Deborah L. Jacobs
Rachel Abady always knew she wanted a career that involves writing and video and says she was “absolutely determined to get it.” But in the autumn of 2011, while she was in her senior year at Barnard College, she felt like she was competing against all her classmates for the same limited pool of online job postings on NACElink – a web site that connects colleges and employers. When she went home to Westchester for Thanksgiving and told her parents about her dilemma, her father suggested she try LinkedIn.
“Why would I want to do that?” she asked. “I’m not 50 years old.” An avid user of social media, most notably Facebook and Instagram, Abady, now 23, thought of LinkedIn as something that her father Samuel, a lawyer, uses to keep in touch with former colleagues and college buddies.
Today she laughs at the irony, since she found her current job, as an associate video programming manager at AOL, through LinkedIn. But it was not her own account – it was her father’s. She now describes herself as “a huge proponent” of the site.
LinkedIn won’t provide demographics, but their career expert, Nicole Williams, says it skews toward older workers, who appreciate what social media can do for their professional lives, and might be less inclined to use sites like Facebook and Twitter, which they consider entertainment. (For her advice to older workers, see my post “What To Say On LinkedIn When You’re 50+.”)
I met Abady in April when we were both on a panel about women in journalism sponsored by Barnard, which is also my alma mater. During the program Victoria Passarella, the school’s associate director for student and alumnae career education, urged students to set up a LinkedIn account – something that seemed unfamiliar to most of the audience members. Abady’s story of how she found her job gave them compelling reasons to do that.
Find out the "HOW" and the complete Forbes article
10 Tips For Finding Your Perfect Job Fast With LinkedIn
A recent survey of human resources professionals revealed that over 90% of in-house recruiters hired people from LinkedIn. Is it any wonder then that LinkedIn is now the go-to site for job seekers looking for their next great career? For many people, however, LinkedIn is confusing.
So, here are my 10 best tips that I share with my LinkedIn coaching clients to get you on your way.
1. Optimize Your Profile
What kind of job do you want? Whatever you are seeking, make sure you put those keywords in your profile. Think about it…how does a hiring manager search for candidates? He puts in the job title he is looking for into the search box. So, make sure you have your desired job title in many places on your profile so you come up high in LinkedIn searches.
2. Use A Professional Photo
I’ve worked with many job candidates looking for executive positions who have a casual photo on their profile. To me, that is a big fail! Save those shots for Facebook. LinkedIn is a professional networking site and you want to look your best. Dress according to how much you want to get paid. If you understand this, then get a professional headshot down at your local photographer studio. A pleasant smile will also go a long way. No one wants to hire a sourpuss.
3. Fill Out Your Profile 100%
By completing your profile, you are 40 times more likely to come up in LinkedIn searches. Besides that, it shows that you are taking LinkedIn and your job search seriously. LinkedIn has prompts that show you how you are doing and what you need to do to get to 100%.
4. Grow Your Network
I can hear you saying, “But I don’t want to connect with people I don’t know!” Sorry Charlie. If that is your mantra, LinkedIn will become virtually useless to you. Most job seekers come to me with about 100 connections. That means you’ll have a network of about a quarter million, and just a fraction of the 200 million people can see your profile. Do you really want a new job? Start connecting with everyone and anyone.
5 Tips to Writing a Compelling LinkedIn Summary
A compelling LinkedIn summary has the potential to really set your LinkedIn profile apart from your competition. Recently I have been spending a lot more time on LinkedIn, and I really like how they have stepped up to the plate and offered a great B2B social networking platform. That being said, I'm seeing a lot more marketing mistakes made by LinkedIn users than any other social networking website, starting with the "summary" or the biography you are allowed to write about yourself.
5 tips to writing a good LinkedIn Summary:
1. Write From the 1st Person - The biggest mistake I've seen is someone writing a company biography, rather than an actual self written, down-to-earth summary about themselves.
Keep in mind, your LinkedIn profile is promoting YOU as a profession, and your LinkedIn summary should be written as such.
2. Have a Format - A successful LinkedIn summary follows a very basic, three part format
First, introduce yourself and talk about who you are. Make people see you as an interesting person, not a faceless company. Talk about how you came to where you are today.
Secondly, talk about who THEY are, meaning who do you help? Write a description of who your target client is (subtly it key here).
Finally, finish by talking about what you offer. Don't give away everything here, just talk about what you mainly do, and how people can benefit from it. Finish off with a couple of forms of contact (like a phone number and email address) people can reach you on.
3. Multiple Businesses? Have a Different Structure - If you are involved in multiple things, use the same method as above but separate your businesses when you get to step two and three. A very basic, paragraph style layout is clutch.
Jerry Nihen is a Social Networking Consultant that has worked a wide variety of businesses and individuals that have launched successful social media strategies and campaigns.
5 Tips on How to Grow Your Brand on LinkedIn
Francis Rey Balolong
In the small business industry and free enterprise, the demarcation line between corporate and personal branding is nonexistent at times.
Accomplishment and triumph mean continually exhausting personal networks to reach new customers, partners, and talents for the company.
Meanwhile, you keep on handling the online presence of the company to establish a clear, reliable identity for the brand.
People nowadays search for your company through its LinkedIn profile and the user profiles of your team members.
In reality, the notions of brand and identity are entwined, and to deal with that dual identity is quite a challenge, but when done properly and well, this bond can provide opportunities for breakthroughs.
To have a good grasp on how small businesses find success in this area, here are tips on how to use LinkedIn to grow your brand:
1. Link LinkedIn to your official website and online accounts to increase presence.
There are numerous methods for prospective customers to look for your company, such as the official website, Facebook, Twitter, and so on, but these people may not always be acquainted with the direction or path they should follow.
