Sandra Long’s Post

I have heard folks say as much as LinkedIn helps with professionalism, one of its cons is to make individuals feel pressured. Really, I haven't come to justify the absence of this pressure but to provide simple but working tips that can help individuals navigate this stage of life and you won't find yourself zooming off of LinkedIn because of pressure again, instead you will make lemonade out of the lemon of intimidation. First thing first,Take it slowly☺ It can be difficult for us to focus or be productive when we are under a lot of strain. Give yourself time, avoid trying to do too much at once, and focus on one task at a time. Acknowledge the progress you have made, even if you can't finish it completely at once. It will be less intimidating the following time. Change up the things you do. Everybody has certain activities they prefer to perform more than others, yet we still have to do them! Divide up your tasks between things you enjoy and things you don't. This assists you in ceasing to put things off or complete them all at once. Recognize the things you cannot alter and accept things you cannot change ; There are some things or situations that we cannot change. Recognizing this is not easy but, once you can, it means that you park them and put your efforts into the things you can do something about

What's the most fraudulent thing you've ever done? Does it top giving a presentation to the top industry CEO's about the industry they know and dominate? Well, lock me up 'cos I am guiltaay. Starting with "12 months ago I worked in recruitment and I've been forced up here, please don't listen to me as I don't know what I'm talking about. So, 'Friday Night Lights', commonly known as the worst running event in the country..." should have set the tone nicely. Delivering a 15 minute presentation giving advice to people who know their stuff inside out is an absolutely terrifying experience. Never agree to do this. Jokes aside though, it was probably one of the first times since jacking in my old job and taking this running lark seriously that I really got to reflect about how far this has all come. The internal monologue 'what the f**king f**k and I am doing here' did, by the end of the day, turn to 'holy f**king s**t I am here'. Shaking hands, shmoozing, having conversations, quick little coffee chats and posh sandwiches with the best people from across the world in one room was a real delight. Listening to other peoples problems thinking 'auhh, we could fix that', or those lightbulb moments 'phwoooare why aren't we doing that?!'... once I had conquered my nerves and stopped sweating (note: don't wear a grey thick lined T-shirt to a speaking engagement next time), there were takeaways' a plenty. As always, zero value add in another post of mine. Stumbling toward 11,000 followers on this platform now, keep reading and keep engaging and I'll keep waffling on, documenting the journey risking everything I have most days building a business.

“Tell me about yourself” 🎤 This is the most common question we get in business. It is the opener to interviews. To networking events. To Zoom breakout sessions. It is also where we tend to bomb the most spectacularly. We vomit up (in excruciating detail) all the biographical detail we can before our audience can extricate themselves from the situation. There is another way, my friends. 1️⃣ Never answer this question. (No, I’m not kidding.) Flip this question around. Learn more about the situation, the company, the other person first, and then provide targeted messaging about yourself with words and outcomes that mirror what you’ve heard. 2️⃣ Ditch the horrifying elevator pitch. Replace it with a 1-2 sentence catalyst statement that begins with “I’m known for” and focuses on OUTCOMES, not “what” and “how” you achieve them. (Here's an added bonus: You'll stop feeling the pressure to "sell" yourself. We are all far too accomplished to need to sell ourselves. Speak confidently about the outcomes you create. The right audience will be receptive.) 3️⃣ Have the confidence to be specific, narrow, and confident about yourself. When you are generic, long-winded and infer that you can solve any problem for any company, you will solve no problems for no companies. (Aka: You will not get interviews, board seats, nada.) Learn more about this approach and how to accelerate your board journey AND your confidence in a remarkable 5-week course, My Board Blueprint. Our alumni have gone on to serve on the boards of companies like McAfee, Dolby, US Bank, Farmers Insurance, Lincoln Financial, The Container Store, and hundreds more. Only two cohorts in 2025 – one starting on February 5th. Learn more today at https://bit.ly/49s4isd

30 day challenge OVER 😅 I've spent the last 30 days obsessing about LinkedIn. Could you tell? I've been non-stop Thinking about content Contemplating new hooks Writing and editing (and re-editing) posts. Was it fun? Yes. Was it time consuming? Also yes. Was it cringe. Ummmm... yeah. But have I seen results? Totally. More connections. More conversations. More re-connections. You might be asking....what's the point Ariadna? (Good question!) There are a few actually... First, I love what I do ❤️ (Financial & corporate communications btw) And I want to do more of it. With companies that are: - Doing cool things - Run by clever (and nice) people - Committed to achieving their big ambitions I work at an amazing company: FTI Consulting Have you heard of us? We have offices around the world 🌍 And do an array of work: - Strategic Communications (where I sit) - Forensic Litigation Consulting - Economic Consulting - Corporate Finance & Restructuring - Technology We can literally do anything. Just ask, I'll connect you to the right person. But it's not all business. My Office Life 101 posts are meant to pay it forward. Not sure where I'd be if not for the help of others. The least I can do is share what I've learned. And, lastly, I want to connect with others & learn from you. There's lots of fluff on LinkedIn but a lot of knowledge too. You just need to know where to look. 🔎 Anyhoo, here's to another 30 days. xox

