Radu Palamariu was interviewed by Boris Felgendreher on Logistics Tribe. On the topic of how to leverage social media, build your personal brand and advance your career in logistics and SCM
The Logistics Tribe is a weekly podcast about the world of global logistics and supply chain management.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Connect with the Guest:
Radu Palamariu: LinkedIn
Boris Felgendreher: LinkedIn
Some of the highlights from the podcast:
- How COVID-19 affected hiring and executive search in general
- Bringing more stories to life regarding the supply chain industry and its contribution
- How to tell your story in a way that people can really understand
- Leveraging LinkedIn and other social media networks
- How being active on social media helps in finding the right talent for a role
- Importance of building relationships and talking to clients
Show notes:
- [03:02] What kind of year has 2020 been for you? Looking back, how would you sum it up?
- [05:57] What’s the overall market for personnel in the logistics and supply chain has been? Was there more hiring or less hiring, what’s it looking like?
- [07:29] I think the success comes in terms, with us, getting market share. It is not necessarily that there are more jobs available, it’s more that we are getting the jobs because we get recognized more in the market.
- [07:58] Do you think you’re also benefiting from the fact that most traditional trade media publications are all shrinking? Is that a trend that sort of plays into your hand?
- [09:03] We don’t have an intent to sell sponsorships or to sell advertising. Our purpose is to put out good stories where people can learn from and to add value.
- [10:48] When did it first occur to you that you should be doing this? And most importantly, how does somebody get onto your program? What’s your preferred method of picking who’s going to be on your podcast?
- [13:21] What we always try to do with the podcast is to get some of the most interesting stories out there.
- [16:17] Our mission this year is to focus on bringing more stories to life because in supply chain and logistics transportation there are a lot of unsung heroes. Most people that are not within the space do not realize that the reason why we had food on the table during COVID is because of supply chain professionals doing their jobs and keeps the flow of goods going.
- [17:27] What advice can we give to people in terms of telling their stories especially as a logistics provider, manufacturer or retailer, and what they are contributing? What is some good advice on how to get started to really tell that story and bring it to the outside world?
- [20:02] When telling a story, you need to speak to the language of the people that are listening to you and you need to tell that in a way that people are going to be receptive.
- [21:28] What’s your advice for people that are serious about starting or those who already started. How should they go about using LinkedIn in an ineffective way?
- [25:46] Use LinkedIn long-term and build meaningful networks and relationships. And the second point is if you want to get feedback about an initiative that you are planning to do, LinkedIn is an incredible and fast way to get feedback from the market.
- [28:09] If all your LinkedIn game is to find articles you read in some journal and then post it just the way it is, that’s just not gonna lead anywhere because the algorithm prefers or favors original content as opposed to external content. I think I still see too many people make that mistake. Do you see that too?
- [29:39] Start by commenting and observe what other people are doing and then after a while, you can start sharing your own thoughts. But again, don’t expect that people will flock to you. However, if you have engaged, there’s a high likelihood that people will reciprocate. It’s same as real life, you meet somebody once or twice and then you build a relationship.
- [32:58] The key to my success, if you want to call it that, is basically I support what other people share and then sometimes I reshare or sometimes I will share with my own thoughts.
- [33:50] If you are on a C-level search for someone and your first place probably is to look on LinkedIn and you’re seeing someone that looks on paper like a good candidate. But there’s nothing there in terms of content. Does that give you pause? Is that something that is becoming an obstacle to someone getting hired?
- [35:39] I think the key for the right person for the role is leadership and we do operate a lot on asking referrals and cross-checking with other people within the industry. And of course, it does matter because the more you see somebody because they are active, the more you’re likely to think of that person.
- [36:21] What would be a good reason for someone to stay off of social media and not engage in it or not be active on LinkedIn? Is there still a valid reason today for a VP level or above in a global role in supply chain and logistics to not be active on social?
- [37:23] There’s a fine balance but to me, I do still think that as a senior leader and a senior executive within the company your presence on social media to share an opinion is important.
- [38:01] I want to pick your brains on how you stay smart on what’s going on in the industry. Give me other places that you go to, whether it be podcasts or websites or conferences, or what have you in the space that people should be aware of. What are your preferred channels?
- [39:05] The fundamental of any business, if you want to be successful, is to help people, and in order to do that you need to understand what the problem is. So when we speak to people, I try to understand what’s going on in their world. So then, my best and safest, and most reliable source of information is the people working within the industry themselves.
- [40:58] When you say interacting does it mean like the old fashion picking up the phone? Or actually, physically talking to people?
- [42:07] All we are doing in very simplistic ways is answering the needs of the market and helping people get together by doing it.