Link all of your online presence to open more doors to the right customers, so they may successfully find your brand.
2. Encourage the team to be active on LinkedIn.
Activate the combined network of the company by encouraging your employees, apart from the marketing department, to get involved with the LinkedIn Company Page.
Besides the increase in visibility to prospective hires and new customers, it will start an ethos wherein your employees continually engage or interact with the brand and contribute to a unified goal.
The initiative may start with a colleague or associate adding the company to his or her profile to make sure he or she has an up-to-date and convincing profile, or sharing the updates of the company’s LinkedIn page to his or her network.
3. Take advantage of existing content streams.
Use successful and popular posts on other social networks to build a good content stream on your LinkedIn company page and user profile.
For example, use Twitter history to select, organize, and present relevant content to your LinkedIn presence and identity.
10 Little Known LinkedIn Features That Can Make A Big Difference
| I thought I would give you a vacation from deep strategic thinking and share with you a quick checklist of ten great LinkedIn features that you may not have discovered just yet. 2. Download a list of your entire 1st degree network You can download into a spreadsheet (in either .CSV or .VCF format) a full list of your connections, including their name, current title, current company name, and email address. There are two ways to access this. If you have upgraded to LinkedIn Contacts (it’s free and I highly recommend it), go into your settings (top right) and click Export LinkedIn Connections. If you have not upgraded yet, go to your Contacts and on the bottom right 4. Find other people with similar outside interests or organizations If you click a single word (Interest Section) or name of an organization (Organizations Section), you will then be sent to an Advanced People Search page showing you all the folks on LinkedIn who have that same interest or organization on their profile. You can further narrow your search by using any or all of the advanced searching filters. 6. Reorder your recommendations Because only two  recommendations for each job or education entry are shown in the main part of your profile, you want to make sure they are your very best.In Edit Profile, go down to the Recommendation section and click the pencil. You’ll then see the up-down arrow that enables you to move the recommendations. You can only move them within that specific job section. You can’t move them to a different job section. See all 10 features and the complete article |
The Stealth Job Search: How to Job Hunt Privately on LinkedIn
One of the benefits of being a LinkedIn member is the opportunity to create a public professional presence. Your profile is a great place to highlight your marketable skills and is your vehicle for getting found by recruiters and hiring managers all over the world.
But, what if you need your job search to stay confidential, perhaps because you are currently employed? Never fear! I’ve got you covered, and rest assured there are still many ways to attract attention, tap your network and connect with recruiters on LinkedIn while maintaining your privacy. Here’s how.
1. Hide your activity updates
One way to become more findable by recruiters is to add keywords and phrases to your LinkedIn profile that are relevant to the jobs you seek. However, frequent or abundant changes to your profile may indicate to others that you are considering making a move. To minimize the likelihood that your connections will notice your profile improvements, head over to your Privacy & Settings area, which you can find by clicking on your headshot in the top right corner of LinkedIn, and click on the “Turn on/off your activity broadcasts” link. Uncheck the box that pops up here so your connections will no longer receive updates about changes to your profile or other actions you take on LinkedIn, such as posting in a Group discussion.
While you are keeping your activity private, you can still have visibility to recruiters and networking contacts. One way to attract positive attention while keeping your job search private is to regularly update your status. Post interesting articles related to your industry if you are job hunting in your current field or, if you are are a career changer, post articles and updates about general topics such as leadership, communication or technology trends.
2. Remain private while viewing others’ profiles
Whether your job hunt is public or private, I recommend exploring the LinkedIn profiles of people you admire professionally. Looking at those individuals’ profiles can give you a sense of what experiences, skills and groups could be most valuable to your own career. If you find someone you particularly admire — ideally someone with no connection to your current employer — you might even reach out to that person through an InMail to express your admiration and ask if that person might be willing to share some career advice with you.
However, if you are viewing the profiles of people who know your employer, and you are concerned they will discover you’ve viewed their profiles often and connect back with your boss about it, you have options. In the same Privacy & Settings area, click on the “Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile” link. Here you can change the way you appear in others’ “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” area so that you will remain anonymous. Note: Unless you are a Job Seeker Premium subscriber, when you switch to an anonymous status you will no longer be able to track “Who’s Viewed Your Profile” and Profile Stats for yourself, so carefully consider this option and switch out of it as soon as your research is done.
6 Places to Keyword Optimize Your LinkedIn Profile
By:
Whether you’re looking for a job, searching for freelance clients or promoting a business, LinkedIn is an ideal place to start. Some people, myself included, have neglected LinkedIn for the more popular social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. But recently, I’ve started spending more time at LinkedIn and have been kicking myself for not recognizing it’s potential for reaching my market sooner.
Whether you’re looking for a job, searching for freelance clients or promoting a business, LinkedIn is an ideal place to start. Some people, myself included, have neglected LinkedIn for the more popular social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter. But recently, I’ve started spending more time at LinkedIn and have been kicking myself for not recognizing it’s potential for reaching my market sooner.
LinkedIn offers something most other social networks don’t and that is room to create fleshed out profiles with a focus on building professional connections. But like other social networks, the number of connections can get unwieldy fairly quickly, making it difficult to find people unless you search them specifically. That means, if someone is looking to hire in your industry, he might miss you if he doesn’t know your name. Fortunately, employers can also search connections by industry and job, which means they can easily find you through a search if you’ve optimized your profile with keywords related to your job and industry.
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile starts with knowing the keywords potential employers and clients use to find people who do what you do. If you’re a freelance writer, then “freelance writer” is a keyword. But if you specialize, such as freelance copywriting or freelance web writer, then you want to use those words. If you’re stuck, use a keyword tool to help you find the popular words and phrases used by your market. Google has recently terminated its free tool, but you can try SEO Book Keyword tool, which requires registration, but is free.
