Jennifer Corcoran, Award-Winning LinkedIn Trainer & Strategist
Jennifer Corcoran is an Award-Winning social media influencer. She knows a thing or two about leaving her comfort zone behind.
She uses her experience to help others achieve sustained visibility and success. Too many of us feel lost when it comes to selling ourselves or our businesses online.
Her vision is to empower millions of people to leverage LinkedIn to drive positive change in their lives and others', and her mission is to help entrepreneurs and executives to stand out on LinkedIn. Always as a force for mutual good.
Jennifer founded 'My Super Connector' in 2017, with the purpose to help entrepreneurs and executives to increase their confidence on LinkedIn by teaching them how to super-boost their LinkedIn profiles and connect with finesse to raise their brand, have kudos and credibility. Overtake their competition, build a community, get that new job they are after, attract more clients and make more money.
My Super Connector proves that you don't need to be the loudest person in the room to get noticed. While working in The City as an executive PA, Jennifer used social media to elevate her reputation. This helped her win regional, national and global awards. A back injury cut her City career short but led Jennifer to find her true calling, as a LinkedIn trainer and networking adviser.
“The one thing I'm most proud of is smashing through my comfort zone and reinventing myself time and time again. I'm very much an introvert, and I still pinch myself when I think of how I've had to embrace being in the spotlight in order to reach and help others when my natural comfort zone is in the side-lines helping others to shine.”
Jennifer Corcoran
Jennifer Corcoran, LinkedIn
Jennifer is more than a skilled social media scheduler or self-pronounced "Expert". Her talent and hard work are evident in her list of qualifications and awards, making her one of the UK's most successful LinkedIn trainers.
As a Pitman-accredited LinkedIn trainer, she has qualified in LinkedIn and Social media for business. Her expertise is evident in her list of prestigious awards such as Social Media Influencer of the Year. She has also been spotlighted in national campaigns such as F-Entrepreneur.
Jennifer's clients include LinkedIn, Amazon, BT, London South Bank University, London Chamber of Commerce, FSB and Enterprise Nation. Learn more about Jennifer and her work at MySuperConnector.co.uk.
Tell us about your current role and what you like about your career/role or areas of focus.
I'm a LinkedIn Trainer and Strategist, and I teach entrepreneurs and executives how to super-boost their LinkedIn profiles and connect with finesse. My vision is to empower millions of people to leverage LinkedIn to drive positive change in their lives and others'.
I've learned over time that you need to toot your horn to get where you want in life, and I want to help others to toot their horns on LinkedIn and create economic opportunities.
I love helping my clients to refocus and get a LinkedIn profile which truly represents them and a holistic approach to networking. They feel reinvigorated, confident and raring to go and excited to tap into all the opportunities that LinkedIn has to offer them whether that is raising their brand, getting a new job, attracting more clients or making more money.
What inspires you, motivates you, helps you to make each day count?
I think focusing on my bigger 'why', and the bigger picture keeps me motivated and on the right track.
My ultimate goal is to help people to have the confidence to be proud of what they've done; who they are and shout about it, so they can achieve what they want in life.
Outside of your professional work area, what hobbies or interests do you have or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I love spending time with my husband, Mike, who is a Social Worker specialising in mental health.
Family is very important to us both, and we both have mothers with mental health issues.
We love travelling around Devon and the South West to unwind, and Mike is a great cook. We moved to the South West in 2019, and I love a cream tea!
When it comes to your life chosen career, is there a phrase, quote or saying that you really like?
I love this quote from Dale Carnegie and frequently share it in training sessions. "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in you."
What are you most proud of in your life?
Wow, this is such a hard one. I've won awards as both an employee and a business owner. I've been spotlighted in national campaigns for my volunteering and been at the top of leader boards of my peers however I think the one thing I'm most proud of is smashing through my comfort zone and reinventing myself time and time again.
I set up my company following back surgery and divorce. Likewise, I reinvented myself when I moved to the UK 18 years ago. I'm very much an introvert (albeit a chatty one), and I still pinch myself when I think of how I've had to embrace being in the spotlight in order to reach and help others when my natural comfort zone is in the side-lines helping others to shine.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
I was naive and thought I would launch a website, and that business would come to me given my reputation, but I soon learned the hard way that I had to become a marketer and salesperson alongside my daily role.
I wish I had realised the importance of discovery calls when I first started out and marketed them more. It's a lot easier to sell a 'chat' versus your service.
I also wish I respected my time more at the start as I gave away too much information for free. I'm now a lot stricter with my time and focus on being 'respected' on a call versus being 'liked'.
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles?
I've got a lot of amazing people in my LinkedIn network from all walks of life. Brené Brown is a definite role model.
"You are imperfect, you are wired for struggle, but you are worthy of love and belonging."
I could sit and listen to her talk all day (I'm more a TEDx fan than a reader).
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like, or do you think are getting it right?
There are lots of purpose-led brands out there who are getting it right and pushing for purpose over profit.
Naturally, I love LinkedIn's mission: "To connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful.".
