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#JobSearch : Best Practices for a Job Seeker’s Cover Letter. Great Eight(8) Points Checklist.

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In this technology-based age, many companies are foregoing cover letters in the electronic uploads for digital resume storage, but some systems allow cover letters to be added separately.

Recruiters may review the cover letter for various reasons, but here are a few discriminators used to consider or to reject a candidate. 

1- What positive things do recruiters want to see in cover letters?  The ability to write an idea concisely, proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation demonstrate a well-rounded education.  Aesthetic placement of type font, white space, centering (vertical and horizontal) demonstrates a technical skill to use word processing software and awareness of creating a professional look and feel.

It’s hard to address a ‘real human being’ in any HR department. A Boolean search might bring up a point of contact in the company on social sites (company website, LinkedIn, or Facebook).  If your query and find an employee’s name, they may be willing to share an HR rep’s name and contact info.  ‘Dear sir or madam,’ is the professional alternative, if you can’t find any names.

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2- Cover letters should be one page – no more – with one-inch margins and 11 or 12-point type font (Arial or Times New Roman).  If you can’t get the message across in three paragraphs, it’s too wordy.   The contents of a cover letter should be concise and within those three paragraphs. A well-written paragraph has at least three sentences.  Don’t start sentences or paragraphs with prepositions (e.g., and, but, because, etc.).

Recruiters prefer resumes and cover letters uploaded into Automated Tracking Systems (ATS) resume databases or may ask for an e-mailed resume.  Copy and paste it within the body of the email, but place it after your signature line.  You should have a very short notification, e.g., “Per request, please find my cover letter and resume after my signature for your consideration.”  Computer viruses make recruiters nervous about attachments.  Recruiters would rather have an opportunity to scroll down for information versus opening documents to save time and effort.

3- The first paragraph emphasizes the applicant’s interest in the company.  Explain why you are targeting the employer and the job title.  ‘Name drop’ a mutual contact if you have that advantage.  “I am applying for the Whiffle Ball hole-driller position because your company’s reputation is stellar in the junior-league baseball industry for making the highest quality play equipment.  Your emphasis on quality makes my skills as a driller a good match for (name of company)’s strategic objectives noted on your website.”  This shows the applicant has performed research and shows the ability to communicate a point effectively.

4- Name-dropping might be impolite in some circles, but for job shopping, it might get your foot in the door.  Mention a common contact to attract the attention of the recruiter.  “Joe Bob, Pellet Supervisor in your molding plant, suggested my candidacy for this position.”  Additionally, some companies provide incentives such as cash bonuses for employees, so this gives the recruiter documentation of the referral.

The cover letter is not your resume – provide a few salient points of interest in the second paragraph not already explained in the resume.  “A recent trip to the Congo provided valuable experience in creating Whiffle Ball leagues for schools in a district with three different languages.  This experience has enriched my capability to use diverse communications skills to ensure your company has effective methods of obtaining customer suggestions for where Whiffle holes are drilled in the balls.  This explains the gap in employment for the summer of YYY and the change in my career from nursing hamster pups to drilling Whiffle balls.”

5- The third paragraph should emphasize availability and refer to attached (or uploaded) resume and availability for interviewing (either telephonically or in person), accompanied by phone and e-mail information.  The applicant’s return address is already in the resume – don’t waste precious text or white space on repeat information.

6- The cover letter is not a place to try sarcastic or witty humor.  With no context or visible body language, the attempt at humor may backfire.  Write professionally.  Emphasize what you can do for the employer versus asking them to do you a favor.  Try to avoid using the word ‘I’ in the cover letter – it is, but it is not about you – it is about the company’s need to find a qualified candidate for a position.

7- Even English professors can misspell words or get a comma in the wrong place.  Send the cover letter through the grammar and spell check several times and then read the letter out loud to a peer to ensure it makes sense.  Just because a word is spelled correctly, doesn’t mean it’s correctly used (e.g., granite = granted, fast paste = fast-paced).  Get an unbiased outsider to proof the letter, a teacher, mentor, or a student in AP courses to check the spelling.  Look for sample letters on the Internet to compare.

8- The final piece of your cover letter is your signature.  If you have your address on the resume and telephone number and/or email address in the third paragraph, all that is needed is a full name under a ‘wet’ signature.  Applicants can scan a copy of their signature and insert the graphic to look like a real signature, which enables them to send the letter digitally without further scanning.

