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#JobSearch : The 8 Biggest Mistakes People Make With Their LinkedIn Profile And How To Avoid Them. Reading this Headline on LinkedIn? MUst REad!

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With membership approaching one billion, LinkedIn is the most important personal branding resource. And despite LinkedIn being around for two decades, many professionals have not mastered this essential career management platform and they’re missing an opportunity to deliver an on-brand first impression.

Here are the most egregious LinkedIn profile mistakes to avoid.

1. Not Including Keywords In Your Headline

To help your profile show up prominently in the results, you need to include the words you want to be associated with in your headline. The first duty of your headline is to provide relevance. “Is this a person I need to know?”

 

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

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, Llc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, the UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of our corporate partners for the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment!

 

Article continued …

2. An Anemic About

Your LinkedIn “About” section will be the most-read version of your bio, so you need to tell your story in a compelling way. And here’s the catch: When people look at your LinkedIn profile, they only get to see the first few lines of your About. Use those valuable words to grab your reader’s attention so they will click “see more” to get the whole story. Don’t repeat what you told us about yourself in your headline.

3. Ignoring The Featured Section

This valuable piece of digital branding real estate shows up toward the top of your profile and gives you a place to showcase your accomplishments, passions, and causes. And because you can include images, video and other rich media, it makes your profile more interesting to look at and more differentiated too.

4. Not Using Creator Mode

Creator mode is a relatively new feature that allows you to identify the top five hashtags with which you want to be associated. These hashtags show up right below your headline and reinforce the topics for which you want to be known. Even if you have no intention of creating content for your LinkedIn blog, turn Creator mode on and select your five hashtags.

5. Keeping The Boring LinkedIn-Issued Background

The best way to make your profile stand out is to include a one-of-a-kind, on-brand, copyright-cleared background (it sits behind your headshot and headline). It’s the first thing people see when they’re checking you out. When you incorporate an image that helps you tell your story, you automatically stand out from your peers and deliver a relevant first impression.

6. Using A Photo That’s Not A True Headshot

No photo. A logo. A full body shot. A picture where you cropped someone’s body out of the shot, but their arm is still dangling from your shoulder. These are all examples of what you should never do with your LinkedIn headshot. Your headshot makes you real, and it makes it more likely that someone will accept a connection request from you. Make sure your headshot is professionally done, reflects your personality and is cropped so that your very human face occupies 60-80% of the space. When someone is looking at your profile on their phone, your headshot is the size of a button. Make sure people can look you in the eye.

7. Not Reordering Their Skills

LinkedIn displays your skills in order, based on the number of endorsements each skill has (from highest to lowest). When someone checks out your profile, LinkedIn only shows the top three. That’s a signal to the reader that those are the things you are best at. Yet for many of us, those may not be the things we want to be known for or the things that make us relevant for where we want to go next. Reorder your skills to showcase the three most important ones at the top.

8. Using Words Without Rich Media

It’s hard to create a visceral emotional experience when you’re limiting yourself to the 26 letters of the alphabet, but when you augment your prose with images, infographics and videos, you can truly dazzle your audience with your brilliance. Your profile is replete with places where you can leverage rich media to tell your story: your Featured artifacts, your Background image, in your Experience and Education sections, your Video Cover Story, etc. It’s hard to inspire people online, but using multimedia is sure to deliver more YAY and less YAWN to your readers.

 

Forbes.com Author: William Arruda is a keynote speaker, and co-founder of CareerBlast.TV and co-creator of the Personal Brand Power Audit – a complimentary quiz that helps you measure the strength of personal brand.

Forbes.com | February 8, 2023

#JobSearch : Why Executives Are Embracing LinkedIn Now More Than Ever. How’s your Profile?

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Executives are paying attention to their own careers in record numbers. In the last two weeks, I have worked with seven different executives who each wanted help writing their LinkedIn profile to reflect their personal or company brand better. Julie, a CEO, said, “I have ignored LinkedIn up to now. It wasn’t important enough, so I’ve got a bare-bones profile up. I realize that it may have been a key mistake. It seems many people are checking me out, and I am failing to impress them. As the company leader, I need to be prominent and display who I am, who my company is, and where we are going. I’m making time to do this now.”

Dan called, saying, “As a company VP of Sales, I’m getting bugged by my sales team to improve my own LinkedIn profile. Prospective customers are checking me out, looking at my LinkedIn profile to see who we are before they make that final decision to do business with us. I never thought about it that way. I need to show what we are doing and how I am successfully leading this team and our products, especially in this challenging time.”

Mike, an Operations VP, said, “I just lost my job when the company went under from COVID. I have been here for twenty years, and I do not have a LinkedIn profile at all. I’m really behind the eight-ball needing to get this up asap.”

Bill brought up another point. This CEO stated, “I should have been smarter about LinkedIn. My profile is weak because it wasn’t a priority. Our recruiters are saying that it is hurting us when they try to hire new employees. I didn’t think that prospective job candidates would check me out, but apparently, they are.”

Some executives are certainly doing it right

Manny Medina, a Founder and the CEO of Outreach, a Unicorn tech startup, is pretty savvy. Outreach sells a sales engagement platform and was founded in 2014 and now has 800 employees. Outreach elected to use LinkedIn as a marketing tool to grow its business from a tiny organization into a billion-dollar unicorn. They have found their niche, and they have focused on ensuring their top execs are all on display and active on LinkedIn.

