The Mere Exposure Effect and Your Job Search

The mere exposure effect (known as the Familiarity Principle) is the psychological phenomenon whereby the more you see or hear something, the more you like it (demonstrated in a 1992 study published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.)

In the digital age and with the rise of content creators, it’s not enough to have a powerhouse profile. You need to know how to leverage it to build your network, credibility, likeability and brand.

So how can you build your brand on LinkedIn before you ‘need’ it?

Sharing

Write down the top 3 topics in your role and industry that you could confidently call yourself an authority in. You could aim to create and share a post every fortnight that you believe others in your industry may find helpful.

Start sharing articles you found insightful with your own key summary points, or posts from connections that truly resonated, describing ‘why’ to your network (and tagging said connection).

Read an amazing book within your profession? Share it

Attended an industry / professional networking event and heard from a great speaker. Share your experience and takeaways

Examples…

My favourite Property & Development publications and why they should be yours

The Top 5 Project Management and Productivity Tools I use

Don’t share for the sake of it though. Always provide context and add your own insight. Motivational quotes just won’t cut it on this platform.

By sharing information about yourself online, being active and participating in discussions, others will come to feel as if they know you and you will build credibility. 

Engaging

If you’ve always had a company front of mind that you would LOVE to work at or just want to find out more about, start following and engaging with their updates and their people.

Continued engagement and dedication to building a long-term relationship involves liking, sharing, or commenting on your connections posts every now and then. Every time you do so, your contact is reminded of you (and what makes you great). They also receive a rush of serotonin, the brain’s reward chemical, which boosts their self-worth, making them associate you with feeling good.

Following up

If you met someone and shared a good conversation, don’t let the lines of communication go dead, you’re losing out on an opportunity to forge a stronger bond, and in turn, to grow the relationship.

Send your new contact a “thank you” or “nice to meet you” message and touch on a common interest you found within a day or two. In the coming weeks and months, check in periodically to ensure you remain top-of-mind, each time providing some kind of value to the person.

Don’t wait until you need a job to prioritise your brand and your network. The time is now.

Found this useful? You’ll love my Complete LinkedIn Guide which you can download here