‘A lot of people don’t understand what the HR profession is’

LinkedIn is a golden opportunity to really showcase the diversity of the work that’s done in HR, according to Jayne Ward, head of performance, talent & rewards, at Australia Post.

Ward was one of the network’s most viewed HR professionals in Australia and was included on the 2017 LinkedIn Power Profile list.

“A lot of people don’t understand what the HR profession is and being on LinkedIn enables us to really show how we add strategic value to the business,” Ward told HRD.

“It is critical to showcase our successes and LinkedIn is a great platform to do that.”

So how did Ward go about building her LinkedIn profile?

“I spent quite a bit of time with an executive coach and that helped me objectively work out who I was, what I wanted to be known for and what I was really passionate about,” she said.

“And that helped me think about a range of areas that I felt strongly about, such as employee motivation, the future of work, HR technology, diversity & inclusion, company perks, culture and change.

“Then I started sharing articles on those topics that really resonated with me and it was easy for me to add a point of view.”

Moreover, Ward spent a lot of time thinking about the people she wanted to network with and who she wanted to hear about her journey.

“Whether that was board members, CEOs, or HR professionals, I actually spent a lot of time reaching out and getting to know those people,” she said.

Ward added that in order to grow a profile and be respected on LinkedIn it is essential to be authentic.

“There is no point in sharing things that you are not passionate about or you don’t know about,” said Ward.

“So be authentic, make LinkedIn part of your daily routine, see what’s around, engage with people, share articles and comment on other people’s articles.

“And don’t be scared to have a point of view. Not everyone is going to agree with you, but it can create a great debate and great dialogue.”

Ward said it’s also important to not be afraid to reach out to people you haven’t met and ask them to join your network.

“If you go to a networking event in person you don’t go and speak to people you already know,” she said.

“You would work the room, introduce yourself and talk to people - it is exactly the same in a virtual environment.

“Don’t be scared because most people are really keen to grow their own networks as well.”