There has never been a time in history where it has been easier, cheaper or more efficient to shape your personal brand to highlight your passion, spotlight your skills and expose to the world, your accomplishments. The proliferation of online platforms has made it possible to deftly create or sculpt a specific identity that conveys who you are, your particular interests and your ultimate objective in life. Let’s take stock of some of the possibilities that we tend to recommend to our engineering and technical clients.
Let’s say for example that you have a desire for being an engineering professional focused on offshore safety. How and where do you convey that fact so your name will be associated with offshore safety engineering when a hiring manager, HR representative or executive recruiter goes casting about online for an engineer with a passion for improving safety? Consider the following.
Start with your CV
Craft your CV with an emphasis on what makes your background, experience and abilities qualified for a role as an engineer and safety guru for offshore platforms. Tailor each job with the type of experience and ability relevant to risk assessments, HAZIDs and safety briefings and other critical tasks while offshore. Begin your CV with a summary statement that forms your 30 second elevator speech.
Write a blog
Try your hand at blogging about some aspect of offshore safety in the oil and gas industry or perhaps safety behaviours and attitudes. The key here is to be prepared to have a regular schedule of blog posts. The blog can focus on your experience, case studies, creative ideas, people who are authorities or thought leaders, what others are doing or techniques, just to name a few tactics. Also, invite your colleagues and others in the field to guest post. Be sure to pick a title for your blog that is intuitive, clever and interesting. Make sure you then share the blog over other social infrastructure platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. Among some popular blogging platforms are Medium, WordPress, Tumblr, and Blogger, to name a few.
Optimise your LinkedIn
Update your LinkedIn profile to reflect the character and language of your CV. Pay particular attention to your “Professional Headline” and “Summary Statement” ensuring that they are descriptive and relevant to safety professionals. For example, the headline might read as follows: “Offshore Safety Advisor” or “Offshore Safety Consultant.” Then your summary statement could read something like: “20+ years’ progressive and accountable Offshore Safety experience. Holds relevant OTIPO, IOSH and NEBOSH qualifications and confidently act as a visible and proactive safety leader in the Oil & Gas sector.
In addition to your profile, look for LinkedIn Groups that focus on “offshore safety,” “safety management” or “hazard identification.” Do a simple search to identify the groups and then depending if they are open or private, apply to join. With that accomplished, engage with the groups, add content and value where and when appropriate. Also, if there is an absence of groups related to your focus, create a Group or two that that puts a stake in the ground about “Offshore Safety in the Oil & Gas Industry”. Have a mission and objective that will be attractive to others in the field. Once completed invite others to join and collaborate.
Consider Facebook
First, have your Facebook profile mirror your LinkedIn profile, emphasising your skill set and accomplishments in offshore safety or whatever is your preferred calling. Next when and as you post your updates, focus them on content, photos, opinions on topics related to the safety, engineering and risk management. That’s not to say you should not post other content. The key is over time you want to build up a legacy of content that portrays your interests, passions and experience in offshore safety. One more point. Post content that is thoughtful, instructive and interesting.
Be seen on Instagram
The Instagram platform is a terrific vehicle for posting content that is visual and engaging. If you create images you can match colours to your company’s brand (if you have one) but when it comes to adding photos, the number one tip is to be authentic. People like to feel like they’re connecting to a person — rather than an idea. For that reason we always recommend responding to every comment directly to the person who took the time to write it.
If you already have a Twitter handle, no issue, get a second one. Create a handle that reflects how you want to brand yourself, for example “@offshoresafety” Intuitively it establishes your role as a safety professional involved in the oil and gas industry.
Next, in 280 characters or less, tweet ideas, advice, news, counsel, requests, other sites (like your blog posts) or any piece of information or knowledge that conveys something about “offshore safety and engineering.” Do this consistently. Also, start following other safety professionals and people whose livelihood depends on ensuring a safe workplace for men and women offshore. Also follow other bloggers and reporters who write about safety. In due time, people will start following you based on your own content and posts.
Other Platforms
There are many other platforms available to promote your passions and career preferences such as Quora, About Me….the list goes on!. And for each one, employ the same methodology. Communicate the relevant skills and abilities most appropriate to the industries that hold your greatest career interests.
Time will tell
Bear in mind results won’t be immediate. It will take some time of constant and intense focus on your career and passion and communicating it through various virtual platforms. But with time, your brand will shine through and your Google rank will improve.
