Accelerate Your Search™ Now

The end of the year brings a long list of “to do’s.”  Is updating your LinkedIn profile on your list?  If not, it probably should be.

If you have identified with my recent comments on “drift,” an update to your LinkedIn profile can counteract professional drift.

If you are experiencing the drift in your career or on your team, this is a great time of year to release the autopilot and counteract drift.  What would happen if your entire team invested two hours between now and the end of the year focused on updating their professional presence on LinkedIn?

What would be the impact? Would it change market conditions or improve sales?  No, it is not likely to have that type of significance.  However, this can provide the rare, yet needed, occasion for your team to pause and focus on the talent and glorious skills that surround them every day.

This works just as well if you are in transition.  Pause and ask yourself, “What value do I offer to the world?  I am missing sharing something important?”

Whether leading a team or in transition, year-end is the perfect time to do just this.

LinkedIn is a great tool, yet so few leverage it.  When was the last time you really thought about your profile or assessed how you use LinkedIn?  When was the last time you updated your profile?

On a daily basis, thousands of people have the opportunity to stop by, visit your LinkedIn profile and take action.  The potential for making business connections and building relationships is big.

Does your profile inspire “Aww’s” and “Wows” or a quick click away?

Does a reader pause and say, “Oh, it’s beautiful. I didn’t know that!”

The truth is no two people will see or read your profile the same way.  Yet, you can influence what people know about you. You can impact how they interpret your skills and talents via your LinkedIn profile.

You can share the value you, or your team, or your organization has in the marketplace — a value that be may visible or hidden without action on your part.

Have you ever wondered:

• What does the market think of my LinkedIn profile?
• What significant message do my peers or company leaders get from reading my LinkedIn profile?
• How are others influenced when they review my LinkedIn profile?
• What signals or messages are received from my LinkedIn profile?
• Is my message clear?
• How do I come across?  Interesting or scary?
• Does my profile say I am uninterested in my career?
• Am I seen as someone ready for the next level?

If you are seeking significance and fulfillment, don’t over look some of the simple steps that will help you reach your goals. Set aside two hours or so between now and the end of the year and update your LinkedIn profile.

If you want help with your profile, let’s talk.

If you are interested in FURTHER understanding how to review your LinkedIn Profile and quickly assess if your profile needs an update, my Presentation may serve you.

The Year-End LinkedIn Profile Update is now available!! You can REGISTER for it HERE!!!!

This focused review helps you take an objective look your profile and the areas you may need to update.  It helps you understand what may be missing that is impacting who calls you (or doesn’t!) and what opportunities are ultimately shared with you.

Think about it.  Do you have connections that are dropping away or not responding to you?  Or maybe you are just not sure how to most effectively build connections and relationships with the “right” people on LinkedIn.

If it’s time for you to review your LinkedIn profile and begin changing the experiences others have with you online, let’s talk.

Are you ready to align awesome?  Doing the work you love, living your purpose, and making an impact is fun and amazing!

If you liked this post, share it with your friends.  And, don’t forget to share your thoughts below too, I’d love to hear from you!

“You can trust people, trust them to be exactly who they are every time” – Mastin Kipp

Do you trust yourself?  Why not?

The quote above has become a favorite of mine.  I like the truth in it.

I think it was Kerri Konik who first introduced me to this Mastin Kipp quote.  Thanks Kerri!

People are who they are.  People are worthy, funny and insightful.

All people have gifts and talents unique to them.  People are resilient, graceful, and caring.  People are amazing!  All people have an essence unique to them.

Yes, this is my point-of-view and I realize it is often not a popular point of view.  Over time, many have shared with me how wrong I am on this point.  Others protest and disagree with me, stating they cannot support my point of view.  I understand.

The world is full of different points-of-view, so much so that often people begin to believe that just being themselves is not enough.

Yes, there are days when I am not focused and not aware of the essence of every person around me.  Yet, I do trust that I can pause and, with a moment of focus, am able to capture a person’s essence and, usually, the person’s unique gifts.

