Speaker 1: Hey, it's Rachel Cook, your Modern Mentor.
I'm the founder of Lead Above Noise,
where we help leaders build the skills, the capability,
and the confidence to activate their team's fullest
performance while maintaining their employee engagement.
We run bootcamps, we deliver keynotes,
and we run pulse checks to help you build blueprints
to move forward.
If you have any curiosity for you
or your organization, send me a note at
rachel@leadabovenoise.com.
Hey, real quick, before we jump into today's
episode, can I ask a favor?
If you are a regular listener of Modern Mentor
or even an occasional one
and you have something to say about the show,
I'd love it if you'd leave a quick rating
or review in your podcast app.
It's kind of the best way
to help the show find new listeners
and couldn't we all use a boost at work anyway, onto today,
it's a winner because I got to interview the great
Danielle Hughes, chief Personality Officer
of More Than Words Copy.
And we did a deep dive on how
to really z up your LinkedIn profile, your presence,
your brand, the whole shebang,
whether you are seeking a new job, a promotion,
or some new connections, whatever it is.
Danielle's got you covered. Danielle's often referred to
as a magician with words,
and while she can't pull a rabbit out of her hat,
she can hone your brand message.
And of course you can learn more about her on LinkedIn
or at her website at more than words copy.com.
Okay, here we go.
Danielle Hughes, chief Personality Officer, welcome
to the Modern Mentor Podcast.
I'm so happy to have you here.
Speaker 2: I'm so happy to be here. Thank you so much, Rachel. Oh,
Speaker 1: It's my pleasure.
I have been really looking forward to this conversation
because you are a lovingly loud voice in my ears when it
comes to personal branding, but,
but you have a little bit of a different take on
it, which I'm excited about.
Um, personal branding in the context
of the professional world.
A lot of stuff about LinkedIn
and LinkedIn is, is certainly where I hang out.
I know a lot of my audience hangs out there.
A lot of people have a lot of questions about
how do we use it, how do we show up on it, how do we use it
to find a job, to build our brand, to do all of the things.
And so I am excited to cover a lot of ground with you today.
Speaker 2: Thank you. I love lovingly loud.
That is, I have never heard that before
and it feels very apt and I like that so much.
Thank you, .
Speaker 1: My pleasure. Alright, so let's go ahead and get started.
You talk about this concept
that you call a genuine personality brand
and there are a lot
of people talking about personality brands these days.
So tell us what your take is on that.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so to me, I'm a copywriter by trade.
I've spent my whole career in copywriting
and marketing and branding.
And when I first heard the term personal brand,
it never made sense to me.
And even as a raging extrovert, it, you know,
the word personal means private.
So, and yet the concept
of personal brand is sharing everything with everyone.
So there's a complete disconnect between the meaning
of the word and what it's become.
And I think as business and your professional brand
and messaging has evolved over these past,
like let's say 10 years, people have felt this pressure
that it's an all or nothing.
That in order to add something and,
and fuse their personal brand into their professional
message, they have to basically, you know,
open up the closet and share all the dirty secrets.
And I always felt like our personality is who we are
and that's what allows us to foster connection
and build relationships.
And so I said, you know,
it's not personal branding personality
because in in the workspace you have to showcase some of
who you are and otherwise you're not gonna get noticed.
You're not gonna get attention,
you're not gonna find the right connections
for advancement, all of those things.
And so I just felt like that gives people a guardrail
and a boundary and it's like, I don't need
to know everything about you,
but what are you comfortable sharing
and how is that gonna help you
feel more comfortable showing up as yourself
and forge those necessary connections?
Speaker 1: Really, really nicely said.
And I do think that there is this conversation in the ether
right now about, you know, finding the balance point
between being vulnerable and being authentic,
but not oversharing and do I still have a right to privacy?
And of course the answer is yes.
And so I think a lot of people are struggling with that.
So, good, I'm excited to delve in a little bit deeper. Thank
Speaker 2: You.
And I think some people are naturally
more willing to be vulnerable.
Mm-hmm . And I also think there's another word,
like there's levels of vulnerability.
