transcript

Speaker 1:
[00:03] Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of IHeartRadio. Good morning, this is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's tip is that there are some things every professional needs, even those who aren't job seeking right now, and even those who aren't currently working for pay. I imagine a lot of Before Breakfast listeners already think of themselves as professionals, but some may not. However, to my mind, even if you are not currently working for pay, being a professional is an identity that is not fully dependent on any specific job. It's about your knowledge, skills, mindset, and relationships. As part of that identity, there are some things every professional needs, so they are able to quickly seize opportunities that arise. For starters, you need number one, a recent headshot, and number two, a current bio. If you are presenting at a conference, joining a nonprofit board, or even speaking at career day at your kid's middle school, you may be asked to provide a photo and a bio. So you want to be able to provide ones you feel good about at a moment's notice. Make sure these items are polished and convey the image you are aiming for. Also be sure that they are reasonably up to date. If you wear glasses and have blonde hair now, you should be wearing glasses and have blonde hair in your headshot. If you have three kids in college, your bio shouldn't say that you have elementary school aged kids. Number three, you also need a current resume or CV even if you are not looking for a job. You might hear about an amazing opportunity and decide to apply for a job unexpectedly. Or you may be asked to provide a resume if you're up for a promotion at work. Or if you're being considered for a major volunteer role in a nonprofit or professional association. Some people find it helpful to have a recurring quarterly task of updating their resume. It is much easier to add in accomplishments from the last three months than to reconstruct the last five years of your life. Remember that your resume isn't just for professional positions. You can also include volunteer work and learning experiences, like licensures or certificates you have pursued. Even if you are not currently working for PAY, you probably have recent skills or accomplishments to add. Number four, people need to be able to reach you. For many people, a LinkedIn profile provides this. LinkedIn lets people learn a bit more about you. Your profile also lets people find you if they're looking for someone with your skills and experiences. In the past, professionals tended to have business cards. I don't think this is especially essential now, but on the other hand, they don't do any harm. You may have business cards from your workplace, or you can also have some made up referring to your freelance or consulting work. Instead of a title and company, just say what services you provide. For instance, graphic design, website development, social media management. You could also just have your name and contact information on your business cards. In any case, with LinkedIn, it's good to get in the habit of updating your profile fairly regularly. Otherwise, a sudden major revamp is a tip off to everyone you are connected to that you are hunting for a new job. Now, sometimes you want people to know that. Other times you don't. So be sure this is more of a regular thing. You also need to look professional. So to that end, you need number five, a business casual outfit, and number six, a dressy business outfit. You want clothes that you feel confident in and can move in, and that convey the image you are going for. If you get a last minute invitation to give a talk, you want to be able to spend time planning your talk, not figuring out what you're going to wear. If you find out about a networking event happening tomorrow, you want to feel great about how you look, without having to spend all evening shopping for the perfect outfit. So to recap, you need number one, a headshot, number two, a bio, number three, a current resume or CV, number four, a way people can find you, so that means a LinkedIn profile and possibly business cards, number five, a business casual outfit, and number six, a dressy business outfit you feel good in. If you don't have all these things, you could set a goal of adding one per month. If you do, six months from now, you may find yourself feeling more confident in your identity as a professional and more hopeful for your future. In the meantime, this is Laura. Thanks for listening. And here's to making the most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at lauravanderkam.com. Before Breakfast is a production of IHeartMedia. For more podcasts from IHeartMedia, please visit the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.