In my last post, I said I was going to start the year by walking you through five critical elements to master if you want to advance your career. They are the following:

1. Organize, synthesize and crystallize your accomplishments and the key themes of your career.

2. Systematize your activities, and build repeatable processes.

3. Publicize yourself in a way that contributes value, and socialize through both real world and virtual networking.

4. Visualize the goal for which you are striving as you are more likely to achieve success by doing so.

5. Actualize your vision by taking actions toward it every day.

Today, I will talk about the third theme — how to safely and effectively make yourself discoverable.  These days, you simply can’t ignore social media because recruiters, potential customers, members, employers, employees, donors and the merely curious use it as critical research and connection tools.  But, there are pitfalls in utilizing it, so you need to strategically, thoughtfully and cautiously proceed so as to proactively manage your personal brand online.

Here are five common mistakes to avoid:

1.  Random, sporadic, episodic appearances.  You may be moved to blog, tweet or comment on someone else’s post from time to time.  This probably won’t do too much harm, but, it likely won’t do much good, either, if you want to build a consistent online presence.  You need to be quite systematic and diligent in regularly making appearances, and work to build a consistent footprint in a few, well chosen forums.  Decide on your criteria for the social media sites and platforms most pertinent for you to frequent, and make yourself a regular contributor so you gain recognition and followers over time.

Since we encourage participation in niche communities, why don’t you start by sending some of your ideas, tips and stories to http:/blog.execsearches.com, and become a valued contributor here?

2.  Regrettable revelations or embarrassing posts. Do not let go of your common sense or of your judgment when you are online. It is easy to forget just how transparent and viral social media are, and one over-emotional comment or compromising photograph can have unfortunate ramifications for the rest of your career.  Use the criterion: Would I feel embarrassed about this if I were in a different context?  If you can’t answer that question with a “no” without even the slightest hesitation, my advice would be to play it safe, and err on the side of revealing too little rather than too much.

3. Not being mindful of the time you spend on social media. Set limits and strict boundaries on the number of hours you spend on social media.  Unless it is your full time job to tweet all day, guard your time as it is a precious, finite resource.  You will never get back the hours you spend online especially if it is an excuse to procrastinate or delay more difficult or important activities.

Also, be purposeful and deliberate about where you go and what you do online, and do not be tempted by each new, shiny option that emerges.  If you expend energy on every new social media site that emerges, you will be wasting your time.  Know what the payback is that you seeking, and only do what works. Make sure you track the payback over time so you can switch strategies if you need.

4.  Only lurking, never participating. Staying forever on the sidelines is as unproductive as being inappropriate or over-active in the wrong places.  Being passive or not participating is missing the whole point of social media — a fabulous democratization of the individual voice.  Without diving in and expressing yourself or joining in the conversation on whichever platform you choose, no one will ever learn anything about you, your opinions or your experience.

There are new rules for building on-line relationships, so proceed with caution lest you inadvertently break them and consequently damage your reputation.  Be guided by the two principles of the law of reciprocity and of the law of generosity, and you will not go far wrong.  The former suggests you return favors, follow those who follow you and comment sensibly and respectfully when someone has written something that interests you.  The latter principle means to freely offer your expertise, opinions and best thinking in the hope that you contribute something valuable without expecting any immediate payback.

5. Focusing on the quantity of contributions.  Building a valuable and respected online presence through social media does not depend on the number of comments or posts you make.  Make sure you are really adding value; do not just sound off or offer bland platitudes of the “me, too” variety.  It’s nice to be appreciative, but if all you can offer is, “Great post!  I liked what you said!”, then, why bother? You are not really adding much significance, but you are contributing to the cacophony of noise.  A focus on quality is a far better way to build your online brand and to help get you found via social media.

So, there are many pitfalls to social media, but if you represent yourself well and genuinely demonstrate a solid background and knowledge base, you will build a strong online brand.  We look forward to hearing your views, stories and tips on this topic.  Add your voice to ours, and increase your chances of being found.

Fredia Woolf, Founder of Woolf Consulting, blogs about career and workplace issues.  She provides Leadership coaching and Organizational “seasoning”, spicing up Productivity, Effectiveness, Performance, Personal Engagement, and Results (PEPPER), while enhancing Strategy, Alignment, Leadership, and Teamwork (SALT).  She can be contacted at fwoolf@woolfconsulting.com.

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