You know, I think we were just talking offline
and I mentioned how I had a workshop this week
and I had a lot of technical problems
and it went very poorly for the first like 15 minutes.
And I lost my, you know, what, uh, my mind .
And um, and then I shared a video on Instagram
and it was the most commented video I've probably posted in
a year because I was like, I effed up
and here's what happened.
And people relate to that.
And that's not normally my thing,
but it's the kind of stuff that generates I think a lot
of goodwill and people just wanna know
that we're all not perfect and we all make mistakes.
And that is very consoling to to, to people in business.
Speaker 1: Yeah, I, I couldn't agree more.
I, um, you know, some, some years ago,
'cause this feels like a relevant story,
I had brought my dog to the groomer and maybe an hour
or two later I got a call from the groomer
who was totally panicked.
They had like nicked my dog,
but they had taken her to the vet
and they had her bandaged up and,
and they were gonna take her bed, they were gonna come
to my house and pick her up the next day
to take her to a follow-up appointment.
And they were so terrified to tell me this story.
And I, I remember I said to her, listen,
like making mistakes is human.
It's about how do you, how did you handle it, right?
How did you come back it?
And sometimes I think that the best way to,
I'm not suggesting that we make mistakes in our
with intention, but I think a lot of us,
when we make any sort of mistake, it's our instinct to,
to hide it and, you know, to sweep it under the rug
because we wanna show up as perfect and polish,
but when we can show up as accountable and <inaudible>
and to make sure we're, we're doing the right thing
and we've learned so it won't happen again.
I think there's a lot of of fuel that that gives us.
Speaker 2: Agreed. And it helps. I'm a control freak.
So of course realizing that I could not control
that there was everything that happened was completely
beyond my control no matter what I did.
It doesn't make it better , just as a reminder
that sometimes you just gotta let go
and everyone will forgive you.
And it's how you rebound that is the most important thing.
Speaker 1: Totally. So I would love to get your take, Danielle.
You know, one of the things that is coming up in
conversations all over the place for me these days
with clients, with friends, with whomever it may be,
I feel like a lot of people are
struggling in some ways at work.
They're struggling with, I don't know, they're,
they're bored, they're disconnected, they're lonely.
It's blah, do I need a new job? Do I not need a new job?
Um, and so I just, I wanna get a little bit
of your hot take on this.
I, I'm a big believer that whether
or not you're actively looking for a job,
I think it's always important to be cultivating your, uh,
your online presence
and your offline presence at any given time, right?
So talk
to us a little bit about why incorporating your personality
into your professional branding is really important today in
in the workplace, in the job market, wherever you may be.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think you kind
of hit the nail on your head when you talked about there's a
lot of people feeling a lot of different emotions
and things about the workplace and their workplace
and that all speaks to the culture.
And you know, how did you, how did you take this job?
How did you end up in this culture?
Was it even ever the right fit for you?
And I think a lot of the times, one of the reasons
that a role might not be right for someone
or an organization might not be right for someone is
because they have a resume that just sort
of matches the job description and they have all the skills,
but they haven't taken to account
what the environment is gonna be like
and whether their personality
and who they are as a person is going
to fit into that environment.
And it's a both end. You know, the company has to be
as candid about what it's like there, as well
as the person has to understand
if this is the right fit for them.
And you know, look, I know a lot
of us, it's like we just need a job.
And so sometimes you can't be choosy.
But I also think the more you move up the ladder,
the more you should be more, um, intentional about
where you end up.
And if you show an aspect of who you are,
like in your LinkedIn profile, in your elevator pitch,
when you're having conversations with hiring managers
and recruiters, that's gonna instantly be, you know,
a yes or a no, right?
Is this person someone that's gonna fit here?
Do we vibe or is this the complete wrong fit?
And I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
And I think yes, you're gonna narrow down your choices,
but that's for the best because it's like dating, right?
You're gonna narrow down.
We don't need to be dating all the people.
Let's pick a couple people we really like.
Let's spend some time with them until we pick the one.
And you can't just pick the one based on a list of traits
that are on their dating profile.
You have to get to know them,
you have to ask them questions.
And so it's the same thing with your professional brand.
How do you express, you know, what type
of environment's gonna be best for you?