Sam Nelson, a Sales Executive at Outreach, stands out on LinkedIn because he has blue hair. Having been at Outreach for a little over three years, Sam is a master at LinkedIn, having over 40,000 followers. (On LinkedIn you can have both connections and then people who elect to follow you.) “You can grow your following really fast on LinkedIn if you do it the right way,” says Nelson. “People get to know you very quickly using LinkedIn. You can control the message about yourself and your company.”

Every executive is busy, and some career development tasks just fall off the list. “We have found that having a completed and up-to-date LinkedIn Profile has a high ROI for your time. If you aren’t active on LinkedIn, then step one is creating a fully completed Profile.” If you haven’t done that, this Forbes series is a useful guide.

 

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

Article continued …

Use a posting strategy

Nelson shared his secret for developing a following. “Write and post about something you know super, super well. Find an area you can be the best at and start sharing ideas. You can stand out in a very narrow, tiny niche and build a big following on LinkedIn.”

“People value authenticity and your own story, so give advice or tactics that are easy for people to implement. Share it in bite size pieces and make the advice things people can easily do. For example, I wrote about a young sales employee that did something, and the customer complained to the CEO. I wrote about how to respond to the employee as a manager saying, ‘hey we’ve got your back.’” This post showed an effective way for managers to handle the situation. The post got 55,000 views and 815 shares. “This advice is about a tiny subset of salespeople called SDR’s in the tech world, but the people responding are those who can exactly relate to this. It was shared with all these people’s networks demonstrating the reach this social media has. I post several times a week using all my own original content,” says Nelson.

Turn your employees into ambassadors

There is some challenge in getting your employees all onboard to become company ambassadors. As an executive, you need to get employees to participate and share. Outreach seems to have mastered this agenda item, and it helps in bringing in more customers and in hiring top talent. Outreach encourages its employees to be active on LinkedIn. “It starts with executives who share messages from ANYBODY and EVERYBODY in the company,” notes Nelson. “Sharing encourages employees to feel valued, and then employees are likely to share an upcoming event, a product announcement, or job opening. Another employee adds something and shares. This action brings visibility to the company’s name, so the company brand is getting broader exposure. It also helps in bringing in more customers and in hiring top talent.”

Author: Robin Ryan: Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website or some of my other work here.

Forbes.com –  August 4, 2020

#JobSearch : The COVID Effect on the Job Market. A MUst REad for All!

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As I write this blog article, the United States economy just moved past the 80th calendar day since the international pandemic (Corona-Virus 19) in which the quarantine sent everyone scurrying behind locked doors and face masks.  Companies who relied mostly on technology were mostly insulated from business losses during the quarantine.  Other companies moved to ‘curb-side’ service, online meetings (using Zoom, Adobe, and Google meeting cloud platforms).

Some businesses (online shopping, health care, e-commerce) were able to still perform ‘as usual’ – especially if already providing services and products ‘virtually’ (employees moved from offices to homes to work via telecom technology.  Those companies most impacted, e.g., non-essential retail, restaurants, hotels, travel, and entertainment are still struggling and many are facing bankruptcy.

What does this mean for workers or those looking for new jobs and careers?

1- Job seekers will have more competition for the job they would normally have been a ‘shoo-in’ pre-pandemic; in this economy, it’s now an employer’s market for hiring. Expect to be rejected more often as an applicant.  The company may have a hiring freeze or slow-down, but there also may be jobs not advertised.  Keep on posting your resume into the ATS on the recruiting system for the company(ies) you are targeting.

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

Article continued …

 

2- Sharpen or add technology skills on the career resume for the job search. If you have the skill sets that enable to you to work from any location – job site, in the field, or from home, this will showcase your adaptability.  Have you worked from home during the quarantine? Are you able to adjust to a personal work schedule and reliability? Mention that in your resume to showcase capabilities.  Jobs ‘on-site’ in the past may be virtual go forward.

3- Job seekers need to update and ensure their computer has with telecom capabilities – camera, speakers, and access to Internet for online meetings; and it’s important to realize the vital need for updating one’s resume and LinkedIn profile for recruiters to more easily find you online. Test your meeting software and equipment with friends and family member (virtual dinner party, anyone?).

4- Review the field or industry – you may need to move to new careers. Job seekers need to target industries for ‘core business industries’ e.g., advertising, tech, delivery companies [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][packages, food], tax assistance, video communications, instruction and teaching platforms [e.g., universities, colleges, tutoring], essential businesses [pharmacies], healthcare services, and/or cleaning and sanitation [janitorial]. The companies to avoid targeting for job searches are those related to travel – hotels, airlines, sports, and automotive. My husband takes Viagra for a couple of years now. I always wondered if it could help me become better in bed, so I decided to take a pill. Well, I can’t say that I felt anything different, but the sensations during intercourse were definitely better. I suppose it was due to better lubrication, which, I suppose, was the result of my experiment.

5- Refresh your resume on the big boards (e.g., Monster, CareerBuilder, Indeed) – the older resumes float to the bottom of the resume pool; even if you add a dot or space, those ATS platforms categorize the resume as a ‘new’ (refreshed) resume.

6- Be prepared for ‘more’ online virtual meetings, interviews, and panel discussions (hiring committees) versus driving to the location for the meeting (this is good – saves gas, and you can wear a nice shirt and jacket over your pajama bottoms).

