It’s obvious, right?

If you don’t tell the waitstaff your dinner order, you won’t be served. If you just say, “I’m hungry.” You might end up with a bowl of corned beef instead of what you really wanted, a comforting bowl of Shoyu ramen.

Two very different things.

A few weeks ago, I found out someone close to my family made a comment about my ‘career prospects.’ My husband and I were discussing a potential move to a neighboring state.

This person’s response: “Maybe Allison will find some job opportunities there.”

Job opportunities? I didn’t realize I was in the market.

That’s because I’m not. I’m a successful full-time writer and business owner and I’ve worked with clients all over the world. I’m published on sites ranked in the top 10 and top 100 in their categories.

So why on Earth would this person say that?

Because they have no idea how my career is going. I never talk about it.

Whoops.

Have you ever realized that even your partner/parent-in-law/best friend doesn’t even know what you really do at work?

We often avoid talking about work outside our Slack channels and rectangular screens. That’s because it’s not healthy to talk about work all the time, really. I mean even if you love what I do, I know people don’t want to hear me drone on about my latest article about why we should all start swimming in the frigid water for our health.

For many of us, our work depends on our talking about what we do.

As a ghostwriter, I’m about as translucent as a wet napkin.

Talking about my work is essential. If I don’t talk about my services on LinkedIn, my essay series, or wherever, people have no idea what I can do for them. Clients can’t find me, friends and relatives can’t refer me, and I’m not doing my duty by sharing my services with people who can truly benefit from them.

That’s why my family member thought perhaps I needed a job.

To them, it looked like I wasn’t being served dinner. In reality, I was having just what I ordered but was apparently just shoving it quietly into my purse to take home later.

What’s the point of that? To relish in the warm salty broth and slippery soba noodles at home? Alone?

No, I’m not going to grow my business that way.

How to talk about your work without feeling gross

The point is not to be perfect and establish yourself as some kind of omniscient authority in a highly-specific industry like training bloodhounds to sniff out ruffles in the pacific northwest.

Being specialized is great, but I started off as a generalist in my industry. It’s ok to talk about your work either way, but the most important thing is to talk about your work.

To this day, most of my work comes from personal references, word-of-mouth, and the effective use of one social platform.

Here are a few tips I figured out early on. They’ll help you too.

1. Bring it up in conversation.

Here’s how I do it:

Family member: Hi Al, how are you doing?

Me: Great, I just finished a project for a client and I think it turned out really well!

Family member: That’s great! What was the project?

Me: It was about how this business is using hemp fiber to develop prosthetics.

Family member: Hey, I know someone you should talk to! Or: Wow, that’s awesome. Glad to hear your business is doing well.

That’s it. Not every conversation results in a job prospect. But it might. What it does do is let that person know you enjoy what you do, you’re accepting new work, and you want them to know about it (and you aren’t looking for a new career…).

2. Pick one platform and post once a week.

I’m an extrovert when I want to be and an introvert when I need to be. I spend a lot of time on the phone, so sometimes I just don’t want to talk about my work out loud. I need to be a bit introverted. So, I’ll write about it.

LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, your blog, a newsletter… these are all platforms that make it easy for you to post.

I like LinkedIn because it’s where my clients and professional network live. They are also on Twitter, Facebook, and maybe TikTok (but I do not want to know about that). I tried to write on multiple platforms at first, but it was too much. I found I wasn’t posting at all.

So, I focused on LinkedIn and found that I was a lot more visible with prospective clients. Even just re-posting a link to a story I wrote gets dozens of views.

Now, I have an essay series. Both feel like an authentic way for me to share what I know, what I’m learning, and what I’m curious about. It shows my family I don’t need a job, shows clients I care about my work, and lets prospective clients know I exist.

If you can do more than one platform, go for it! Great writers suggest posting at least two times a week, but I’m about the “something is better than nothing” mentality. Do what you can and it will grow.

3. Join a network, group, cohort, etc.

Sometimes it’s easier to talk about our work when we’re not the only person in the room. Joining an accountability group, a professional cohort, or a Facebook group for professionals like you are great ways to get exposure and talk more about your work with people who can help grow your network.

When I started my career, I had an accountability group. We talked about the daily grind, but also we share job opportunities with each other, brainstormed, and learned from each other.

It’s a great way to see what others are doing and get connected with prospective clients, have inspiring conversations, and feel seen for the great work you do.

Today, I’m part of ASJA and I volunteer on a committee, I have a mentor, another accountability group, an active forum I pop into every now and then, and a huge network on LinkedIn.

Get out there! People WANT to hear your story, they want to know what you are up to. Don’t be like me and let them think you are jobless because you never talk about your work. You owe it to yourself!

If you’re looking for help writing or repurposing content for LinkedIn or your newsletter, let’s connect. I’m happy to help!