LinkedIn Continued …

Creating clarity, focus, and thinking about your intention is critical in a job search and in life for that matter.  LinkedIn now makes it easy to engage and attract favorable attention during your job search with employers and businesses. 

The data and information shared by LinkedIn with the company about who is engaged very valuable.  It is one easy way to be visible, to connect and to engage.  I have always recommended creating a short list of targeted companies very early in your search.

Having a short list helps you with research, as well as helping you find tune your short list of targeted companies and your search focus.  Using LinkedIn you can easily follow your top 10 target companies, and engage as you wish with each company. 

LinkedIn receives over 50% of its revenue from its hiring solutions and 30% from its marketing solutions.  They invest in ways to share information and create a positive engagement experience.  You can leverage this investment.

Who are you following?  What companies are on your short list?   What can you learn from following a company?

Are you active, engaged and seeking out new opportunities or sitting on the sidelines waiting for the phone to ring?  

How are you using LinkedIn?  Have a comment, tip or thought?  Post it below.

Do you have a question about your search?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the next session and ask your question. 

A few weeks ago a friend called to ask if she could share my name with someone seeking information on using LinkedIn, my reply was sure.  Interesting and as usual, the best part of those types of connections is they are fun.

It is a chance to talk to and meet someone new, and learn something new which I love to do.  Maybe it leads to work, other new connections, or an interesting relationship.  One just never knows what or where being open to an opportunity that presents itself, will take you.

In this case, at least so far the opportunity has lead to an interesting conversation and a point to ponder – What and how do I use LinkedIn for …?  The caller was engaging, focused and did not waste time, great qualities in my book.  Yet, this one call has prompted me to really think about a question I get at least a few times a week – How do I use LinkedIn for my job search?

There is not a single answer.  There are many good books, blogs, videos, workshops, seminars, forums, and the list goes on covering the topic.  My best guess is the ways and the “how” to use LinkedIn for a job search are unlimited.  At least, if you are open to the possibilities and opportunities that could be presented to you.  Google offered 151,000,000 hits on the question in 0.22 seconds!

No, I am not being flip.  LinkedIn is a tool, not unlike a car. If you know how to drive and you have a license to drive, and access to a car – how do you use the car?  To go places, to get things, to have fun.  That list too goes on and on.  Maybe the question is – how do you want to use the car?  

My point is this – learn how to use LinkedIn and then change the question – How do you want to use LinkedIn in your job search? or to build your business? or to hire great employees? or … ?

If you can drive, have a license, access to a car that is in good shape, well maintained and some fuel, you can go just about wherever you want.  That is great.  If , but it you never get in a car and go places you will never know how far it can take you, or how to drive in different places or conditions.

In my view LinkedIn is much the same as a car, or any other tool needed to get the results you want.  Learn about LinkedIn, understand the rules of the road, decide what you want (make and model that is on brand for you), how much you are willing to invest, (don’t forget to look at the cost of not using LinkedIn too), clarify the why using this tool is the best for the job (if it is), decide where and when you will use it, and then go for a drive!

Travel, go places, experiment, and see where it takes you.  Be open, share, and discover how LinkedIn can work for you in your job search.

LinkedIn is an ever changing tool.  Assess where you are, decide the results you want, create a plan, execute the plan and adjust as needed.  That is one surefire “How” to use and to leverage the power of LinkedIn to accelerate your search.

How are you using LinkedIn?  Have a comment, tip or thought?  Post it below.

Do you have a question about your search or using LinkedIn?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the next session and ask your question.

Do you need a personalized plan for your search?  Contact me I will see if I can help you. 

Some common questions on expanding your network are “How do I build my connections?”, “Who should I invite or connect with on LinkedIn?”, or “How many connections do I need?”   There is not a magic number of connections, or a wrong or a right way to add connections, nor is there just one way to do so.  

I always recommend starting with your friends, and current business connections.  These people are your first-degree network now; add them to your online with an invitation. Then you can move forward to expand your network to all those people who you don’t yet know but would like to know and count among your connections in your network.

