#JobSearch : Your Networking Conversation Script In 5 Steps. Follow These 5 Steps and you’ll Be a Networking Call Pro in No Time.

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Most of my clients cringe at the word “networking.” Networking can feel like an impersonal exchange of pleasantries at best, and an uncomfortable ask for a favor at worst.

But, remember:

1) Most people love talking about themselves. Never feel guilty asking for a conversation. Your job will be to ask a lot of thoughtful questions and listen. The receiver will most likely be pleased to oblige.

2) In general, people enjoy providing value to others. People like helping others. You’re not going to force someone to jump on a Zoom call with you unless they want to.

Even knowing these two powerful facts, having a step-by-step process for the actual networking conversation itself can be helpful.

Here’s your go-to 5-step script for your next networking conversation:

1. If you asked for the conversation, take control up front.

Uncertainty at the beginning of a call can be awkward. After an initial exchange of pleasantries simply say: “Thank you so much for jumping on the phone to talk with me today. Perhaps first it would be helpful to give you a brief background on myself and the context for this call. Then, I’d love to hear a little bit more about your background and how you ended up at [X company] and then, time permitting, it would be great to ask you some questions at the end. How does that sound?”

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

2. Have your spiel down pat, and no more than 45 seconds.

Write down and prepare your 30-45 second narrative (or as I like to call it, your “spiel.”) Do not leave this part of the conversation up to chance, because you may talk for longer than is appropriate. Your spiel should briefly explain your professional past, (where you’ve been) current state (where you are), and future goals (where you want to go).

3. Ask specific and thoughtful questions you can’t get from the website.

Don’t ask basic questions that you simply could have googled. Make your questions personal. Going Places, a female-founded company that helps individuals navigate the job search says to use the following question structure, time permitting:

  • Two questions about the person. (How was your experience in sales different from [Company X] to [Company Y]? I saw you published a book 5 years ago. That’s awesome. How is that doing? What was the process like getting it published?)
  • One question about the company. (What’s the company culture like on your team?)
  • One question about the industry. (I saw that you’re blocking political ads on the platform. Was that something everyone feels positively about internally?)

4. Make an ask… tactfully.

At the end of the call, a person may ask what they can do for you. Even if the person doesn’t ask that question, though, don’t let that deter you. According to Going Places, “Ask your ask! And make sure it does not require extra work for [the person you’re asking]. Whether it’s a referral or advice, you need to understand the follow-up steps required and plan ahead of time. (Example: if you want an e-introduction to another person within the company, draft the email for them! Then, the most the person should have to do is forward that email.)” I tell my clients: Make your ask SEA: Simple and Easily Accomplished.

5. You should walk away with 3 nouns: people, places, or things.

Your goal should be to leave the conversation with three takeaways. Keep in mind, these can be resources like books or articles to read, other individuals to speak to, other companies to look into, or a new phrase, idea or technology you hadn’t heard of. I’m a believer in the “tree-branch effect” of networking: if each conversation leads you to three nouns, and then each of those nouns leads you to three more nouns, you’ll amplify your effect.

Follow these 5 steps and you’ll be a networking call pro in no time. And, don’t forget your thank you note!

Forbes.com | October 1, 2020 | Julia Wuench

#YourCareer : Ageism Is Forcing Older Workers Out Of The Job Market. “Older Workers are Losing their Jobs at a Faster Rate, Relative to Younger People.”

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In our youth-obsessed culture, the devastating plight of older workers is glaringly overlooked. We are all having challenges dealing with the virus outbreak. Over the last six months, over 60 million Americans lost their jobs. The weekly jobless report from the U.S. Department of Labor released Thursday indicated that another 870,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits.

As bad as these numbers are, it’s even worse. There’s a dirty little secret that no one likes to talk about because it’s very uncomfortable. According to research from the University of Chicago, “the pandemic has derailed the finances and careers of individuals of all ages” and  wreaked havoc on older people—particularly those who are 50 years of age and older.

