Being visible online is really important many careers these days, whether academic or alt-ac. There are always exceptions of course – people who build brilliant career with zero online presence but they are increasingly rare!
You don’t need to be a prolific poster on social media or have a really fancy website but think how many times you have done an online search to find someone’s contact details or background information…If you have an online presence, people can find you.
When you are transitioning out of academia, you often need to raise your profile beyond where you are known already (i.e., beyond academia) and being on social media and/or having a website is a really simple way of being visible and contactable for all the new people you are going to be networking with! If someone does an online search for you, can they find you easily? Do you have an up-to-date LinkedIn profile? Do you have an up-to-date Twitter feed? Do you need to set-up a website which outlines who you are and what you (can) do?
Be clear
When you start thinking about your alt-ac career it is helpful to be clear about how and why you are developing your online presence. The rationale is likely to be slightly different than it is for people working in academia. For them, publication, grants and indicators of esteem may be the career highlights they want to showcase (along with their H-Index!). However, for the alt-ac world, publications and grant income often are less important (not always, but often). So what should you focus on?
Your online presence needs to be clear about what you offer so that employers (or clients if you are planning to set-up your own business) can quickly find out what your ‘added value’ would be to their organisation.
Be clear in your online messaging across all social media platforms and your blog and/or website (if you build one). Be the person who can achieve the career you are thinking you want develop.
- Who are you?
- What do you do?
- Who do you help?
- What are your skills?
- What is your experience?
Write your social media blurbs in the first-person and don’t be shy! Don’t devalue yourself or your offer. Tell people who you are and what do you bring to the table. What is your unique blend of experience, knowledge and skills? If you can then ‘sell’ that blend in an interesting and creative way – so that you are memorable and stand out in the online space – you will reap the career rewards!
Be consistent
In a similar way to the idea of ‘selling’ your skills feeling uncomfortable [Beyond Academia: How to Sell Your Skills], the idea of ‘branding’ yourself may also feel uncomfortable! However, standing out online means being consistent in your messaging and it is helpful to think of yourself as a brand. In online marketing, ‘know, like, trust’ has become a mantra – people buy things from people who they feel like they ‘know, like, trust’. You can apply this mantra to your online presence.
When you are building your online network in the alt-ac world, it is less about academic ego and more about enabling people to get to know you (and you them), liking you for your insightful, interesting and supportive comments, and then trusting that you are a person that they would like to have work for them/with them.
During your transition to alt-ac, standing out as a brand is a real advantage. If you are sold on the importance of this (!) then Chris Cornthwaite at Roostervane has some great tips that I really recommend you explore: These 2 Questions Will Give You a Magnetic Personal Brand – Roostervane
