the above is running rampant and I suspect you wouldn’t mind getting blind-sided with a significant career upgrade, social invite, advisory fee or start-up invite… would you???

Reason # 3 – CREDIBILITY

In the absence of a robust online presence, people may wonder if you are incapable, uncaring or just hiding something? Right, wrong or indifferent, that’s how it gets interpreted. It doesn’t matter who you are or the quality of your background; you should have a significant online presence with a high quality virtual representation of yourself. People are looking and whether you’re a Harvard graduate, high school dropout or even if you matriculated at the pinnacle of colleges, Sam Houston State University, you have to tell your story if you want to reach beyond your immediate sphere-of-influence. You have talents, skills and specialities––things you do well, so tell your story! With the appropriate key words, phrases and descriptors of your skill-set and talents, you stand a significant chance of making the so-called short list and getting face-to-face with a decision maker where you can do what you do best and that’s represent your number one product…YOU.

Digital media is an indispensable platform and used responsibly (read: intelligently) it can exponentially magnify your visibility. In other words, it’s your personal megaphone––so use it! It can be your agent and publicist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Put it to work for you on a full-time basis. A few hundred words can paint a perfect picture of who you are and be there on your behalf around-the-clock. Who couldn’t use that? Opportunity givers are combing the web––it’s just a more efficient way of discovery and they’re getting better and better at it. From the newest college grad to the Fortune 50 CEO, everyone has an online presence of some sort and as scary as it is: worldwide visibility. Just make sure yours isn’t the early Sunday morning version of yourself (yikes!).

Personal Branding & Shakespeare – What Could They Possibly Have in Common?

All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts…

–Shakespeare

If the world is a stage, what part are you playing? The lead? A supporting role? Or maybe you’re trying to just be a rock or tree–just part of the background. The truth is, the part you play is of little difference and the inescapable fact is that people are watching and what they see and perceive about you , in whatever role you’re in, creates a lasting impression. To that end, you must know what they say about first impressions…you rarely get a second chance to make one. Often, those single encounters and first impressions have a meaningful impact on life opportunities or moreover, lack thereof. And very often it’s not just first impressions but infrequent encounters can be just as difficult to influence in a positive manner. Who you are, how its communicated, where and to whom are critical in establishing an authentic and meaningful impression. A personal brand impression that influences others about you in a positive way, no matter the part you play on life’s stage–particularly in this evolving digital world. You’re in charge of you and no one can know better than you those personal behavioral assets and traits that should be communicated to establish and/or sustain your brand. It’s one thing to establish a positive persona and personal brand with the colleagues, friends and customers that you interact with on a day-to-day basis but its something all together different to affect perceptions with your virtual associates on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and any number of other online interactions with people with whom you have something less than a close personal relationship. The same observation could likely be made of many of your email exchanges–both personal and professional. When someone sees your name in their inbox, what goes through their mind? They can’t wait to open, read and respond or do they yawn and think, “I’ll get to them later” or worse yet, immediately “delete” to their trash folder? Think about it…that’s your personal brand.

Are you in control of your brand? Are you effectively communicating who you are through every resource available to you? Have to invested the time to wordsmith each of your online profiles and been consistent related to what’s communicated about you in each of those profiles? Have you chosen a third party branding tool like About, Qnary or Brand Yourself to link your various online platforms to increase your visibility? Have you gotten around to purchasing your name as a dot com and centralizing your efforts in promoting YOUR name in order to receive the full benefits of your visibility efforts? One thing is for certain–it won’t happen unless you take control of it. And while there may not one single right way to maximize your brand and visibility there are certain things that should be expressly understood:

1. BE YOURSELF

It’s what you’re best at!

2. ACCENTUATE YOUR POSITIVES

We all do different things well.

3. BE VERY AWARE

Everything adds up and equals YOU.

4. BE NICE

Its central to every good personal brand.

What is it you do that’s distinguishable, unique or even remarkable? Tell the world…it’s your stage.

Surely People Know Who I Am!

In a couple of words… probably not! Don’t kid yourself. One of the more profound observations made by the well know TV host, Dr. Phil is the fact that people don’t think about you nearly as often as you might think! However, when it comes to personal visibility it’s not really about those that know you well enough that they might be prone to think about you. It’s about those that don’t know you at all or all that well.

It’s this group that you must learn to nurture and develop. It’s this group that can produce unexpected but extraordinary opportunities. Opportunities that you’re likely missing out on and you don’t even know it. The funny thing is, the opportunity givers don’t know they’re missing you anymore than you know what you’re missing. Let’s bridge that gap, huh?

You’ll get around to it, you say? You’ll start soon? You’ve been meaning to do it? Bullshit. Personal visibility campaigns are just like diets and exercise––we all dread getting started and we put it off as long as we can! And yes, it is a lot of work. And no, it won’t be as bad as you think in terms of getting started––it never is. And just like every diet and every exercise program, you’ll be glad you did and it will be worth it. And once you finally get started you’ll want to build and build and build––that’s a fact.

Face this fact: You’re on an inexorable path to a more and more comprehensive relationship with technology and it’s not so much a matter of IF you’ll adapt or not. It’s really a matter of how far behind you’ll be before you finally choose to get started. It can either be a proactive decision to get engaged now or you can wait until the decision gets made for you––the latter being the drag-along option. Don’t get left behind!