Many seasoned workers have found themselves between jobs. I’ve spoken and communicated with several dozen people who are 40 years of age and older and they’ve said that it’s getting nearly impossible to find a new role at the level and compensation that they previously earned. Many of them, as months go by, realize that searching for a new job is futile and throw in the towel.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

An uncomfortable amount of the 45-and-over crowd have been forced to take jobs at the Home Depot or take on gig-economy-type roles, just to pay the bills and get health insurance. A large percentage have just given up on the job hunt and called it a day. Sadly, the experienced people were unceremoniously pushed out of the job market and did not leave on their own volition.

Let’s be brutally honest—New York and other states sent Covid-infected patients to nursing homes without conducting appropriate testing, which resulted in tens of thousands of deaths. This is a clear sign of how we devalue the worth of this group of people. The entire mantra of the medical community and politicians at the offset of the outbreak was to “protect the old, sick and infirmed.” The reality is that we didn’t pay that much attention to them and warehoused our parents and grandparents in nursing homes—two or three to a room—and allowed them to baste in coronavirus until they took sick and died. Requests from families and friends to visit their loved ones was denied. They were also prohibited from having traditional religious services or funerals.

These actions highlight our treatment of older people. It’s not surprising that workers 40 years or older face tough difficulties in the job market. They fall victim to the “juniorization of jobs,” erosion of middle management, relocation of jobs to lower-cost locations and an unconscious bias in the hiring process.

If you casually check out the career sites of major corporations, you’ll be greeted with fresh, shiny and happy faces of 23 to 33 year olds. When you go to tech, startup and “cool” companies, the young staffers are wearing beanies, jeans, T-shirts and hoodies. Once in a while, there will be a token, grey-haired person. The message is clear. ”This is the type of person who works here. If you look like them, we want you to join us.”

Corporations are in cost-cutting mode due to the virus outbreak and need to save money. A big way to save funds is to get rid of middle management. These are the 40-and-up group of folks. Roles are juniorized and middle managers are squeezed out. This means that mid-to-senior level jobs are eliminated and replaced with roles that only require three-to-five years of experience. You’ll notice the proliferation of job descriptions that only ask for candidates with three-to-seven years of experience and the titles are at associate or analyst levels.

To further save money, the companies relocate jobs to lower-cost states and locations outside of the United States. The businesses can pay considerably less money to the workers in less expensive places and demand more of them. The older, more costly employees are not invited to move, as they now possess too much experience and are asking for a salary that is greater than the band allows. Management believes that younger workers are only too happy to have a job and will do whatever is asked of them, as they desperately need to pay off their college tuition payments.

If you are 45 years or older and looking for a new job, you’ll soon see that there are not many jobs left for you. Either they’re in other states and countries or only call for lightly experienced people. Sensing the dramatic turn of events, older workers say that they’ll take less money and a lower title. Instead of being open minded, hiring managers think and sometimes say things like, “Sorry, we feel that you’ll be a flight risk and leave for the next best offer,” and they’ll pass on hiring the person.

There is also an unconscious bias and sometimes not-so-hidden view that experienced workers will come aboard and want to immediately take charge. They’ll claim that they have all of the answers, as they’ve been working in the field for 30-plus years and boss the younger workers around. It is said that people want to work with people who look like them. Young managers are uncomfortable with older workers, as they feel they don’t speak the same language, dress similarly, share the same sensibilities and believe that they are out of touch with current trends.

After searching in vain, getting no traction or attention, it’s understandable that the older workers give up and “retire” unwillingly. The University of Chicago asserts that the unemployment numbers would be significantly higher if they included the seasoned workers who left the job market. Once they’ve finished collecting their unemployment benefits, they fall off the radar of the government data. It’s a neat little trick to make the employment figures look better—just ignore a large swath of the older population.

Teresa Ghilarducci, a labor economist and retirement security expert, said in an interview with MarketWatch, “Older workers are losing their jobs at a faster rate, relative to younger people.” Ghilarducci expresses her concern, “A total of four million people [are] potentially pushed into retirement before they are ready. Half of Americans aged 55 and up will retire in poverty or near poverty.”

According to the study, “Early retirement [is] a major force in accounting for the decline in the labor-force participation. With the high sensitivity of seniors to the Covid-19 virus, this may reflect, in part, a decision to either leave employment earlier than planned due to higher risks of working or a choice to not look for new employment and retire after losing their work in the crisis.”