7- Be prepared to do more email and online networking – the face-to-face networking is ‘out’ with social distancing in place (likely for the next 6-18 months). Do continue to make phone calls to friend, peers, past co-workers and bosses to let them know you are available for work. Who do they know is looking to hire?

8- Recruiters won’t be able to rely on ‘body language’ in virtual interviews, so it’s important for job candidates to look sharp, act like they are paying attention during the online cloud meetings, and to ensure the dog or cat won’t interrupt the meeting. The interview candidate may have to project more to demonstrate a positive attitude and don’t forget to clean up the area behind your computer to look like a more professional work environment.

9- In the past, recruiters may have been able to make a job offer and have a candidate in the seat in two weeks. The pandemic has slowed the process down to ‘whenever it is safe to physically come to work.’ Expect delays in the hiring process – some college grads who were extended job offers aren’t able to work for their new employers until as late as July or August while the company struggles to determine health and safety protocols. There will be a slow-down in the decision-making.  Companies may take a while before business picks up again to justify the hire and bringing the candidate onboard with a start date.

10- Job seekers who have lost their jobs need to be aware the extended benefits from the Payroll Protection Act are for a small and finite period. If your employer laid you off and you refuse to come back to work – you will lose your unemployment benefits.  Even if you get paid more in the PPA, it is vital for you to get back to work so you have a job after the benefits run out.

11- Do not lose hope. If you have a ‘side’ job, you may need ramp up the sales and services to bridge the financial gap between the last job and the new post-Covid career move.

 

FSC Career Author: Ms.Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., is a FSC Career Coach & owner of D. Boyer Consulting – provides resume writing, editing, and publishing (print-on-demand) consulting. Reach her at: Dawn.Boyer@me.com or visit her website at www.dboyerconsulting.com.

 

FSC Career Blog |  June 12, 2020

 

Bio: Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D., has been an entrepreneur and business owner for 20+ years, with a successful business and consulting firm (CEO) in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, and Richmond, VA.  Her background experience is 24+ years in the Human Resources field, of which 12+ years are within the Federal & Defense Contracting industry. She is the author of 812+ books on the topics of business, human resources research, career search practice, women and gender study, genealogy and family lineages, quotes for motivation and self-improvement, and Adult Coloring Books.  Her books can be found on Amazon.com under her author’s page for Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

#CareerAdvice : #Networking -How To Become A #SocialMedia Marvel In Nine Minutes. A #MustRead for All!

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Digital branding is my primary focus these days, and that means helping clients get past their resistance to social media. The number one reason they tell me that they don’t engage in social media is:  “I just can’t find the time to do it.”

So what if you made a habit of committing no more than nine minutes a day. Could you find nine minutes?

You can actually get a lot accomplished, deliver value to your audience and not wear yourself out when you’re willing to commit a few minutes a day. To make this work, though, you need to commit to doing it every day. When you do, your nine-minute habit becomes three hours a month of social media engagement.

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

Continue of article:

Here’s how to make it happen:

Step 1: Focus On One Platform

Don’t squander your efforts by being on every platform—Facebook plus Instagram plus Twitter plus LinkedIn plus YouTube equals social media taking over your life. It will be impossible to be consistently visible on all those platforms unless you make it your full-time job. Instead, choose up to three, preferably just one platform to start. How do you choose, you ask?

Pick what sits at the intersection of these two criteria:

  1. You enjoy them. There’s no sense picking YouTube if you abhor creating videos. You’ll be more likely to keep up your 9-minute daily social media habit you’re having fun with it. If you like to write brief, pithy content, choose Twitter. If you love visuals, choose Instagram
  2. Your people are there. When using social media for professional purposes, the goal is to be visible, valuable and available to the people who are making decisions about you. There’s no sense in tweeting at the frequency of Kim Kardashian or Donald Trump if your target audience isn’t on Twitter.

Step 2: Choose The Right Time

Identify your best time to engage in social media. We know that true habits are easier to form when they take place at the same time every day–like brushing your teeth. Your social media habit might take place first thing in the morning or right before you leave work or during lunch. Or, to make it even more efficient, consider a time when you can double up on productivity. For example, if you commute to work on a train, that’s the perfect time to also connect with your online community. If you wait in line every morning for your triple tall half-caf, iced skim caramel macchiato, get your phone out and make the wait more productive.

Step 3: Engage

Be strategic in deciding what you want to talk about. Your topic should help you demonstrate your thought-leadership and give you an opportunity to express your point of view. Remember, being visible on social media does not mean creating new content every day. If you’re just starting your social media habit, here’s a good mix of items for your daily do:

  • Like and comment on content that was posted by others.
  • Share others’ content, adding your point of view to make their post even more valuable
  • Share something you learned, a favorite quote, a relevant statistic
  • Post your own content (article, tweet, picture, video, etc.)

Step 4. Make It Easy

There are lots of things you can do to automate the time-consuming parts of social media.

  • Use a social media posting tool like Hootsuite or Buffer to post multiple items and schedule them over time.
  • For responding to your connections/followers’ content, create shortcuts on your phone for standard responses. Apple iOS makes it especially simple to do this.
  • If you prefer speaking to typing, just talk your message or update.

The point is to find ways to make your social media habit more efficient and more aligned with how you like to work. Personal branding is all about being authentic, so if you dread your social media routine, your posts will seem phony or forced. Do whatever you need to do to keep your new habit from feeling onerous.

