Thank you to the 2000 amazing people who signed up for this newsletter. This newsletter is for Talent Acquisition and HR professionals interested in growing their digital brand.

1. Each week, I’ll be interviewing a Talent/HR/People leader who is doing a great job with their content. (Internal recruiters, Agency recruiters, HR leaders…)

   From TikTok, Linkedin and Instagram Influencers to Podcasters, and bloggers to video superstars. Each episode will include a short video where they share how building their brand has impacted their career and their life.

2. I’ll then break down how you can use their same strategies to build your brand, so each week you’ll learn and be inspired to create content.

I’ve already lined up some fan favorites and I’m super excited to continue to learn from the best in the industry.

^{About the Author: Joel Lalgee has built a social media following of almost 400,000. In 2019 he started creating content on Linkedin and since then he has expanded to Tiktok, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram… yeah everywhere. He’s also hosted 2 successful podcasts. His content has been viewed over 500,000,000 times and he now coaches recruitment teams on how to create content successfully to win on social media.} 

If you’re interested in working with Joel to get in front of 2-3 million people a month reach out to [email protected] for collaborations.

This week I’m featuring a creator that not only has grown a following of almost 40,000 on Linkedin… But she’s built a community of 166,000 on Instagram and 70k on Tiktok…

She’s also working for one of the biggest companies in the world, Google, as a recruiter.

Welcome Eddiana Rosen!

Here is her story.

Eddiana Rosen is the founder of Careers in Review, a career strategy and job-searching firm with the mission to provide guidance and support to job seekers looking to maximize their careers. Eddiana is currently an Employee Relations Specialist at Google; she was a Recruiter for over 9 years before that.

Eddiana has grown an online community of over 250K across her social media platforms. She has been featured in LinkedIn News, Hubspot, Jobscan, Forbes, The Verge, HuffPost, and many more. Eddiana’s teachings and keynotes revolve around giving women the tools to regain their power through salary negotiation, showing their unique value proposition through self-advocacy and personal branding, and advancing their careers through resilience by giving and receiving feedback.

Check out the video below that got a whopping 7.2 million views… that’s 7,200,000

Joel: How long have you been creating content?

Eddiana: I have had a very unconventional start to social media, because I have crippling anxiety and I lean towards more of being a private person, I started on LinkedIn in 2019 after having my first daughter, only did it for a few months, and stopped after I started getting traction, hopped on Tik Tok in 2022, and did it for a few months and stopped due to work being busy and other personal reasons, so technically I only really started in March of 2023. So I have been doing it consistently for 5 or 6 months.

This is the first time I felt I could be consistent because I am truly enjoying the process, and I know what I really want to talk about; March 2023 is when Careers in Review was born, and I have gotten comfortable with creating boundaries with myself around what I decide to share about my personal life, slowly getting more comfortable with sharing more about myself since people are showing more interest, but the internet is a wild place so it is important to know what you feel OK with sharing.

Joel: What channels/platforms do you focus on?

Eddiana: Primarily focus on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok

I also have a newsletter of 18K subs but send no emails to (LOL, I know I need to do better), and I also have a podcast (Careers in Review), which I never talk about because I don’t want to “annoy” people, launched it in May 2023, has around 5K downloads. And recently launched a YouTube channel (still learning that platform), excited to see it grow.

Joel: You’ve built a following on Instagram and Tiktok for Careers in Review; what inspired you to start?

Eddiana: Two main reasons, one being my mental health, I desperately needed a creative outlet outside of work that would allow me to have a real hobby. I was working long hours and fell into a monotonous routine of just working and not investing in a personal brand I would be proud of. Being creative and putting out information that helps others truly helps my anxiety and it balances me.

The other reason was as you are probably familiar with, there is so much flawed career advice on the internet, and while there is not one size fits all when it comes to job searching for career advancement, there are some things job seekers should stay away from, and unfortunately, there are bad apples out there irresponsibly putting out information that could potentially be harmful, I wanted to create a space where job seekers can know they can trust the source, they can also know that they are not alone in the journey of navigating this exhausting journey of job searching because even I have experience rejection, they only see the title at a fancy company, but is important for them know this is not how I started, that gives me the drive to keep showing up.