If the older workers that have been callously cast out of the job market were included in the unemployment data, we’d be at an extremely higher rate. Clearly, our politicians don’t want that number to come out, so they conveniently pretend that this is not happening.

 

Forbes.com | October 2, 2020 | Jack Kelly 

#JobSearch : Are You Sabotaging Your Job Search Efforts? Common Lies People Tell Themselves & How to Avoid Them.

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Unless you are independently wealthy, you’ll be on the job hunt at some point in your life. If you’re lucky, you won’t find yourself looking for a job very often. With that said, when you are seeking a job, you might be out of practice. It’s also possible that you may be inadvertently doing things to sabotage yourself while job hunting.

 

Take a look at some of the common lies people tell themselves about their job search, and how you can avoid them.

1- I can wait a few weeks to look for a job. I have money saved up.
This is a very dangerous job-hunting mistake, mostly because it’s a slippery slope. It starts off as a few days of rest, and then a week. One week of sitting at home turns into two, and before you know it, you find that you’ve lost the motivation to look for a good job. Maybe you’ve gotten accustomed to sleeping in, or perhaps you’ve moved in with a relative who is allowing you to mooch without demanding payment.

Whatever the reason, this can quickly lead to depression, and worse, the longer the amount of time that lapses from one job to another, the more potential employers want to know why you weren’t working. Do yourself a favor, and start looking immediately.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

My Resume is just fine – I don’t need to re-do it.

If you’ve sent in your resume to multiple places, and you haven’t gotten a response, it’s probably time to tweak it. Add new experiences, play with the format, or have a professional resume written for you. Ideally, you really should be tweaking your resume every single time you send it out. It should always reflect the job you’re applying for, and it should also use the keywords that were in the job posting.

I don’t need to look for a job every day.
Yes, you do! You should be treating your job hunt as a 9-5 job. There are several reasons for this. First, by waking up early every day, networking, visiting businesses, dropping off and printing resumes, and scanning the job listings, you’re setting up a good schedule and work ethic so that you never get out of the habit of working hard. It’s also important, because if a month later you still haven’t found something, you know it won’t be because you aren’t trying. That can help stave off joblessness depression.

I can do all my job hunting online.
While the internet is a huge resource for finding a job, it’s certainly not the only one. If fact, the best way to find a job is to get a face-to-face meeting with someone. Dress in your best every day, and while you’re not scanning online job listings, you should be on the road. Visit every company you think you’d like to work in, and have a chat with whoever is at the front desk. Explain that you’re a skilled person at doing whatever it is you do, and ask politely to see the HR manager or hiring director. If you’re not allowed to meet with them, leave your resume, along with a handwritten note saying that you dropped by, and you’d love to have a chat with them about filling any needs the company has.

Finding a job is a full-time job. If you aren’t putting forth the effort to find one, don’t be surprised when you don’t.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog | October 2, 2020

 

#JobSearch : Want Recruiter Attention? Use These Proven LinkedIn Messages. Do Know How a Recruiter Work? A MUst REad!

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I got another email from a Baby Boomer who asked me for a list of good headhunters he could approach to find him a job. I had to shake my head because this is not how recruiting works. I spoke to Biron Clark, a former Recruiter and the Founder of CareerSidekick.com, a popular job search advice website. He worked for two agencies and recruited for small tech organizations, midsize, and Fortune 500 companies looking to hire new employees.

“Many job hunters make fatal mistakes when they approach recruiters on LinkedIn,“ Clark stated. “Job seekers, especially Baby Boomers, have no clear understanding of the real role a recruiter does.”

Biron shared his personal experience and insight. He said, “Before you ever send a recruiter one word, you need to realize how recruiters work and how they get paid. A recruiter is compensated by the hiring company to find appropriate people to fill the specific job openings. They are not paid to find jobs for people.” That means a headhunter or recruiter is NOT going to shop your resume around and find a job for you.