Are you someone who needs like a remote work
because you do well on your own?
Are you someone who thrives being around a lot
of like action and opportunity?
Are you a hand raiser? Are you an observer?
All of these things are so vital and valid
and I think the more that we admit that we have
to share these things, the more likely we are
to find the company that values that
and then that's gonna let us do our best work.
Because if you are not being able to be yourself,
you're never gonna be able to do your best work.
Speaker 1: Yeah. Really nicely said.
I, I think it is incredibly important to really
evaluate the, the situation
that you're considering stepping into, not getting
so lost in the, oh, they made an offer,
they want me mm-hmm um, that's great,
but taking the time to ask, do I want them,
do I think I will thrive here?
Do I have a, a good gut feeling about it? Yeah. And
Speaker 2: Also getting found, right?
Like set up your bio
and your profile to get found by the right companies,
not just to get found by everyone
because you're so generic
that you fit every description, right?
So there has to be a focus on
what message are you sending out there to get found
and then how do you reiterate that same message, right?
It should be cohesive.
So your resume and your LinkedIn and your elevator pitch
and all that in the interview should all be reiterating the,
the same thing because we want people to say like, oh,
they're exactly what I expected.
Speaker 1: So talk to us a little bit about that.
Then talk about, so great, I,
I know a little bit about myself, I know the version
of myself I wanna put out there.
How do I think about crafting a LinkedIn profile
that tells potential employers that,
Speaker 2: So it, you have to think about what are you most proud
of in your career, right?
What are the things that you wanna shine a light on
and what are the things you want to do future focused?
So, so many of us, you know, write these profiles like I,
you know, I did this, then I did this, then I did this,
then it's just this like laundry list.
But half the time the things
that we've done in the past are no longer relevant
or we don't wanna do them or we've outgrown them.
And so it's a real like, serious focus on
what are the few things
that I have accomplished in my career,
how do I share them in a way that's going
to highlight my role in those things?
And then what is it that I'm looking for so
that it also sets me up for what's next.
So of course we have to think about, you know,
in your title you wanna think about what are the keywords
and search terms that I want to be found for.
But also like I always tell my clients, gimme
that little fun hobby
or just something at the end of that title
that just lets me know you're a human being
and you have outside interests.
And then potentially you can even weave
that into your narrative.
So, um, I can give you some examples if you want to kind
of understand like what that could look like.
I work a lot with people in product and tech
and one of the things that you assume
is everybody's the same, right?
Everybody's very technical, former engineers, a lot
of software developers, right?
They're very like detail oriented, very data, very analytic.
And you think, okay, all these people,
they're all product managers, like a thousand million
of them, they all sound the same.
But of course that's nothing can be further from the truth.
'cause each person has a different story.
Where did they come from? Why do they love this?
Why did they get into this?
And so what do you weave in that showcases not just like
that you're a great product manager, but how you think
and why you are so good at a certain aspect of that.
So for example, I had a client who um,
was telling me he's a big survivor fan, the reality show,
and I'm a huge, I've seen every season,
but one, so also a super fan
and he puts on this event every year with his family
for like 20 years.
He's been doing Family Survivor every summer,
gets all these friends together to do this event.
And so first of all, I think that's so fun
and so interesting, but what we talked about
why we both love this show is the psychology of people
of teamwork of all right, you have
to outright outlast and outplay.
And so when he's working in product
and he's building products, that's what he said, he's like,
he thinks of it like survivor, like
that you've got the end goal in mind, which is to win.
How do you get there? Who do you need
to align yourself with, right?
Who do you need to partner with
in order to make that happen?
What are the steps you need to take?
And it was such an amazing marriage of those two passions.
And of course like his intro is so compelling
and now somebody who's hiring him is like, oh,
I understand exactly how he thinks.
And now you have a visual in your brain of
who this person is, but you also know something about him,
but it's relevant to what he does professionally.
Speaker 1: I love that. That is such a great connection.
And you know, one of the things that I always tell people is
we get to own our own story.
We get to own our narrative.
So your, your resume is not,
and I think this is what you're saying,
your resume is not just a set of like facts and dates
and activities, but you get to craft the story around,
you know, what, what you pulled through that like, I,
I will just share quickly for myself.