Joel: Many people try to grow on both of these channels and struggle; what has worked well for you on those platforms?

Eddiana: I don’t really have a strategy, or at least I have not noticed one so far. I think what has worked for me is showing up consistently; I wish I could do it more than I currently do, but when I do show up with a repeated cadence, I start to see results.

Something else I would say is relatability When people can relate to what you are saying, that type of content tends to do well; I have also tested different styles of content, like talking to the camera, B-roll content, and role-playing content, to see what the audience that follows resonates with the most.

TikTok has been a little bit of a wild card lately, but Instagram people have liked the content that teaches them something OR that sparks a strong emotion (anger, inspiration, confusion, etc.) and typos, haha People get very bent over backward over typos on social media, it is wild.

Joel: How has your brand led to career opportunities and business opportunities?

Eddiana: Yes, I have had a few career opportunities, none that I have considered seriously because I am in a role that I really enjoy at this time.

I have ample opportunities to collaborate with amazing people in the industry, such as yourself. The business opportunities, I would say, have been limited because it is an area I am still trying to understand; some brands have approached me. Still, I have either turned them down because they don’t align with my brand or because it is a time commitment that I am willing to prioritize at this time.

Joel: What advice would you give to people thinking about starting a side hustle on social media?

Eddiana: DO IT!!!! Now is the time to start; the best time to start is yesterday, and the next best time is TODAY!

Having a personal brand gives you so much control over your career, plus I think (although I am still figuring that part out) having multiple streams of income is a MUST in today’s economy

My biggest advice is for them to pick a topic they truly enjoy talking about because it can get tiring talking about the same thing over and over, but if it is something you are passionate about, you will never resent it

Think about the things you are above average at; what do people come to you for and ask you questions about? Start small, pick one platform, learn it, and then expand!

Joel: What is the most challenging part about creating content on Instagram?

Eddiana: My casualness, I am not very curated with the way I show up, and instagram has been known for being the aesthetically pleasing platform, although that has started to shift a bit in the last year or so, I struggled at first because I was testing a lot of concepts and IG likes consistency and visuals that look similar, still getting the hang of what that means and looks like for my brand on that platform.

Joel: How about on Tiktok?

Eddiana: Oh Tik Tok! I have a love-hate relationship with this platform, never know what will do well, and recently it is obvious the platform has been suppressing views even from existing followers, so that has been super challenging, when your video does not get views you automatically think is because is not good content, but then months later that same video that only got 200 views starts to pick up traction, so it’s not the content is that the platform suppressed it to begin with, so the most challenging part is knowing what makes a good video on the platform these days.

Joel: You also are on Linkedin creating content and still working for your company; how does your company feel about your content?

Eddiana: They had never had an issue with my social media, I barely ever mention who my employer is unless people go to my LinkedIn and deliberately scroll to my experience section; you don’t know who my employer is

So, I think being very clear on my social media that my opinion is my own and that they are associated with my employer but also being able to build a personal brand without having to mention my employer has been helpful, I think, at ensuring there is no issue with my presence

I am also highly intentional, in the sense that I don’t get involved in heated debates online, also While I am at work, I am not on my socials; I am very focused on my role, and my social media has never been a point of concern

Joel: How do you manage all your social media accounts?

Eddiana: I am probably going to ask you for tips here because I am not doing that very well, I feel like I am always scrambling to post last minute, I am very organized on keeping my content ideas flowing in one place but it comes to managing the platforms I struggle with creating a system that works for me. Right now what I do is create on the go when I feel that creative flow, Sometimes I have batched some of the content and it helps a lot but I have not done it consistently to create a system out of it.

Joel: When you get as big as you are on social media, you run into trolls. How do you deal with trolls?

Eddiana: I still laugh at the fact that you say I am “big,” but yes, trolls are the sad part of social media. To be honest, I used to be bothered by them, almost angry, but now I choose to ignore them

Sometimes when they have something hurtful/racist/offensive comments to say, I delete it because I don’t need that type of content on my pages, but if it is something silly, I let them look silly on the internet because that is what they are silly people with too much time on their hands and nothing productive to look forward to

I do want to make the distinction between trolls and people who have challenging questions about my content; I am very receptive to feedback, so if someone has something productive to say and I believe is a valid point, I engage in a healthy debate

Joel: Who are some creators that inspire you?