“Recruiters get a job opening assignment. Then, the Recruiter looks for individuals with certain types of skills to fill that specific job,” Clark continued. “Research the recruiter before you email them. Find the appropriate recruiters who do searches in your field,” he recommended. “You will be more successful if you target five appropriate recruiters than if you randomly blast 50 recruiters that don’t have any job openings for people in your industry or with your skills.”

For example, if you are in healthcare sales, seek out 4-5 healthcare sales recruiters, and research them. Look at their LinkedIn profile and google the company they work for. Recruiters do not want you to waste their time. “Be targeted now when we have so many people job hunting,” he cautioned.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Clark has received hundreds of messages from job hunters on LinkedIn trying to get his attention. Most got ignored. He talked to colleagues, including fellow recruiters, coaches, and other experts. He found that they follow a similar pattern when deciding which messages to respond to. Here are his guidelines on what LinkedIn messages are effective and which ones won’t work.

Making Initial Contact

Any time you are messaging an HR person or recruiter for the first time, follow these rules, and you will get more responses.

Ask for something small to start.

·   Show you have done some research into the topic and into the person you’re contacting.

·   Personalize the message for this individual. Always have at least one spot that you have personalized, so they know the communication is not a cut & paste message sent to multiple people.

·   Avoid attachments, which can overwhelm the reader or make your message appear like a sales pitch

·   Make your message concise.

Send something like this:

 “Hi Michael, saw you mention working with biotech companies here in Seattle. I am a Research Scientist in biotech, and I’m thinking of testing the waters. Can I send you a resume and maybe we can work together?”

Don’t Send these Messages

Messages with an attachment. When you receive a message on LinkedIn and open it to begin reading, LinkedIn first shows you the bottom of the message. Then, you scroll up to start reading at the top. Recruiters really dislike this assertive approach. Also, salespeople often attach things to a first message, so that’s one more reason the reader will have their guard up when they see it, and one additional reason this approach does not work.

Can you take a look at my profile and see which jobs I’m a fit for?  This is a standard message received by anyone with “Recruiter” in their LinkedIn headline. Recruiters receive many messages like this each week, and most people who send them are not qualified for any of the roles that the recruiter is working on at the moment. Some people sending this type of message are not even in the same field or industry as the recruiter.

Instead, try this:

“Hi (RECRUITER FIRST NAME). I saw you recruit in sales and marketing here in Boston. I am a Sales Manager at XYZ Company, and I’m considering a change. Do you know of any Sales Manager positions here in the city? Would love to talk if you do. Thank you for your time!”

Recruiters typically specialize in an industry or niche, which is vital to consider before clicking “send.” Being specific rather than generic increases the likelihood that the message will be read and responded to.

Please look at my resume /LinkedIn and let me know what to improve. This won’t get a response. You are asking the recruiter to do your work. They can’t answer quickly if they are to offer constructive feedback, so they don’t spend any time answering at all.

Can you forward my resume on to the hiring manager for position X? You won’t get a response. If the recruiter sends your resume to the hiring team, the recruiter is recommending the candidate. A recruiter is highly unlikely to do this for a stranger unless you are a perfect match for the opening.

One conversation-starter that works

Explain to the recruiter you were doing some research and considering applying for the job but wondered how they would describe the work environment and whether they have enjoyed the company since joining. This is a simple, non-threatening question where you ask for one person’s genuine opinion (so they will immediately understand why you thought to message them).

Example of a successful Message:

“Hi, Tim. I saw a Microsoft job posting recently for an Enterprise Project Manager role. Is that the group you’re in? I was curious about how you have enjoyed the work environment there since coming over from Amazon 2 years ago. I have read some great Glassdoor reviews on Microsoft online, but I always like to ask someone first-hand, too.”

Why is this message likely to succeed? It is a small request, so the recipient is more likely to reply. You are also confirming that they work in the relevant department/group. You also show you have done some research and checked out their profile.

The Bottom Line

Sending direct messages on LinkedIn is a great way to expand your network, get help and advice, and get introduced to hiring managers. And while not every message will get a reply, you can improve your chances of hearing back from recruiters by asking one specific question, personalizing your message, and showing them that you have done your research before contacting them.

