Sophie Hirst
Author
December 3, 2024
I got this question from a mentee this week:
"How do I position myself as an expert on LinkedIn when I'm just starting out in my career and I don't feel like an expert at all?"
Such a good question.
Here's a simple list of simple-ish things you can do to start showcasing your expertise, even when you're not actually an expert yet.
Lowest-hanging fruit (20 min/wk)
Sorry, I hate that expression 🍒
- Follow 3-5 experts in your field on LinkedIn.
- Write one thoughtful comment a day that adds your perspective or a new insight (“Great post!” won’t do it).
- If you’re feeling it, give your profile a glow-up.
Build a public-facing collection of how you think about stuff (1-5 hr/wk)
- This can be your newsletter (e.g., Substack, Beehive) or LinkedIn 1:1:1 method: 1 post/week, on 1 platform, for 1 year.
- Look for opportunities to repurpose that content, e.g., on your company blog/socials or guest posts for people you follow.
- At some point (if your company's cool with it), you can consider opinion pieces and media interviews too.
Make a pact with yourself to not sound like everyone else
- The hardest part of all this is that everyone’s following an identical playbook.
- Keep a list (personal promise) of how you’re never going to post.
- My list includes: avoiding "Broetry" and starting posts with “Was so great to be part of blah last night” or “So humbled to be invited to speak at blah.”
Steal these format ideas and make them your own
*Examples below are clickable. 💁🏼
1. Go to industry events, recap learnings, and tag the speakers.
2. Curate a long list of helpful resources for other professionals at your level in your field. Another mentee (👋🏼 Noah) does this well with his monthly newsletter that rounds up events and job opportunities for recent grads like him.
3. Share your process or method for something you’re good at in your job. (Even if you may not feel like an expert in your industry yet, you’re an expert at some part of your day-to-day job.)
4. Tell behind-the-scenes stories.
5. Curate and summarise existing content to save other people time.
6. Share advice you have for people who are a couple of steps behind you in the journey.
7. Ask people for a recommendation/advice.
8. Link stuff to pop culture.
9. Share test & learn stuff.
10. Do breakdowns of players in your field and why you think they’re winning.
11. Find and tell historical stories related to your industry using the format: “Here’s how [famous person] did [thing].”
12. If you really wanna go for it, share DIMLs (Day In My Life) as a [your job]. H/t to Workbaby community member ✨Mel✨ for this one.
13. Don't know what to write about? Try the One Person, One Problem, One Solution method. This TikTok explains it.
PS. Is there a *right* way to humblebrag? IMO... yes.
Share your achievement in a way that can help other people reach the same achievement.
Or just lean into the brag!
One last thing…
Embarking on a new journey with Olivia,
Soph ✌🏼