Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to think about how to explain what you do.
Speaker 1: A very simple formula works for a great many people
Speaker 1: and can quickly show others the value that you add.
Speaker 1: In her book LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Dummies, author Donna
Speaker 1: Serdula has a great template for the about section of
Speaker 1: your LinkedIn profile. Basically, you say I help individuals or
Speaker 1: businesses or whoever your target audience is do x so
Speaker 1: they can achieve Why as in I help homeowners make
Speaker 1: their homes more energy efficient so they can save money
Speaker 1: and help the planet. I help biotech companies figure out
Speaker 1: the regulatory process so they can bring new drugs to market.
Speaker 1: I help make sure the employees of our construction company
Speaker 1: have everything they need so they can focus on their jobs.
Speaker 1: I love this. You get specific about who you help,
Speaker 1: and you emphasize how you are helping them achieve their goals.
Speaker 1: You say why your work matters. This is really powerful. Indeed,
Speaker 1: it might be worth hopping over to LinkedIn to update
Speaker 1: your about section right now. But you don't have to
Speaker 1: reserve this formula for an about section. It works in
Speaker 1: general conversation too. I am sure we have all been
Speaker 1: asked at one point or another what it is that
Speaker 1: we do. I might say I'm a writer, and then
Speaker 1: people say, oh, well, what do you write about? Or
Speaker 1: they quickly drift off if they don't actually want to
Speaker 1: hear about it. I haven't conveyed really much of interest
Speaker 1: either way. But how about this, I help busy people
Speaker 1: learn to manage their time so they can live happy
Speaker 1: and productive lives. I do this through writing, but also speaking, podcasting,
Speaker 1: and so forth. That's a more informative answer, more accurate,
Speaker 1: and helps people continue the conversation if they want to.
Speaker 1: A lot of other work can fit this template, too,
Speaker 1: So think about who your work helps. I can think
Speaker 1: of all sorts of different audiences someone might talk about, like, oh, well,
Speaker 1: I help single moms pursuing a college degree, or I
Speaker 1: help businesses aiming to scale. Whoever your audience is, naming them,
Speaker 1: lets you convey who your work matters for. I also
Speaker 1: appreciate the way this template emphasizes the value that you add.
Speaker 1: The last clause about how they can achieve their goals
Speaker 1: is key. Why does what you do matter? You can
Speaker 1: use this template in conversation with colleagues you don't work
Speaker 1: with too closely. It will help them recognize the value
Speaker 1: that you add to your company. Practically speaking, it also
Speaker 1: lets them know if there's an occasion when they should
Speaker 1: come to you and take advantage of whatever it is
Speaker 1: that you do. Even outside of professional contexts, Capturing the
Speaker 1: impact of what you do makes your work more understandable
Speaker 1: to other people. Saying you are a supply chain analyst
Speaker 1: could be a bit of a conversation stopper at a party,
Speaker 1: because well, what on earth is that? But what if
Speaker 1: you say I help businesses keep track of how food
Speaker 1: products are getting to grocery stores so you can always
Speaker 1: find the gram crackers, Well, then your work is more concrete.
Speaker 1: I am sure you can think of somebody your work
Speaker 1: as helpful for and something it helps them achieve. So
Speaker 1: why not give this template a try. I mean, maybe
Speaker 1: this format doesn't quite fit for everything, but in general,
Speaker 1: much of our work is helping people achieve their goals
Speaker 1: in some way. Keeping the focus on that can make
Speaker 1: work make a lot more sense. In the meantime, this
Speaker 1: is Laura, Thanks for listening, and here's to making the
Speaker 1: most of our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast.
Speaker 1: If you've got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach
Speaker 1: me at Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast
Speaker 1: is a production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeartMedia,
Speaker 1: please visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you
Speaker 1: listen to your favorite shows.