 

Forbes.com | October 1, 2020 | Robin Ryan

 

#YourCareer : Why Older People Are Getting Younger And Outperforming Their Peers From 30 Years Ago. Interesting Read!

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You’ve heard the adage, “70 is the new 30.” And with the tanking of the economy and improved health of older adults, more people in their 70s are working and performing well in the workplace. A new study comparing the physical and cognitive performance of people nowadays between the ages of 75 and 80 with the same-aged group in the 1990s reveals part of the reason why.

Researchers recruited 1226 participants from the Digital and Population Data Services Agency at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences and Gerontology Research Center at University of Jyväskylä, Finland. The first cohort data were collected between 1989 and 1990 and consisted of 500 adults born between 1910 and 1914.

The second cohort data were collected from 2017 to 2018 and comprised 726 people born in 1938 or 1939 and 1942 or 1943. In both cohorts, the participants were assessed at home at the age 75 or 80 years and examined at the research center with identical protocols. Maximal walking speed, maximal isometric grip and knee extension strength, lung function measurements; forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) were assessed.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Findings showed the physical and cognitive health of contemporary older adults is significantly better than people in that age range 30 years ago. Among men and women between the ages of 75 and 80, muscle strength, walking speed, reaction speed, verbal fluency, reasoning and working memory are nowadays significantly better than they were in people at the same age born earlier. In lung function tests, however, differences between cohorts were not observed.

“Higher physical activity and increased body size explained the better walking speed and muscle strength among the later-born cohort,” says researcher Kaisa Koivunen, “whereas the most important underlying factor behind the cohort differences in cognitive performance was longer education.”

The contemporary cohorts have grown up and lived in a different world than their counterparts from three decades ago. And positive changes such as healthier nutrition and hygiene, improvements in health care and the school system, better accessibility to education and improved working life have contributed to the superior functionality, according to the researchers.

The results suggest that increased life expectancy is accompanied by an increased number of years lived with good functional ability among 70 and 80 year olds. The observation can be explained by slower rate-of-change with increasing age, a higher lifetime maximum in physical performance or a combination of the two.

According to the researchers, this investigation is one of only a few studies in the world to compare performance-based maximum measures between people of the same age in different historical times, and they conclude: “The results suggest that our understanding of older age is old-fashioned. From an aging researcher’s point of view, more years are added to midlife, and not so much to the utmost end of life. Increased life expectancy provides us with more non-disabled years, but at the same time, the last years of life come at higher and higher ages, increasing the need for care. Among the ageing population, two simultaneous changes are happening: continuation of healthy years to higher ages and an increased number of very old people who need external care.”

Reference

Koivunen, K., et al. (2020). Cohort Differences in Maximal Physical Performance: A Comparison of 75- and 80-Year-Old Men and Women Born 28 Years Apart, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A, , glaa224.

 

Author:  Bryan Robinson, Ph.D.Contributor  Careers

 

Forbes.com | September 28, 2020

#JobSearch : The Essential Resume Tool: KEYWORDS . With Thousands of REsumes Submitted, Why is Your REsume Special??

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Keywords are an essential piece to a well-written resume. Why? Because they are the words that describe what you do. They also let the reader know immediately whether or not you are a potential candidate for them.

Keywords are “buzz” words or industry specific jargon that communicates a message about your qualifications, accomplishments, credentials, or responsibilities. They are action-driven and demonstrate your value to the company.

Each keyword has a message attached to it. For example: An Operations Leadership message is– process performance improvements, operational compliance, cost reductions, safety implementation, etc. They help tell the story in conjunction with action verbs (created, developed, launched, delivered…) to pack more of a punch and keep the reader interested.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

With companies receiving thousands of resumes per job opening, they have come to rely on keyword-searchable databases to weed out candidates that don’t fit the position and save the candidates that do. Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are programmed with certain keywords and receive “hits” for resumes that match the data. KeywApplicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are programmed with certain keywords and receive “hits” for resumes that match the data.ords are also being used on job boards and professional networks like LinkedIn.  Hiring managers go to LinkedIn and type in “Pharmaceutical Sales Representative” and if you have those words in your resume, you become a match.