That’s it! If you have been reluctant to engage in social media, follow this process. Commit to your nine-minute habit and watch your digital brand soar.

Author: William Arruda is the cofounder of CareerBlast and creator of the complete LinkedIn quiz that helps you evaluate your LinkedIn profile and networking strategy.

 

Forbes.com | September 16, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #LinkedInTips – 9 Mistakes you’re Making on #LinkedIn that Could Sabotage your #JobHunt — and How to Fix Them. A Must REad!

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  • If you’re on LinkedIn, there’s a good chance you’re guilty of (at least) one of the mistakes listed below.

  • We talked to LinkedIn career expert Blair Decembrele about how to avoid them.
  • For example, if you’re job-hunting, be sure to alert recruiters that you’re open to new roles. Your current employer won’t find out.
LinkedIn can be a terrific place to build your brand, expand your network, attract new clients, and find job opportunities.

But use it the wrong way and you could turn off professional contacts — or even lose out on your dream job.

We spoke with LinkedIn career expert Blair Decembrele about the most common (and most egregious) mistakes she sees on the platform, as well as what you can do to avoid them. Read on, and get ready to make some potentially serious changes to your profile.

Your profile headline is incorrect or missing entirely

Your profile headline is incorrect or missing entirelyScreenshot/LinkedIn

This is “prime real estate,” Decembrele said.

It’s the first thing other members see besides your photo. You can use these 120 words either to list your current title (e.g. “senior reporter at Business Insider”) or to describe your job more generally (e.g. “reporter covering career development and entrepreneurship”).

You don’t have a profile photo

You don't have a profile photoScreenshot/LinkedIn

According to LinkedIn data, profiles with photos receive up to 21 times more views than profiles without photos, plus nine times more connection requests.

That’s not to say that any photo will do — it’s important to choose one that’s visually appealing, Decembrele said. Think a solid-color background without distractions like a friend’s arm dangling off the edge. Your face should fill up roughly 60% of the frame.

 

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & type(#career, #leadership, #life) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

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

Continue of article:

You haven’t written a summary

You haven't written a summaryScreenshot/LinkedIn

A summary “describes who you are as a professional,” Decembrele said. It’s your elevator pitch, or your chance to “spark a potential employer’s interest in 20 seconds.”

That’s why you should include your experience, skills, and interests. Most importantly, “don’t be afraid to have your personality shine through.” LinkedIn says summaries of at least 40 words are more likely to turn up in search results.

You never customized your LinkedIn URL

You never customized your LinkedIn URLScreenshot/LinkedIn

Once you do, you can include your LinkedIn URL on your résumé without worrying about it looking clunky, Decembrele said. It also makes it easier for you to be found by recruiters.

You have no idea what your privacy settings are

You have no idea what your privacy settings areScreenshot/LinkedIn

Decembrele recommends thinking carefully about your privacy settings (for example, whether you want your entire network to find out that you’ve switched jobs).

You should also know whether other members can see when you’ve looked at their profile, and vice versa. Decembrele said there are benefits to having people know you checked out their profile, since they might see an opportunity to work together.

If you subscribe to LinkedIn Premium, you’re able to tweak the settings so that you can see when other people view your profile, but they can’t see when you’ve viewed theirs.

SEE ALSO: 9 mistakes you’re making on LinkedIn that are putting off recruiters and making it harder to find a job

 

You haven’t alerted recruiters that you’re open to new roles

You haven't alerted recruiters that you're open to new rolesScreenshot/LinkedIn

Enabling the “open candidates” feature on your profile dashboard is a way to privately signal that you’re open to job opportunities. LinkedIn found that members who enable this feature are twice as likely to see relevant opportunities.

Fortunately, this is not listed publicly on your profile — and luckily for you, recruiters from your particular organization aren’t able to see this.

You’re not using hashtags in your posts

You're not using hashtags in your postsScreenshot/LinkedIn

You can use relevant hashtags to a) customize your feed so that you see the content that’s most interesting to you, and b) to make sure your posts wind up in front of the right people (just like on other social media platforms). For example, if you’re writing about leadership, you might tag “#leadership.”

Once you’ve started writing a post on LinkedIn, you’ll see recommended hashtags to choose from.

You aren’t taking advantage of LinkedIn groups

You aren't taking advantage of LinkedIn groupsScreenshot/LinkedIn

When you join LinkedIn groups for professionals in your field, “it enables you to talk to each other about trends in your industry,” Decembrele said. Plus, it’s a great way to solicit career advice or opinions.

You’re cold-contacting people for jobs

You're cold-contacting people for jobsScreenshot/LinkedIn

The first rule of messaging another LinkedIn member is to make sure you’ve looked at their profile, so you can refer to something about their career that resonated with you. Explain why you’re reaching out and why they should connect with you, Decembrele added.

That said, if you’re job hunting, don’t message someone asking directly for a job. Instead, you might write something like, “Hi, I noticed you work for [X organization] and I’m really interested in learning more about that company. Would you be wiling to talk to me?”

Author: Jillian D’Onfro contributed to an earlier version of this post.

Businessinsder.com | March 7, 2019

 

 

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#CareerAdvice : #Networking – How to Build (and maintain) an Effective #LinkedIn Network… Wondering whether to accept an invitation? Ask yourself this simple question: Would you feel comfortable making an introduction to this new connection?

