“At work, people know me as Olivia, online I am Mademoiselle Olive. My Instagram profile states ‘lawyer by day – avocado lover by night’. The truth is, I am both, all the time. My hobby as an Instagram influencer started when I was an Erasmus student in Paris. I loved sharing pictures of outfits, restaurant recommendations and interior inspiration. My colleagues know me as the same outgoing person that I am online. That’s the beauty of working at Loyens & Loeff: I can be the avocado-loving lawyer at the office.
Of course, not every outfit I wear at work is “instaworthy”, nor is every lunch worthy of posting on the gram (#healthy #not). And yes, I do put a serious filter on that 22:00 PM selfie with the caption ‘still at the office’. But still, in a certain way, I love the idea of being a hard working lawyer on the gram and being mademoiselle olive at work. Both roles are equally satisfying. Some say that the socials are anti-social, but I receive lots of gratitude from it and support. I love it when a follower sends me a message saying ‘hi, I went to that restaurant you recommended, and it was very good, thanks!’ In a way, if the follower is happy, I’m happy.
The same is true in my job as a lawyer. If you find a solution for your client’s case, it makes your day to just receive that one ‘thank you so much’-email. When the client is happy, we are happy.
I once read in an article that the best advertising for your firm is when employees share enthusiastic stories about working there on social media. It shows commitment, credibility and loyalty. Yes, even when you have an awkward moment like that one time when my boss reacted to my “End of a heavy work week – Friday doesn’t count” – post on a Thursday evening in a bar (in my defense: of course I showed up on Friday!) But apart from that, I have been sharing my story since the first day I started working here. I guess that makes me not just an Instagram influencer, but also a Loyens & Loeff advertiser.”