Keywords can be used throughout the resume. You can add them to your career summary at the top, or in your job description, and within your accomplishments to bring out your strengths. Here is an example of keywords within a career summary. I added bold so you could tell which ones they are:

“Dynamic executive leadership career of diverse organizations with a rich mix of finance, operations, internal/external processes, sales and business development. Intimate knowledge of financial processes, accounting practices, operating results and profitability. Expert in executing team-driven process improvements to increase revenue growth, operational efficiency, and overall profitability.”
See how keywords are peppered all throughout? This resume will be able to stand up against company keyword machines.

Take a close look at your resume and make sure it is keyword-saturated. If you need help with keywords, go to Amazon and buy a book of keywords. Definitely worth the money.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

FSC Career Blog |  September 28, 2020

#JobSearch : How To Update Your Resume And Cover Letter During Covid-19. To Stand Out you Need to Make a Few Updates.

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To stand out in a job search during Covid-19, you need to make a few updates to your resume and cover letter. Most companies hiring right now are working remotely for the foreseeable future, so it’s important that your resume showcases your ability to work in a remote environment even if you haven’t done so before.

Here are five ways to make both your resume and cover letter stand out and increase your chances of being selected for an interview.

Highlight how your past experience translates to remote work.

Chances are, you were already using some of the technology used in remote work like Slack, Zoom, and shared drives before the pandemic started. Highlight how you’ve used them in the past to showcase your comfort with the tech that makes virtual work possible. Think about the ways you managed, worked with a team, or worked independently and what skills made you successful, then tie them into the remote position you’re applying for, like working with colleagues in a different time zone or office location. Of course, if you’ve already held a position remotely, be sure make note of that on your resume by adding ‘remote’ as the location.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Show that you’re a team player.

Working as part of a remote team can be more challenging than working together in person, so being a team player is even more important now than ever. To showcase your teamwork skills, be sure to describe times that you worked as part of a team in your resume. When describing a result, write ‘worked as part of a 5-person team to achieve a sales increase of 20% over four months’ rather than just listing the sales increase. You can further elaborate on how your worked together with the team during your interview, so leave it short and sweet on the resume itself.

Update your skills section.

The skills section on a resume is often neglected, but when used correctly it can be quite beneficial. Rather than just listing skills, take it one step further and describe how you used them. If you’re proficient in coding languages, describe how you created a project using that language. You want to highlight skills that are relevant to the position and set you apart from other candidates. Don’t list things like Zoom, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, or anything that practically everyone is proficient in – listing those skills makes you look like a commodity, not a stand out candidate.

Showcase your written communication skills.

Use both your resume and cover letter to highlight communication skills. With communication happening via email, chat, text, and video now, the ability to communicate well via writing is a highly sought after skill. A clean, easy to read resume showcases your ability to convey information clearly and concisely. A well-written cover letter further showcases your writing ability and gives a bit of insight into your communication style. Documents free of typos and grammatical errors show that you pay attention to detail.

Be honest if you were laid off or furloughed due to Covid-19.

You don’t want to have a gap in employment on your resume without an explanation. While in the past being laid off would not be something that you’d readily share, it’s no longer nearly as problematic. Now it serves as an explanation as to why you’ve been out of work for a period of time. On your resume, include when and why you were laid off in one of the bullet points under the job description. Don’t mention being laid off on your cover letter, as it’s not relevant there.

 

Forbes.com | September 25, 2020 | Ashira Prossack

#JobSearch : Major Changes To LinkedIn You Need To Know About. If There’s One Constant at LinkedIn, it’s Change. Great REad!

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If there’s one constant at LinkedIn, it’s change. They have been evolving their platform since it launched in 2003. Some of these changes show up randomly and piecemeal, while others are part of a major evolution of the platform. What I share with you here falls into the latter category. According to LinkedIn, these changes will roll out over the next quarter or so.

The changes, LinkedIn says, are in response to major growth in use of the platform along with changes to how we work and to the global diverse workforce. They cite these areas of seismic growth:

  • LinkedIn is inching closer and closer to a billion members with more than 706M members currently
  • There has been a 50% increase in content shared on LinkedIn year over year
  • Over 6.3 million people attended virtual events on the platform, making it quite relevant to the new all-virtual world of work.

