Accelerate Your Search™ Now

Are you still attempting to learn the rules of the road on LinkedIn?

On Friday, Andrea J. Stenberg shared a great story in her post,  “LinkedIn Invitations – Why hitting I Don’t Know This Person is a bad idea”. It is a post worth reading and thinking about before you select the “I don’t know this person”.

The rules on of connecting on LinkedIn and the rules of connecting via other social media sites are important and can make or break you in business.  Do you know the “rules of engagement”?

Almost weekly, I see people fail to connect at networking events, social gatherings, or business meetings because they don’t know the rules, don’t understand the nuances of connecting with others or simply don’t think about the consequences of their actions.  Do you need to brush up on these skills?

Play to your strengths, learn the rules and help others learn what you know.   You’ll be surprised at the benefits and the connections you’ll make.

Last April, Pete Johnson, posted a question on Linked IN and in his blog, “You want in? Career advice in 6 words”, asking others to share career advice in EXACTLY 6 words.  Many shared advice in just six words.

Today is April 6, and I thought it would be a great idea to ask you the same question Pete Johnson asked about a year ago.  Why?  First, it is a great question, worth asking again, and second, I wonder if the advice is different a year later.

Yes, a year can make a difference.  The job numbers look better.  Spring seems to have arrived a little early, at least in the New England.  Oh, yes and opening day for the Boston Red Sox was “Opening Night”.  Some things change, some do not.  Has your career advice changed?  What advice did you take to heart?

My career advice in EXACTLY 6 words is the same and has been for years.

Do what you enjoy, money follows.

What career advice can you offer in exactly 6 words?

Is your advice different than it was a year ago?

You thought your search was over.  You have targeted the company and position you most wanted.  You received a conditional offer pending the results of a background check and a drug screen.

WOW! You’re feeling great.  Then the call, it is bad news.  They are rescinding the offer after reviewing the background check.  The nice voice saying good luck with you job search sounds like it is miles away!

Just like that!  What happened?  What do you do next?

Preparation is a key factor in your job search.  Just as you prepare your résumé, cover letters and your references, and do your research on the companies for which you want to work.  You need to be prepared and know what a background investigation will discover.

Are you prepared? What action will you take this week to be sure your offer does not disappear?

“What you have to give is enough – if you give it with all your heart.”~ Chieko N. Okazaki

The quote above was shared with me by one of my mentors and I wanted to share it with you.  Enjoy it.

Every week, sometimes hundreds of times a week, I hear the questions Should I … or Do I need to … followed by: post my resume online, go back to school, retire, take less money, do a different job, change industries, change careers, quit my job, fire my boss, network with others, network online, and the list could go on and on.  Are you asking these questions?

What do you think my most common reply would be if you asked me one of these questions?  My reply would likely be to ask you the question – “What’s important to you?”

Yes, I know by the look on your face, you might be annoyed by my responding to your question with a question.  However usually that is the best place to start if you are asking yourself or someone else these types of questions about your job search or career transition.

First of all, may I remind you that unless, you lost your last job due to misconduct, or lack of your willingness to correct your work performance to meet your employer’s employment requirements, or your lack of willingness or ability to acquire a specific skill or skills your employer required, you were successful in your prior job.   Your experience, skills, knowledge and abilities are probably solid enough for you to be highly marketable and successful again in today’s job market.

Therefore, if you will spend a little time to reflect on your skills, experience and what is important to you before you jump in to a full blown marketing campaign and job search you will know what is important to you and you will be better prepared to accelerate your success.  If you test the market and determine that you do need help or are missing a skill to do what is important to you, you will be prepared to take the best action.

Be careful about using unanswered questions or other conditions as your excuse for inaction.  Are you using the economy, or not defining what’s important to you as an excuse not to move your job search forward?  You must get out into the job market in a BIG WAY!

Excuses, whatever they are can be a deep dark pit!  A costly pit and a pit filled with fear.    A job search can be scary.  You may feel hesitant as you first start to market yourself.  You may fear rejection, and you may fear making mistakes.  I get that – and by the way, you will be rejected and you will make mistakes!