 

FSC Career Blog Author: Ms. Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., owner of D. Boyer Consulting – provides resume writing, social media management, and print-on-demand author coaching and consulting. Reach her at: Dawn.Boyer@DBoyerConsulting.com or http://dboyerconsulting.com.

 

FSC Career Blog |  April 12, 2020

#JobSearch : How to Keep Busy While You Wait for that Interview Call. How to Use this Time Wisely.

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As if job searching isn’t stressful enough, throw in a global pandemic to push you over the edge. Many companies are laying-off employees or have hiring freezes on. So you may be wondering what you can do to keep busy while you wait for that interview call.  By the way, companies will hire again, so don’t lose heart.

Instead of dwelling on it, use the downtime to your advantage.

See if Other Companies Match Your Interests

Every executive resume service will tell you to not put all of your eggs into one basket. While you should spend a significant amount of time researching a company before sending in your targeted resume, don’t stop there. Move on to the next company to see if your personality fits with their culture and if you have the skills they are looking for. Most people have a specific list of companies in mind that they want to work for, but may discover other opportunities in the meantime they didn’t expect.

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Make A New LinkedIn Connection

You can use your downtime to update your LinkedIn profile and come up with strategic ways to utilize the platform. Take some time to find executives from other companies of interest and reach out to them. There’s never any harm in introducing yourself and making a new connection. Just don’t go overboard by building your list of connections so large and not knowing half of them. Making connections through your LinkedIn profile can lead to various opportunities later on. 

Thank Your Past and Current Mentors

Waiting for a job interview call is a good time to reflect on where you’ve been and look forward to where you want to be. I know I love hearing from past colleagues, especially when they are thanking me for something I may have done to help them. Reach out to your past and current mentors to simply thank them for how they’ve helped shape your career. They will appreciate the gratitude more than you think, and you never know if they’ll be able to provide you with one last nugget to help you move forward.

Even though we are living in unprecedented times, it doesn’t mean there aren’t action steps you can take to keep yourself moving forward in your career. Take this opportunity to reach out in new ways to set yourself up for success.

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 |  April 3, 2020

#JobSearch : After Losing Your Job…7 Tips for Job Searching Success.

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Everything has been going along just fine with your career—nothing exciting, but things are stable. But, are they really stable? Do you know what’s around the next corner in your company? And, are you established enough in your career just in case something does happen?

Most companies, many industries, and the economy, in general, are constantly evolving. What does this mean as a worker in this twenty-first century? It means that you have to be prepared for uncertainty and a potential job change.

As a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), I have partnered with over 1,000 clients in developing forward-thinking, eye-catching, and industry-appropriate resumes and cover letters. Unfortunately, many of those clients contact me only when they have lost their jobs and need to quickly rework a 20+-year-old resume or are starting with no documentation.

Along with needing a new resume, there are other things to consider if you lose your job.

#1 – Don’t be ashamed of the job loss. First, job loss can happen to anyone. Companies, merge, businesses close, and organizational needs change. Tell people that you are actively seeking new employment opportunities. Did you know that most jobs are found via networking and existing contacts? It’s a much better way to find a job then replying to hundreds of job postings online.

#2 – Be sure your resume is up-to-date. Although it was mentioned before, it deserves repeating. If you have let others know that you are seeking a new job and they ask for your resume, it doesn’t look good to make them wait for an updated document. Be sure to include your most recent job and know that you don’t have to list why you left that particular position.

Quick note, even if you update your resume with above, today’s resume is more complexed than it was one year ago. You must have keywords that are picked up today by AI systems & algorithms.

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#3 – Get a new email address. Many of us are tied to our job email address, which is obviously gone if you have lost your position. And, home email addresses could be checked by multiple people in the household. Instead, open a new email account that is used specifically for job hunting. Then, you can be sure you will be the only one checking the email account. And, always use your name or a portion of your name as the email address. Don’t use your graduation year, birth year, or other information that could detail your age. Keep it professional and simple.

#4 – Join LinkedIn as your preferred social media outlet. LinkedIn is a professional resource for social media content, updates, company profiles, and job searching. If you already have Facebook, Twitter, and other profiles, then be sure there is nothing out there that could harm your job search. While it is true that everyone has a personal life, it is also true that a quick Google search of your name will generate hits on your social media profiles.

#5 – Attend networking events. Again, most people find job opportunities through contacts they know. If you can attend a local chamber of commerce expo or a local networking group, take the chance and do so. And, if those aren’t available to you, then schedule a lunch appointment with a contact you haven’t seen for awhile. The more people that know you are seeking opportunities, the more eyes and ears are out there assisting you with your job search.

