The fastest way to grow in your career isn’t just about learning, it’s about being known for what you know. You don’t need experience to be seen as an expert, no matter your field. Stop thinking small. It only takes time and commitment.
It’s natural to want to be the best at something you love, and when it comes to your field, it can be a game-changer. One of the most effective ways to market yourself is to build trust and position yourself as an expert. Positioning yourself as one of the greatest in your field can assist you in gaining exposure because people will want to work and learn from the best. Once you are viewed as a master in your area of focus, you become highly respected, and that can lead you to amazing opportunities.
There’s a difference between being an expert and being seen as an expert. Even if you truly are an expert, being recognized as one takes effort. It takes a consistent, proactive, and strategic approach to expand beyond your circle of colleagues and get broad recognition. And, when people see you as an expert, they trust your advice, recommend your work, and are willing to pay more for your time and services.
Who is an Expert?
An expert is simply someone who has specialized knowledge or skill in a particular area. In other words, an expert is someone who either knows a lot about a particular thing, can do a particular thing very well, or both.
An expert is someone who often uses their knowledge to provide unique perspectives and opinions about the world around them. Elon Musk, Neal deGrasse Tyson, and Karen Lynch are excellent examples of this. Their expertise in technology, science, and business has paved the path for others to learn and grow.
Experts exist across multiple industries and fields of study. They are teachers, writers, CEOs, influencers, and more. More modern-day examples include individuals like life coach Tony Robbins. Others are writers like Malcolm Gladwell and the editorial director of TEDWomen, Pat Mitchell.
Why You Should Position Yourself as an Expert
- There’s a person who would benefit from your knowledge and expertise. You might not think much of it yourself but for a prospective client, it could mean everything. If you don’t put yourself out there they will never know about you.
- Positioning yourself as an expert in your field allows you to set yourself apart from the competition. You become the go-to person for a specific issue.
Here are five ways you can position yourself as an expert in your field:
- Study your field obsessively
Expertise is not really a destination or a race to be won. It’s a process to be embraced. Even if you are already knowledgeable and experienced, you have to keep asking, What am I missing? What can I learn? How can I grow? Experience is not automatically equal to expertise.
Read the best books in your field. Analyze case studies. Extract the patterns of success and failure. Notice what other experts in your field are saying. Make notes on approaches that work and why they work. This research gives you language, frameworks, and confidence that most practitioners lack, even those with years of experience. Become a knowledge vault.
- Be Involved in Your Field
Be active in your field beyond just doing your job. Participating in industry events and engaging with others within your career field is a great way to make connections and position yourself as an expert. By staying on top of industry trends and discussing issues with others, you can gain deeper insight into what challenges others are facing. You can raise your career profile by, networking with other career leaders in your field, subscribing to industry newsletters and commenting on evolving storylines, participating in professional groups on social media, volunteering for committees in industry groups, and hosting webinars on important topics.
- Collaborate With Other Key People In Your Field
To be the best, first surround yourself with the best. This means collaborating with other well-known people in your field and using their knowledge and following to expand your audience. Being successful in any field may require that you constantly make connections and form professional relationships, as they are opportunities for learning and growth.
When you collaborate with a professional in your field. For example, when you work with them, they are likely going to post about it on their social media profiles and tag you. By doing so, they are introducing you to their network, which will likely encourage some of their followers to now become interested in your work as well.
- Build Authority Online
Another step in becoming an expert in your field is to build your authority online. For example, rather than just attending or participating in industry events, offer to be a speaker on an industry topic or share your experience and knowledge using social media to curate industry news and provide commentary, publishing articles, white papers, and eBooks on industry topics, appearing as a guest on industry podcasts and Interviewing other industry leaders and sharing their insights along with yours.
Besides posting content online, engaging with others is essential. Seek out other thought leaders and respond to what they are talking about. When you can engage directly with other professionals and add relevant insight to conversations, it can help improve your profile.
- Be Consistent
If you want to establish yourself as an expert in your field, you need to be consistent both in the way you communicate and the frequency of your communication. You need a consistent tone and style across your website, social media, or blog posts that separates you from everybody else. You also need to have a regular presence to establish credibility and authority over time. Online, ideas come and go quickly, so if you’re not active regularly, your content can get overlooked easily. It can be a good idea to post on a regular schedule, especially as you develop a loyal group of followers, but it’s more important that you engage consistently.
Positioning yourself as an expert in your field does take a lot of time and effort, but the hard work can pay off greatly in your career. By positioning yourself well, you are also uplifting the appearance of your career, which can lead to more opportunities and growth. Remember, that people want to be involved with people that they know and trust. Using the five strategies above will help you build that foundation.
You don’t need ten years of experience to position yourself as an expert. All you need is strategic positioning. Start building your expertise foundation today through obsessive study, leveraging what you already know, creating valuable content, testing your approach, borrowing authority, and speaking with earned confidence.