By starting with people who know you well and those with whom you currently do business your online network will grow steadily over time.   Years ago, Ken DuBose, a successful Financial Services Representative shared how he grew a book of business, the advice was, to start with the people you know, then ask those you know to introduce you to people they know.  His advice has been helpful to me for many years, and I use it and share it. 

Think about it this way, if you have a question, a problem, or you need information you usually ask someone you know first.  If you want to grow your business connections and expand your network “start with the people you know”.   It works.  I suggest you build your LinkedIn connections and your online network just as you build your offline network. 

Always personalize the standard LinkedIn invitation template to give those you invite some context.  It also shows you are interested in investing in the relationship.  Share how they know you, when you met, that you live down the street or whatever the connection might be.   I know few people who feel they get too little email, in fact most people feel that their inbox “runs over” and that 60% to 70% of the email received is unneeded, unwanted or unwelcome.  Yet we all like to hear from friends and people who care about us.  A personalized message says you care about them rather than you are just gathering contacts to build your list.

A word of caution, don’t assume people will be in a place or space to be overjoyed by your LinkedIn invitation and don’t assume other people have the same sense of urgency that you do.  Most will be glad to connect, if they know you and/or can quickly make the connection as to where you met, and will select the accept button. 

Be thoughtful and aware, if you look different, have moved, changed jobs, have a new name or have not been in touch for some time, don’t assume everyone will instantly know who you are or want connect with you right away just because you sent them the standard “I’d like to add you to my professional network…” without context. 

Also remember not everyone logs in to his/her LinkedIn account daily or forwards LinkedIn ‘InMail’ messages to a personal or business email address or phone to stay connected. I always cringe when I meet someone at a two-day conference on the first day, we exchanged business cards, then the second morning when I see them, they remark “I sent you a LinkedIn invitation, but you didn’t connect” usually I smile and admit LinkedIn was not on my priority list for the morning.  I will I connect, almost always, but rarely within hours.  Remember, we all have different styles, pace and priorities, and will use LinkedIn and its power as a tool in our own way.  Find your way to leverage LinkedIn to accelerate your search.

Have a comment, tip or thought?  Post it below.

Start with the basics to leverage your brand and LinkedIn.  Once you have your LinkedIn foundation in place and have begun to add connections, it is time to leverage your brand within your profile and market yourself. 

Market yourself and your LinkedIn profile to your target audience and all who need to know you.  You do have your critical five pillars in place, right?

If you missed the last post, the pillars are:   Name, Headline, Photo, Your Personalized URL, and Experience. Now add your personal contact information to your profile and make it visible.  If you are in a job search you need to be found.  How do you want others in your network, to reach out to you?  Phone?  Email?  Mail? 

You decide what contact information to share and add the information or don’t to your profile.  You will also want to share with your network and the users of LinkedIn the types of connections, and communication which you are open to engaging via LinkedIn.  Do you want job leads?  Are you open to introductions? Or business ventures? Be sure to update this section of your profile. 

Marketing your LinkedIn profile begins with using your Personalize URL.  Your Personalized URL works to give you a web presence and you will want to add your URL to your email signature block, then adding it to your business card, your résumé, and then you will want to mention how to find you on LinkedIn when you introduce yourself during networking and at other appropriate times.

Now enhance your brand with a strong summary.  Use your summary to tell your story.  Who are you, and what do you do, your accomplishments and specific results.  Don’t make it long and tedious or fill it with jargon.  Do beef it up, allow your personality to shine in your summary, and share your unique value. Be authentic.

Next augment your profile and your brand by adding your specialties, unique brand attributes, leadership or a bit about your interests beyond work.  Do you collect and renew classic cars? Build houses with Habitat for Humanity, or volunteer for a special organization?  Did you receive a special award or honor in your last job?  This is area that used well will boost your brand.

Have a comment, tip or thought?  Post it below.

If you are new to LinkedIn you may have questions on where to start.  Here are tips for getting starting with LinkedIn.

LinkedIn and Personal Branding can be great tools to help you in your job search.  LinkedIn can help you be seen by those who need to know you, find you, and get to know you better.

