Bob Gaines, CISSP, CECI, CCFI, COSINT, CSFA

It is very important to know where you are bringing value to clients and how your skills differentiate from others. The world is full of consultants: how do you stand out from the crowd? Ensure that you are fully accredited and certified from the position as a bare minimum, but then supplement your education with certifications and training specific to where you can differentiate yourself. Then, be sure to practice your "elevator pitch" so that it is smooth and comfortable for you to say - I cannot count how many times I've seen individuals lose an opportunity because they could not quickly (and confidently) articulate what they do and what their value is. From here, start your networking and marketing.

Scope and Coverage is probably the most important element of a privacy program, because often there are blindspots that the business is not aware of, or that their tools are unable to detected. Knowing where data resides and how it protected are essential. Covid forced most companies into a hybrid architecture that moved structured and unstructured data away from environments that were encapsulated in a protected local network. This impacts coverage in a subtle way if you don't factor in locally cached data. Don't forget email and chat programs, as users often use them for transporting documents, but many applications can't scan or support them properly.

The axiom to remember is "success is 90% preparation 10% perspiration." Do you homework and research the client properly, especially in the context of the meeting you have scheduled. Knowing what they do can highlight what their needs are - and often a deep insight of the client and their industry can lead to upsell opportunities, especially in a situation where they now perceive you as a subject matter expert and a trusted advisor.

I keep a portfolio of work samples that I revised at regular intervals, so that I can provide examples of my work. In addition, I keep any documentation from clients where they have provided positive feedback. All of these are great ways to make your case during reviews, or in any situation where you have an opportunity showcase your skills. It also helps to have a meeting with decision-makers BEFORE any review period: this helps you plan ahead, as well as gauge their reactions to your work so that you can bring in the "big guns" to any formal review.

I regularly hold "virtual happy hour" with a core group of contacts, and I frequently invite people to join so that they can share some of their experiences in a more socially-relaxed atmosphere. This helps build a community that becomes self supporting, which is great for recommendations, networking, job hunting, etc. not to mention mentoring and job advice.

Social media has a large part to play: there are several groups that are specific to roles/titles. In addition, take a look at professional organizations often there are sub-groups geared towards networking with peers. Finally, conferences are a great way to meet new people or put a "face to the name" if you are in a position to meet people in person that you have only been chatting online. Most conferences have networking opportunities geared towards meeting peers.