I, many, many years ago,
I spent a few years working in an operations management
capacity in a distribution center.
So I worked on a warehouse floor, I managed a group
of 50 people, mostly men who worked on assembly lines.
And I wanted to make the transition into corporate hr.
And that was on paper that did not make sense at all.
That I was leaving a job that are
where I was wearing steel toed boots and a and a hard hat.
And I wanted to step into this corporate world.
But the way that I positioned it to my next employer
where I did work in corporate HR was I said, listen,
I was on that warehouse floor.
I was responsible for everything from conveyor
to technology to people.
And what made me really good at the
job was the people part of it.
I was not ant in the conveyors in the vehicles,
in the inventory management system.
I was excellent at hiring the right people at training them,
at learning to trust them.
And so I was able to craft that story
to help become my platform into hr.
Whereas a lot of my former colleagues who had
that same job stayed in the operations world.
Yes. And so I really do think there's something to how you,
like what threads of the narrative you pull out
and what you choose to highlight.
Speaker 2: Yes. And I think you hit the nail on the head with like,
you own your story and I think so many of us forget
that we are in control.
And that goes back to like
personality brand versus personal.
Like we're in control of what we share of,
and I always tell people, of course it has to be truthful.
Like we're not pretending
that we had experience that we don't have.
But there's a way to position different experiences
to serve your future goal.
You know, if even for people who had, you know,
career breaks, like if you took a break, if you're,
you know, we're a stay at home mom
and you were managing your whole household,
that is a skill if you wanna go into the
workforce and portray that.
If you were on the PTA
or you did something with your kid's school,
if you took care of someone, all
of these things you volunteer anything, it doesn't matter
that you weren't compensated with money, you learned a skill
and you were compensated with experience
and how you talk tell that story is of course what's going
to hopefully get you to the next step.
Speaker 1: Totally. I love that. Thank you.
So let's talk a little bit,
we're we'll hang out on LinkedIn a little longer
'cause seems to be the place.
Um, so like I said and,
and we are recording this at the beginning of a new year
and I think a lot of people tend to take this moment to
reconsider their current role.
Maybe it's time to look for something new.
Um, so for anybody listening
who is thinking about getting ready for a job search,
what strategies would you recommend that they make
to their profiles to really stand out to recruiters?
I know we've touched on a little bit of it,
but what else would you add to that?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I think again, like re
so a few things you need to remember is
that LinkedIn rewards content and it rewards engagement.
So before you even start doing anything,
go take a look at your profile, make sure that title up top
so you get 220 characters
there, what are you putting in there?
What is it telling someone?
If you're currently working,
you need to have your current title.
And then what are other words and search terms
and what are things about you that you want other employers
to know about you and find you for?
That could be your industry, it could be um, you know,
a mantra or a thought process you have.
It could be the types of work that you do.
Um, so get that optimized.
The about section you get 2,600 characters,
which everyone's like, who's gonna read that?
It doesn't matter. Most people are not gonna read it.
But again, the content could get searched by bots and found.
So again, that's your only place
to tell your narrative story, right?
You don't need to reiterate your resume
because it's already there.
So how do you tell your story in a compelling way?
Um, and I would say then start like working on your
connections as well.
Like who, if you are getting ready for the job search,
start thinking about who could
connect you to the right roles.
You know, blanketing, just applying to jobs
of course is just not gonna be meaningful
and LinkedIn is so valuable when you realize you have a
second connection who now works at the
company you're interested in.
And so how do you start warming people up?
But you want to have a profile that you are proud
to send people to.
And so having, you know,
and having a photo that looks like you at the top that is
not in your car or not, you know, wearing a puffy coat,
have a professional headshot.
Like you think these things are obvious,
but believe me, I have seen
things from people who've been working for years
and I just think we don't remember
that this is your digital first impression.
And so everything on this page needs to be setting you up
to seem like somebody
that this company wants to get to know.
Speaker 1: Okay. So in terms of profile, you wanna make sure
that you look professional,
you look like you've taken yourself seriously.
We wanna make sure that you
Speaker 2: Look like you currently are as well.