LinkedIn says their new batch of features is designed to “foster human connection.” They fall into 4 categories.

1. Simpler Look and Feel  

The new version of the platform will have a streamlined look and provide easier access to the functions you care about. It is focused more on community, creating an experience that makes you “feel like you belong.” Also, search has been expanded. In addition to being able to search for things like people and jobs, you’ll be able to search for groups, content and events.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

2. Stories

I’m a big fan of LinkedIn and have always been. And I have also acknowledged that some of their enhancements have been previously tested … on other social media platforms. One of those is Stories. Think Instagram stories, but on professional topics. LinkedIn says, “Conversations are the center of community,” and their goal is to create more interesting ways to engage in conversation. In the Covid-19 era, members are looking for ways to build relationships in our new physically distanced world. Stories are LinkedIn’s way of providing a more humanized voice for engaging. They have been testing this feature in Brazil, France, The Netherlands, The UAE and Australia. During that test, millions of stories were shared and hundreds of thousands of conversations started. The stories that were most successful in the test were professional in focus while being unique and engaging in tone.

Stories, they note, are a more casual way of sharing photos, videos and messages. The stories you create will expires 24 hours after you post them. This creates the feeling that they don’t need to be perfect—like a LinkedIn article you write, for example—making them a less intimidating and more authentic way of expressing yourself and building your genuine personal brand. Stories will roll out in the US and Canada first, then to other regions.

Two unique tools accompany LinkedIn stories:

  • Question of the day. What are you working on? How do you recharge on your day off?
  • Localized stickers. Members can add stickers to their stories, enhancing the local spin.

3. Messaging

If you have a lot of connections and followers like I do, messaging has been pretty challenging to manage. It’s been an additional inbox to deal with, and it hasn’t been easy to engage with it. There’s just too much content and no good tool for organizing it. LinkedIn recognized the deficiencies and are adding features that will make your messaging life a lot easier. For example, it will be easier to select multiple messages at the same time to archive, delete or mark “read.” And there’ll be a simple tool to edit messages. So if you send a message and immediately afterward realize there was a typo, you can resolve it easily. You can also completely delete a message if you changed your mind about sending it.

4. Video Meetings

I must say, I have been waiting for this enhancement to messaging for a long time. When Microsoft bought LinkedIn, I assumed they would add video calling from Skype (also owned by Microsoft). But it never happened. Until now, that is. Now it will be easy to switch the conversation from text messaging to video. But the video is not Skype. You’ll be able to use Microsoft Teams, Verizon BlueJeans and Zoom directly from your messages. It’s one more reason you need to be video-ready all the time and need to make video your best friend.

LinkedIn is the most powerful tool for building your personal brand, delivering a powerful first impression and connecting with others in your professional community. These new features will make those professional channels easier to manage and more potent.

Author:  William Arruda is a founder of CareerBlast and co-creator of BrandBoost – a video-based personal branding talent development experience.

 

Forbes.com | September 24, 2020

#YourCareer : The Best Way to Track Your Work Wins. Tracking your Work Wins is Important for Many Reasons.

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 A recent client I worked with was beyond frustrated because she couldn’t remember successes from ten years ago… and some even more recent than that. It became a very tedious process for her that even included tracking down a few trusted colleagues who might remember details she could not.

This happens. We have a success and move on to the next challenge or opportunity without stopping. The problem is when we need to call those successes up, sometimes we forget them or the details.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

Tracking your work wins is important for many reasons. You may want to present the accomplishments to your boss when you think you need a raise, or you may need to update your LinkedIn profile for the first time in a while. Regardless, tracking your work accomplishments as they happen will help you refer to them quickly and easily, and here are a few easy ways to remedy this and get in the habit of tracking your work wins.

▶️ 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥. If you are like me and like paper and pen, keep a journal. Jot down your successes and keep it in your desk somewhere you can easily find and pull out. Just remember to write down as many details as you can so it’s easy to recall it when writing an effective resume.

