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Hotshot Oneshots
Every Woman's Guide to Getting a Reputation
Someone recently asked the DCWW community, "What concrete measures can one take to gain respect as a web professional?" It's not always easy for your work to gain the respect and admiration of your coworkers. Sometimes the work isn't deemed technical or sophisticated enough. Sometimes your projects lack the high visibility of other projects. However, no matter what your situation, you can take steps to earn the R-E-S-P-E-C-T of others and build a reputation within your company and professional community.
Here are my tips for building your own reputation, in almost no particular order.
- Get a meaningful, descriptive job title.
A few years ago 'Webmistress' was a cute job title. It isn't anymore. Give yourself a job title that accurately describes your position. My job title is Senior Internet Technology Architect. It barely fits on my business card, but says it all. I'm in a senior position on the Census Bureau's Internet Staff. I work with Internet technology. I design and build stuff.
Negotiate your job title just as you would negotiate other aspects of a job offer. If your boss says you absolutely must be a 'Web Developer', then let your annual rating say so, but introduce yourself as an Internet Systems Developer, a Digital Media Specialist, or an E-commerce Architect.
- Do cool stuff.
When you do cool, innovative work, you get noticed, but what's a great innovation? It isn't always a flashy application or technical wonder. For example, your web site's index may contain too much company jargon or obfuscated terms. Gather information from various resources and propose simplified terminology to help users succeed on your site. Or redesign and repurpose a marketing brochure for both print and the web, resulting in cost savings.
Identify a need that internal or external customers have that isn't currently being met. Census QuickFacts (quickfacts.census.gov) brings together several data items to create a community profile. This little application with its vanilla technology won a Census Innovation Award because it satisfied a need that Census users had for some time—the ability to access data from various surveys and programs in just two mouse-clicks.
- Be authoritative.
How many times have you heard someone start out a suggestion like this: "Well, um, I think, that if we, uh, hmmm, no, maybe it would be better if we . . ." And how did you react?
If you talk as if you don't know what you're talking about, why should anyone trust what you're saying? Instead of "I think," try "I know."
Be authoritative in your suggestions and recommendations. Gather information from the academic and professional community of your field and use it to back your arguments. Still, not everyone will agree with you, so be receptive to and learn from others' suggestions and criticism.
- Learn about things beyond your desk.
It's easy to be so consumed by the work on your desk that you forget about the world beyond. If your office is a PC/Win world, think about how Linux might help. Are you strictly a ColdFusion shop? Take a course in ASP or Perl for a different set of solutions. Do you use email to gather information from customers? Explore how on-line surveys can help determine user needs. The bigger your toolbox is, the more needs you can effectively address.
- Speak up.
Don't be afraid to express your ideas, thoughts, opinions, suggestions, recommendations, and admonitions. Don't let anyone co-opt your brilliant ideas, but be fair yourself—give and share credit whenever appropriate.
- Speak out.
Take advantage of opportunities to speak in front of groups, both at the office and in public. Get comfortable speaking in front of people and never turn down an offer to make a presentation (or even an introduction!).
At the office, make a presentation on some new software you've evaluated. New technology constantly streams through our tech world. Read about the latest W3C standards, advances in multi-media, new accessibility techniques, or budding web services. Become the office expert.
Seek out opportunities and meetings of regional groups or local user groups that call on members for program content. These venues offer an excellent forum for speaking to smaller audiences.
Speaking puts you in the spotlight where people can see you. Don't be afraid of that spotlight. Actively market yourself. Remember, it's not always what you know or even whom you know that helps—often it's who knows you.
- Participate in mail lists and other digital communities.
Virtual communities span the globe and can provide you with contacts across the country and around the world. They also provide an opportunity to join in the discussion with community leaders and renowned experts.
Famed Perl hacker and author Randal Schwartz began his climb to fame by answering questions on one of the Unix USENET groups. I was offered a monthly column in a national magazine because of my participation in the comp.infosystems.gis newsgroup, and the column brought more opportunities.
Every web-related field imaginable has an on-line forum. We all know how beneficial membership in DCWW can be. Not only can you have all your questions answered, but you can gain a reputation in the community by answering the questions of others. But be tolerant. Recognize the sparks and imperfections in others who participate.
- Publish.
Have you gotten the message yet? Get your name out there! You do have something to say that will benefit others. Write a tutorial, an essay, a haiku, an evaluation, a workshop, a review, an FAQ, a meditation, an observation, a rant, a program, a criticism, an article, a report, or even a HotShot column! (Definitely a good idea—the Hotshots Editor.)
Don't know where to start? At the office, extract all the interesting tech news of the week into short narratives and publish your own newsletter with your perspective. Are you on a web team? Research new web usability, design, and programming tips, and send out a newsletter to your team.
Submit something to an association publication or a weekly periodical. Technical and trade magazines seek out content from the community they serve and even include submission guidelines. Write up something about your current project and find an appropriate forum to publish it.
- Be Confident.
This last point, and it is last for a reason, is a part of all the others. Always be confident of what you say, email, publish, and program. Have confidence in your work and yourself, and others will, too.
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