#6 – Never badmouth your ex-employer. Never. Ever. Do. This. Have you ever heard the saying, ‘don’t burn your bridges?’ Well, this rings true when seeking employment. The more you badmouth your ex-employer, the more you are viewed as a critical, sad, and annoying ex-employee. Furthermore, you never know who may know the people and/or company that you are criticizing. It doesn’t matter if what you are saying is true—just don’t do it.

#7 – Take on part-time work, freelance projects, or volunteer opportunities. If you are unsure of your career direction or can’t seem to find the perfect full-time job opportunity, then grab the chance to volunteer with an organization close to your heart, find a part-time opportunity that meets your family needs, or be open to the idea of freelance work. These short-term gigs show future employers that you kept busy during your time away from the full-time workforce and still honed your skills while networking with entirely new groups of people.

Remember that you are not the first person to lose their job and you certainly won’t be the last. By keeping a positive attitude, being proactive, and establishing a network of people that are also seeking opportunities for you, you can be on your way to a new opportunity that may meet your needs even better than your previous position.

FSC Guest Author: Dr. Heather Rothbauer-Wanish has a BBA in management from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, an MBA from Lakeland College, and a Ph.D. in Organization and Management from Capella University. She LOVES helping people position themselves for today’s job market. She can help boost your confidence by creating a resume that helps you land your DREAM JOB. Visit her website @ https://www.feather-communications.com

 

FSC Career Blog | March 29, 2020 | FSC Guest Author, by  

Job Search: The Value of Your Online Presence Being Up-to-Date. Your Online Presence is as Vital Today as Having a Current Resume.

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Many executives don’t appreciate the importance of having a positive online presence. And some don’t understand their online presence should always be kept up-to-date. If you’re actively looking for a job, you’re putting yourself in a big hole if recruiters can’t find you online.

Having a clean and updated executive LinkedIn profile is a necessity today rather than a luxury. It’s worth hiring a professional LinkedIn profile writer if you’ve never developed one before, and there are plenty of other ways to develop and maintain a positive online presence. Here are some reasons why it’s so important. 

Recruiters Always Look For An Online Presence

One of the first things a recruiter will do when they receive a resume is to conduct an online search for the person’s name. If you have a negative online presence, or no online presence at all, then your chances of moving to the next step in the hiring process are slim. At the very least, develop your executive LinkedIn profile to the point where it shows up at the top of the search results. That way, you’ll know exactly what recruiters are seeing when they search for your name.

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Tips For Enhancing Your Online Presence

With the high level of importance of personal branding for senior-level managers, there is always room to improve your online presence. Being active on LinkedIn and other social media platforms will increase your visibility. You can also publish original articles to your blog or social media profiles. Joining LinkedIn groups and participating in discussions on professional forums can also help promote your name. Just be sure to think carefully about everything you post online, as anything you say can be used against you. 

Monitor Your Online Presence Regularly

Once you feel comfortable with your online presence, you can’t get complacent. You should always be looking to improve your presence and brand. Monitoring your brand online is critical since anyone can post negative information about you. Do a search for your name periodically and see what results show up. While you may not be able to remove information completely, you can combat it by responding appropriately. You don’t want to let any negativity about you linger online for too long since it could tarnish your reputation.

Your online presence is as vital today as having a current resume. Recruiters and hiring professionals will search for you  online before they offer an interview. It is imperative that your online presence shows your most recent achievements and activities. Do not make the mistake of letting your online presence become stale and out of date. It could cost you your dream job.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  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 |  March 20, 2020

How Social Capital Can Benefit Your Executive Job Search.

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Developing and maintaining relationships is critical in the professional world. We’ve all heard about the importance of networking when it comes to a job search, which also ties into social capital and c-level personal branding. When you help enough people get what they need, the favor will eventually be returned to you when you least expect it.

People in your network may be able to offer a tremendous amount of value to you in different ways, so there’s no harm in asking for a favor if it’s done so appropriately. Just be sure you’ve built up enough social capital before doing so.

How to Start Building Social Capital
You can’t have social capital if you don’t have a trusted network of professionals. Start by focusing on your LinkedIn profile development and building your list of connections. Reach out to former colleagues and classmates to see what they are up to. But you don’t even have to stop there. Talk to people every chance you get, whether it’s your neighbors, people you encounter at different events you attend and more. As you start growing your list of connections, you’ll be taking steps in the right direction to build your social capital.