So like for men, like with your facial hair on point
for women, if you're coloring your hair,
you're not coloring your hair like it needs to be recent.
Speaker 1: Okay. That seems totally fair. Yeah. . Um, all right.
And we've talked a little bit about your,
your title or your headline.
We've talked about your summary highlighting the pieces
of your story that you wanna tell.
We talked a little bit about just
knowing that there are bots.
So is that, was that an indication to use certain keywords?
Is there, is there a yes,
Speaker 2: Yes.
I mean, and again, we don't need to go crazy here,
but what are the roles you're applying for
and what's in the job description?
And we don't need to match it
because most job descriptions are jargon filled nonsense
that don't say anything meaningful.
But there needs to probably be certain
keywords and terms, right?
So what is your title currently
and are you looking for a similar title or,
and if not, can you put something
and you put the industry, if you're in finance, put finance,
put banking, put FinTech, put HR right?
And spell these things out,
that's gonna help you get found by the bots.
And I always say it's a delegate dance
'cause we have to get found but then we have
to get invited for the interview.
So you need to be interesting enough to get invited
but you have to have some of the right keywords
and to even be found in the first place.
Speaker 1: Absolutely. Thank you. Okay, so that's really helpful.
I guess I would describe that as kind of the inbound.
So that's how you get correct found, that's
how you get discovered, that's how you invited.
You also said um, LinkedIn rewards,
content and engagement.
Yes. And that in my mind is kind of the outbound, right?
That's sort of the what you do, what you put out there.
Correct. Um, talk
to us a little bit about different approaches
that people might take to to both of those things.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and I think, you know, it's so funny
'cause I worked with someone and like we updated his profile
and like it had been months and he wrote back
and said, Hey, I'm not getting any leads, any inbounds.
So I went over and I looked at his LinkedIn
and I was like, oh, you have not posted on
this platform in three months.
Of course you're not gonna get anything
'cause they're not showing you to anyone.
So you don't have to post if
that is not something you're comfortable with
or you're not sure what to share.
But LinkedIn will reward thoughtful commenting.
So what do I mean by thoughtful?
Not just congratulations Rachel on a job, right?
Something that is adding to the conversation.
So if somebody in your feed has posted an article
that you think is interesting, can you comment on that
with one or two sentences?
Can you build on it? The simplest thing,
this is the hack of the hacks.
If they have written something in their caption
that you can literally pull out
and like re-quote it back to them and say, so
and so I love this part here that you just said,
and then add one little piece done.
But if you can do that a couple times a week, five,
10 minutes, like doesn't need to be crazy, just really start
engaging with the platform.
And that will help you also just not just get found,
but like show up in a way
that somebody's gonna maybe pay more attention to you
and if there's a job there
or if they recognize you,
it just is gonna put you more in the conversation
as opposed to on the sidelines.
Speaker 1: I love that. So I would love to get your hot take on
kind of sharing without oversharing how to be kind
of authentic but also feel professional.
I know, and listen, everybody has their
own vibe on LinkedIn.
I know for me personally,
my biggest challenge is when people post photos
of themselves crying and saying I was crying and I'm,
and I don't mean to be disrespectful
because honestly that's your thing.
Let that be your thing. That would
not be comfortable for me.
But if I wanna show up in a way
that's showing my vulnerability
but without feeling like I'm performing
or oversharing, how do you counsel people on that?
Speaker 2: I do think there's a fine line
and I'm not always sure where it is.
I think it is an individual thing, right?
There was, it's funny you mentioned the crying
'cause there was like the crying CEOA couple years ago
that got slammed 'cause it felt performative, right?
It's one thing to cry and be genuine
and people can connect to emotion
and there's another for it to seem like you're doing it
for attention or for the wrong reasons.
And I mean, I think
that comes from the type of person you are.
You're either being genuine or you're not.
And a audiences are very smart
and they're gonna figure that out.
So I think it comes down
to why are you doing this, right?
If you're just doing it because you're like,
I just want people to like feel sorry for me,
then that's not a good reason.
If there's a lesson to be learned
or you need support, people love that.
Like I think if you're really struggling
and you're like, Hey, real talk, I need
to like tell people what's going on that a lot
of people will jump in because that feels genuine.