People are flexible and adapt.  Some people work hard to change, adapt, and adjust who they are for various reasons, needs or concerns.  Some people move away from their essence if they feel they need to do so to survive or maintain the status quo.  Some people live in the present, being who they are in a conscious manner.

Perhaps those who disagree with me view people differently.  That is okay.  Seeing who people are, at least for me, requires being present and trusting myself first.  Then I can see and trust people for who they believe they are now.

What circumstances, thoughts or beliefs shape your trust of others?  Of yourself?  What needs shape your trust when you look in the mirror each morning?

Do you trust yourself?

Do you communicate trust in yourself?

Trust is critical in hiring and finding a job.  People hire and do business with people they know, like and trust.

Does your brand allow you to build and to shape your know, like and trust factor?

A friend, business associate, or recruiter calls you with a great job opportunity.  They ask you to send your resume TODAY.  Yes, NOW, right now.  Are you ready to leverage this opportunity?

I regularly get calls where the caller says, “Cindy, this is Joe XX.  My friend, Dan XX referred me to you and I need a resume today. Can you help?”  I both love and hate these calls.  I love that the caller is a referral from a client/former client and I love to serve and help people.  I hate the call because often I am busy and I know my key referral partners are busy, too.  Most of all, I hate these calls because I can hear the panic in the caller’s voice as she describes a great position only to have a resume that is not updated, not ready to send.  Then, when I ask about her LinkedIn profile, the stress I hear doubles.

On this issue, here is my one suggestion:  act like a Boy Scout and “Always Be Prepared.”

If you have not looked at your resume in the last 6 months, it is time to give it an update.  Do it before you need it.

Business owners, this goes for you, too.  Banks, investors and strategic partners might ask you for your resume.

Also, if you are looking for a new position or seeking a promotion and you have been in the market for the last 90 days and are not landing interviews, it is time to take a serious look at your resume.  Your resume may well need an update.

Here are just a couple of reasons why you should update your resume:

• The studies, research and technology that will be used in addition to a human looking at your resume have changed.  There have been many changes in just the last six months.
• Many changes were implemented during the Great Recession and even more has changed since it ended.  With the growth of ‘Big Data’ there is even more information you can leverage to help give your resume more IMPACT and help you land an interview.  There is data on everything from eye-tracking studies, to keyword usage, to word count studies — confirming every word on your resume does indeed count.  New research is released all the time.

A recent study by Modestino et. al highlights what the study calls ‘upskilling’ by employers.  It paints a clear picture that employers are not looking for the same skills today that they were seeking in 2007, 2010 or 2012.   If you have not updated your resume to reflect your new skills, you might miss a good opportunity.

The study notes that employers have raised the skill requirements within specific types of jobs.  Understanding these changes in the market place, as well as the impact of time to hire for top professionals like you, is important.  Should you be working with a coach or other HR professional who keeps up with what employers are doing and what they are seeking in the candidates they want to hire?

I understand you are busy.  Most days it is tough just keeping up with your areas of expertise.  That is why I ‘keep up’ for my clients, past and present.  Don’t wait for the phone call to update your resume.  That added stress to your life is completely unnecessary — unless, of course, you are a stress junkie.  Update your resume regularly.  Do so on your time frame, not someone else’s.   If you are looking for information and resources on updating your resume, check <here>.

Even in a tighter labor market (think declining unemployment rates), employers continue to search for highly skilled workers for many different positions.  Employers call it ‘raising the bar.’

If it is time to you to update your resume, we are ready to help you.  If you are a do-it-yourself person, you might find these resources <link to the word “resources”> helpful.

If you want to avoid missing an opportunity that only comes along once in awhile, update your resume this month.  You can leverage your most recent experience, insure your resume is ready to go and communicate your unique value at a moments notice.  Go <here> to take advantage of one-on-one support with our May only special.

Summer’s coming — be ready for fun, relaxation and to take advantage of opportunities.  Avoid the run-of-the-mill update that looks like you haphazardly plugged in your last job and attached it to an email with little or no thought.  When you land the interview you may be scrambling to explain why your resume looks tossed together.