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People Value Connections and Relationships
One thing about networking and c-level personal branding to always remember is people value relationships. So you shouldn’t simply ask a connection for help finding a job. They will be more likely to help you if they’ve developed a good professional relationship with you over a period of time. You can do this by reaching out periodically via your LinkedIn executive profile, talking to them over the phone or even meeting with them in person occasionally. Staying in touch even when you don’t need to ask a favor is valuable and will strengthen your social capital.

You Never Know Who Can Help You Reach Your Goals
Being genuine in your c-level personal branding efforts can pay dividends in the long run. You never know when someone you cross paths with can benefit your job search efforts, so treating everyone with the same amount of respect is important. The more you give, the more you will receive in return. Small daily actions to continue developing your social capital may lead you to opportunities you never thought were available otherwise.

Job searches today involve many different elements, so you want to ensure all bases are covered. Social capital is very valuable for executives. Make sure to remember at the end of the day it is all about relationships.

 

FSC Career Blog Author: 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 |  March 8, 2020

What Should I Be Adding To My LinkedIn Profile?

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This is a common question I hear, “I don’t know if this or that should be on there” or “I wasn’t sure so I just downloaded/copy/pasted my whole resume to my profile.”

While you want to establish the information you add is relevant to your brand and impactful, you don’t want it to be a duplicate of your resume. They are meant to complement one another. You want your reader to see a little more of a human side to you as well. Think of the LinkedIn profile as the friendly, humanized version of your resume.

Here are some things to think about when building and adding to your profile:

☑Fill out all the sections. Don’t leave anything blank. Fill in the volunteer, certifications, languages, projects, honors, awards. You can add PowerPoints, photos, samples of your work (I have these on my profile) coursework, and things you have done in your career.

☑Add a profile photo AND a background cover photo (get rid of that blue LI background!). This makes it uniquely you. I love seeing customized background cover photos on LI profiles. They definitely add personality and/or help brand the client by having a photo of the company, service or product they represent.

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☑ Write a headliner that sizzles. Instead of “Account Executive”, write “Account Executive specializing in the development of groundbreaking sales and service strategies internationally”. Add a little zing to it. Get your reader interested. Some even call the headliner “prime real estate” meaning it’s a great place to add keywords and branding that help direct LinkedIn’s algorithms to your profile. Get as clear and focused as you can. Add buzzwords if you know what they are. Not sure? Find jobs that interest you and notice the same words listed over and over? Add them. Don’t neglect this section.

☑ Create an About section that speaks to the reader. That section used to be more formal and many people wrote theirs like a biography–3rd person, boring, etc. These days, it’s all about the conversation. Get them interested in what you have to say. Write in the first person. It’s OK to be a little more human here. People expect it—and love it.

The About section should be engaging, interesting, and conversational. Think of it as if you are speaking to someone at a networking event. How would you speak? What would you say? You’d keep it professional but interesting, right? You want to tell a story about why you do this type of work and what makes it interesting. Be enthusiastic.

☑ Add Content! Make sure to add descriptions of what you do at your job. Add your daily responsibilities as well as your accomplishments. This is where I see clients fall short. They add their company and job title but nothing else. LinkedIn rewards content. While you don’t want to copy and paste chunks from your resume, you also don’t want to leave critical information out. Rewrite those areas but make sure to add content to your roles.

What were you most proud of accomplishing? What projects have you worked on that added value? What is interesting about where you work?You can also add numbers and percentages. If you are hesitant about sharing exact figures, you can say, “increased revenue 87% in two years”. Adding numbers adds to your credibility and gives the reader a glimpse of what you have done.

☑ Get a recommendation. A recommendation or two on your profile livens it up and gives you more credibility. What good do thousands of connections do for you if you don’t have one recommendation? It might feel awkward, but once you’ve asked it’s done and guess what? You’ll most likely get that recommendation!

☑ Create an endorsements section. Complete the skills and endorsements section and pin the top 3 that related to your job hunt. Again, these are key with algorithms and recruiter searches as well.

When all of this is done, remember the key to a strong LinkedIn profile is engagement. The more you use LinkedIn, the more it rewards you by showing your profile in recruiter searches. Reach out, plan on getting on LinkedIn 10-15 minutes every other day and watch it go to work for you.

 

FSC Career Blog Guest Author: 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 |  March 3, 2020

 

 

 

#BestofFSCBlog : How Often Should I Be Posting (job boards) Resumes for My Job Search?