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Growing your Network

It’s no secret that the right connections can make a huge difference in landing your next job or making a career move. Having a strong LinkedIn network and engaging your connections can be an invaluable resource throughout your career.

Think of your network as a garden–it’s important to plant your garden with intention, tend to your plants regularly, and at some point you’ll likely need to do some pruning.

Here are some tips to help your LinkedIn network flourish:

GROW YOUR NETWORK THOUGHTFULLY FROM THE START

Start by connecting with people you know or trust–including people you know outside of your current field of work. If your network is filled with connections you know personally, it is real and usable, so that each and every connection has the potential to be helpful to your professional life, whether that’s a job recommendation, an introduction, or career advice. Focus on connecting with people from communities such as your company, school, industry, or who share your professional interests.

Once you connect on LinkedIn, you can typically see your connections’ connections, which can open the door to meeting new people who may be able to help your career. Asking your connections to introduce you to someone is a great way to expand your digital network. A warm introduction can be very helpful.

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CHOOSE QUALITY OVER QUANTITY–DON’T OVER-PLANT!

Your LinkedIn network isn’t a numbers game, but unless you’re a professional recruiter, having a large number of connections doesn’t necessarily give you the edge. All of your connections should add value to your network–and vice versa. If you are considering connecting to someone you don’t actually know, you might actually consider following them instead. When you follow someone, you will still see any posts they share.

Getting invites from people you don’t know or don’t want to connect with? No problem. You can simply hit ignore, and the person won’t be notified. If you aren’t sure if you want to accept or ignore, you can also message the sender for more information on why they might want to connect by clicking Message below their invitation on the Manage invitations page.

NURTURE YOUR NETWORK

Remember that connections go both ways. Being a helpful, available connection is the best way to make sure your network is strong and to drive a shared sense of professional enrichment.

• Make yourself available to others and keep up regular conversations with colleagues and mentors. There are several ways to do that on LinkedIn, whether it’s indicating that you’re open to giving or receiving through our Career Advice feature, or participating in conversations in your feed.
• Post your own content (video, article, or text) or comment on other people’s posts. This is another great way to start conversations with people who have similar interests while sharing your personal expertise. You can also use posts to ask your network for help–like if you are looking for recommendations for a design freelancer to hire or even asking a tactical question about a software tool you are having trouble with.
• Reach out to schedule a coffee with someone in your field. You never know where a conversation might go.

KEEP YOUR NETWORK RELEVANT–TIME TO PRUNE?

So you’ve made a few career moves and the folks you connected with when you first joined LinkedIn aren’t adding value to your network today. Or, you were eager to build your network and accepted a few too many connection requests that you don’t know or don’t remember meeting. If this sounds familiar, it might be time to go through your network and disconnect with the people who are no longer professionally relevant.

To remove a connection: From the manage connections page, you can scroll through all your connections. Click the More icon (or “. . .” on mobile) next to the connection you’d like to remove and click Remove connection. Click Remove from the Remove Connection pop-up window.

If you do disconnect from someone, know that although they will not be notified of the disconnection, if they do search for you, they will see that you are no longer a connection. Depending on your relationship with that person, this could lead to an awkward conversation. As an alternative, if you want to keep a connection but don’t want to see that person’s posts in your feed, you can also simply unfollow them.

Having the right network will improve the quality and relevance of your feed, the people who send you messages, and who engages with your content. Remember, you and your network are on a professional journey together, and the stronger your network, the further you can go.

Lizabeth Li is a director of product management at LinkedIn.

FastCompany.com | BY LIZABETH LI 3 MINUTE READ | November 25, 2018

#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch – What #Recruiters Look at When Stalking Your #SocialMedia … You probably Already Know Recruiters are Looking at your #LinkedIn Page, but What About your Other Social Media Platforms?

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You know, the ones where you post pictures of your latest vacation, share what you had for dinner and occasionally tag your friends in memes. Why, you might wonder, would a recruiter possibly be interested in viewing things like that?

As it turns out, those personal details are precisely why recruiters and hiring managers keep tabs on applicants’ social media accounts, says career coach Hallie Crawford. “It can help them get a more accurate idea about who you are outside of your resume — a more personal view into your life,” she explains. “A resume can tell them your qualifications, but your social media profile can help them determine your personality type and if you would be a good fit for company culture.”

Plus, recruiters are looking for red flags — risqué photos, bad language, signs of drugs use — that would show them you’d be a less than ideal man or woman to have in their offices.

So now that you know why they’re looking, how about knowing what they’re looking at?

Facebook

According to Crawford, recruiters and hiring managers are concentrating their efforts on two sections of your Facebook page — your “about me” section, and your photo albums.

About Me: “They will want to see how you describe yourself and if it matches up [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][with] how you have described yourself in your cover letter and resume,” Crawford says. Any discrepancies could cost you points pre-interview. What’s more, Crawford says, “they will also be looking for proper spelling and grammar” in this section, to see how seriously you take those skills.

Photos: When it comes to your photos albums, “a hiring manager will be checking not only your photos but also your descriptions,” Crawford warns. “A hiring manager wants to see if you represent yourself in a professional way.” To come off in the most positive pre-meeting light, “you will want to avoid using profanity, sexual or drug references,” Crawford says.

