Ask any employer to describe the perfect employee and you'll
probably get a similar answer. The perfect employee for most is someone
who's highly knowledgeable about a given subject, works well with
others in the office, and displays passion and/or ambition on the job.
Ask any recruiter and you'll find that these characteristics are very
difficult to find in the workforce.
Establishing yourself as an expert can effectively address all three of these areas and dramatically increase your employability.
Experts demonstrate a current and in-depth knowledge of a given subject
area that they are very passionate about, while at the same time, work
with many different companies and organizations.
Choosing the Right NicheBecoming an industry
expert can seem like an enormously daunting task. For instance, a
software engineer would have a very hard time being an expert at every
programming language. Instead, it's best to target a specific niche
when establishing yourself as an expert. The result is both less
knowledge to learn and more limited direct competition.
Here are some tips to keep in mind when choosing a niche to pursue:
Find BalanceSmaller niche industries tend to be easier to target, but they should be large enough to be useful when finding a job.
Be Yourself
Many people are already skilled at, or at
least passionate about, something in their industry. Targeting that
niche is often the best option.
Find Trends
Try to find secular industry trends and
position yourself at the leading edge of those trends to capitalize on
them and set yourself apart from the crowd.
Let's take a look at an example: Suppose that a financial planner is
looking for greater recognition and decides to become an expert.
Instead of trying to become an expert at financial planning in general,
he or she could instead focus on a large and growing niche. Given the
aging U.S. population and growing popularity of ETFs, fixed income ETFs
may prove to be a great niche for him or her to pursue.
Learn Everything You CanOnce you've found the
right niche, the next step is learning everything you can about the
subject area. Your knowledge should encompass everything from an
understanding of the fundamentals that you'd learn in school to the
latest trends affecting the industry gleaned by following the latest
blogs. For instance, a web designer should not only know how to design
but also follow the latest industry trends to stay on the cutting edge
of his or her craft.
The knowledge can come from many sources:
BooksFind the highest rated books in the niche on
Amazon.com or through other booksellers and read them carefully. Or,
check them out at the local library.
BlogsIndustry blogs provide a great way to keep on top of the latest industry trends and discover where things are headed for free.
Websites
Researching online has never been easier, from Google Scholar to Wikipedia, making those websites great resources to learn more.
Online Courses
Many websites, from OCW at MIT to Udemy.com, offer free or paid online courses covering a wide variety of topics.
Mentors
Online or in person mentors can help hone your skills and assist you in learning more about the niche industry you're pursuing.
There's no secret to learning either. It's all about repetition and
practice. If you're in a technical niche, like programming, writing
code and contributing it to the community is a great way to practice
and build a reputation at the same time. Those in a non-technical niche
can review reference material regularly or volunteer to gain valuable
practice and experience.
Finally, if you're not a great writer or speaker, it's also a good
idea to review the fundamentals in those areas, since they are commonly
used in the easiest forms of distribution. Try to write in a
conversational tone about topics that you already love. Be sure to
check all of the facts, and make sure that the articles read and flow
well.
Finding the Good DistributionOnce you've
decided on a niche and absorbed a base of information, the next step in
establishing yourself as an expert is to begin teaching what you know
to others. The goal is to position yourself as a thought leader on the
topic by both directly teaching others and publishing reference
materials accessible by anyone.
The best way to get started is by creating a professional blog,
which means purchasing and hosting a custom web domain. Regularly
writing high-quality blog content related to your niche is the first
step in being published. Blogs let you practice writing, help you build
a following and provide some writing samples to send to others down the
road.
The next step is building a social network, both online and offline.
Social networking websites, like Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, are
great ways to get your content out to the world and start building
connections. Some of the best connections are built in real life by
finding events related to your niche on websites like MeetUp.com or in
the local community.
After building a base of content and making connections, you're
ready to begin expanding your distribution a bit more. Here are some
ideas to get started:
Writing for Others
Reach out to popular online or
offline publications in your niche, and submit ideas for stories using
your blog material as references. Starting small before moving onto
larger publishers also helps improve the odds of success.
Speaking Engagements
Many local events feature speakers
on a given topic, which offers the perfect opportunity to establish
yourself as an expert. Public speaking can be difficult at first but it
gets easier (and even fun) with practice.
Volunteering
Helping others is a great way to practice a
skill, make connections and establish yourself as an expert all at the
same time. There are many opportunities for this both online and
offline, depending on your target niche.
Publishing a Book
The most difficult, but effective, way
to become an expert is to publish a book on the topic. However, this
process can take very long in terms of the actual writing and shopping
around for the right publisher.
Building It into Your ScheduleThe final step in
establishing yourself as an expert is being consistent. In particular,
it's important to keep an updated blog, stay in touch with contacts and
consistently work on expanding your presence in your niche. Ultimately,
maintaining these activities is what separates those who publish a few
articles from those truly recognized as experts.
The key to consistency is building tasks into your schedule and
developing a habit. While good habits can take a long time to build at
first, they provide a long-term base that will greatly enhance your
odds of becoming and remaining an expert.
Here's how to create a long-term habit:
Establish a Time
Find a time each day that you can
devote to writing and building connections. Often times, the easiest
time is either early in the morning or late at night when there are no
other activities typically scheduled.
Be Consistent
Some people suggest that it can take at
least 30 days of activity in order to fully develop a habit. This means
that you must be absolutely consistent in committing to these
activities at the same time each day.
Keep Variety
Doing the same thing every day can be
daunting, such as writing a book or sending out a certain number of
tweets on Twitter. Instead, focus on variety each day to make it
interesting and fresh. Don't do the same thing every day.
Using It on the Job HuntThere are many different ways to use an expert status when looking for a job.
Many times, prospective employers will contactyou about new
opportunities. The key is making your writing, speaking, contact
information and resume readily available and accessible from all of
your different points of contact.
Here are a few tips to keep in mind:
Maintain a Resume
Maintaining an online resume on a
professional blog is a great way to show anyone reading that you're
available for hire. It also reduces the amount of work an employer
needs to do before approaching you.
Write Good Bylines
Many publishers offer authors a
byline or brief biography where they can describe themselves. Putting a
link to a professional blog and resume is another great way to get the
word out that you're available for hire.
Capitalizing on Events
Many industry events attract
recruiters looking for prospective employees. Try to talk to these
people or even pitch your services at the end of any speaking
engagements to identify those that are interested.
The Bottom LineEstablishing yourself as an
expert is a great way to increase your employability and make a
difference in your field. While accomplishing this is no easy task, it
can be done by anyone willing to put in the effort to learn a subject,
teach it to others, and actively spread the word.
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