Dear Women, We need to brag more

by | Jun 5, 2019 | Career Help

A few weeks ago, I hosted a session with Shana Breland and Jean Hannon to help Long Island Women in Tech members build their personal brand on LinkedIN. Gathered around a table at the local Panera, we reviewed the top 20 tips and tricks for LinkedIN profiles and then sat down with members individually to walk through their profiles.

Pictures were updated, keywords added, descriptions tightened up; all good work for a 2-hour career building session. One woman I mentored stood out to me as a key reason I continue to do this work. She has two MBA’s one in Data Science and the other in Information Systems. She’s by far over qualified for her role and was using verbiage in her profile to downplay her experience. By just a quick update of her headline and profile, she could be attracting recruiters for the next job she wants.

It’s ok to not type up the exact job description you were given. Yes, this is a tough process that requires you to push away imposter syndrome and understand that having the skills is enough. You don’t have to be an expert in everything to get the job.

And, in order to show people that you are more than your job description

YOU NEED TO BRAG MORE.

I read a brief article on Fortune back in 2015 and it triggered my start into building my own personal brand. The author, Teresa Hassara, then president of Institutional Retirement at TIAA-CREF, states

“In terms of your professional career, get your story straight. And I mean your story. You never know when someone is going to ask you who you are and what you do.”

This is something I often forget to put together as life and work happens. Though as Teresa says,

“…don’t let that story sit on the shelf forever. Update it regularly to reflect your growth and new achievements.”

So, in the spirit of updating your story, I am welcoming all members of Long Island Women in Tech to call out their “Active Member” status on their LinkedIN profiles.

Show you’re a member of Long Island Women in Tech!

If you are an Active Member who attends sessions and/or collaborates on our Slack channel, here’s how to call out your status:

  1. Edit your LinkedIN profile
  2. Click “Add Volunteer Experience”
  3. Under Organization, type in “Long Island Women in Tech” and select the organization in the drop down.
  4. Under Role, type “Active Member” or “Mentor”
  5. Under Cause, select “Science and Technology”
  6. Check off “I am currently volunteering in this role”
  7. Select a start date from when you first joined.
  8. Under Description you can copy and paste this statement or type up something that works for you – “I’m an active member and mentor at Long Island Women in Tech, a non-profit focused on helping women obtain and retain technology roles. We’re working to increase the number of women in technology roles on Long Island by providing a supportive community, mentorship, career development and education to women at all levels of their careers.”

If you are a Volunteer who helps organize sessions, attends events on our behalf, promotes our work, etc., here’s how to call out your status:

  1. Edit your LinkedIN profile
  2. Click “Add Experience”
  3. Under Title, type “Volunteer Coordinator”, “Presenter”, “Mentor”, etc. choose a title that best fits what you’ve done for the organization.
  4. Fill in the rest of the fields as you see fit.
  5. Under Description you can copy and paste this statement or type up something that works for you – “I’m an active member, volunteer and mentor at Long Island Women in Tech, a non-profit focused on helping women obtain and retain technology roles. We’re working to increase the number of women in technology roles on Long Island by providing a supportive community, mentorship, career development and education to women at all levels of their careers.”

When you share your achievements, let us know on Slack. We’ll like, comment, and share as well. Long Island Women in Tech is here to create opportunities for you to shine.

Remember, your achievements do not ‘speak for themselves’ if no one knows they exist. Your efforts both work related and volunteer are worth noting and contribute to your full story.