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When searching for a new career position, the job seeker has two options – as an active search or passive candidate.  A passive candidate will update their resume, ensure their LinkedIn profile is robust and complete, and post their resume online to the big resume databases (e.g., Monster, Indeed), but then sit back and wait for folks to find them.

 An active candidate will update their resume constantly (especially if still employed) and consistently post to open positions. They will also upload resumes into company resume databases, regardless of whether the business has an open requisition that matches their skills.  The purpose of loading resumes into company databases is to help recruiters ‘harvest’ skills of qualified candidates from their ‘resume farm’ when that new job requisition is posted.

An active job seeker should be seriously networking with friends, peers, co-workers, clients, and industry group members. Statistics seem to support networking will result in hires for about 65% of the time.  It’s also productive to be a part of a trade group or industry organization. For instance, MeetUp.com has trade groups from computer geeks and coding programmers to quilters and writers and website designers and marketers.  Members in these network groups join to learn something new or interact with like-minded folks. Recruiters may pop in to scope potentially qualified candidates for future positions.   The human resources organization, SHRM, has job opening posted on their website, as well as monthly meetings for continuing education credits, where sometimes as many as a few hundred HR-related members will show up, including recruiters.

Sales reps should track top clients’ point of contact – not just to respond to work-related communications, but to develop friendships beyond work. If the job seeker is an amazing salesperson or customer service rep, that customer will remember you and maybe a great source for industry job openings – as well as being able to provide work referrals.

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One overlooked source is state employment agencies. The Virginia Employment Commission is an example.  Job seekers can visit the website, create a profile, upload a resume, and post to positions online or wait until an employer reaches out.  Some companies post open jobs to this resource to save recruiting costs (its free to Virginia-based companies).  Other companies use this option to ensure Affirmative Action Plan goals by postings jobs to reach the minority, disabled, and veteran job seekers.

There is nothing wrong with driving around a geographic area and looking at businesses located within the desired commute.  Alternatively, use Google maps to search.  For instance, a Computer Scientist with a desired commute of no more than an hour from Gloucester uses the search term ‘Software Development.’ They may find a few software or IT companies in Gloucester, as well as a dozen potential employers in Richmond, Williamsburg, and Newport News.

So, the answer to the question, “how often should I be posting my resume into databases?” is varied.  If you are unemployed, and a serious job seeker, then your full-time job is ‘looking for work.’ You should be posting resumes to job announcements and uploading the resume into company resume databases (ATS) for between 10-20 resume uploads and applications daily.  Your goal is to get your resume into as many company databases as physically possible to increase the potential for ‘being seen’ by recruiters.

If you are a passive job seeker, then post your resume to the big databases once and ensure your LinkedIn Profile is ‘open for inquiries from recruiters.’ Both active and passive job seekers should revisit resume databases every 30 days to update (just add a line or space) by reloading the ‘updated’ resume to ‘trick’ the system into thinking it’s an entirely new resume.  (Most job board or resumes systems push resumes down in the results queue as they age.)

How long should a job seeker expect to search for a position?  If you have a well-written resume and are posting to the perfectly matched job descriptions and getting phone calls from employers for interviews (and you interview well), there is a loose standard for time expectations.

Before the 2009 market crash, during the economic boom, the expectations were an average of one month of job searching for every $10K in salary expectations over $40K annually. The present economic environment is similar, so if the job seeker is looking for a minimum of $60K annually, then about two months would be the average search.  To reduce that time factor, it’s vital to post hard, post fast, and apply for the maximum daily time allowance daily.  It usually takes about a week for valid job inquiries to come back from most recruiters who are actively searching for keywords and phrases in the resume.

 

FSC Guest Author: Dawn Boyer, Ph.D., owner of D. Boyer Consulting – provides resume writing, and editing/publishing/print-on-demand consulting in the Hampton Roads and Richmond metropolitan areas. Reach her at: Dawn.Boyer@me.com or visit her website at www.dboyerconsulting.com.

 

FSC LinkedIn Network |  February 19, 2020

 

 

 

 

 

Number of words, including title and POC info:  ~829

 

SEO Key Words for web post:

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Bio: Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D., has been an entrepreneur and business owner 20+ years, with her own consulting firm (CEO) in Hampton Roads 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 822+ 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 Dawn D. Boyer, Ph.D.

 

Five(5) Surprising Ways To Make Your LinkedIn Profile Shine. #CareerAdvice, #LinkedIn, #JobSearch

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A lackluster or copycat profile will work against you when you’re trying to create a powerful first impression and build relationships on LinkedIn. And with LinkedIn membership moving closer and closer to a billion, standing out is absolutely essential.