Once you have a list of keywords and phrases, you want to use them in your profile on LinkedIn. Here are the best places to use your keywords.
1) Headline: The headline appears right after your name. Some people write a tagline, but you can get more mileage out of the space by using keyword descriptions. For example, “Freelance Copywriter, Direct Mail Expert, and Online Marketing Strategist.”
2) Summary: You get 2000 words to entice potential employers, clients and customers. It’s a lot of space, but don’t waste it with a list of your accomplishments. Instead, weave your keywords and phrases into a summary that shares your brand value and benefits.
3) Current Work Experience: Like a resume, your LinkedIn profile offers potential employers and clients the opportunity to see what you’re doing now. If possible, use your keywords in the headers and text areas of your work experience. Instead of just providing your current employer or client name, also include a keyword. For example, “Acme Business Co: Freelance Copywriter and Direct Sales Consultant”
4 Essentials For Reaching Out To Strangers On LinkedIn
Last week, I received an info interview request from a total stranger as a direct message on LinkedIn. And despite my very busy schedule, I decided to take his call. Over the weekend, I asked myself, “Why did I agree?”
Let’s take his e-mail apart and put it into four essential elements so you can use them in your own LinkedIn networking communications.
First, here’s the e-mail I got over LinkedIn from J.:
Hi Joshua, I noticed we are both connected to M. F. – how do you know M.? I first met her at J.P., and she actually photographed my wedding. Small world.
I wanted to touch base with you because I saw an open position at J.R. I thought would be a great fit for me. I’m located in Portland now, and do social media strategy for a digital marketing agency here in town.
It’s a fun role, but you know how agencies are – fingers in a lot of different businesses, but no ability to truly own a marketing program. It looks like I would be able to do that with the Marketing Communications Manager role that is posted.
Would you mind if I called you some time this week to hear about your experience at J.R. and your perspective on the marketing organization there? I’d really appreciate it.
1. Lead With Something In Common My interviewee, J., began his e-mail by pointing out our mutual friend M.F., and although I know M.F. from my sister’s college days, what really got my attention was M.F. was the photographer at her wedding.
Now, with LinkedIn, there is a danger the first degree connection isn’t really a close friend. I went through an Open Networking phase and about 100 people in my LinkedIn network are complete strangers to me.
So don’t assume just because they’re connected, they know each other.
J. took a calculated risk. However, he mitigates that risk by further sharing a personal tid-bit…he’s married. And as another recently married guy, I can very much relate to his situation. (i.e. He has my sympathy.)
2. Get To The Point – Fast J. wastes no time for BS or apologies. He’s writing to me because he saw an open position at a company I have a relationship with and thinks he’d be a fit.
Notice he says, “I saw an open position.” He doesn’t assume I know anything about this position. In fact, it was news to me. And so I can infer he’s not assuming I’m any kind of decision maker. I know this is going to be a purely informational interview.
Furthermore, he concludes the e-mail by re-affirming that he’s just looking to hear about my experience with J.R., the company and my perspective on their marketing organization.
My guard goes down because I know he’s not going to put me on the spot or ask me for more than just my opinion.
Author of Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies, Joshua is recognized as the authority for helping people find work using social media. His blog, Careerenlightenment.com, won the 2013 About.com Reader's Choice award for best career blog for original content.
Get Organized: 5 Tips for Getting the Most from LinkedIn
By Jill Duffy
I'm a huge fan of the overall service that LinkedInprovides and sincerely believe that all professional adults should set up an account on that social-professional network. That said, I don't spend a lot of on the site. Quite the contrary. A LinkedIn account can pretty much run itself—if you take a few steps to set it up that way.
With these five tips, you can trust that your LinkedIn account is doing its job for you, letting your name, skills, and expertise be known to everyone in your network, as well as new potential new connections who might be interested in finding people like you.
1. Use a Professional-Looking HeadshotOne of the most important aspects of your LinkedIn account is the profile picture. You really have to have one. (That advice is true, really, of any online profile, whether it's a dating website or a business project management platform. You need an image, and ideally, it should be a headshot.
The headshot should be of your smiling face and a little bit of your shoulders. And it should look like you. We are often our own worst judges of our appearance, so ask your friends and colleagues their opinions in picking your best pic.
Depending on your career, you may be able to get more creative and expressive with your profile picture, but it depends on your field, level of experience, and reputation.
Sometimes there are complications, though. I once worked with a woman who could not use a headshot due to religious reasons in her country, and her creative workaround was to use the logo of the university where she worked, instead. Her solution worked well because she was still able to associate a professional "identity" with her name. The point is, a headshot is ideal, but there are other possible solutions, all of which are better than no picture, a picture of your cat, a picture of your kid—you get the idea.
I have a few other tips for updating your profile picture, including the fact that you should not update your picture more than once a year. You want to keep one image long enough to develop a strong association between your name and photo.
2. Think in Keywords
In filling out the text of your LinkedIn profile, think about the keywords people might enter into a search to find someone like you. For example, my actual job title is technically "software analyst," but what I really do is write. I think of myself as a writer. So my LinkedIn profile uses terms like "writer" and "tech writer."
In filling out the text of your LinkedIn profile, think about the keywords people might enter into a search to find someone like you. For example, my actual job title is technically "software analyst," but what I really do is write. I think of myself as a writer. So my LinkedIn profile uses terms like "writer" and "tech writer."
Load up your profile with straightforward search terms—not a bunch of synonyms. If you're unsure of which words to use, look through the jobs section of LinkedIn to find ads for open positions that are similar to your own job. What keywords turn up there? Reuse the relevant words and phrases in your own profile.