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A LinkedIn verified account Messaged me, starting with "Professionals Connected", praised a year-old Post of mine, and mentioned having similar issue with a different company. But did not Connect. I replied a couple weeks later (after I stopped working for that scammer) with my usual verbosity: 4 paragraphs about our shared interests in poetry, music, and IT management. She replied in 2 minutes: "Yes; this is great; do not give up your ideals, dreams; this is our true legacy." Two minutes is barely enough time to read my long response. Nothing I wrote was about "giving up" anything. I cannot correlate any part of her reply with anything I wrote. I assume this is a poorly programmed automated system. People do not send replies immediately. Most people do not use semicolons; the few of us using semicolons know how to use them properly. The message should be generated by processing my response, not picking random phrases. Should we assume all "verified accounts" are not human, because humans are smart (or lazy) enough to know that connecting their government ID to their academic and professional history is a Very Bad Thing? I do not understand using LinkedIn Premium Messages to confuse people. No Connection. The only link is to my own Post. Her response does not continue a conversation. Would be much better to respond: "That sounds cool. What will you do next?" at 10am the day after receiving a reply. This system is terrible and seemingly pointless. Please explain why this happened. 20240610

𝗗𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! Hey, amazing community! 👋 I am grateful for your incredible support during this difficult time. Losing two dear people, one on Monday and another yesterday, has been overwhelming, but your kindness has been a light in the darkness. 🙏💙 Have you ever experienced how a community's support can make such a difference? I noticed my post impressions dropped from 7,000+ to about 4,000+, and I want you to know I'm recommitting to bringing you consistent, valuable content. Your engagement matters deeply to me. What topics would you like to see more of? 𝗡𝗼𝘄, 𝗹𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 "𝘆𝗲𝘀" 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗷𝗼𝗯 𝗼𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿: 🔍 Role Clarity What exactly will I be doing day-to-day? Who will I be working with? What are the key deliverables? 💰 Compensation & Benefits What's the complete payment structure? When are payments made? What additional benefits are included? Growth Opportunities Is there a clear path for advancement? What training programs are available? How does the company support professional development? 🌐 Company Culture What's the work environment like? How does the team handle challenges? What makes people stay with the company? ⚠️ Current Challenges What obstacles is the team facing? How can I contribute to solutions? What immediate priorities need attention? 📋 Performance & Feedback How is success measured? When are performance reviews conducted? How is feedback typically handled? Have you ever accepted a job without asking these questions? What happened? Share your experience below 👇 📚 Just joining our Spotlight on Common Scams Series? Catch up on the previous parts on my profile: Part 1: How to Identify Phishing Emails Part 2: Scams Targeting Freelancers Part 3: How to set strong passwords Part 4: Securing your social media accounts Part 5: 𝗤𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗔𝘀𝗸 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗝𝗼𝗯 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 (You're here) 🗓️ 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀! 𝗝𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝘁 𝟭 𝗣𝗠 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟲: "𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗩𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲" - 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀! Found value in these tips? Share them with someone who might benefit. Together, we can make job searching more transparent and informed. 💡 I'm Okechukwu Somtochukwu, a Virtual Assistant dedicated to helping professionals and entrepreneurs streamline their operations. From email management to project tracking, I'm here to help you focus on what truly matters - growing your business. Looking to optimize your business processes? Let's connect. What challenges are you facing in your business right now? #JobTips #CareerAdvice #FreelancingTips #JobOffer #VirtualAssistant #JobSearch #ScamAlert #StaySafe

I sat down to today with a simple goal: pen some LinkedIn posts. I have a stack of ideas, questions and topics all gathered on sticky notes over the past several weeks that I haven't gotten around to making real. I simply couldn’t bring myself to do it. It’s not that I don’t want to, it’s not that I care any bit less than normal about the work I’m doing. I love what I do, I genuinely enjoy the people I work with, I love helping people in my clients’ organizations build to better work lives, I love helping those on my team build their skills and their careers, and most of all I love solving complex problems and learning more about the industries I get to be engaged in. But not today. Today, I remain consumed by the tragedy still unfolding in Western NC. How can I focus on a KPI deck when I’m receiving updates about the complete and unimaginable losses still happening? Reports (from individuals, not the media) are finally making their way out of the region as waters recede and communications begin to be restored. Bodies being found on hillsides, children’s remains in trees, desperate pleas for food and water 4 days old still unfulfilled. It’s gut-wrenching. I’m struggling to even click “Like” on posts that would, at any other time, genuinely interest me. I just can’t. This is no slight on those posts or posters, I understand the world must go on, but it’s the reality for many of us right now. So, please stay aware of what’s going on and give your colleagues grace as they navigate balancing the tragedy and regular life. And if your engagement stats are down, it's not you, it's us.

Three Reasons