Patagonia is another great brand in terms of intent and impact. Other brands which spring to mind are The Body Shop, Forbes, Google and Tesla.
During the lockdown, I spent a lot of time doing a brand audit, and my five brand pillars are:
✅ Honesty - always open and honest is the only way to be. Being upfront about the challenges is the catalyst for positive change.
✅ Accessibility - Anyone can be part of this whether you're a LinkedIn newbie, a cynic or lifelong introvert. I adapt to fit what feels right for you and in a medium, which suits your learning style.
✅ Connection - I champion the power of connection and joining dots in our networks to build lasting relationships. I think humans first, technology second. Social interaction and how to be part of the conversation can be learnt.
✅ Kindness - begin with kindness. It enables learning and opens our minds to new ways of doing things. Generosity without expectations then passes it on. Feels good, huh?
✅ Synergy - finding common ground and ways to truly work better together; to create breakthroughs, fresh thinking and more powerful solutions.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Network, network, network – the advice was from Vanessa Vallely, the CEO of WeAreTheCity, which is a women's network based in London.
What drives or motivates you each day in a work environment?
Structure and smart goals - I love a good checklist or app. I work from home, so getting regular coaching and mentoring also keeps me on track.
What are your thoughts on the future of social media?
It's not going away any time soon. I imagine it will all be a lot more video and story based in the next few years. LinkedIn is slowly rolling out its new story feature in Australia.
What is your favourite social media platform, and why?
LinkedIn undoubtedly and I could wax lyrical all day as to why I love it.
The people on LinkedIn are in a professional business mindset, and I love how you can build your personal brand and establish yourself as an expert, do research, build your network, showcase endorsements and recommendations and find and attract your target audience.
LinkedIn is currently the number one space online to build your personal brand. I've used it successfully for many years as both an employee and entrepreneur and consider it a career savings deposit account – spending time there is never wasted, unlike other platforms which can feel like a time suck.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever been a mentor to anyone?
Yes, I've had many mentors since I started up in business and have also been a mentor and accountability buddy to fellow business owners.
How do you network? What is your preferred way to network?
I'm an avid networker and network online and offline. LinkedIn is my main social media platform, and pre-Covid I also attended a lot of face to face events. I won the title of the most networked PA in London several years ago. Over the last six months, I’ve attended a multitude of Zoom virtual meetings.
We've all had to get used to running our private tv channel. As an introvert, my preferred way to network on LinkedIn is mainly in messenger and comments versus video and the home feed.
Likewise, when attending Zoom meetings, you will find me there in the comments, and at face to face events, I usually arrive early and look for a friendly face and get chatting.
I don't 'work the room'. I like to focus on quality over quantity and build relationships versus making it a numbers game.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work?
Do some voluntary work or intern to get a feel for what is involved. I didn't really use social media in my last role in financial services. A voluntary role and hobby allowed me to explore my love of social media and to transition.
Don't be afraid to reach out to people and ask them to mentor you and be clear on what your goals are. Mentoring in itself is a bit 'vague' have a SMART plan (specific, measurable, actionable, timely and realistic).
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
I imagine it's a combination of lack of income and imposter syndrome. You don't have to be the best person to succeed in business. You need resilience and bags of confidence and strength. And it would be best if you were a great salesperson. If you can't sell, you don't have a business; you have a hobby.
I'm three and a half years in business, and I'm only starting to reap the rewards now. It can take a few years to build momentum if you're working towards a bigger why you will keep going. If you’re only focused on profit, you may give in and opt for plan B as there is no bigger purpose driving you.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience?
Success to me is happiness and balance in life. To be able to do what I love, get paid well for it and to have an excellent work/life balance and spend it with my family and friends.
It's important to realise that we are all works in progress until the day we die. We need to strive for improvement over perfectionism; otherwise, you can get overwhelmed and procrastinate and play it small.
We also need to be kind to ourselves and take things to step by step. I used to set myself too many unrealistic goals and then feel like a failure when I would invariably mess up. Once I learned to focus on one or two goals a month, my life changed, and I could see progress and results. It's a marathon and not a sprint, eh.
What skills do you feel have helped you to become successful?
I think self-belief and my ability to learn how to network. Networking is a learned skill.
I had to push massively out of my comfort zone when I first started networking in London as a PA, and that skill has got me to where I am today. My tagline is Connect. Collaborate. Thrive.
Is there anything new that you are working on or involved in that you would like to share?
I'm currently working on some new services, which I'm very excited about—a LinkedIn video audit service and a VIP done for your profile service.
I'm also working on some new courses on LinkedIn company pages, LinkedIn events and how to connect on LinkedIn (home feed, messenger and groups).
I'm collaborating with AgoraPulse on the company page course which is exciting! And they would like to offer all of your readers a 1-month free trial. The code for the free trial would be "event1free".
Likewise, if anyone wants to chat with me, you can book in for a free 15 minute' right fit' call with me here:
https://calendly.com/jennifer-mysuperconnector/15minuterightfitcall