5 Mistakes That Will Keep You From Getting Hired

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Twitter

Who You’re Following: “Recruiters like to see if you have any mutual connections and if you are connected with others in your industry,” Crawford explains. Following others in your industry is a smart thing to do no matter what — watching their feeds can give you a scoop on a new job opening, company announcements, the latest tech and much more.

Tweets: “Recruiters will be checking to see if you share useful information, if you share information relevant to your trade or if you just use tweets to fight with others,” Crawford says. If you’re applying for a job, take a look at your tweeting history and consider deleting anything that won’t show your best — and most thoughtful — self to a potential employer.

Instagram

Followers: Recruiters will check out the kind of followers you attract, Crawford says. Plus, they’ll want to see “how friendly and social you seem to be with your followers,” she says. What you say to them and what you say back, she explains, “can also give them insight [into] your personal relationships and if you would be a good cultural fit for the company.”

Pictures: You probably figured this, right? But recruiters are looking to see more than your photography skills (or lack thereof). “They will want to see how you represent yourself,” Crawford says. For example, “if you are at a party, do you represent yourself in a dignified way?” Crawford asks, or, “do you post things that others would consider inappropriate?”

Read Next: 16 Tips for Building an Online Personal Brand
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#CareerAdvice : #JobSearch – How to Use #LinkedIn to Add Cold Contacts…Your #Career is About Who you Know, Sure. But it’s Also about Who You can Get to Know. That’s where LinkedIn Comes In.

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With over 400 million users, there’s no question LinkedIn reigns supreme as the go-to professional network. From your former roommate to the stranger with your dream job, every savvy woman (and man) seems to have an active account where they regularly post references, professional recommendations, and recommended reads.

If you’re like most users, you’ve probably taken a laissez-faire approach to LinkedIn networking up until now, accepting connection requests from friends or former coworkers when they turn up in your inbox or maybe using LinkedIn’s recommendations to add some people yourself. But that means you’re missing a hugely underutilized opportunity: the network of professionals in your field who you just haven’t met yet.

Navigating that world of untapped connections with poise often brings uncertainty. After all, it’s arguably as hard to reach out to strangers online as it is in person. That’s exactly why we’re breaking down how to use LinkedIn to add cold contacts to three easy steps. Follow these and you’ll significantly up your LinkedIn game. Ready?

HOW TO USE LINKEDIN TO ADD COLD CONTACTS (3 STEPS)

1. FIND A SHARED LINKEDIN CONNECTION OR GROUP

One of the biggest benefits of using LinkedIn to make new contacts? You can visually see connections that you share with others. For example, if you come across a profile of someone you’d like to contact, LinkedIn offers a convenient chart of your mutual connections. Use this to your advantage by reaching out to one of these shared contacts to ask for a virtual introduction, either through LinkedIn or via email.

Obviously, you won’t always have a direct personal connection with someone you’d like to meet, but that’s not the only way forward. Next up, check to see if you’re part of any of the same LinkedIn groups as the person in question. Perhaps you’re members of a professional association, or maybe you both graduated from the same university.

Finding common ground can quickly evolve a cold contact into a warm one. In fact, if you and the person are both members of a group, you can send them a message directly through LinkedIn without having to connect first. Think of it as cutting out the social media middle man.

Charm cold contacts with a personalized connection request. LinkedIn limits you to 300 characters here, but that’s still plenty of space to impress.

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

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2. PERSONALIZE YOUR CONNECTION REQUEST

If you aren’t able to turn the cold contact into a warm one through a virtual introduction, your next step is to send a personalized connection request.

LinkedIn allows you to send a connection request when you’d like to add someone new to your network. These potential connections will then receive a notification asking them to accept or decline your invitation. Because the process counts on their approval, without any type of background or explanation, many people are likely to decline an invitation from a stranger.

For this reason, under no accounts send the default “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn” message. Trust us on this.

Instead, charm them with a personalized one. LinkedIn limits you to 300 characters here, but that’s still plenty of space to impress them with a short and sweet intro.

The Classic Approach

Hi Jane,
Came across your profile and work at XYZ Company. I’m a fellow aspiring marketing professional and would love to connect.
Regards, 
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The Admirer Approach

If you’ve seen the person’s work elsewhere (i.e. a publication, conference, networking event, or even through social media), mention it. People love when someone appreciates their hard work. Try something like this:
Hi Jane,
Saw your recent presentation at XYZ conference. I got a lot out of it and would love to chat with you to discuss some questions I had about your work.
Regards,
[Your Name]
Once you’ve successfully connected to someone, you can now send the person a direct message—and you should take advantage of this opportunity every time.

3. SEND A FOLLOW-UP LINKEDIN MESSAGE OR EMAIL

Once you’ve successfully connected to someone, don’t call it a day. You can now send the person a direct message, and you should take advantage of this opportunity every time. Let her know you admire her work or would like to learn more about her career path.