If you aren’t ready for the call when it comes, you may miss out on increased earnings, a great culture, and the launch pad for your next 5 to 10 years of success.  Employers who are seeking to hire professionals with relatively high skills expect you to be ready.  Are you?

Ditch the stress of missing out on something you want to do.  Ditch the stress of staying up all night to update your resume (you are not a college co-ed these days and paychecks of that size are, thankfully, gone). Get help now and be ready to land the job you want at the salary your desire FAST and with less stress.

Do you have a question or comment?  Post it below or give me a call.

In 2012, I posted the article Did you get career advice from your mother? about the some of the career advice I had received from my mother early in my career.

As Mother’s Day approaches and I reflect on how to honor and celebrate my mother, I could not help but reflect on the fact that my mother’s advice continues to bless my life.  I appreciate her years of wisdom and experience and her more recent advice, too.

I hope you get to honor your mother as Mother’s Day nears.

This is my mother . . .

What was the best career advice you received from your mother or another special women in your life?  Will you share?  Post your comments below.

Here the gems of my mother’s advice:

Don’t work too late.  Days can be long sometimes.  Late one day, my mother, in her kindest voice, shared, “I think you should quit for today and quit early more often.”

Good advice.  Stop, bring the day to close and be grateful for all you have accomplished and for those you served on that day.

Relationships count.  Building and nurturing relationships in your life and in your career matters.  See and understand the point-of-view of others, learn about other people, and know what they like and dislike.

Then, find a way to make a connection and build a relationship– doing so is a skill and an art form.  Honing your relationship building skills is valuable and critical to building a sustainable career.

Service matters and, when done gladly, all the better.  The minimum is just that and less than average.  Always do your best and then something extra.  My mother always adds the extra thing.  It is part of her personal branding.

Delivery of what’s expected meets the standard, it gets the job done.  It completes the job and just covers the basics.

Adding something highlights your brand and increases the perceived value of your work.  Over time, your added value does set you apart from the crowd.  Something of extra significance can:  bring a smile, help you gain favorable attention, encourages referrals, and repeat business.  All these items enhance your stock value and helps sustain your career.

Enjoy Mother’s Day on Sunday as you celebrate in whatever special way fits you!

To my mother — Happy Mother’s Day – thank you for being a coach, a mentor, a role model, a friend and a wonderful mother. 

See you soon.  Cindy

“You are never a loser until you quit trying.” ~ Mike Ditka

AUTOPILOT, cruise control and other automated systems are great tools.  I highly recommend them.  Putting systems in place allows you prioritize your schedule, giving you the time needed to complete the important and time-consuming tasks.

My life — and long drives — would not be the same without these tools.  I encourage you to seek out and use as many great tools as you can to help automate and streamline your life and career.  However, there is one caution I would share.

Mike Ditka got it right; I don’t believe you fail at anything unless you stop trying.  Don’t believe you can set the cruise control and assume you can stop trying.  You are still in charge of the wheel!  Using automation tools does not let you off the hook for the important work that needs to be done.  You must continue to identity and manage the high value tasks.

What are some of those high value tasks?

• Put the time and effort into ensuring key people know your goals.
• Be sure you know your next ideal step.
• Communicate your goals to your network and your boss.
• Keep a list of key people looking to hire people who do what you do.
• Be a seeker of “opportunities.”
• Grow and hone your skills.
• Talk to people monthly who do what you want to do next.
• Watch trends and the market.
• Create a pipeline of opportunities.
• Build relationships in various segments of your profession and industry.

And, how do you go about managing those high value tasks?

1. Set up systems to reach out and stay in touch with key people.
2. Schedule specific activities.  Example: Call EVP, schedule lunch, share quarterly results and upcoming personal goals.
3. Create a specific plan for achieving your next career step.
4. Execute one important, focused task each week.

Doing these four things will make you feel like your career is on autopilot.  It will ensure you know what you are doing each week, month, and year, to continue to move your career forward and to get the important things done without undue stress.

AUTOPILOT is a great tool — just be sure you apply the brakes (at least weekly) to slow down and take action.  You will love the results.