Looking for Your Next Executive Role? Take Your In-person and Online Brand Up a Level

When I worked in an office in my younger days, we could always tell when people were preparing to move up the corporate ladder or to move on to a job outside the company. What was the tell? They started dressing better. They got a sharp new haircut and perhaps began coloring their hair. Behind the scenes, people assumed they were working with an image consultant or perhaps following the advice of John T. Molloy in his Dress for Success and Dress for Success for Women books, published in the late 1970s.

Dressing for success is still a great strategy for getting noticed, although thankfully, there is now considerably more room for individual expression than when Molloy’s prescription reigned. When we are better dressed, we feel better about ourselves and perform better. We are more likely to share our opinions in meetings, more willing to articulate our accomplishments, and more likely to volunteer for challenging assignments. If you’ve never felt the uplift you get from stylish new business attire, I recommend you seek the advice of a professional image consultant or upscale clothier.

But getting noticed for opportunities also happens online

With hybrid work situations and digital access to employers and colleagues, dressing for those who will see you in person is only part of the equation. In addition to improving how you show up in person, attention to your brand online is also vital. Recruiters are searching online on LinkedIn for people just like you, around the clock and around the world. Other than through your portrait (which should be a professional head shot), they can’t see what you’re wearing; they can’t hear or see how you’re presenting yourself. What they see is what you’ve written about yourself. If you are like most business professionals, your online presence is synonymous with your LinkedIn profile and how you engage with LinkedIn’s homepage feed.

 What does dressing for success look like online?

An executive LinkedIn profile should showcase your personal brand in a way that:

• Introduces you effectively before your first conversation takes place

• Shares your purpose, business passion, and principles

• Builds a foundation for others to know, like and trust you

• Enumerates your accomplishments and business results while acknowledging the support of your team

• Is memorable

• Takes full advantage of opportunities to use your keywords within context

Engagement with LinkedIn’s homepage feed:

Whether you are wanting to express your thought leadership online or comment in support of a colleague’s post, the way you do so on LinkedIn is part of the public record and represents your brand. Focus on topics that matter to you and comment in a way that nurtures your business relationships online.

 Professional help for your online presence:

Just as you might seek the assistance of a professional image consultant to improve your appearance, executives are well-advised to seek a professional online branding expert to improve their profile and presence on LinkedIn. This is what I do. My approach to telling my clients’ business stories on LinkedIn is rooted in a deep understanding of brand and of how LinkedIn works.

Selected by The American Reporter as one of the top 6 personal branding experts, I work exclusively with top executives and senior leaders. I am the author of the award-winning book LinkedIn for the Savvy Executive: Promote Your Brand with Authenticity, Tact and Power – 2nd Edition.

If you’d like to get started, you can contact me, and I’ll be happy to help you navigate your executive branding journey.