Here are five of my favorite tricks that will give you an edge in this crowded yet vital digital space.  

1. Double Your Message

Your headline is one of the most important aspects of your LinkedIn profile. Why? Because it acts like the headline of an ad. Its job is to attract attention and get viewers to want to know more. However, the challenge with this element is that LinkedIn only gives you 120 characters to attract viewers – that is, if you use the desktop version of LinkedIn to create or update your headline. But, when you use the mobile app instead, you get double the amount of space for typing those crucial words. That’s right, instead of the 120 characters, you get 240 on the app. It’s likely just a programming a glitch, so this spacious upgrade may not be valid forever, but right now, you get more space to introduce yourself than you thought.

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

Continued article:

2. Start Your Summary (About) With Likability

In most summaries I have read, people start out by repeating themselves. “I’m the director of marketing for xyz corp.” There are two things wrong with that. First, you have already established relevance with your headline – it should clearly state your current role and company. Don’t waste space repeating it right below. Second, you do nothing to get someone to want to know more about you if your summary focuses on job titles. The latest iteration of the LinkedIn profile format only shows viewers the first two or three lines of your summary. A viewer needs to click “see more” to get the whole story. So skip the credentials and kick off your About with something interesting, provocative or intriguing. Here are some of my favorite “About” kick-offs.

3. Prioritize Pictures Over Words

The way your profile is displayed, people see your multimedia more than your text. If you want to influence people who are checking you out, establish your multimedia strategy for your profile. Do that in these two ways:

Today In: Leadership
  • Add images to your About. As I said above, when someone looks at your profile, they only see the first two or three lines. And what they see in addition are multimedia content that you added to your About. You can include things like videos of you speaking or images of you doing your thing or PDFs of whitepapers you have written.
  • Replace the boring blue standard background with an image that expresses your unique promise of value. It’s the easiest way to make your profile one-of-a-kind. Create (or have a designer create – you can use services like Fiverr or Upwork to get it done very inexpensively) a custom image that helps you exude your personal brand.

4. Write An Article

You may not be focused on building your thought leadership or perhaps you think you don’t have anything to say, but take it from me: having at least one article in your LinkedIn profile is extremely valuable for two reasons. First, it shows that you have something to say. Use it to help showcase that for which you want to be known. Second, it features prominently on your profile – it’s the fourth content box – before your Experience. That’s some pretty important real estate. Both the title and the image are visible. Even if people don’t click on it, it makes your profile look different, adding some visual appeal.

5. Lead With Your Most Important Skills

When someone checks out your profile, they only see the top three skills for which you have received the most endorsements. You need to make sure that the top skills in your profile sit at the intersection of these two criteria: You actually possess them and they help position you for what’s next. That means they need to be both authentic and aspirational. So take a look at your profile and ask yourself this question: Are my three featured skills the ones that will be most helpful to me? If the answer to that question is no, don’t worry. Here’s a trick. When you’re in edit mode in LinkedIn, you can change the order of your endorsements so the most important skills show up on top. Just go into editing mode, click the pencil icon in the skills section, and then you’ll see three horizontal lines on the right of each skill. Reorder them so you lead with the ones that will be most helpful to you.

These five tips will have a big impact on the power of your profile – without having a negative impact on your time and energy.

Author: William Arruda is the cofounder of CareerBlast and author of Digital YOU: Real Personal Branding in the Virtual Age.

Forbes.com | January 9, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #LinkedIn Just Added A New Way To Showcase Your Skills. #MustRead !

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LinkedIn’s newest change is one that many people might overlook. That is a mistake. Hiring managers and recruiters are paying attention to this new change, so you need to be too.

Baby Boomers have created a LinkedIn profile that may have lots of skill endorsements, but LinkedIn is now taking it all a step further with their Skills Assessment.

According to new LinkedIn research, more than 76% of professionals wish there was a way for hiring managers to verify their skills so they could stand out amongst other candidates.

As a Baby Boomer, you now have a way to validate your technical skills. These will make you stand out to recruiters and dismiss the myth that Boomers aren’t as technically gifted as younger workers. Of course, if you are like me where you have more specialized industry or soft skills, then you won’t benefit much as I don’t write programming code and I’m not an ace on Excel either. LinkedIn says they are working on the non-tech skills assessment so I’ll be sure to make you aware when they come up.