Using Groups and LinkedIn Answers are both solid ways to reach a target audience.  Each feature provides interactive ways for you to be seen and heard by your target audience.  As you engage in a group dialogue or a business conversation with peers, group members you showcase your knowledge you can answer questions and become seen as an expert by answering the questions of others in your field, industry or area of interest.

Be sure you cover the basics and have a solid foundation before you move to advanced features and apps.  Think about your brand, communicate your unique value and be consistent.

Here are the pillars for your foundation:   Name, Headline, Photo, Your Personalized URL, Experience, Education, and Summary.  The first five (5) are critical to getting started.  You can set up your account and in a professional manner and begin connecting with others after you have these areas set up as your foundation.

Don’t forget about your account settings.  Many in the career field will also recommend you upload your text résumé to your account to save time.  That is not a recommendation I make, but do it if you are in a rush and speed to market is more important to you than quality.

Now get busy, offline and make a list of those key people and centers of influence that you wish to invite to join your LinkedIn network.  Once you have the list, take time to reach out to them, tell them you have joined LinkedIn and ask if they would accept an invitation from you to connect?  Then send a personalized LinkedIn invitation to you initial list of contacts and centers of influence.

Again, this method is not the easiest or fastest one for adding LinkedIn connections.  It is a method sure to enhance your relationships and strengthen your network as you build your list of connections on LinkedIn.  If speed or just amassing large numbers of connections is more important to you than the quality of the connection or the relationship, you can simply allow LinkedIn access to your email addresses, and send all of your email contacts who also have a LinkedIn account, a generic invitation to connect with you on LinkedIn.

You have your LinkedIn foundation set, this tool in place and initial invitations sent.  Next you can focus on other features to leverage LinkedIn to accelerate your search.

Do you have a question about your search or LinkedIn?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

You are building your brand.  You are leveraging your strengths, gifts, and talents.  Your brand does help you stand out in a crowded market place.  Hiring managers remember you, then pick up the phone and call you – do you want this to continue?  If so, you will definitely want to read “7 Personal Branding Trends for Job Search in 2012”.

The personal branding trends to watch list is published annually by William Arruda.  Arruda is a personal branding guru, an author, and speaker.  He is credited with turning the concept of personal branding into a global industry and the founder of Reach Personal Branding (disclosure: Reach Personal Branding is a partner of my company).  His annual trends list is a quick snapshot of what’s evolving in personal branding.

Managing your brand is an ongoing project, not a once in a while task.  Keeping up with the trends, that help you communicate who you are and what you do, is critical to your career and you job search.

Just as you must hone your skills, stay in touch with what’s new and the ever changing world of  your industry and profession, you must understand the current trends in personal marketing and personal branding.  If you don’t market yourself, you will fall behind those do market themselves.  When you know the trends, you choose what is best for you and your target audience. 

Not all trends will interest you or work for you, yet you won’t ignore them.  Take a look. Then decide how to leverage the 2012 trends into a carefully crafted marketing plan.  Knowing where you are today, having a plan you can execute ensures you continue to communicate your personal brand to accelerate your search and success.  Here are William Arruda’s 2012 personal branding trends to watch list:

 1. Headshots Everywhere

2. Crowdsourcing for Professionals

3. Personal QR Codes

4. Job Postings R.I.P.

5. Professional, DIY Video

6. Permanent Unemployment

7. Personal Qwikis

Assess the trends.  Decide your course of action, stay relevant and gain the favorable attention of your key contacts, centers of influence, recruiters, and hiring managers.  That action will help you accelerate your search and land the job you want. 

If you need help implementing or incorporating one or all of these trends into your job search contact me.  Do you have a question about your job search or leveraging your personal brand?  Call or look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

Last week I spoke at two unique events about how to leverage your personal brand, your online presence and online networking.  From the questions during both Q & A sessions it was very clear most people have only touched the surface of standing out in a crowd.  Most don’t know the quick and easy ways to stand out.   Some people shared nothing, yet many shared they don’t leverage their LinkedIn profile, résumé and business card.  Some were surprized at how little things make a BIG difference. 

