Are You Credible?
By Deborah Darling
 One of the most important qualities you can possess is credibility. If you're not credible, you might as well toss in the towel. Your ability to get people to rally behind you in any way shape or form is a direct result of how credible you are.
We live in an age where we have access to everything almost immediately. This brings great ease and accessibility to our lives but it also brings great responsibility. You don't know when a picture, a voice mail, an email, tweet, Facebook post etc. is going to betray you. Never before has it been more important to show your best self at all times, even to your friends and family. You can't afford to let your guard down at any time. The ramifications of doing so are far too great.
I recently got involved with social media and have been amazed at how many people diminish their credibility on a regular basis. Young people on Facebook think nothing of expressing themselves with four letter words or pictures of hardy partying. The four letter words may be more happenstance than they were in days past but their use still greatly diminishes credibility. I enjoy a fun night out as much as the next person but I am not going to be uploading a series of drunken photos of myself to Facebook and I am certainly not going to say whatever that comes to mind as though it is okay to openly speak my mind because I am “just being myself” with friends and family.
Most employers today want to take a look at your social media sites before they offer employment. While you may think you are just expressing yourself naturally, the employer is wondering if you are the type of person that they want to hire for the job. Is your vocabulary so limited that the only way to express yourself is with four letter words? Do you spend so much time partying that you may choose partying over working late to get the job done? Perhaps young people do not realize the importance of credibility yet, because they have not been in the work force long enough to see the effects that it has on a person's ability to advance in the ranks.
The word credibility comes from the Latin root “credere” which means to believe. When someone possesses credibility we believe in them and the message they deliver. There are many components to credibility but there are four components that we have control over. They are:
- Expertise
- Integrity
- Openness
- Dynamism
When we think of Expertise, we think of the level of knowledge that a person possesses; their competency in general and their ability to get the job done. This is extremely important in your quest to achieve credibility, but by itself is not enough.
About the Author
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| Deborah Darling, The Presentation Pros Inc.
11085 North Street
Garrettsville, OH 44231
330-285-6645
Contact Author: request info
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