It’s Never Too Late to Reinvent Yourself in This Digital Age
“LinkedIn became a lifeline for me during the pandemic. I was surprised at how different the platform was from my expectations.” That is what Melissa Cohen, Personal Branding and LinkedIn Strategist, shared recently.
“In 2008, I created a profile on LinkedIn, but I barely touched it until 2020. I live in New York City, which was the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. It was a frightening time. I was a Vice President in product development and production with Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren was my dream company, and I planned to stay there until I retired. But during the first year of the pandemic, the industry was in turmoil, and there were many layoffs, including mine. I soon realized that getting a job through my network wasn’t going to work. I turned to LinkedIn and found the unexpected: a virtual water cooler, a place for social interaction when I was afraid to even leave my apartment.
One of the biggest learnings for me during this time was realizing how much of my self-identity was tied up in my job. Without it, I felt like a whole piece of myself was gone. The term “personal brand” didn’t mean anything to me; I just didn’t want to feel lost anymore. As I got involved in the LinkedIn community, I developed a following with a good amount of engagement. People noticed and started to reach out to me, asking me to help them. What started as a side hustle, something fun to do on the side of the fashion work that I was doing, became my career.
I help people understand the power of a personal brand, with a focus on leveraging the opportunities on LinkedIn. I want to help people unlock the same opportunities that I have found here.
I’ve developed partnerships and collaborations and have spoken on podcasts and panels, all because of the connections I’ve made and the community I’ve built. That is the beauty of the age that we live in, there’s no barrier to being connected. We can join Zoom or Google Meet or have virtual coffee or tea and speak with people anywhere on the globe. Some of the people that I met through LinkedIn are my dearest friends now.
On Sundays, I have a friend who writes a column that I look forward to. I will make a big cup of coffee and go look for his post. I’ll read it and write a lengthy comment, and we will comment back and forth, having conversations with people in the comments. It’s like a virtual meetup, from the comfort of my couch.
My favorite of my own posts is LinkedIn Nuggets, which I post every Friday. For the background pictures that are fun and surrealistic, I use AI, Dall-E, to generate magical tea party scenes with an Alice in Wonderland feel. The idea came to me when my daughter and I went to a Wonderland Dreams exhibit a few years ago. I have a lot of fun creating these images.
We live in a really exciting time where technology allows us to do things that we have only dreamt about. You can upskill in any subject at any time because of the many free resources out there.
If I had one thing to advise others, I would say it is never too late to reinvent yourself. If I can do it, anyone can. Learn new things, and if that takes you in a different and exciting direction, go with it. The era of a linear career is essentially nonexistent now, so be open to what comes next.
My summarizing thought about LinkedIn: Every opportunity that has come my way in the last 5 years, directly or indirectly, is because of the time I put in here. If you put in the effort, you will be amazed at what comes back for you.
I connected with Alissa through a comment I left on a friend’s headshot post. Alissa’s husband recognized my name because he and my husband went to college together. Since then, she has been in my circle.
I’ve known for a long time that I needed a new headshot. The one I had still looked like me, but did not feel like me. I don’t like having my photo taken. But I finally said, ‘Okay, let’s do it.’
The experience was incredible!
Alissa is so attentive, and her service is very personalized. It’s not just coming to the studio and taking a headshot. It’s the process, start to finish. Her styling tips and wardrobe consultation were so in-depth and affirming. Her hair and makeup artist, Lisa, was fantastic, adding to my level of confidence. My hair looked amazing!
Because I know Alissa as a friend, I saw how she changes when she is behind the camera. She lights up, and that energy translates to her clients, helping them forget someone is taking their picture. When I look at my photos, I see my strength and confidence reflected there, partly due to Alissa’s amazing energy that supercharged my own.”