Subramanian Veeramani
Real Estate Marketing Associate
U Future Leaders Community Member
 

As an active NTUC member, Mani constantly participates in events organised by the U Future Leaders. To him, the programme helps to empower PMEs with a Future-Ready Edge by providing critical workplace survival skills, bridging competencies, career resilience skills and mastery to compete globally.

Although Mani was being retrenched as a Senior Scientist in Aug 2015, he weathered the recession by leveraging on the opportunity to upskill himself. He embarked on a new career path within 6 months after his retrenchment.   

Hear more from Mani on his transformational journey:

1. What inspired you to sign-up for the 1^st Personal Branding Clinic in Nov 2015

I'm an active NTUC member, constantly looking for an opportunity to learn and acquire new and relevant skills. Being a Realtor as my profession now, Personal Branding is very important. I want to learn more about Personal Branding from the subject matter expert. I got to know that U Future Leaders was organising such a workshop, so I signed up immediately.

2. Did you setup your LinkedIn Profile during or after the clinic? How effective is the clinic for a Novice like yourself?

I had a LinkedIn profile; however I was not sure how to maximise the benefits of having a LinkedIn profile. After attending the clinic, I was able to setup a more powerful LinkedIn profile that helped me to increase my connections significantly from just a few hundreds to over 6,000 followers within a few months.  

3. Being retrenched as a Senior Scientist, what made you venture into real estate as your next career?

I have always been interested in real estate investment and I've also attended a Real Estate Salesperson course on a part-time basis when I was still employed. When I was retrenched, I felt the time was right for me to capitalise on my passion instead of being stressed about my unemployment status. 

4. How has the Clinic created the exposure for you to be more self-reliant in building your Career empire as a property agent?

As a property agent, I must be self-reliant to build and grow my new customer base. It takes the time to build the relationship and trust. I learned from the clinic that LinkedIn is a great professional social networking platform which I can tap on to build my customer base and alliances. It gives me great exposure to build new connections and grow my professional career as well.


5. How has LinkedIn helped you to elevate your personal brand, build network and prospects?

LinkedIn provides me the platform to post ideas, update market trends, educate and create awareness on real estate matters. Most of my followers view my posts, some read, and a few responded. Those who respond are my potential prospects in my lead generation funnel.  

6. Would you recommend others to NTUC Personal Branding Clinic and why?

Of course, Yes. Personal Branding provides a clear focus for personal development while establishing myself as a professional in my area of interest. It also works wonders for career success, allowing individuals to pursue whatever it is that they’re passionate about. The mutual relationship between career success and personal branding is truly unique and dynamic.
 

7. How did you manage to achieve over 5000 LinkedIn followers in such a short time?

After attending the Personal Branding Clinic, I immediately started utilising all the tips and best practices that I learned. I’m fully committed and sincere in engaging my followers in personal conversations, and also add value to them by posting useful and relevant information on real estate matters. I also engage them by posting questions that might interest them and provide an opportunity to sustain future communication.  
 

8. Can you share with us your success journey, from being a LinkedIn novice to a LinkedIn Expert with over 5,000 followers?

Firstly, to establish my professional brand I created my profile which will appeal to my prospective clients. Usually, I find the right people by identifying the right people in less time using efficient search and research tools. I always engage people by sharing information that will be of interest to them.
 

9. In the current economic downturn where retrenchment rates are high, what advice would you share with PMEs facing the same situation you faced previously?

Being relevant with new skills sets are very important in our knowledge-based economy. Invest at least 5% of your time in bite size learning of new skills and knowledge which will reap benefits in the long run.  

The following quote is something that resonates with me:
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” - Alvin Toffler

Aspire to be like Mani? Join us in the next Personal Branding Clinic on 14th June 2016 to elevate your personal profile to build alliances with business partners and get recognised by potential employers. Register now to reserve your seat.