3. Add Videos, Images, and Links
Your profile doesn't have to be all plain old text. Earlier this year, LinkedIn added a new multimedia feature to the profile section that lets you add graphics, slideshows (using Slideshare), documents, and links to other online content, such as your online portfolio.
Your profile doesn't have to be all plain old text. Earlier this year, LinkedIn added a new multimedia feature to the profile section that lets you add graphics, slideshows (using Slideshare), documents, and links to other online content, such as your online portfolio.
To be honest, this feature doesn't work as well as I had hoped. You can't simply add an image from your computer; you have to link to a Web page, and LinkedIn will choose a default image from that page without giving you any choice in the matter. Sigh. Still, having something visual to break up the text goes a long way toward improving a profile.
To add a graphic, log into LinkedIn, go to your profile section, and click "edit." Then you have to select a sub-section, such as Summary or Experience, and look for the rectangle-with-plus-sign icon. That button lets you add newPut LinkedIn to Work For You: 7 Ways
While the longevity of commercial value with Facebook and Twitter continues to be questionable, there is no question that LinkedIn is here to stay. It's perfectly reasonable. LinkedIn is designed for professionals to connect, so they can do business. Still, many struggle with using this amazing tool effectively. People gather connections like colorful Easter eggs and never actually have any sort of meaningful interaction. They join groups and never engage or read the feeds. Others are just intimidated by the volume of feeds, groups, endorsements, and constant interactions.
You don't have to be a social media maven to benefit from this (mostly) free gift of modern technology. Follow these simple tips and with little effort, make LinkedIn your new power broker for success.
Ways 4-7 and the complete Inc.com article
You don't have to be a social media maven to benefit from this (mostly) free gift of modern technology. Follow these simple tips and with little effort, make LinkedIn your new power broker for success.
1. Have Clear Purpose
LinkedIn is a tool and like all tools it serves a specific purpose. If you don't know what you're trying to accomplish, then the tool will be useless. You have to drive the process. Decide if you want to expand your network inside your industry or beyond. Are you looking to explore new careers or create new business development opportunities? Perhaps you are looking for mentors or peer groups? It's okay to want all of this, but the more you focus your efforts, the easier it will be to get a specific and successful return.2. Refine Your Profile
Would you walk into a sales meeting telling your buyer that you are job hunting? Not unless you want them to believe you have no confidence in your company and will be leaving soon. Yet, this is the sort of inconsistency that appears in every LinkedIn profile that sounds like a job application. Your profile is public and should send a message consistent with your description on your company website. It should demonstrate your background and experience in a way that exudes confidence and opportunity for people who might engage with you. It should be brief, engaging and accurate. It should show that you cared enough about it to fix the typos, post a thoughtful picture and be grammatically correct. Your profile is a first impression for many, and for those of you who don't take care it will be certainly be the last.3. Pick Groups That Matter
There are three good reasons to join a group. First, to stay in touch with peers you are already connected to through organizations like fraternities, service, or alumni. Second, to learn about an area of interest. This could be academic, social, or trade. Lastly, to stay abreast of happenings in a particular industry or area of commerce. Joining a group in hopes of promoting your services will be a waste of time and often offend other members. There can be value in discussions, but any group has discussion hogs that clog the feed. It takes effort to sort through the noise; so don't spend a lot of time trying to keep up. Select truly relevant groups, set your digests for weekly and weed them constantly. Then you can spend 20 minutes on Friday and engage where you feel it's appropriate.Ways 4-7 and the complete Inc.com article
9 Pro Tips for Entrepreneurs on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is more than a handy way to sort through connections and make introductions — it's also a powerful platform to supercharge your content marketing efforts (even if you're not a LinkedIn Influencer just yet).
To find out exactly how other founders are using the network to get more eyeballs on their content, we asked a panel of successful entrepreneurs to share their best tips and tricks. Here's what they had to say:
1. Join Discussions in LinkedIn Groups
Every time I write an article that is relevant to a specific audience, I start a conversation around the article in a LinkedIn group I'm associated with. I make sure to ask a question or pose a discussion topic with the article and not simply link to an article.
- Kelsey Meyer, Influence & Co.
2. Engage Employees With Email
LinkedIn is a person-to-person network. The key to an effective LinkedIn strategy is engaging your employees to share your content. Want to know how to get your employees to share to LinkedIn? Email them. Most of the working day (and night), they stare at computer screens and smartphones looking at emails that come in. If you can make an email that is simple and has a strong call to action, professionals are likely to share it. Since launching employee engagement programs for companies like PwC and Sun Life Financial, we've seen employees average five to 25 clicks every time they share to LinkedIn, with many popular employees averaging 50 to 180 clicks. Ask your advertising team how much they pay for cost-per-click ads on LinkedIn, and you can count the value (hint: it's $2 per click).- Alexander Gibson, Elevate
3. Use LinkedIn Product and Service Pages
LinkedIn company pages all have built-in product and services pages that will amplify your business content. Within the pages, you can list details about all of your specific offerings, highlight customer recommendations for the product and add images to make these products really stand out. LinkedIn has also built in the number of impressions these products and services pages receive, so you can see how many people are researching your company and what your most popular services are.- Brett Farmiloe, Digital Marketing Agency
4. Promote Your Brand With Groups
Dr. Seuss reminded us, "There is no one alive who is you-er than you." LinkedIn helps you promote the you-er in you! One way we self-promote is by joining groups. By joining them — up to 50 at a time — you can expand your reach while sharing your expertise. For example, there are 746 groups under our target keyword "writer." One group has more than 13,000 members with more than 230 discussions happening. Joining several of these conversations helps strengthen your brand and boost your expertise. It's a great way to network!- Nicolas Gremion, Free-eBooks.com
Tips 5-9 and the complete Mashable article
13 Invaluable Tips For Writing LinkedIn Messages That Will Attract The Perfect Job Candidates
By: Paul Slezak
On the other side of that blank LinkedIn box on your screen is the message-weary candidate annoyed at receiving yet another inquiry about whether they’d be keen to learn more about a "perfect opportunity at XYZ Inc."