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

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The new feature called Skills Assessments is short, multiple-choice tests that users can take to verify their knowledge in areas like computer languages, software packages, and other technical work-related skills. If you have any of these strengths, you can take a skill assessment and if you pass you get a badge to add to your profile. This will appear as a button in the skills and endorsements area of your profile.

These assessments were created by professionals who are subject area experts already working with LinkedIn, such as those folks who create content for LinkedIn Learning.

Ken, 56, is a technical director for a large Insurance company. We were working on creating his LinkedIn Profile, and I asked if he wanted to bring extra attention to his coding skills. These are skills recruiters seek so Ken plans to take the skills assessments and if he passes (earning a 70% or higher) he’ll get a badge for his profile use. I mentioned that since he has coding skills, he might want to emphasize these in this new way. These tests measure your knowledge in specific areas, in his case C++, Java, and MS Project. When he passes, he gets a badge that can broadcast to any employer who is looking for people with those skills. The skill assessment is an honor system when taking the tests, but LinkedIn assumes most people will be honest and take the test themselves and not look up answers on the Internet.

What if you fail? Not a problem. No one knows. You have three months to wait before retaking it. LinkedIn will try to upsell you. You will get offered LinkedIn Learning classes to improve your skills. If you have a library card, check to see if you have free access to Lynda.com which is now also called LinkedIn Learning. That way you can brush up on classes at no charge.

For those who pass, they will need to retake tests every year to keep their badges and credentials up to date.

Here is the list of skills they have assessments for: 

Skill Assessment List

· Angular· AWS · Bash · C · C#· C++· CSS · GIT· Hadoop · HTML · Java· JavaScript· jQuery · JSON · Maven · MongoDB · NodeJs · Objective-C · PHP · Python · Ruby · Ruby on Rails · Scala · Swift · WordPress · XML · Adobe Acrobat · MS Excel · MS PowerPoint · MS Project · MS SharePoint · MS Visio · QuickBooks

Advertise your skills

Scroll to the skill section of your profile and select one of the available Skill Assessments you’d like to take. Any results are kept private to you, and if you pass, you will have the option to add a “verified skill” badge to your profile. If you don’t pass, you have complete control over the visibility of the results and can brush up on your skills so you can pass the next time. When you’ve passed an assessment for an in-demand skill, LinkedIn will also send you relevant job recommendations as soon as they are posted.

It’s a new trend moving towards skill-based hiring where LinkedIn hopes to play a significant role. 83% of hiring managers agree that skills and credentialing are becoming more critical for hiring talent. However, 77% of hiring managers agree that it’s hard to know what skills candidates possess without a skill assessment. Recruiters and hiring managers can utilize this new Skill Assessment tool to more effectively pinpoint which candidates are a good match based on proven skills.

LinkedIn Skill Assessments will be ramping to all English speaking members globally over the next few months on both Mobile and Desktop versions.

Author: Robin Ryan

I am a career counselor that helps clients land jobs. I offer Resume Writing, LinkedIn Profile Writing, and Interview Coaching services. I’ve appeared on Oprah, DrPh…

Forbes.com | September 18, 2019

#CareerAdvice : #YourCareer – How to Survive a Recession. How to Recession-Proof Your Career. #MustRead !

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Some experts believe is a recession is inevitable. In the last recession—which kicked off in 2008 and lasted 18 months—some 2.6 million American workers lost their jobs. And so, it’s no wonder workers across the country are worried, career experts say.

But there is some good news: The unemployment rate remains low, and consumers continue to spend in the economy—two indicators that companies are unlikely to scale back too much in the event of a recession. What’s more, as Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist of Glassdoor, told Market Watch, Americans’ money may be safe, too: “Most Americans are not invested actively in the stock market,” he said. “The psychology of slowdown hasn’t infiltrated the real economy.”

Of course, we understand if you’re still concerned, for your job and future. And that’s what this guide is here for: We’ll walk you through what to expect in the event of a recession, from what jobs might be safest to how to build a back-up plan and what you can do if you do lose your job.

Jobs That Are Safe (and Jobs That Aren’t)

While it’s safe to say most jobs aren’t truly recession proof, some career fields may be safer than others if a recession hits. “Anyone in medical care is considered pretty recession proof,” says Jill Jacinto, a millennial career expert. “It’s a service people will always need—especially as Baby Boomers continue to age and require more of them.” In that sense, Jacinto says that people who work as doctors, therapists, nurses, pharmacists, and senior care providers may be the safest. 

In addition to jobs in the healthcare industry, “government positions, the financial industry, IT, and technology are … more recession-proof industries,” says career coach Hallie Crawford. 