Before you know it, your profile and social resume will be complete and properly displayed on a number of connectivity platforms. With these platforms working together your visibility will be significantly enhanced, your name will be showing up on the first page of the various search engines and if you play your cards right––your name might just appear when someone googles your profession or principal skill set… that would be the pinnacle of personal branding and visibility! The visibility platforms at your disposal like LinkedIn, AboutMe and Brand Yourself are significant and very effective at telling your story in a compelling and meaningful way. Establish a presence on all, perfect your social resume content and optimize your visibility––the sooner the better.

Be assured of one very compelling fact: There are important people out there looking for the right person to match with their current opportunities, so make sure they have the best odds and opportunity to find you––you’ll both be better for it.

It’s time to start scheming, don’t you think?

You Wouldn’t Go Out Looking Like That Would You?

We all have an old but favorite pair of sweat pants and a not-for-public wrinkled shirt we lounge around the house in, right? Particularly when we know that no one is around and the likelihood of being face-to-face with someone other than an immediate family member is a minimal risk. You have that look don’t you? No shower, maybe a little pillow-hair and looking pretty scary versus your normal “together” self. You’d never leave the house in that condition, would you?

In terms of image, there’s one thing we all have in common: When we have an important social event, a business meeting or client interaction we put our best foot forward. And on those really special occasions we might even get a fresh haircut and purchase something new to wear––all in an effort to make a quality impression and hedge our chances of success by carefully controlling the image that we portray to others. We all have different looks for different occasions but one thing’s for certain… if we know someone important is going to be looking at or evaluating us we go out of our way to be not only on our best behavior but we make ourselves look the best we possibly can. We naturally want to impress as it seems to be both common sense as well as an intelligent act of self-promotion.

So, what about your online presence? Your digital footprint? The seemingly ubiquitous presence you now have with all of your online profiles, activities and interactions. And those profiles are visible 24/7 to anyone in the world galaxy that decides to look. And yet many choose to have a crappy photo or no photograph at all, complete with background information that is sketchy and in many cases with grammar that could use some serious wordsmithing. You’re on display to the world around-the-clock and you’re presenting yourself in the equivalent of that old pair of sweats and wrinkled shirt. Really? We can probably all agree that a sketchy, incomplete and poorly worded profile won’t provoke any confidence with the person looking at your profile or social resume. People with these types of profiles should definitely rein in their expectations, as there’s little chance of an offer… of any kind.

Search engine functionality has improved to the point that anything and everyone can be found. If your profile is constructed properly, positioned strategically and coordinated with the proper keywords and phrases––you will be found and you might want to be looking the digital equivalent of professionally polished. Passive recruiting has always been popular among search firms but the transparency caused by today’s search functionality has given worldwide access to anyone interested in performing a search. That includes the larger search firms all the way down to the one person HR department. Maybe it’s a start-up looking for advisors or a board looking for expertise. Someone, somewhere is attempting to match people with opportunities… are you discoverable? Moreover, are you presentable?

Meaningful people with meaningful opportunities are looking for people just like you and you’ll want to be the most presentable virtual version of yourself whenever they might choose to look your way.

Seriously, take a shower, comb your hair, put on your best outfit and make yourself presentable!

Are You Hiding From Opportunity?

Get visible, now. Quit hiding––even if it’s unintentional. You may not be trying to hide but your lack of visibility is making you virtually transparent with potential opportunity givers. With the economy on the mend and passive recruiting running rampant, ask yourself this simple question: Are you positioned squarely in the path of discovery? It doesn’t necessarily have to be a new career opportunity that finds you––maybe you have zero interest in making a job or career change. However, it could be a long-awaited social opportunity, a chance to share your expertise, a committee role or a board position. Maybe it’s even a new client looking for a specific product provider or skill set, so stand out and be found! One things for certain in today’s attention-deficit world… out of sight, out of mind! In this rapidly evolving environment of connectivity platforms and related start-ups, you likely have an expanding network of contacts including friends, colleagues and customers. Like it or not, intimacy is giving way to efficiency, so nurturing this expanding group is both key and central to your discoverability!

There are a myriad of utilities to help your visibility but the first order of business is constructing your social resume and LinkedIn is probably the best place to start. The format is conducive to telling a complete and compelling story about you (read: resume). LinkedIn is a virtual-professional-gathering and it’s important to understand that the de facto rules of engagement are different than other social networking sites like Facebook. Look at it this way, Facebook is akin to a neighborhood cocktail party (with family members in attendance) and meant for more intimate conversations and the sharing of birthday wishes and photographs and such. While plenty of businesses are using Facebook to communicate their products and services, it’s just not the place for a professional resume nor should it be the anchor of your more serious visibility efforts. LinkedIn is all about business and networking and with a little effort, you can not only make yourself very visible but importantly, you can differentiate YOU in this vast sea-of-sameness. You have a great product––just make sure others know about it! And, there’s no one more qualified to tell your story, promote your skills, talents and accomplishments than you, right?

Many people are already on LinkedIn but haven’t made much of an effort in telling their story––just look through a few of your colleague’s profiles. Many have background information that is half-assed, incomplete (complete with typos) and their profile does an outstanding job of making an extremely poor impression––first or otherwise. Many have a poor or inappropriate photograph or no photograph at all and each tells it’s own story from lazy to lack of decorum to something-to-hide. Not good. Not good. Not good. Believe it or not, people are looking at your profile and googling your name––more than you might think. Just know this: Whether its a coworker, neighbor, recruiter, boss, or friend, you never know who’s looking so be prepared and take advantage of the tools available to you. They can and will work on your behalf around the clock––just like having your own agent and publicist. Who couldn’t use some of that?

Visibility promotes opportunity––don’t miss out on yours.

Personal Visibility – The Power of You!

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