Among all the competitive LinkedIn clutter, how do you stand out from the crowd?
We’ve analyzed blogs from recruiters and hiring managers, and we've successfully recruited passive candidates from all over the Internet to bring you the top tips for writing messages to get the attention--and the time--of the candidates you really want.
1) Go for quality over quantity.
Maybe you have your own tried-and-true methods. Perhaps you have templates that seem to be working? Is it because you’re smashing through 100 candidates a week in the belief "it’s a number’s game" or that if you throw enough mud at the wall something’s bound to stick?
Far and wide, the emails that get the attention of highly sought-after candidates are those that are incredibly personalized. This takes time, but your success rate will be much higher. Choose quality over quantity.
2) Do your homework.
The number one frustration of candidates targeted through LinkedIn is messages that show the employer or hiring manager hasn’t done his or her homework:
- Check their background: Look for any shared histories between your organization (or your client) and the candidate. You will look very stupid if you approach someone who has already worked with people in that organization.
- Check their strengths and skills: For example, just because they did events management the year after they finished high school doesn’t mean that’s what they want to do in the future. You are wasting the candidates’ time and your time by pitching roles they have no interest in doing.
3) Be concise (but not too concise).
The ideal-tailored message is 150–250 words. Less than 150 words and you risk coming across as if you don’t care enough. More than 250 words and the candidate won’t read it or will assume you don’t value their time. Keep it simple and straightforward.
4) Use the words You, 'Your, and Yours A LOT.
As with any well-crafted job ad, the best LinkedIn messages are those that focus on the candidate. Show your familiarity with their career history by highlighting the skills and experience that stood out to you.
Don’t launch into too much detail about the opportunity. Rather, paint a picture of the person’s suitability within your organization. “You’ll be working . . . ," “You’d be responsible for . . . ," “It would give you the perfect opportunity to. . . .
5) Throw away personal introductions.
“Hi, I’m . . . ” is unnecessary. Your name is in the header.
The first sentence is your first impression and invaluable in grabbing the attention of the passive candidate as quickly as possible. Begin with a sentence talking directly to them or about them. Save the other information for later.
10 ways to communicate with your LinkedIn connections
Having a strong LinkedIn profile is essential to being found by other LinkedIn members and employers, but you’re job isn’t complete unless you’re communicating with your connections and the LinkedIn community as a whole.
I tell my LinkedIn workshop attendees that I spend approximately an hour a day (it’s probably more) on LinkedIn. Their faces register surprise; and I’m sure some of them are thinking, “Does this person have a life.”
Part of the workshop is about explaining the need to communicate with their connections, because networking is about communicating.
1. The number one way to communicate is posting Updates. How many you post is up to you, but I suggest at least one a day. This is when I get remarks from my attendees about not having time to make an update a week.
To illustrate how easy it is, I post two Updates within five minutes as I’m talking to them. The first Update tells my connections what I’m doing at the moment, which of course is leading the workshop. The next one is usually sharing an article from my first degree connections or LinkedIn Today.
2. Another way to communicate with your connections is to “Like” their updates. Liking their updates is great, but it takes very little effort to simply click the link. Like, Like, Like. Be more creative and add a comment which can generate discussion, or reply to your connections privately.
3. I’ll visit my connection’s profiles–with full disclosure–many times a day. My connections will visit my profile many times, as well. When they “drop in” and have disclosed themselves (not Anonymous LinkedIn User or Someone from the Entertainment Industry), I’ll show my appreciation by writing, “Thanks for visiting my profile.” This will also lead to a discussion.
4. You’ve probably read many opinions from people on the topic of Endorsements–here we go again. Add me to the list of people who prefer thoughtful recommendations, both receiving and writing them, as opposed to simply clicking a button. But, in fairness, Endorsements have a purpose greater than showing appreciation for someone’s Skills and Expertise; they act as a way to touch base. In other words, they’re another way to communicate with your connections.
Ways 5-10 and the complete ThingsCareerRelated article
About Things Career Related
Bob McIntosh, CPRW, is a career trainer who leads more than 20 job search workshops at an urban career center. Jobseekers and staff look to him for advice on the job search. In addition, Bob has gained a reputation as a LinkedIn authority in the community. Bob’s greatest pleasure is helping people find rewarding careers in a competitive job market. Follow Bob on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bob_mcintosh_1 and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmcintosh1
I tell my LinkedIn workshop attendees that I spend approximately an hour a day (it’s probably more) on LinkedIn. Their faces register surprise; and I’m sure some of them are thinking, “Does this person have a life.”
Part of the workshop is about explaining the need to communicate with their connections, because networking is about communicating.
1. The number one way to communicate is posting Updates. How many you post is up to you, but I suggest at least one a day. This is when I get remarks from my attendees about not having time to make an update a week.
To illustrate how easy it is, I post two Updates within five minutes as I’m talking to them. The first Update tells my connections what I’m doing at the moment, which of course is leading the workshop. The next one is usually sharing an article from my first degree connections or LinkedIn Today.
2. Another way to communicate with your connections is to “Like” their updates. Liking their updates is great, but it takes very little effort to simply click the link. Like, Like, Like. Be more creative and add a comment which can generate discussion, or reply to your connections privately.
