Health and safety recruitment expert Laura Aucott on how to get ahead with your career by creating a great impression with others in the sector.

If you know me you must have heard me talking about personal branding by now, as it’s my absolute favourite subject (barring health and safety recruitment) and something I sing the praises of regularly, but have you ever wondered why?

The concept of creating a personal brand is nothing new – it’s basically a fancier version of that old saying “You only have one chance to make a first impression”. But now we have the power of the internet and social media, which can make it feel confusing or scary at first, particularly for the more mature generation who didn’t have to worry about social media when they started their careers!

Creating a strong personal brand for yourself is just ensuring that when people find your profile or hear about you and your work, their first impression is a favourable one. This is so that they: 

1. want to work with you 
2. want to hire you or 
3. pay more attention to what you have to say and the wisdom you have to share. 

This is all down to a concept called the “Halo Effect” (which I will leave you to Google) but needless to say it’s important and something we all need to consider nowadays (particularly if you are on the hunt for a new opportunity or a step up in your career).

But the good news is you don’t have to be scared! Building a personal brand is as easy and simple as being yourself but with more visibility.

You can start by engaging with others on LinkedIn; sharing posts, commenting on them, and giving your opinion, or asking questions, to show you are passionate, connected and inspiring. 

You can try and write short blog pieces (like this one), using stories and experiences you have to hand. For example, have you won a RoSPA Award? Brilliant! Why not share that experience with the safety community – how did you structure your application, what did you struggle with, what tips do you have, how do you feel now you have won. 

You could get involved in mentoring opportunities and start to inspire the next generation or offer to speak about a passion project or innovative safety solution that you have developed at a local branch meeting or conference.

But whatever you do I encourage you to get out there and share your knowledge - the safety industry needs more inspiring and inspired professionals to lead the way and help change the public perception of the old-school “clipboard warrior”. 

You never know, maybe you could be the next health and safety rockstar!
 

 

Laura Aucott is Associate Director and Client Engagement Director for recruitment company, Executive Network Group.

She has responsibility for the HSE Recruitment brand.