▶️ 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐩𝐩. Rather speak your wins into your phone? There are lots of recording apps available that will record and save your musings.

▶️ 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩. Use the Notes feature on your phone or download a new one (there are many to choose from) to jot down your accomplishments. With some apps, you can email the notes to your email.

▶️ 𝐔𝐩𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐞. To save time, add the achievement directly to your resume. You can write more information than needed, and tweak it when the time comes that you need to send it out.

When it comes time to write your resume, you’ll understand the importance of tracking your work wins and how to display them prominently on your resume. You will be glad you took the time to make note of them at the time.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog – September 24, 2020

 

Targeting Your #JobSearch -You Choose Your Employer. A 6-Step Guide to Getting Interviews Without Online Job Boards.

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What’s the first question that comes to mind when you find yourself seeking new employment? If you asked, “Who’s hiring??”, you’re certainly not alone. It is a logical question – but not necessarily a good one.

One of the first thing I advise my clients to do is to forget about limiting their considerations to those companies posting want-ads on electronic job-search engines. That’s what everybody does, and it’s a feeding frenzy of futility. Certainly there are companies open to hiring that haven’t yet put out the word or that prefer to source candidates through means other than online channels.

In fact, 85% of jobs are filled through networking and professional referrals, according to both LinkedIn and Forbes. This is where all the real action is! If you want to exponentially improve your odds of scoring some interviews here’s a great strategy:

First, create a list of ten companies you’d LIKE to work for. If you don’t have a list in your head, you can easily come up with one with a bit of research. Perform a search on companies in your industry. Narrow parameters to ones represented in your area. Now for your due diligence:

  • What is their culture? Regarding beliefs and behaviors that determine how a company’s employees and management interact, look up their leadership on LinkedIn or examine their social media presence for clues. Some companies will appear stuffy and corporate while others will seem loose and fun – go for a stylistic fit
  • Do they appear to be a successful operation with much to offer? Review the company’s website and compare with competitors. Are they competitive from a standpoint of pricing, product offerings & service? Do they have a unique market niche? Compare their websites to their main competitors. Great companies generally have great websites (the opposite is also true). You may even want to do a deep dive and see where their stock is going if it is a corporation, or investigate their earnings reports to see if they’re trending up or down.
  • What is the company’s Online Reputation? There are numerous companies you may utilize for researching a company’s reputation. Consider using Google, Yelp, Citysearch, Angieslist and other rating companies. Do not simply look at numeric rating, but read the actual reviews to glean valuable information on the company’s conduct and how they handle customers and their complaints.
  • Check Employee reviews at Glassdoor.com This site will offer reviews from former employees detailing their personal experiences with a former employer, as well as offering some general salary data. They will detail both pros and cons associated with their experience, even rating the CEO in many cases. It will typically be loaded with insights you would never be privy to otherwise, as people are remarkably candid here.
  • Does the company meet your mandatory prerequisites? Through a combination of the above means, you should be able to establish a company’s proximity to your location, whether they offer benefits, if they allow pets, if they are an established company or a start-up, etc.

Now that you have your list of companies to target, it’s time to make your approach. Unless you want to wade into the black hole of the HR resume repository – a realm from which few escape – you’ll want to go for a style of direct approach that will literally circumvent the gatekeepers. The last thing you want to do is submit your resume through a conventional company website and subject your resume to the robotic ATS algorithms designed to judge a candidate’s merit by nebulous ‘keywords’.

I advocate a more direct approach, which involves focusing on targeting key individuals within a company. In Top Down Method: a 6-Step Guide to Getting Interviews Without Online Job Boards, I detail this guerilla tactic that will distinguish you as a true go-getter and separate you from the pack. It will also help you uncover undisclosed opportunities where no one else is looking. Imagine participating in a race where you’re the only competitor – the smart money’s on you to win! So exit convention, decide who YOU want to work for, use this unconventional approach and prepare for unconventional results!

FSC Career Blog Author:  Derek Unnasch, author of Top Down Method:  eliteXtraining.com 

                                           A 6-Step Guide to Getting Interviews Without Online Job Boards

 

FSC Career Blog |  September 23, 2020