3. I’ll visit my connection’s profiles–with full disclosure–many times a day. My connections will visit my profile many times, as well. When they “drop in” and have disclosed themselves (not Anonymous LinkedIn User or Someone from the Entertainment Industry), I’ll show my appreciation by writing, “Thanks for visiting my profile.” This will also lead to a discussion.
4. You’ve probably read many opinions from people on the topic of Endorsements–here we go again. Add me to the list of people who prefer thoughtful recommendations, both receiving and writing them, as opposed to simply clicking a button. But, in fairness, Endorsements have a purpose greater than showing appreciation for someone’s Skills and Expertise; they act as a way to touch base. In other words, they’re another way to communicate with your connections.
Ways 5-10 and the complete ThingsCareerRelated article
About Things Career Related
Bob McIntosh, CPRW, is a career trainer who leads more than 20 job search workshops at an urban career center. Jobseekers and staff look to him for advice on the job search. In addition, Bob has gained a reputation as a LinkedIn authority in the community. Bob’s greatest pleasure is helping people find rewarding careers in a competitive job market. Follow Bob on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/bob_mcintosh_1 and LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bobmcintosh1
5 LinkedIn Privacy Settings For Job Hunters
Kristin Burnham
If you're looking for a new job, LinkedIn offers plenty of exposure to recruiters and others who will be helpful to your search. According to the professional social network, more than 45 million profiles are viewed each day. But not all exposure is good. Updating your profile, joining new groups and following potential employers -- actions many job seekers take -- can pose problems if you're not careful.
If you're looking for a new job, LinkedIn offers plenty of exposure to recruiters and others who will be helpful to your search. According to the professional social network, more than 45 million profiles are viewed each day. But not all exposure is good. Updating your profile, joining new groups and following potential employers -- actions many job seekers take -- can pose problems if you're not careful.
Here's a look at five privacy settings you should consider tweaking while you job hunt.
1. Turn Off Activity Broadcasts
Every time you update your LinkedIn profile -- whether it's changing your summary, editing your past experience or following new companies -- the social network broadcasts the activity to your connections. If you're beginning a new job hunt, you may not want your current employer to see your latest activities. Luckily, LinkedIn gives you the option to mute your activity broadcasts so your changes are kept private.
To turn off your LinkedIn activity broadcasts, navigate to your Privacy & Settings page. You can find this by clicking the drop-down menu below the profile picture in the top-right corner. (You may be asked to submit your login credentials.) On your privacy and settings page, click "Turn on/off your activity broadcasts." This option is found in the Profile tab at the bottom. Then uncheck the box.
2. Customize Your Public Profile
When people you're not connected with search for you -- either on LinkedIn or via a search engine -- they see your public LinkedIn profile. Your public profile can include the same information as what your connections see, or you can choose which sections are visible and which aren't.
To find this option, navigate to your Privacy and Settings page. Under the "Helpful Links" subhead within the Profile tab, select "Edit your public profile." The following page lets you either make your public profile visible to no one -- which is not recommended if you're looking for a job -- or visible to everyone.
If you choose the latter, which is the default, you can customize the information that is public. This includes your headline, summary, past positions, honors and awards, groups, education, skills and more. If you're in the market for a new job, you may prefer to keep some of this information private. By default, your name, industry, location and number of recommendations are public.
3. View Profiles Anonymously
Every time you browse a LinkedIn member's profile, that person receives an alert with details about who's looking. How much information the person sees about you -- whether it's a vague description such as "IT manager at Microsoft" or your name -- is up to you.
If you wish to remain anonymous in your LinkedIn browsing activities during your job hunt, it's recommended you change this setting. Navigate to your Privacy and Settings page and click "Select what others see when you've viewed their profile" under the "Privacy Controls" subhead in the Profile tab.
You can choose to have your name and headline displayed, agree to anonymous profile characteristics such as industry and title, or choose to remain completely anonymous. When you've made your selection, click "Save changes."
How LinkedIn Helps Passive Job Seekers Land Their Dream Jobs
Leah Arnold-Smeets
You already know by now that LinkedIn is a great tool to help with your job search, but it's also the place to be when you're NOT directly looking for a job. Passive job seekers are already employed, but willing to take on a new opportunity, should the offer fit the bill. So, whether you're actively seeking a job or not, LinkedIn is where it's at.
You already know by now that LinkedIn is a great tool to help with your job search, but it's also the place to be when you're NOT directly looking for a job. Passive job seekers are already employed, but willing to take on a new opportunity, should the offer fit the bill. So, whether you're actively seeking a job or not, LinkedIn is where it's at.
For those of you who just crawled out from the rock you were living under for a decade or so, LinkedIn is a professional social networking site that has morphed into one of the top tools recruiters use to find qualified candidates. Setting up a profile on LinkedIn is free and relatively simple, but it does require a bit of thought and time in order to complete your profile in its entirety (which is an important step if you want to get noticed). If you would like to learn more about how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, take a look at this post.
In a recent interview with The Washington Post, LinkedIn's VP of Talent Solutions and Insights, Dan Shapiro, indicated that "through regular surveys, LinkedIn has determined that 20 percent of its users are actively seeking new positions and 20 percent couldn’t be happier in their jobs. The remaining 60 percent fall into the passive job seeker category."
Shapiro went on to state that the social networking site is working diligently on the back-end to find out exactly what it is that makes the "passive job seeker" believe a particular job is the right fit. If that question can be answered, LinkedIn will hold the key to a valuable recruiting tool that will take the guesswork out of matching jobs to candidates. Therefore, it's essential for active and passive job seekers to have complete and updated online profiles if they wish to catch the eye of social recruiters. Otherwise, you can just consider your lacking profile as a message to the recruiters that screams, "I'm too lazy to type out words; wait until you see my terrible work ethic. Hire me."
