Stop Connecting, Start Perfecting: Don't Make this Mistake on LinkedIn
I recently conducted a one-to-one coaching session with a teacher who wants to leave the classroom for a new career. However, he felt like a deer in headlights in his job search. The educator was somewhat new to Classroom to Boardroom, and he elected to purchase a private session to help him focus and find direction. Today, I'd like to share one of the pieces of advice I shared during this coaching session that might help you if you are feeling a bit overwhelmed by the world of LinkedIn for teachers.
First, I'm a big believer that we should work toward perfection but not be obsessed with perfection. I know I use perfection in the title of this post (it sounded good with connection), but I want to recognize that perfection often paralyzes people from moving forward. So, please keep this in mind as you read this post.
LinkedIn is a social media platform that can quickly suck you in and consume a lot of your time. New educators on the platform can feel pressure to stand out, gain popularity, and say the right thing in lengthy, compelling posts.
Here's the truth: Most education companies don't care about the opinions you share on LinkedIn. I know that might hurt your feelings, but it is true. They are busy creating, building, selling, and supporting an edtech product. During my years working in edtech, I rarely was on LinkedIn reading posts of other educators. I'd hop on to share a job posting and read an article, but that was about it.
If you spend more than 30 minutes a day on LinkedIn, it is too much time. Stop Connecting, Start Perfecting.
This particular student spent the first part of their session telling me the names and stories of people on LinkedIn who graciously gave him an informational interview over the last few months. I'm all for connecting and doing informational interviews and "picking people's brains" (gross, btw) about careers in the industry, but this particular teacher had taken this practice from productive and informative to unproductive and overloaded.
He had gathered SO many people's opinions that it paralyzed him from moving forward down one career path. We spent the rest of the session digging into why this was happening and how he could begin to move forward in a more focused direction.
My first assignment was for him to take a week off of LinkedIn and to finally pick ONE career path and begin focusing his search on this specific area.
LinkedIn can, at times, make you feel pressure to stand out and impress people within the community. The problem with this tactic is that I'm seeing teachers put out questionable content or join "branding" clubs to create a brand around their name, which sometimes stretches teachers to pretend to be someone or something they are not.
And leaders in the industry are noticing this - I have the text messages and screenshots to prove it.
Skills for Teachers on LinkedIn
First, create a stellar LinkedIn profile that tells your story and highlights your accomplishments.
Spend 30 minutes a day on LinkedIn commenting on other people's rich content and sharing posts that other educators might find interesting.
I don't remember the names of teachers who posted what they've learned from their journey to find a new job or how differentiation improved their classroom. However, I do remember almost every name of a person has thoughtfully commented on an article I wrote or a post I shared. I know this is true for other industry leaders as well, we remember your engagement.
Soon, I'm going to share a story of a Classroom to Boardroom student who is currently deciding between two job offers. She entered my course and quickly rose to the top of my mind because she was highly engaged in my activity on LinkedIn. Every time I logged into LinkedIn, I saw her name because she was commenting on my posts or tagging a friend who might find my content interesting. So, when a highly sought-out company called for candidates, she was the first name out of my mouth. She engaged in the same way with other people she admired or found interesting. She focused more on the engagement of others and less on herself and here she sits with two job offers.
Instead of trying to build a brand, seeking out informational interviews, and gaining popularity on LinkedIn, spend that time working on perfecting this checklist:
Craft a stellar response to "Tell me about yourself"
Read industry articles and blog posts
Write out answers to common behavioral questions
Put together a professional look for on-screen interviews
Practice great listening skills
Find and create a community of like-minded job seekers
Record yourself speaking and listen to it over and over again
I challenge you to stop trying to force opportunities on LinkedIn, engage thoughtfully in other people’s content, and polish your interview skills. When it is time for the big show, you will be ready. I promise it will pay off.