Job searching has a learn-as-you-go component to it, the market place changes, things change, business needs change, and you change over time.  Get busy, get over having to learn everything before you start your job search, and marketing yourself for your next job.

Be willing to learn-as-you-go, to change what you are doing, or to stop doing the things that are not working for you.  Market YOU.  Get out there with who you are, what you have to offer, what makes you unique and different in the marketplace.

Stop using “Should I” or “Do I need to” questions as excuses.  Clarify what is important to you, stop making excuses, and communicate your value to the marketplace.

Excuses stop you dead in your tracks.  Stop making excuses.  Know what is important to you; communicate what you can do and how you are different.   You do have enough to give.

Will you give it with all your heart?

In early December 2009,  Kristin Burnham, Staff Writer for CIO.com in the article 5 Ways to Get More from LinkedIn in 2010 provided tips on how to get more from LinkedIn in 2010.  She noted that using five features could help you gain more from LinkedIn.  Ms. Burnham recommended participating in Groups, finding and connecting via Events, using the Advanced People Search for seeking new connections, discovering relevant trends about companies of interest, and seeking Recommendations to enhance and validate your profile.

All these are solid tips and helpful suggestions, as I talk to those who use LinkedIn and get results I always ask “What do you do and what features to you use?”  I find that the specific features vary from person to person, however the common thread among those who get results is that each person has a specific strategy for using LinkedIn and how much time is spent using, connecting and researching via LinkedIn.

One savvy user,  who has landed four (4) interviews via LinkedIn connections since mid-November told me that it took him about 20 days to figure out the best ways to use LinkedIn.  Then he could connect with those who could hire him and make the most of all the company information available via LinkedIn.

He noted initially he spent a couple hours a day just learning what information was on the site, setting up his profile and inviting connections.  Then he decided on a plan with clear action steps.  Now he uses LinkedIn less than a couple hours a week with great results.

Do you have a plan for using LinkedIn?

What is working for you?

What results are you getting?

When it comes to using social media for business, yes your job search is business, it is important to periodically assess where you are, what you are doing and if your actions are achieving the results you want.

So often when I talk to top talent about social media they are in one of three camps.  Camp one views social media as threat, silly, and a waste of time. Camp two loves social media, uses tons of different social media sites and activities, they “poke”, “tweet”, “friend” hundreds a times a week without a care, thought, plan, or concern for the benefits or consequences to their brand or reputation.  Camp three views social media a big opportunity and realize the value of the tool.  This camp is looking for smart balanced approaches for using social media and managing its challenges.

Which camp are you in?

No matter which camp you are in you need to grow your social media literacy and realize it is a part of a fundamental shift in the way people interact and business gets done.  It is important for you to have a plan and regularly assess how you use (or don’t use) social media to do business, enhance or build relationships in all aspects of your life.

Here are a few tips smart “top talent” and  top organizations employee when using and planning to use social media:

1.    Listen before you talk.

2.    Invest in training and learn to use the technology.

3.    Know how to communicate and what you want to communicate before you engage in goofy social media schemes or online marketing.

4.    Create a plan and policies for using social media.

5.    Understand the appropriate tone, image and use for the various social media channels.

6.    Build real relationships and connections using authentic conversations.

7.    Use caution if you outsource you social media activities.

8.    Understand the benefits and the consequences of failing to have and follow a plan, current practices and policies for using social media.

9.     Routinely review what you do and the results you get from your using social media activities.

What else would you add to the list of tips?

How are you using social media now?

What are your results?

Last week Dan Schawbel captured the just of Google Buzz and provided four simple steps to begin to use Google Buzz, check out his post 4 Step Personal Branding With Google Buzz .  It is important to have a basic understanding of the many tools available to help you assemble your online presence and build relationships.

How are you communicating the value you add to the world and your future employer?

