I was reading Think Strategically About Your Career Development by Dorie Clark the other day. All of her tips are really good, but the last one in her article got me thinking about external reputations. She discusses the importance of developing an external reputation. I wholeheartedly agree and have shared this same thinking with many people that I have mentored and coached over the years. It does take some time to develop this, but it is so important. You can join a professional organization, lead a volunteer group, be a part of a networking group, speak at conferences, write articles or books.
Here are the reasons why you need to spend time doing it:
- Gives Perspective
- Helps you see what is happening outside of your own organization and learn from others. It can be really easy to assume how things are if you only look inside the four walls of your own company. Get out once in a while to validate the things that are being done and see if you can learn new things for yourself and to bring into your organization.
- Builds Credibility
- It helps you build additional skills that you may not be able to get in your current company. Your internal credibility will increase dramatically if you have a strong external reputation. It reminds your own organization that they have a valuable employee who has many talents. It also good for your company because what you are doing shines a positive light on them as well.
- Builds A Strong Network
- It is always a priority to have a strong internal and external network. It can help you in your job search or to have people to lean on if you should need help. Don’t wait until you starting a job search to start building it. It takes time to build up a good network, so start today if you haven’t already. Build valuable connections on LinkedIn at a minimum and you will begin to increase your professional profile.
As Dorie points out in the article, external hires get a bigger bump in salary than a longtime internal employee will ever get with their merit raise. It is extremely unfortunate, but I think companies underestimate the skills of their current employees. This is why there is a strong need to show your value to your company. An external hire will have a lot more to learn than you would as someone who already knows the company. Let your management know that you are ready for the next step and share the value that you provide. Knowing your value is important whether you stay at your current company or are preparing to move to a new one.
The article above also talks about joining a Mastermind Group to help you focus on your career. If you are interested in joining the Vision Accomplished Mastermind Group, just hit reply and let’s chat about it. The group is already helping members reach their goals so much faster! Don’t you want that too?