If you are currently telecommuting or feel that telecommuting is an ideal part of your next job you are going to want to consider some strategies to make yourself more visible.
According to a recent Korn Ferry survey 61% of executives believe that telecommuters are less likely to advance compared to employees working in traditional office settings.
If that is the perception then you will want to look at ways to raise your brand profile so that you do get forgotten.
Three personal brand actions for the telecommuter to get noticed:
- Do not rely on just email to keep in touch internally. It is sometimes too easy to send an email when taking a few extra minutes to connect by telephone or just to leave a voicemail reminds people of who you are and makes the connection that bit more personal.
- Offer to bring departments and groups up to date with what you are doing and to hear where they are at next time you are in the office. Suggest a brown bag lunch update or bring in the coffee and donuts.
- Volunteer for committees or in projects that you can add value to remotely. With the abundance of various technologies just because you are hundreds or thousands of miles away does not mean you cannot be involved, its just going to take a little more effort.
Its sometimes hard enough to be memorable to the people that matter when you are in an office, telecommuting can add to that 'invisibility' – good personal branding career management means raising your visibility and being memorable.
Cross posted on the Career Hub blog – go there to get your free copy of their latest ebook – "Insiders Guide to Resume Writing"
Great information, Paul, and without a doubt, # 4 could read something like:
4. Sign up for http://www.gotomeeting.com or other web conferencing software, and brand yourself by being adept with holding working meetings,that can add incredible value to day to day work processes / projects / companies, etc.
Those Executives that thought telecommuters are less likely to advance are scared of their own jobs…that’s maybe why they said that….just some food for thought.
p.s. I’m not a typical telecommuter, working for one company. I telecommute with dozens of companies (as an outsourced CFO / NetSuite specialist), mostly in the USA, from the comfort of my home office, and work almost exclusively on the net, and in web meetings via #4. software noted above…I think my room to advance / expand my branding is unlimited.