Ask for either an in-person or phone meeting where you can gain more information. Here are some approaches:

The Classic Reach-Out

Hi Jane,
Thank you for connecting with me on LinkedIn. I see that you’ve had a lot of work experience in corporate marketing, a field that I’m hoping to break into. I’ve done a couple of internships in the field and would love your advice on this topic. Would you be willing to speak with me over the phone for 20-30 minutes in the next few weeks? Thanks for your consideration.
Regards,
[Your Name]

The Hybrid Reach-Out

In the case where you’re able to send a message directly without connecting first (i.e., you both share a group), your initial message will look a bit different. Think of it as a combination of Steps 2 and 3. Here’s a good example:
Hi Jane,
I’m a fellow Rice University alumnus who recently graduated with a degree in Marketing. I came across your LinkedIn profile through our alumni group and was intrigued by your work experience in marketing.
I’d love to learn more about your career path and get your perspective on how to best break into the field as a new grad. Would you be willing to speak with me over the phone for 20-30 minutes in the next few weeks? Thanks for your consideration.
Regards,
[Your Name]

BONUS: THE SINGLE BEST TIP WE’VE GOT

In no context should your end goal of adding cold contacts be asking for a job.

You read that right. That part comes later, long after a cold contact warms up. Treat this as your opportunity to ask instead for information and learn more about the person. Informational interviews are great relationship builders, which both expand your network and provide you with tons of helpful career advice and insight from others.

Adding cold contacts on LinkedIn takes more time and effort than simply hitting the “connect” button over and over, but you reap what you sow. Put the time into turning a cold contact into a strong connection that you can keep in touch with over time.

Still feeling shaky about how to master the art of LinkedIn? Enroll in our online course, The LinkedIn Lab, and become a LinkedIn master.
CareerContessa.com | August 29, 2016 | BY KATHERINE NOBLES 

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Your #Career : #SalaryNegotiation -This is What No One Tells you About Conducting #SalaryResearch …Figuring out How Much you Should Ask for When Starting a Job or Getting a Raise Takes a Little Bit of Savvy Work.

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Every article on salary negotiations has the same piece of advice: Do your research before naming any figures.

But what exactly does this entail beyond going on websites like Glassdoor and Payscale? How do you find out whether a salary is “fair” when your coworkers won’t talk about how much they make, or you’re a new grad with no connections to people in the industry? Fast Company spoke to two salary negotiation experts to find out just what salary research involves.

1. START AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE

Ideally, you should start your salary research before applying for a job. For example, “if you’re an IP lawyer, you need to know what you’re making five years out of law school,” business adviser and leadership consultant Carol Sankar tells Fast Company. Cynthia Pong, former public defender turned career coach, agreed. “A lot of it [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][comes down] to the planning. Ideally, it’s good to start this conversation before you put the application out.”

Related: Exactly what to say in these four common salary conversations

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

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2. USE LINKEDIN TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

While looking up figures on Glassdoor and Payscale can be a good start, you can’t just stop there. Pong recommends starting with family members and friends who might know someone in your industry, “however you can get your way in,” she said. “I think it’s great to use search tools like LinkedIn, you know you can message people on LinkedIn pretty easily and it’s not terribly intrusive.” A lot of people won’t reply, but if you send enough messages, some inevitably will, Pong said.

Sankar agreed, saying that it’s a “beautiful resource” to have organic conversations with someone who sits “at the table you want to sit at.” When you approach them, make sure to frame it as a conversation and a strong interest in learning about a particular field. “It’s okay to ask, I’m planning to look for a job in this area. I don’t know what the landscape is like . . . do you know what the general landscape is like for someone with similar experience to mine?” Pong said.

Sankar said that once you do have a ballpark figure, you can go into the negotiation armed with facts and figures rather than assumptions. Say you learned that the standard salary in your industry, at your level, is $80,000, and the company offers you $60,000. When you go negotiate for a higher offer you can say something along the lines of, “According to my recent research and the conversations I’ve had with others in similar roles in this city, this is the market salary.”

Related: How to negotiate your salary when you have no obvious leverage

3. FIND OUT IF THERE IS AN EMPLOYEE RESOURCE GROUP IN YOUR OFFICE, AND IF THERE ISN’T, THINK ABOUT STARTING ONE

Perhaps you took a job without negotiating your salary, and after you’ve been in your job for a year, you have a suspicion that you might be underpaid, at least in your company. You’re thinking about speaking to your coworkers about it. In this situation, “It’s best not do it during your lunch hour,” Sankar emphasized. She recommends going to HR and seeing if your company has an employee resource group that provides tools that helps workers negotiate their salaries, and if the answer is a no, think about starting one yourself. Chances are, there are many others in the company who would benefit from having access to the information you’re seeking.

4. FIGURE OUT WHO YOUR ALLIES ARE IN THE OFFICE

If, for whatever reason, starting an employee resource group is not an option, take the time to figure out who your allies are in the office. “This is where somebody who has built relationships in the organization [will] do better,” Pong said. If you are going to take this approach, Sankar also suggested approaching more than just one coworker. Not only will you get more data and information, but talking to just one coworker might raise suspicion, Sankar said.

5. ONCE YOU HAVE ALL THE INFORMATION, IDENTIFY YOUR UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION AND SELL THAT TO YOUR BOSS OR THE HIRING MANAGER

Sometimes, discussing market value isn’t enough. Employers want to see a reason to justify the increase in salary. This is where your unique value proposition comes in, Sankar said. Everyone has it, “but at the negotiation table, very few people bring up what’s unique about them.” As a result, they’re missing out on the “differentiating factor” that can bump their salary. Using herself as an example, Sankar said that when she pitches herself as a speaker, she highlights the fact that she is a writer as well as an orator. “I have to be able to create value around what I’m doing that no one else in my industry [has].”

