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8 Expert Ways to Attract Recruiters as an Industry Thought Leader.

‘Thought leader’. You might have heard these words but are not quite sure what they mean. A trending industry buzz word, a Thought Leader is someone who is recognized as an expert in his/her field, for his/her innovative ideas and industry expertise.

Thought Leadership is a proven way to establish your credibility and stand out from the crowd. When you demonstrate that you have a firm understanding of upcoming trends in your industry, hiring managers will be more inclined to approach you for the next job opportunity. So how do you become one in your field? Here are eight tested ways to raise your visibility and carve out your place as a Thought Leader.

1. Create a Robust Social Media Presence. Today, with the rise and rise of social media, you can establish your influence with a strong profile on multiple platforms. There are many ways to do this, with some of the most popular social media tools such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and even Instagram.

2. Blog Often. Create your own blog on free sites like WordPress.com and share relevant articles related to industry topics. Even with a short post of around 250 words, you can showcase your knowledge and curate valuable content that attracts traffic to your online profile, especially from recruiters and decision makers. Not to mention, it also significantly raises your Google’s search engine rankings.

3. Be a Guest Blogger. Uncover guest-blogging opportunities. The over-stretched marketing teams at many firms will be thrilled if you offer to write a short post to familiarize customers with a service they offer or address the concerns of their clients. What’s more, if the blog article can have your online brand or signature on it, hiring managers will be able to gauge your potential easily.

4. Tweet often. If you feel blogging isn’t exactly your cup of tea, why not consider sharing your thoughts in 140 characters or less? Yes, you could do that on Twitter. What’s more, you should also connect with other industry leaders on Twitter, and retweet, respond and interact with them when possible. Always be sure to respond to Tweets and also share others’ tweets.Tip: Online news channels widely prefer Twitter to identify story leads, so you could follow the leading magazines in your field and easily find hot topics to tweet about.

5. Publish Slideshare Presentations. Use the same blog article and turn it into an attractive Power Point Presentation. By sharing information on this popular social networking site, you yet again increase your chances of raising your profile and getting noticed.

6. Spotlight, Camera, Action! Are you ready for your 15 minutes of fame? Then create a short YouTube video to show your professional expertise on a favourite topic. Remember to dress sharp, and think of it as a job interview as your video could be your first impression on prospective future bosses. Now go ahead and share it on other social media platforms.

7. LinkedIn. There is more to LinkedIn than just searching for jobs. Once you have perfected your profile, click on the Home menu and click on the “Share an Update” box. Post articles or even short one line messages pertaining to your industry. Remember to click on the Twitter button at the bottom of your post to add it to your Twitter profile.

8. Connect with Other Thought Leaders. Join as many Linked In groups that pertain to your industry that you can find. Comment on blogs or post relevant articles and updates on these group boards often. Apart from updates on individual LinkedIn pages or Apps on member smart phones, a daily or weekly digest of activity gets emailed to the members in their email Inboxes too.

In Ending – Thought Leadership in a Nutshell

– Thought Leadership is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your field.
– It can give you an edge whether you’re looking to advance in your job or looking to break into the Canadian market.
– Anyone can share a link or a blog. So it’s important that you have your opinion and value-add on it.
– Develop a plan and work to a plan. Be consistent.
– Be consistent and be yourself. You don’t have to be a prolific or highly awarded writer. The focus is on your Thought Leadership, not anything else.
– Find what works for you and stick with it. And have lots of fun.