Eddiana: Bonnie Dilber - I love her empathetic way of presenting to job seekers, she has this calm presence

Linda Le - Her storytelling and creativity in the way she writes her content is so inspiring

Abigail Peugh - not in the career space but I love the way she shows up, so authentic and carefree

Emily the Recruiter - I love how she is able to show up with so much confidence and there is a door she opens for her personal life as well

So many more people I admire both inside and outside of the career space, upwards of 50 people actually.

Joel: What has been the biggest challenge for you with creating content and maintaining consistency?

Eddiana: TIME, it is so time-consuming to create original content all the time, especially keeping up with what people are interested in; trends move so quickly, these apps are constantly evolving and that is tough to stay on top of, especially when you are also handling other aspects of your life

I have already experienced burnout and I am trying to get a hold of that because it can take me out and make me go on hiatuses on social media so being conscious and intentional about that has been challenging

Joel: What is next for you in your content creation journey?

Eddiana: This is a great question and one I have asked myself, I think I want to continue to create content but have a more memorable brand, I want people to think of me when they need help with job search when they are referring a topic in this area, I also create content around personal brand and confidence so that is something I am planning on expanding on a bit more this next few months.

Joel: What’s the biggest piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out from day 1?

Eddiana: Know that you might not know what people want to hear from you, the only way to find out is to start.

Pick ONE thing to concentrate your attention and energy on, choose one platform, learn it for at least 3 months, and see how you like showing up there, get the learnings, and translate it into another platform, it is important to diversify but when the time is right.

Joel: What’s the funniest thing that’s happened to you in your journey as a content creator?

Eddiana: Finding out by accident that people get so worked up over typos, as you know I am an immigrant (English is not my first language) and sometimes I confuse words like “worse” vs "worst” and people go wild. The first time I posted something while I was rushing to drop my kids off people were so angry at me, called me incompetent and all sorts of names, it sounds like an awful story, but it is the funniest thing because it is the video that put me on the map, so jokes on them!

Joel: Where can people find you/connect with you?

Instagram

LinkedIn

TikTok

YouTube

www.careersinreview.com (not live yet, coming soon)

Thanks Eddiana, I have learned a ton from this!! Such great wisdom and actionable advice.

Each week I am going to give you a few tips if you want to get started on creating content based on the conversation I’ve had:

“Pick ONE thing to concentrate your attention and energy on, choose one platform, learn it for at least 3 months, and see how you like showing up there, get the learnings, and translate it into another platform, it is important to diversify but when the time is right.”

DO IT!!!! Now is the time to start; the best time to start is yesterday, and the next best time is TODAY!

I love so much about Eddiana’s journey - being brave enough to create content and write when English isn’t her first language speaks to her character. I know I’ve been ripped to shreds for spelling and grammar mistakes, can you imagine being ridiculed when English isn’t your first language, huge props to Eddiana for shaking off the haters.

Remember whenever you comment on someone’s content, that they are a human… a real person with feelings.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.

Here are my 2 tips for this week:

1. Narrowing down your content by picking a niche and platform when starting is KEY.

I’ve found that most people are more comfortable with writing than video, so start there.

Find the platforms that written content performs well: Linkedin, X (Twitter), Newsletter, Blogs… Then double down on content.

2. Then take action - I’ve spoken to people who have waited YEARS, before posting and all of they’ve done is lost time they could have used to grow.

Fortune favors to bold on social media.

The more you create the better you get, the quicker you get, and the more your following grows.

Starting is one thing, but true growth happens in consistency.

Thank you for reading this episode:

If you are looking for additional help with your content I’m providing 1 on 1 coaching, corporate team workshops/training, and ghostwriting and advising services. Want to work with me?

You can book a quick call here: https://calendly.com/humanheadhunter/quick-meeting?back=1&month=2023-06

Until next time!

Joel

✌🏽