Pong also recommends using examples outside of work if you’re early in your career, whether it be internships, volunteer work, or even similar responsibilities in your personal life. You need to always tie it back to “the benefit of the organization hiring you, and what you will be able to do for them,” she says.

If you’re seeking a raise, make sure you have a running list of accomplishments before initiating a conversation. Ideally, Pong said, you should have planted that seed during the interview process by making sure you know what success is required in that role, and what metrics you need to meet. That way, when you approach your boss for a raise or a promotion, you can quantify your achievements, and show that an increase in salary will not benefit only you, but the company.

 

 

 

FastCompany.com | June 18, 2018 | BY ANISA PURBASARI HORTON 4 MINUTE READ

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Your #Career : 3 Ways To Develop #TransferrableSkills In Your Current #Job …This Google #Recruiter Shares How he Leveraged his #Skills to #ChangeCareers , from #Sales to #Recruiting .

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My first job out of college was in sales. Today I’m a recruiting manager at a global tech company in Silicon Valley. I’m also a podcaster. The one thing that connects the dots of my career trajectory and every job move in between: transferrable skills.

At the point that I decided sales wasn’t for me, I reflected on what I enjoyed (helping people), what I wanted to do next (HR), and what would be the stepping stone role to help me get there. It turned out that recruiting at a staffing agency was a good middle ground. Recruiting meant I’d sell companies to candidates and candidates to companies. I’d help job seekers take the next step in their careers while ensuring hiring managers had access to great people.

But before I landed a job as a recruiter at Google, I teased out the skills I needed to highlight in my resume and interviews–skills like the ability to build relationships, persuade others, and provide a high level of customer service. All skills that continue to prove key to this day, even as a podcaster. Here are a few ways you can identify and leverage transferrable skills to help you secure your next opportunity.

Related:This Is How To Land Your First-Ever Management Role 

TRACK YOUR TASKS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS

One of the biggest challenges I had for years was recalling everything I accomplished when it came time for performance review season. I’d sit there wracking my brain in hopes of recovering all I’d done over the past 6 to 12 months so I could write a stellar self-evaluation. Then one day I decided to start a project and task log that I’d update throughout the year. Recalling the details of projects became much easier.

This log also helped me identify skills and themes that’d be transferrable if and when I decided to make a move. It was easier to update my resume and speak to these skills during interviews because everything was already written down. Instead of searching for examples, I was picking from a list I’d already created.

I also encourage you to include projects, tools, and accomplishments from your extracurriculars, especially if you hold a role in a club, organization, or have a side project. Skills picked up outside the office can be just as valuable. For example, producing and releasing podcast episodes has required me to create workflows to get tasks done. Since I’ve documented them, a new team member can be dropped in and become productive right away. Creating and improving processes to drive efficiency is a key skill that’s transferrable to a wide range of jobs. It also speaks to problem-solving, as you’re usually identifying something that isn’t working well and then fixing it.

Podcasting has also provided me public speaking opportunities that have in turn made me a better presenter at work. I’ve learned the importance of storytelling, which is just as valuable when talking about data as it is when you’re trying to motivate a team to overcome a major hurdle.

Related:Here’s What To Do When Common Career Advice Doesn’t Work For You 

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

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LEVERAGE LINKEDIN AS YOUR CAREER CONSULTANT

LinkedIn is great for networking, but it’s also a great way to research what skills and experiences you need beyond what you find in job descriptions. For example, when searching for new positions, I’ve made it a habit to look up various versions of the job title and find people already in the role. Their career history and current responsibilities give me a blueprint for my resume and LinkedIn profile. I can create a list of the common themes across profiles and cross-reference my log to find relevant examples.

BE PROACTIVE ABOUT YOUR NEXT STEP AND NEW SKILLS

Even if you’re happy in your current position, you should consistently revisit what’s next in your career and if you have the skills to get there. After doing role research, you’ll sometimes realize you don’t have everything in the job description or all the skills you saw in other profiles. That’s okay. When you’re moving into something new–even if it’s within your field–there will be gaps. Your goal is to minimize these gaps by picking up news skills that can be transferred to your next job.

Maybe you realize the next target role requires in-depth quantitative analysis skills, which you don’t get to flex in your current position. You could survey what’s happening around the company and ask to be involved in a project that gives you more exposure to Excel or the opportunity to track and report on key metrics. Maybe you do the weekly or monthly team reporting in collaboration with your manager.

Related:Changing Careers? Here’s Exactly What To Put On Your Resume

Perhaps there’s someone whose spreadsheet abilities make you wonder what you’ve been doing all your life? Compliment them on the great work they’ve done and ask if they can show you some of the basics. Nearly a year ago, I asked a respected program manager to show me how she keeps various projects and deadlines organized. With her help, I ended up developing a project tracker that’s helped me manage large cross-functional initiatives that involve many moving parts and people. This speaks to taking the initiative to develop myself and the ability to manage complex projects and deliver results–two things that are expected in nearly every professional position.

These are just a few ways to help you think about transferrable skills and navigate your career development. You’ll be surprised by how relatable your skills are to many different fields. The first step is to write things down. Once you do that, it becomes a game of plug and play. Happy hunting!

This article originally appeared on The Well, Jopwell’s digital magazine and is reprinted with permission.Jopwell is the career advancement platform for Black, Latino/Hispanic, and Native American students and professionals.

FastCompany.com | May 11, 2018 | BY RICH JONES—JOPWELL 4 MINUTE READ