You know? I think it's like you
have to use your best judgment.
Um, if you're not someone who cries on platforms
and don't do that, like, I would never, that's just not me.
Like you, I would never post a crying picture of myself.
But like, I like to joke that I don't have tears.
So, um, you know, doesn't mean I don't feel,
but, um, my friends
and I say I don't have tear ducts, so
that wouldn't be something I would do.
But I can be vulnerable when things go wrong
and say, Hey, I'm not perfect and I ed up
and you know, it's like a peek behind the curtain.
Yeah. Um, but it's also, if
that's not your thing, then you don't have to do that.
Like, I don't think everything about
branding has to be vulnerable.
It's just like, who are you?
And it could be that you're a more positive person
and you're always kind of, and you're kind of woo.
And there's a lot of wooey people
out there and like, good for them.
I say, I'm woo adjacent, so I'm gonna be next to you,
but I'm never gonna go full woo.
But I think you do you
and you have to be like, this is who I am.
Take it or leave it. And I think if you do that,
you're gonna find the right people for sure.
Speaker 1: Yeah. That, that totally lands for me.
I will say one of the, the types of posts
that I've started seeing in the past couple years,
and I don't think you ever would've seen this a few years
ago, was people started putting themselves out there in a
way where they've said, listen, LinkedIn, I I,
I lost my job a year ago
and I'm having an incredibly hard time.
Yes. Um, and here's a little bit about me
and if anybody knows anybody,
and you know, that type of post where it's not performative,
but it's so honest.
Yes. Like when you're, when you're ready
to get past the whole, no,
everything's great, I'm doing great.
Everybody's calling me for interviews
and just being willing to say, you know what, I,
I'm actually having a really hard time.
Yeah. And if anybody, well I'm, you know, and,
and yes, you need to strike that balance of not being
Speaker 2: Desperate, right?
Speaker 1: Yes, correct. Speaker 2: Yes. Being
Speaker 1: Vulnerable and letting your community know
that you could use support.
And when people who know you
or have experienced your work in some way see that post,
they may share it for amplification.
They may offer you an endorsement. Yes.
I find that people, people like to help people,
but if people dunno, you need help,
they don't think to offer it.
And so having the courage to ask for it in ways that feel
safe for you, I can be really powerful.
Speaker 2: I totally agree.
And I think, you know, there's this crazy like mistaken
notion from a lot of people who say like,
should I put the open to work?
Uh, you know, uh, graphic on my photo?
And a lot of people in like groups are like, no,
because that shows you're desperate.
I'm like, no, no. It just lets recruiters know you're open
to work, you're making their job easier for them.
Why would you not do that? Right.
And there's no shame in looking for work, right?
To your point, it's, Hey, I'm outta work and I'm available
and look how talented I am
and wouldn't you want to come interview me?
So I think it's a lot of just changing the narrative
around what that is.
If if you think it's gonna come across desperate,
then you're not in the right mindset.
But if you're like, no, I'm open to work
and I'm looking for a job, then you should be proud
to say, Hey, I'm looking for work.
And then to your point, ask your community
to say, Hey, I'm looking for work.
'cause I do think to your point, everyone does want to help
and we don't always know how.
So if somebody's like, Hey, I'm looking to connect
with this company, or if anybody knows anyone at this
company, that's easy for someone to do.
If you're just like, Hey, I'm looking for a job.
If you know anyone, it's vague.
So specificity is always your friend in the ask,
just like it is when with your brand you wanna be specific.
Speaker 1: Really nicely said. All right.
I have one more question for you
and then I wanna see if there's anything I haven't hit on.
Okay. Can we just talk
for a minute about different career stages
and how, if at all people should evolve their personal
branding strategies if they are kind of young and new and,
and just coming into the job market or maybe coming back
after a hiatus versus, you know, they're more, more tenured,
more executive level.
Um, any thoughts there?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean, just like we evolve as people,
our quote unquote brands evolve over time.
And one of the things that, I talk to a lot
of students a lot and like people interning
and I always say like, it's, you're in, it's nice
to be in on the ground floor
'cause you get to kind of decide who you wanna be right now,
but that's probably not who you're gonna be in five
years, 10 years, 20 years.