Jobs that typically aren’t safe, on the other hand, are retail and service-based, Crawford says. (In fact, she says, these are often the first industries to be hit by a recession.) What’s more, “if we look back at the recession ten years ago, the hardest hit areas were architects and construction, travel agents, event planning, and real estate,” says Jacinto. “This makes sense since people are scaling back from buying homes and cosmetic home improvement projects when money is tight. They also are forgoing vacations and large-scale events.” Of course, Jacinto adds, “people working in media also got hit with massive layoffs since advertisers were shrinking budgets.” 

Chamberlain also told NBC that “there was some very weak job growth for some blue-collar sector jobs,” such as transportation and mining, which may make these jobs less recession proof.

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

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Skills You Should Hone

Whether you work in a field that’s more (or less) recession-proof, it’s smart to hone certain skills that will be valuable no matter the state of the economy, our career experts say. After all, as Jacinto says, “the people who tend to survive layoffs are the ones most adaptable to change.” 

So, your first step, she advises, should be to learn or take courses on the newest skills needed for your particular job or industry—even if your work isn’t requiring you to do so. You should also practice being the “yes” person, Jacinto says—the one who is proactive about taking on projects and making your boss look good. (Making yourself indispensable is a good idea all the time.) 

Crawford says that tech skills, regardless of where you work, are important to hone. “Knowledge of technology is always going to be a must-have,” she points out. Plus, project management skills are skills that can transfer to almost every job and industry, and they can be highlighted on a job application. “Every organization will need people to manage projects effectively,” she explains.

How to Build a Back-Up Plan

Having a back-up plan will give you peace of mind and a clear path to follow should a recession hit. Jacinto recommends that your backup plan include strengthening your network and personal brand. “Check in with your network and develop new relationships,” she says, “so if layoffs hit, you’ve already done the meet-and-greets and can ask for job recommendations and referrals.”

You should also “mentally prepare yourself for having to accept less money, benefits, or—the most likely outcome—taking on more work during a recession,” says Crawford. In recessions, companies may try to do more with less, and your job—or a new job—may look very different than you envisioned. “Consider ways to be more efficient with your job, in case you are asked to take on an additional workload,” Crawford suggests. You should also think about ways to reduce your spending, too, she suggests, so that you’ll be financially prepared for whatever may come.

Talking to Your Boss About Recession Concerns

If you’d like to speak to your employer about potential recession risks, you can—but carefully. “You should not flatly ask, ‘Will I be getting laid off?’” warns Jacinto. “Chances are that your boss has no idea—and more importantly, you want to position yourself as a strong employee.” 

Instead, Jacinto and Crawford agree that you can broach company and economy issues in a one-on-one setting and in a way that doesn’t address your job specifically. You can ask: “How the organization is doing knowing the current state of the economy, and if the company or your department should do any planning for a possible recession,” says Crawford. “Your boss will likely not want to alarm any employees to a chance of staff reduction, but taking a proactive stance and opening a possible conversation for a plan of action is a positive way to address it.”

You may also want to set up a time to present to your boss how valuable you are the company, Jacinto says. “Put together a presentation that walks them through your day-to-day projects but also your accomplishments year to date,” she says. “How many new clients did you add? Have you increased ROI or decreased budgets? Letting your success speak for itself subconsciously tells your boss you are essential to the business and not the person they should mark to leave.”

What to Do If You’re Laid Off

If the worst should happen and you are laid off during a recession, you may have some options. 

Now is the time to review your employee handbook and study your company’s policy on layoffs and severance, says Jacinto. “You might be owed a nice amount of money, and better for you not to leave it on the table,” she says. You may be entitled to unemployment, payment for unused vacation days, and more. If the handbook doesn’t make it clear, schedule a meeting with HR. 

Crawford encourages you to find out what insurance benefits, if any, you’ll be entitled to in the event of layoffs. If they aren’t provided, you may want to check out COBRA for the short term. 

If you’re laid off, it may also be smart for you to ask your employer if there’s an opportunity for you to work as a consultant or contract employee, even part-time, says Crawford. “If the layoff is permanent, ask if they see any chance to be re-hired in the future, if they are willing to give you a recommendation on LinkedIn, and if they are willing to be a reference for you,” she says. “And ask for any connections or referrals they may have to other organizations for possible jobs.” The company may be able to point you toward a great opportunity—or at least in the right direction. 

 

GlassDoor.com | September 16, 2019