So when I read, the post “Presidents’ Day 2012: Who is the most underrated president?” by Jon DeNunzio and the comments on the nominees (you can find on Twitter using the hashtag #underratedpresident or below the post) I thought, WOW – we have 44 people who have served as a U.S. President and the conversation is on the MOST underrated in 75 words or less.  Interesting!

Can you state why you are underrated in less than 75 words?  

Do you have 75 words or less that help you STAND OUT if you are on a list of 44 people?  

Do you know how others view and rate your work over a four or eight year span of time?   

Many seeking a new job are underrated, and sadly they underrate themselves.  The impact of that is a lower value in the market place and not being noticed.

Are you lowering your value in the market place with your current LinkedIn profile, résumé and business card?  Most professionals even if, on the most-praised list of others don’t leverage that praise or marketing power.  Many people don’t know how to uncover what others think of them or the value information can provide. 

Which list are you on “underrated” or “much-praised” or not on the list for the job past or present?   Have you reviewed your brand, LinkedIn profile, résumé or business card?

Who will win the underrated vote and be the subject of the Tuesday guest post on The Fix for Tuesday?

What would happen if you changed your personal marketing? 

Could feedback from you network help bring you some clarity around your personal brand and accelerate your search?

Would a few key words or phrases help you to leverage your brand and your value to make a hiring managers list?

Need help with your personal brand contact me. 

Need LinkedIn Profile or tips to enhance your current profile?                                        

Check back next week for LinkedIn tips.

The data shows wages are trending up.  Bridget Quigg shares details in her post “Wages Trend Up to Finish 2011 Ahead”.  Read it and assess the data for yourself. 

The national and state data for unemployment in many areas is also positive.  Yet if you are looking for a job this may or may not be important. Also it may or may not be good news or bad news.

To improve your situation and your results, being focused on you may be more helpful than being focused on trends, data, comments, news, etc.   Are you focused on you and your results?  Are you ready to accelerate your results?

I hope so.  That is what you can most impact. 

Just a month ago, I was celebrating a client’s new job.  When we talked the other day, he shared how he is enjoying the new job, the work, the people then he paused and asked me “Why didn’t I take action and get focused sooner?”

Boy, that is a powerful question and one that I can’t answer.  So a turned the question back to him.  His answer was the he was sad about losing his job, the news, and everyone around him was telling him things were bad. He shared he was unsure what to do.  The day after we talked about what to do, he had 2 simple action steps and my I challenge to him to take action. 

He took the action. Now he is working!  I just offered the two specific action steps.  Two simple steps changed his entire search and resulted in the job he landed.   Look accelerating your search does not have to be slow, lonely or hard, but it can if you want it to be.

If you lack focus or are focused on less productive things. Stop worrying about the unemployment numbers or the wage trends.  Focus on the things you can impact. Here are action steps you can take today.

Action Steps:

 1. Look at your network, your contacts and your current leads.  Group them into three categories:  Ideal, Referral, Influencers

 2. Create an action plan; include who you will contact and when you will connect.

 3. Make the connection. 

The client above, made the call.  That is how he landed the job. My challenge to him was simple “make the call” and he did.   What action will you take today? 

Have a success story to share?  Post it below.

Do you have a question about your search?  Look to the right and sign up for next Q & A session, join the session and ask your question.

Are you asking yourself ‘What do I want to be when I grow up?’ or ‘What do I want to do next?’ or ‘What do I want to be or do when I retire?’   If you are in a job search the odds are that you are asking these or similar questions.   All are great questions.

Recently, a former client contacted me to say “I plan to retire in the next 3 years, and I am as stuck as to how to make the shift as I was several years ago with my job search, will you help?”  My reply after understanding where he was stuck was yes. 

Why,  he was stuck with what managing his retirement career, not all the other retirement stuff like 401 Ks, health insurance, etc., those things are not my forte.  

If you are searching and asking these questions, here is a quick tip to help you accelerate your search.  Write the question at the top of a blank page of paper, then over several days set aside 10 minutes to brainstorm all the possible ideas you have and write them down, add pages if you need to.  Don’t evaluate the ideas, just jot them down.  At the end of the week review all the ideas.   Move the top 3 to 5 ideas to blank pages and continue to explore your ideas.    

