Before I was an entrepreneur and self-made millionaire, I spent about a decade working as an HR recruiter. I interviewed hundreds of candidates over the years and found that women often have a hard time talking about their skills and what they have achieved.
I’ve experienced this on a personal level too. As an Asian American and an introvert, it can be a struggle for me to advocate for myself because it can feel like bragging.
I’ve learned that the best way to level up in your career, whether that is asking for more money or finding great collaborators, is to get comfortable sharing what you are good at, in a way that feels authentic to you.
As I grew my coaching business, Crush Your Money Goals, and began earning more, I developed three key online habits that let me lead with my strengths as an introvert, to build wealth and find success.
I get loud on LinkedIn
If you are going for a pay negotiation, for example, you have to be willing to document and speak to what you’ve already accomplished, not just what you think you can bring in the future.
LinkedIn is the perfect place to document your accomplishments because it is public, whereas your résumé and performance reviews are private.
With that in mind, I’ve made it a habit to update my LinkedIn profile quarterly in the following ways:
- I change the headline and summary section based on my most recent accomplishments
- I share content that I think best showcases my expertise
- I ask for recommendations from happy clients and partners
Updating your LinkedIn page sends a clear signal to a current or potential employer that you are not afraid to share with prospective employers who are looking for you.
I let others sing my praises
One of my favorite features of LinkedIn is the option to post recommendations. That a real person took the time to write about you positively and publicly can feel more credible.
I have more than 15 recommendations on my LinkedIn profile that have gotten me business opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have acquired.
Having others point out your strengths on the platform is a strategic way of saying that you’re awesome without actually having to say it yourself.
Don’t wait until you need something, like a salary negotiation, for example, to show off your best work. Do it year-round instead and you’ll get more comfortable doing it.
I create value while conserving my energy
Back in 2016, I started paying off $72,000 in student loans. I started posting photos of refrigerator sticky notes that tracked my debt as it dwindled down on my Instagram, until I made the last payment less than a year later.
I received so many responses from other people in the same boat who wanted to meet up in person and hear more about my approach. Eventually there came a point where I was going on too many coffee dates — I don’t even drink coffee!
I started feeling like a broken record, repeating the same story over and over again.
I have more than 15 recommendations on my LinkedIn profile that have gotten me business opportunities that I otherwise wouldn’t have acquired.
While I was so grateful for the community, my introverted self felt exhausted from having so many meetings.
I joked to my husband AJ, “One day, I’ll just record my response to the same questions and instead of going to these ‘pick my brain’ sessions, I’ll just send them the recording.” He responded, “You know that’s called a podcast, right?”
So I must credit AJ with the idea — recording my student loan payoff tips in 2018 was the start of the Crush Your Money Goals podcast.
You may not aspire to be a content creator. The lesson can still apply. When I was working in the corporate world, I still created content, after all; it just was on a shared internal drive, rather than out in the public domain.
Some of these projects included:
- A step-by-step user guide to onboard new employees or clients that eliminated the need for others to “shadow” me.
- Recording my group presentations and writing summaries of the key points for future team members
- Creating email templates for my most common client inquiries.
- Compiling my own FAQs of my job to refer clients or team members to, instead of meeting with them.
The best advice I have for my fellow introverts who often find themselves drained from repeating themselves or attending useless meetings, is to explore how creating content can replace the necessity of you having to physically show up to create value.
In a way, it’s like a passive income strategy. Put in the work once at the outset, benefit from it long term.
Bernadette Joy is the CEO of Crush Your Money Goals, a personal finance training company serving up education with a side of pizzazz. As the eighth child in her father’s brood of nine and a first-gen Filipina-American, Bernadette understands those who feel like they missed the money memo and wants to help others find their financial peace. Bernadette paid off $300,000 of debt in three years, and became a millionaire in her 30s. As a money coach, she has helped thousands ditch debt, master their savings, and start investing. Bernadette loves K-pop, yoga, karaoke and spoiling her nieces and nephews. You can find her on Instagram and YouTube.
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The following is an adapted excerpt from “CRUSH Your Money Goals” by Bernadette Joy. Copyright © 2024 by Bernadette Joy LLC. Published by Adams Media, an imprint of Simon and Schuster.