Check out this infographic from Masters in Human Resources that illustrates how LinkedIn has revolutionized the world of recruiting, with 97 percent of staffing representatives utilizing the social site for recruiting candidates.
5 Rules for Asking Your LinkedIn Connections for Help
by Carrie Mantha
So you’re looking for a job, and you’ve turned to your LinkedIn groups to help you out. That’s great! Your college alumni association, sorority, and professional interest groups on LinkedIn are full of people who are generally inclined to help—and all you have to do is ask.
Well, all you have to do is ask the right way.
The truth is, asking for help from your digital connections takes a little bit of finesse. For example, I’m a fashion-tech CEO who genuinely enjoys helping young women with career development, so I’m always happy to help my contacts find a job or internship in fashion, e-commerce, PR, marketing, or tech start-ups. However, I’m swamped with work and don’t always have time to think about how to provide that help, unless someone spells out for me exactly what she needs.
So, when you’re the one asking for help, your goal should be to write a post that will immediately tell a distracted, time-crunched, but very willing connection like me how to help you. Follow these five rules, and you’ll be on your way to turning your LinkedIn connections into the job or internship of your dreams!
Also remember to use the subject line to ask, not to pitch. For example, if I see a headline in my sorority group notification that says, “Bright, eager, self-starting new graduate from Beta Pi chapter—University of Florida with a degree in mass communications, a minor in public relations, and a varsity letter in soccer,” I might do a little Kappa Delta-pride fist-pump, but I’m not going to be able to help you find a job. Use this prime real estate to quickly tell me how I can help you. On that note:
For example, if you write, “looking for a marketing internship,” your only hope is that I happen to be looking for a marketing intern right at that moment and am willing to click through to the discussion to see if you’re a fit. However, if you write, “looking for a summer marketing internship in NYC with an e-commerce company like Warby Parker or Bonobos,” I might remember that I know someone at Warby Parker. It doesn’t matter if my contact is looking for interns—I can easily shoot your resume over with a note saying that Warby is one of your favorite companies and ask her to please consider you when she’s next hiring.
Even if you don’t know exactly what you want, you lose nothing by naming a few companies. Specificity is always helpful in reminding your connections who they know.
Rules 4,5, and the complete article
The truth is, asking for help from your digital connections takes a little bit of finesse. For example, I’m a fashion-tech CEO who genuinely enjoys helping young women with career development, so I’m always happy to help my contacts find a job or internship in fashion, e-commerce, PR, marketing, or tech start-ups. However, I’m swamped with work and don’t always have time to think about how to provide that help, unless someone spells out for me exactly what she needs.
So, when you’re the one asking for help, your goal should be to write a post that will immediately tell a distracted, time-crunched, but very willing connection like me how to help you. Follow these five rules, and you’ll be on your way to turning your LinkedIn connections into the job or internship of your dreams!
1. Put Your “Ask” in the Subject Line
I read my LinkedIn notifications when I wake up each morning—along with about 100 other overnight emails (this morning’s non-spam count was 137!). If you don’t tell me what you want in those first 200 characters—either in the headline of your post to the group or the subject line of your message to me—I’m on to the next email.Also remember to use the subject line to ask, not to pitch. For example, if I see a headline in my sorority group notification that says, “Bright, eager, self-starting new graduate from Beta Pi chapter—University of Florida with a degree in mass communications, a minor in public relations, and a varsity letter in soccer,” I might do a little Kappa Delta-pride fist-pump, but I’m not going to be able to help you find a job. Use this prime real estate to quickly tell me how I can help you. On that note:
2. Be as Specific as Humanly Possible
The more specific your request, the more likely I am to think of a way to help you before my mind wanders back to those other 100 unopened emails.For example, if you write, “looking for a marketing internship,” your only hope is that I happen to be looking for a marketing intern right at that moment and am willing to click through to the discussion to see if you’re a fit. However, if you write, “looking for a summer marketing internship in NYC with an e-commerce company like Warby Parker or Bonobos,” I might remember that I know someone at Warby Parker. It doesn’t matter if my contact is looking for interns—I can easily shoot your resume over with a note saying that Warby is one of your favorite companies and ask her to please consider you when she’s next hiring.
Even if you don’t know exactly what you want, you lose nothing by naming a few companies. Specificity is always helpful in reminding your connections who they know.
3. Make it Easy to Get to “Know” You
Remember, every time you ask someone to recommend you, you’re essentially asking her to put her own professional reputation on the line a little bit. So make it easy for your contacts to get comfortable recommending you. Make sure your post is thoughtful, concise, and well-written and that your LinkedIn profile is complete and up-to-date. Include your Twitter handle in the details of your post so people can quickly get a sense for your personality. (Implicit in this suggestion is that you should keep your Twitter handle current and professionally appropriate with at least a few thoughtful tweets on your industry.) Bonus points if you include a link to your Tumblr (or other blog) where you discuss the industry you want to enter.Rules 4,5, and the complete article
15 Ways to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile
Kerry Hannon, AARP,
Quick: When looking for a job, what is most likely to pique a potential employer's curiosity? Go to the head of the class if you answered, My LinkedIn profile.
Yes, today's hiring managers pore over your digital footprint to gather as much information about you as they can. Call it due diligence.
And for most of them, LinkedIn is the place to go. A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 77 percent of employers are using social networks to recruit, a sharp increase from the 56 percent who reported doing so in 2011. Among the recruiters using social tools, 94 percent said they use LinkedIn.
"There's no easier way to demonstrate your expertise to a broad audience of potential colleagues, networking contacts and hiring managers," says Miriam Salpeter, owner and founder of Keppie Careers, a coaching and consulting firm.