Ask yourself these questions for starters:

   What would it take to do this?

   What would be the impact of this?

   Why do I want to do this?

When you are ready to seriously explore your ideas discuss them with someone you trust.  Then formulate a plan, and take action to create the transition or transformation you want.

Have a comment or thought?  Post it below.

Do you have a question about your search?  Sign up for next Q & A call to the right, join the session and ask your question.

Who decides if you are overqualifed and why?  The employer does.  That’s who. 

Why is there so much focus on overqualifed?  I don’t know.  I, of course, do have an opinion on the matter, but I doubt that will help you accelerate your search.  However, maybe I can help you by looking at the issue a bit differently.

Have you ever said to a door to door salesperson, “Not today, thank you” or the Boy Scout “No thank you, I bought caramel corn from another scout before you” or “we don’t eat caramel popcorn, thank you for stopping by”?   In many cases the dreaded statement “You are overqualified for this position” is just simply a no thank you.

Yes, I know the dreaded statement stings.  It does not feel like ‘no thank you’ or does it?

What happens if you reframe “You are overqualified” to “No, thank you”?

My bet is you think the later stings less, but does it really?  Think about it.  It is still rejection.  Rejection is, in my view the underlying issue with most of the conversations around the issue and statement “You are overqualified”. 

No one (at least no one I know) likes to be rejected.  And almost no one I know likes to reject others.

Especially, if you are in business and interviewing someone or talking to someone with good skills, and loads of experience.  Most people don’t like to be mean or reject another person, even when they don’t personally connect.  Sure there are some that do, you know them, and I do too.

What would happen if you heard “No, thank you” in lieu of “You are overqualified for this position”?  Think about  it!

I once knew a hiring manager who, said “thank you” and allowed someone else to say “No, thank you”.  Here is how he did it – during the each interview he was very good at finding something good about all the candidates he rejected.  He picked out something good about the candidate and made a mental note.  At the end of the interview, he confirmed the candidate’s home phone number, and he called each one after an interview.  Usually he placed the call before the person arrived home and left a message, he would share the one good point he noted and thank them for interviewing.  He would end the message with ‘good luck, your <whatever the good point was> will be of value to your next boss.   I learned that good quality he shared with the candidate was always a quality he appreciated, but he did not value at that point in the role that he was attempting to fill.  

Why, did he do this?  Well, I never ask him, yet here is why I think he did it.

He cared about people and the feelings of people. He saw value and appreciated what each person offered.  He appreciated the time the person set aside to interview.  He did not like rejection, and he might want to hire the person for another position some day.  He was building a team and running a business.  The call was “rejection protection” – so that in the future if he had a role for the person, the person would recalled him in a positive light in lieu of the hiring manager who had once rejected them.  It helped him build relationships and create goodwill.

The end result – still the rejection, but the rejection did not address a lack.  It appeared to sting less.

In my view it can be hard to build talented teams when you focus on lack.  Yet most hiring systems and hiring situations will reject several people.  The process in most organizations is look at many, interview some, hire one.

The truth is you were not selected and someone else was for whatever the reason.  That feeling is rejection.

Yet if you reframe your feelings, and focus on your value and not  the ‘over’ or ‘under’ or what you lack, you may be surprised at what you attract.  Why continue to focus on the lack? 

My suggestion – understand you will be rejected from time to time, learn to cope with it.  You don’t need to like it, crave it, nor attract rejection with continued focus, thought and conversation. 

I would also suggest you not dwell on the rejection, or try hard to figure out why you were rejected, nor rail against the company, your experience or your age.  The rejection may be a blessing you can not yet count.  Reframe it as “No thank you”.   

One day on the radio I heard, rejection in dating referred to as protection from a bad situation.  What a point of view!

What would happen in your job search is you reframed the rejection or the statement “You are overqualified” as “No, thank you - I value you as a person and want to protect you from this situation”?

Just a different point of view on “You are overqualified”.

Feel free to share your comments below.