And also, like, you don't have a lot of experience.
You know, I have a almost 20-year-old son
and you know, he doesn't really have a
brand yet professionally.
'cause he's had like a few jobs.
Like he had been a referee, worked at camp,
you know, what's his brand?
But he's very sports oriented.
He's very quiet so that he might wanna convey
that he's a little bit more of a quiet person
and find a fit where he is not gonna be, you know,
handed a microphone or something.
Like he's not gonna be a commentator.
So he has to put that out there.
But then as you evolve, again, I think it's like a matter
of shedding what no longer serves you.
And every few years we should kind of do like a brand audit
for ourselves and like, look at your profile
and look at how you're showing up and if you're stuck
or you're struggling or even if you're ready to like go
to the next level, what are you, what is the message
that your profile or your bio is sending?
And how do you elevate that for what's next?
And I get a lot of people who are like, I just been promoted
and now I need to like, show up as a different type
of person, or I need to take more
leadership or more ownership.
And I don't even talk about any of that in my bio.
So I think at each stage it's really important
to think about what you've accomplished
and then where do you wanna go
and revise in order to hit those marks and metrics.
Speaker 1: Nice. Really nicely said. Thank you.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Speaker 1: So Danielle, I I wanna be respectful
of your time, but as we start to bring this to a close,
is there anything that I haven't asked you
or that just feels important to share for anybody who
is listening and thinking, I really need
to start upping my game on the LinkedIn ?
Speaker 2: I think, you know, the, the, the thing I always tell
people is baby steps, right?
Don't, I'm not telling you to blow up your whole bio
and like completely, you know, again, like step out
of the spotlight and share all the things, you know,
what is something you're really proud of?
What is one thing you wanna be known for?
Could you at the very least just put that hobby at the end
of your title and see how that feels?
You know, I've had clients do
that who've only felt comfortable with that.
And then they call me and they say, oh my God,
everybody wants to know about
the fact that I'm a marathon runner.
Or I get so many people reaching out about the hobby
that I put up and it just opens the door to conversation.
So for anyone who's just unsure, just baby steps, just
what can you infuse, see how it feels
and you know, you might realize that the more you do it,
the more comfortable you get.
Like anything, right?
We're not gonna come out fully baked, you know,
we're a little bit of a raw cookie dough right now
and you know, you will get it to be this beautiful,
delicious, big piping hot cookie.
But for now we're gonna just start with the mix
and the batter, so.
Speaker 1: Wow. But I do aspire to be a beautiful, hot,
delicious cookie, so thank you for that. Of
Speaker 2: Course, of course.
Speaker 1: So Danielle, if people are interested,
they wanna learn more about you, about
how they might be able to work with you,
where can we send them?
Speaker 2: So obviously they can go to my LinkedIn, uh,
which is just Danielle Hughes.
I'm sure you'll put that in the show notes.
I'll, and then my website is more than words copy.com
and that's the best place to find me.
I have a newsletter that goes out every two weeks,
the best way to stay in touch,
and then I'm happy to share all the ways that I can help.
Speaker 1: Amazing. Thank you so much, Danielle.
It has been a pleasure.
Speaker 2: Thank you so much, Rachel.
Speaker 1: Take care. Bye.
I hope you enjoyed my conversation with Danielle Hughes
and that you're feeling inspired to hit LinkedIn hard
If you could use a boost, she offers some great workshops.
Find the links in the show notes.
Join me next week for another great
episode of Modern Mentor.
Until then, visit my website@leadabovenoise.com
and follow Modern Mentor on Apple Podcasts, Spotify,
or wherever you listen.
Thanks so much for listening and have a successful week.
And hey, don't forget to leave a rating or review.
Modern Mentor is a quick and Dirty Tips podcast.
It's audio engineered by Dan Rebend.
Our director of podcasts is Brandon Getches.
Our podcast and advertising operations specialist
is Morgan Christensen.
Our digital operations specialist is Holly Hutchings.
Our marketing and publicity associate is Davina Tomlin
and our marketing contractor is Nathaniel Hoops.