In a perfect world, everyone who worked hard and did their best would be noticed and rewarded in the workplace. But if you’ve ever been passed up for a promotion or denied a raise, you know that it doesn’t always work this way.

This, of course, is the myth of meritocracy.

There are many factors involved in who gets hired, who gets promoted and who gets asked to lead. Some are out of your control. But many of them are totally within your realm of influence. There are lots of actions you could take to make it more likely that you’ll get tapped to offer your contributions in the nonprofit sector.

• You can start getting to know all the movers and shakers in your community. The more people who know your name, the more people who can give you leads on opportunities to serve.
• You could utilize social media to share your expertise with other nonprofit professionals in your area or around the country.
• You can go to all the nonprofit conferences you can afford and get to know as many of your peers as possible.
• You could put at least one networking event on your calendar every month and exchange business cards with as many people as you can.

Why do any of this? Isn’t it enough to just do your job?

Not anymore, it isn’t.

Yes, you have to be good at what you do. But other people have to know about it for you to be able to capitalize on your hard work when it’s time for a promotion or a raise. The more people that know who you are, what you do and how well you do it, the more likely it is for your resume to make it to the top of the pile in a job search or even when it’s time for a career change.

In addition to working hard, it’s getting increasingly more important for nonprofit professionals to become more visible in the field. Why?

Because invisible people don’t get seen. 

Duh, right? But, really. Think about it. If your personal brand is virtually nonexistent, how likely is it that your name will come up in conversations about leadership positions? Speaking opportunities? Board membership?

You want to be seen.

The nonprofit career field is just like any other in the sense that it’s all about who you know. But these days, it’s also about who knows you. Your next nonprofit career opportunity could come from anywhere. Especially if you have a strong personal brand.

Do you?

Learn More About Getting Seen

Wanna learn more about personal branding and getting your name out there in your field? Purchase your copy of my popular 90-minute webinar training, Personal Branding 101: How to Use Social Media to Accelerate Your Career.

A few months ago, I gave up my apartment to rent a room in someone’s house instead. Why? Because I wanted to downsize my life and start saving money to do some serious traveling over the next year. So, I gave away most of my stuff, ended my lease and in the process, freed myself up to so many new opportunities for my life and work. Since I don’t technically live anywhere anymore, I can go wherever I want, whenever I want, for as long as I want.

I can say, boy wouldn’t it be great to live in Hawaii again. (I lived near Pearl Harbor for six years after my mom married a Navy man. I spent my middle-school and high-school years in Honolulu and loved every minute of it!)

As you may know, I’ll be staying in Honolulu, Hawaii for three 1/2 weeks (November 28-December 21) after Trista and I speak at The Conference of Nonprofit Communities of Hawai`i. This opportunity came about through someone in Trista’s network and it just worked out that their budget allowed for both of us to come and speak. So, I decided to take full advantage of being on the island to stay as long as I could!

What I’m hoping to do though (in addition to kicking back on the beach as much as possible), is to expand my network in Honolulu so I can have a reason to come back more often or maybe at some point, for good. That means I would have to begin scoping out the landscape for potential opportunities for consulting, training or full/part-time work. What’s my plan so far? While I’m in Honolulu for three weeks, I’ll be seeking out networking events to attend and nonprofit folks to connect with, as well as opportunities to provide pro-bono consulting and training to organizations in Oahu around leadership and social media. (If you’re on Oahu and want to schedule something during November 28-December 21, contact me here.)

Who knows where this path may lead. Or others, for that matter. The important thing, for me, is to walk it as boldly as possible, in alignment with my values for the work I want to do in the world.

Where Will Your Next Nonprofit Career Opportunity Come From?

Your next career opportunity could literally come from anywhere.

But it helps to be prepared for the possibilities. Here’s a good place to start: 15 Powerful Questions to Ask Yourself About Your Nonprofit Career.

Even if you’re happy where you are now, it’s useful to begin looking ahead to where you want to be in the next 12 months to three years (for me, maybe it’s working with nonprofits in Hawaii). Then think about what you would need to start doing now to position yourself for that possibility. Things like building your personal brand. If you’re between jobs right now, signing up with a temp agency. Setting aside time every week to grow your professional network. Because what I’ve learned over the last 9 years that I’ve been working in and with nonprofits is that unexpected opportunities WILL start coming to you once you put yourself out there. Like my grandma likes to say, “closed mouths don’t get fed.”

And invisible people don’t get seen.

What can you start doing today to position yourself for your next nonprofit career opportunity?

Wanna learn more about personal branding and getting your name out there in your field? Purchase your copy of my popular 90-minute webinar training, Personal Branding 101: How to Use Social Media to Accelerate Your Career.

Yesterday, I shared some ways you might begin using social media to build your personal brand in the nonprofit field. Letting people know who you are, putting yourself out there, growing your network – these are all important aspects of personal branding.

But what if you don’t really know what your personal brand is yet?

Like many concepts, personal branding is simple – in theory. Your personal brand is essentially just your professional reputation. It’s what other people say about you when you’re not in the room. The real question is: do you have a good personal brand or not? Is it helping you thrive in your career? What do your colleagues think of you? Do people even know who you are beyond your little cubicle in the corner of the office???

So many questions, Rosetta! I know, I know. Take a deep breath. Exhale. We’re about to take a moment to explore them together today.

What’s your three-word personal brand?

Get out a sheet of paper and come up with three words, characteristics or attributes that you want people to think of when they think of you. What do you want to be known for? Jot down what comes to mind. Think: is this really who I am? Is this who I want to be? Then, tweak them a bit. Important note: As @snotforprofit points out, words like “passionate” and ” hard-working” are often overused.

#YNPChat I think "passionate", "engaged" & "leadership" are overused mission statement words. They're like resume words.

November 2, 2011 12:19 pm via HootSuiteReplyRetweetFavorite

@snotforprofit

Claire Kerr

So, try to go beyond the obvious. What makes you unique or memorable? What makes you a valuable asset to the workplace? To the sector? Play those things up instead. Then, perhaps you’ll be ready to think more clearly about how you might use social media tools to showcase your personal brand online.

Inquiring minds want to know . . . what’s your three-word personal brand? Tell me what you came up with in the comments!

Wanna learn more about personal branding? Purchase your copy of my popular 90-minute webinar training, Personal Branding 101: How to Use Social Media to Accelerate Your Career.