Many of us are guilty of spending too much time on social media. We find out what’s happening in the news and with our friends by checking our social media feed every waking moment, including at the workplace while sitting comfortably in our chair.

And we sometimes forget that the chair we are sitting in could be gone tomorrow because - newsflash - there are no iron rice bowls anymore.

Taken aback by the latest report on the labour market that had popped up on my newsfeed - rising unemployment, fewer job vacancies, declining re-employment! - I decided it was time to dust off my sadly neglected resume just in case my office chair gets taken away.

However, with my CV almost as awesome as a glass of warm beer, I needed some skills to zhng it.

Which led to a personal branding clinic, one of many programmes for PMEBs organised by (surprisingly) the labour movement.  Anyway, this one is led by Chris J Reed, who has one of the world’s most viewed LinkedIn Profiles with a whopping 70,000 followers.

It was held on a Friday night, which meant pangseh-ing all my friends. But then future rice bowl more important. And the clinic was free.

And here are three things I learnt…

1. Uploaded your boring word document CV on LinkedIn? Please, take it down.

LinkedIn is a social media platform for professionals. Don’t upload a document filled with tiny words and expect people to read it.

As with any other social media platform, people have a short attention span. Present information about yourself in a succinct manner that grabs the reader's attention and sustains their interest in you.

Being on LinkedIn is like being at a business networking event. Without having to be in an uncomfortable suit. Just as you would talk about yourself instead of getting people to read your CV at a networking event, engage with the professionals who visit your LinkedIn profile.

Have a conversation. Use first person pronouns. Make your profile your CV.

We repeat: Don’t. Upload. Word. CV.

2. It’s not always about you.

We are used to talking about ourselves on social media -- what we like, our experiences on public transport, what upset us yada yada.

Talking about what you do at work is also great, of course. But you know what else is better?

Letting people know what your company can do for potential business partners.

Selling your company’s experience and brand is a business opportunity for you. Your profile will boost your company’s corporate image, as will the company’s image promote your personal brand. Everyone’s a winner.

While we’re on that, creating brand consistency among your colleagues is important too, such as a standardised background picture or the same company description across profiles. It’s a simple strategy for the company that will also help you.

Oh, it’s also free.

3. Write about topics that will interest your readers and get people talking.

Imagine you’re at a business conference.  If you don’t talk and ask questions, people will probably not notice how clever you are. (Unless you are not. Then you should just shut up.)

Write about a topic on LinkedIn. Confused as to what to blog about? One tip is to tailor content for the corporate environment.

For example, a beauty brand employee could post about female empowerment at the workplace instead of beauty tips. A freelance copywriter could write on techniques to deal with errant clients. You get the idea.

Posting “thought-provoking relevant content that elicits comments and promotes discussion” (wooo) helps you reach out to more people and companies.

Is it a little self-serving? Yes. Does your skin have to be a little thick? Also yes. But hey, no one ever got noticed by shrinking away into the corner, amirite?

All-in-all

While some of the tips may seem familiar or commonsensical, it reminded me of the importance to actively mould and maintain your brand and professional identity.

With the economy slowing down and jobs being disrupted or made redundant by technology today, you’d want to make sure you’re well prepared for tomorrow’s jobs -- when a door closes, another one opens. When a job is replaced, another one opens up.

But let’s not leave everything to chance shall we?

Other than zhng-ing your profile, you can join various – buzzword alert – upskilling opportunities for PMEs. There are programmes you can check out such as the here and here. Some of them are FREE. ZOMG, what you waiting for?

And that’s how young professionals like me can find lobangs, build a network that will support my career goals and prepare for future employment.

Or unemployment.

BRB, while i zhng my LinkedIn profile.

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Interested in upgrading yourself? That’s great, but don’t anyhowly whack a skill.

Before you start, find out which are the sunrise industries -- just so you know you’re going in the right direction.

Get first dibs on new growth sectors from Future Jobs and Skills Training (FJST), a new unit by NTUC which will start operating in January 2017. The FJST will pull resources from government agencies, associations, communities, social enterprises and tripartite partners to help predict the relevant skills for tomorrow’s jobs to help you get on the right track.

Now that’s one psychic we all need.

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This sponsored post ensures that Mothership writers can afford to attend workshops to upskill and reskill ourselves. So we can change jobs. No. Just kidding. Hope the boss doesn’t see this.