Being visible and helping those you want to reach find you is not only critical in a job search it is a requirement to accelerate your career.

What are the best tools for you to use?

“Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.” ~ Elbert Hubbard

Hubbard’s words ring true for your job search too.  Be careful that you don’t take your job search to seriously or not seriously enough.  Either end of the scale can be fatal to your career.

I have worked with thousands of people engaged in a job search.  Some are not serious enough about the “job search” and others are so serious about the job search it consumes each minute of the day.

Both of these paths will impact your success.  If you are not serious enough you may lose focus, miss opportunities and often extend a search so long that the prolonged search causes damage to your finances, your career and earnings potential.  Being too serious about a job search can also result in lack of focus, damage to your relationships, lack of balance and tons of effort in the wrong direction.

Do you have the right balance in your job search?

What are you taking too seriously in your job search?

What in your job search should be more serious?

Is the job search you are conducting effective?

“Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.” ~ James Allen

This James Allen quote reminds me that my success begins with my thoughts and is nurtured by my thoughts and my vision.   My vision inspires, my thoughts provide direction, my goals act as a roadmap, and daily execution builds exceptional results and delightful conditions.

Having just returned from a wonderful trip that provided my husband, me, and an enthusiastic group of top performers with an opportunity to celebrate a terrific 2009, the most delightful part of the trip was the reminder of the power of a shared vision.  As the trip ended the eagerness and expectation of something just as wonderful for 2010 was clearly expressed.

What is your vision?

How do you cherish your vision?

What action items will you do this week to support your vision?

Don’t tell them about your warts -

“I have these big ugly warts on my feet.  I have had them for two months now.  Some are small and rough, some are growing together.”

WHAT?

That’s right you would not say that in public or to your friends.  Yet almost daily I hear professionals who are looking for their next gig and trying to connect with other professionals, to get referrals and introductions to the employers they want to work for say things about themselves and their job search that I call WARTS!

If you want to increase your connections and referrals, it is critical to educate your family, friends, and the people you meet so they can become your personal advocates.  Doing so helps you create a mini sales force.

If your friends, family and allies know you, know what you do, know about your experience and what type of work you are interested in doing, they can help you.  When you have a team of people who like you, trust you, know you, and can explain what you do.  It is super easy for them to refer you to possible employers, their friends and contacts,  and to help connect you with the best companies and the best positions for you.

Here is one secret so few people use.  The “update letter”.  Use this tool to connect with family, friends and allies.    Most people will be very happy to hear from you, to learn about what you are doing and most will be happy to help if you tell them how they can help you. Be specific.

This is not a WART LETTER – don’t say

Dear Friend:

Poor me, I lost my job, after all these years of toil and I need a job.  Do you have a job for me?

Signed, Mr. Big Wart.

Any letter, email or conversation like that is a burden on all who receive it.  Telling anyone about your WARTS will make them want to run away from you as fast as they can and/or avoid you now and in the future.

Tastefully done an update letter allows you to connect with your network, share key achievements you since you last connected.  It provides an opportunity for you to let friends and family know what you are doing and asking them to think of you if they overhear of or connect with a situation relating to your current interests.

An update letter also provides you with an opportunity to connect, catch up, and talk about business.  You can connect and discover what’s new and or different in life and in the business of your network contacts as well if there is a way that you can help them.

Does an “update letter” really get results?  Not always, but after four months of resisting the idea, here is what happened for one person who decided to send just 10 “update letters”.

One letter went to a former executive assistant, whom he had not seen in 8 years.  She called him after receiving the “update letter”, he took her to lunch, during lunch they talked about family, old friends, business in general and her new job.  In less than a week she called him to coordinate an appointment with the COO of her employer.   The result, an interesting conversation about a new project within a division of the organization scheduled to start in a few months.  What is next?  Another conversation, then who knows?  This grateful executive is glad he composed and sent an “update letter” and connected with someone in his network and is busy updating other advocates within his network.

Who should you send an “update letter” to?

When you compose your “update letter”?

Let me know about your results.