So don't take a bare-bones approach to your profile. When a hiring manager looks at it, you want him or her to see a clear portrait of your background, skills and experience and to learn a bit about how you spend your time outside the office.
Equally important, a comprehensive online profile subliminally helps ease concerns about your age: It sends the message that you are not out of step with social media and technology.
Here are some smart ways to make the most of your LinkedIn profile.
That's a turnoff for a recruiter. It implies that you aren't comfortable with social media, or are a neophyte. "Your LinkedIn profile photo is critically important for 50-plussers," says Donna Svei, an executive search consultant and executive résumé writer who writes the AvidCareerist blog. "It's often the first impression you make on a recruiter."
Choose a current one. Sure you might think you looked better a decade ago, but that photo doesn't show you right now. If you get in the door for an interview, the employer may feel cheated when she sees you face-to-face.
Svei recommends a photo of you behind a podium, clearly involved in a public speaking engagement. "This confers automatic authority and shows that your opinion is respected by others." Otherwise opt for "a naturally lit photo where you look happy, have white teeth and well-styled hair," she says. Plus, pay attention to your jawline — no double chins. Push that forehead out and down a bit when you pose.
Consider creating a QR code that links directly to your profile. You can use free tools like QReateBUZZ or Kaywa to generate your QR code. Make sure to add your LinkedIn QR code to your business cards and résumé. Android phones come with QR code readers and there are free reader apps for iPhones, so it's simple for someone to scan your QR code and be sent straight to your LinkedIn profile.
When employers run a LinkedIn search, the results that appear display names, photos and headlines. You want to have something that captures people's attention, so make the most of those 120 characters. Tailor it to say exactly what you do, or the kinds of jobs you're seeking. For instance, mine reads, Expert/Author/Speaker. If you aren't sure what to type in there, LinkedIn has a prompt for you to click and see what others in your industry are using.
If you've read a terrific article — share it with your connections as an update. It illustrates that you're continually learning new things. "Statistically speaking, we know that if you share once a week you increase your chances of having your profile viewed by a recruiter tenfold," says LinkedIn's career expert, Nicole Williams.
Ways 6-15 and the complete AARP article
Quick: When looking for a job, what is most likely to pique a potential employer's curiosity? Go to the head of the class if you answered, My LinkedIn profile.
Yes, today's hiring managers pore over your digital footprint to gather as much information about you as they can. Call it due diligence.
And for most of them, LinkedIn is the place to go. A recent study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 77 percent of employers are using social networks to recruit, a sharp increase from the 56 percent who reported doing so in 2011. Among the recruiters using social tools, 94 percent said they use LinkedIn.
"There's no easier way to demonstrate your expertise to a broad audience of potential colleagues, networking contacts and hiring managers," says Miriam Salpeter, owner and founder of Keppie Careers, a coaching and consulting firm.
So don't take a bare-bones approach to your profile. When a hiring manager looks at it, you want him or her to see a clear portrait of your background, skills and experience and to learn a bit about how you spend your time outside the office.
Equally important, a comprehensive online profile subliminally helps ease concerns about your age: It sends the message that you are not out of step with social media and technology.
Here are some smart ways to make the most of your LinkedIn profile.
1. Pick the right headshot
This sounds obvious, but lots of people don't add one to their profile. It might be for privacy reasons, or they don't have a photo of themselves they like. Sometimes they have do have one on their page, but it's a small, blurry image.That's a turnoff for a recruiter. It implies that you aren't comfortable with social media, or are a neophyte. "Your LinkedIn profile photo is critically important for 50-plussers," says Donna Svei, an executive search consultant and executive résumé writer who writes the AvidCareerist blog. "It's often the first impression you make on a recruiter."
Choose a current one. Sure you might think you looked better a decade ago, but that photo doesn't show you right now. If you get in the door for an interview, the employer may feel cheated when she sees you face-to-face.
Svei recommends a photo of you behind a podium, clearly involved in a public speaking engagement. "This confers automatic authority and shows that your opinion is respected by others." Otherwise opt for "a naturally lit photo where you look happy, have white teeth and well-styled hair," she says. Plus, pay attention to your jawline — no double chins. Push that forehead out and down a bit when you pose.
2. Customize your LinkedIn address
Click on "edit profile" and change the URL to: www.LinkedIn.com/in/yourname. Then include that address on your résumé, cover letter and the bottom signature line of your outgoing email, too.Consider creating a QR code that links directly to your profile. You can use free tools like QReateBUZZ or Kaywa to generate your QR code. Make sure to add your LinkedIn QR code to your business cards and résumé. Android phones come with QR code readers and there are free reader apps for iPhones, so it's simple for someone to scan your QR code and be sent straight to your LinkedIn profile.
3. Create a bold headline
Your professional headline runs directly below your name on your profile. By default, your current job title will fill that space. Don't let a run-of-the mill title command that key space.When employers run a LinkedIn search, the results that appear display names, photos and headlines. You want to have something that captures people's attention, so make the most of those 120 characters. Tailor it to say exactly what you do, or the kinds of jobs you're seeking. For instance, mine reads, Expert/Author/Speaker. If you aren't sure what to type in there, LinkedIn has a prompt for you to click and see what others in your industry are using.
4. Join groups
Get involved in LinkedIn groups that relate to your current work, alma mater, past employers or other interests. Comment on posts from others and add your own. It displays your expertise to prospective employers. Plus, it's astonishing how many new "connections" you can make, when you interact.5. Create regular updates
If you've read a terrific article — share it with your connections as an update. It illustrates that you're continually learning new things. "Statistically speaking, we know that if you share once a week you increase your chances of having your profile viewed by a recruiter tenfold," says LinkedIn's career expert, Nicole Williams.
Ways 6-15 and the complete AARP article
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