As many of my physician clients move into the interview and employment contract negotiation season, they have so much to think about to get ready for the upcoming events.
Many report that they haven't had time to focus on anything else besides training and that they feel underprepared for interview season. For many, business and financial conversations invoke a lot of anxiety.
This season is crucial and will pave the way for first attending positions and certainly the first few years of new compensation and benefits packages. My clients also report that they really haven't paid much attention to their online life. So due to this being a truth for many, I always promote doing a Branding Audit aka Facelift to your current social media profiles. I believe this is imperative anymore; given the competitive marketplace we are all in and we are only given one chance to show the world who we are, from a device.
The perception of yourself is one you can't truly explain by phone or in person meeting when the one receiving information on your behalf as they may have already begun their research and has an assumption about you and your character. It is possible that the way you show up online is perceived a different way than you had hoped for, which could translate into less opportunities and the goal is to create as many as possible, so that you can choose to select the best opportunity for you and your family.
So, at this point, you are gathering information about where to apply, getting your interviews scheduled and will be eventually starting your contract negotiations. I am a firm believer that knowing how to develop your talents brings you confidence and practicing your communication skills is important so you do your best on the phone, in the zoom meeting or in person. I encourage all of you to practice this on your own and keep a tracker of notes so that you can weigh the pros and cons of each employer to help you decide on which job will be the best for you. But, in addition to all of this preparation, what if…
You do all this work to prepare, but yet haven’t stopped to scrub your online life. Could this affect your ability to get that job?
The people that are hiring you are definitely not only doing a background check but also digging deep into the weeds about who you are as a person. I certainly don’t want you to change who you are, but it is possible that a little face lift online could be beneficial to your overall online reputation and financial success?
Tip:
Many of us forget that those who are interested in working with us will be looking us up online. Lack of details may look unprofessional but overindulging in the details online could also have it's adverse effects. Show up online exactly how you would like to be perceived in that meeting or interview.
Here’s how to do it:
Start with an Online Audit of your Name and Social Media Platforms
Create a LinkedIn Profile or Review your Current Profile and Update the Content
Be Sure To Have An Updated Professional Profile Photo Online
Do an Inventory Check of your Wardrobe for Scheduled and Impromptu Online Meetings
Have Some Essential Online Meeting Gear on Hand
Think of yourself as a business and understand who you want to be, among your competition.
To dive deeper into these points, I have touched on the "why" I think this is so important below:
If you start with an online search of your name, you can quickly see if any older school or employment associations pop up and/or images you may not care for a future employer to see. Also, review your personal social media accounts and make a formal decision on what you would like to share about yourself, your family, your interests and so on moving forward.
An example on an online audit would be by going onto Facebook. They have been known to republish images or content that you have made private so scrolling all the way backwards to the original time frame you started your account could be helpful and could be tedious so give yourself enough time on this. Secondly, take LinkedIn for another example. You can take advantage of this profile to create an amazing CV of yourself and this is the place to share all of your good work online. This is the place to tell the world about your accomplishments and professional partnerships. This network of people could present opportunities for you that you wouldn't have dreamed of, as these accounts have search functions and your location and specialty could be in someone's wish list and/or your colleague maybe able to find you for that random connection you/they were looking for.
Take the time to scrub and polish all your accounts, especially those that may not be used as often to become familiar with the content that you are providing out there in cyberspace. Make sure that you as presenting the brand that matches the person you truly are, in your interviews and meetings.
Other ideas are to do an inventory of your business casual/professional clothing to be sure everything fits and gives you a level of confidence for those scheduled meetings and those that may be impromptu. A simple step like this will help you to have less anxiety because you are not caught underprepared. Stick with solid colors without stripes and patterns as these tend to show up best on camera.
Consider updating a few things in your home office or at work to allow you to be able to have the best virtual experience and this can be done by buying a few gadgets that are affordable and easy to have on hand. Please see my gear recommendations for an easy reference.
Also, consider searching for relevant “tips” videos on YouTube or podcasts that will build your confidence, whether it is to polish your communication skills or how to improve lighting for those online meetings. There is so much out to dive into to help you prepare.
Give yourself time to mandate your Audit and although it isn't always fun to stop and work on these agenda items. Once you are done with it, you will feel so much better with one less thing to worry about.
Good luck out there and happy negotiating!
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