BW Custom Résumés Blog

Rules of Etiquette for LinkedIn

When I get one of those “form” invitations to connect with someone I do not know, I ignore it. From what I read and hear from other LinkedIn users, this is a pet peeve for many. If people say I’m a “friend” or that they have done business with me and they have not, I am not only annoyed but have no reason to connect with them. Sometimes I will check their LinkedIn profiles to confirm that I do not know them or to figure out why they want to connect with me. Often the profile will be incomplete, which is an indicator to me that the person is not really serious about using LinkedIn.

So how do you connect with others for mutually beneficial relationships? The first order of business is to ensure your profile is complete and up to date. Do you include a professional headshot? Is the summary a good indicator of your expertise? Does your experience section include your major contributions? Have you completed the other areas including Education and Groups and Associations? Have you researched and joined LinkedIn groups in your industry that interest you? Do you actively participate in the question and answer sections on those sites? Another way to get new connections is to ask your existing connections to introduce you to people in their network with whom you would like to connect.

Once you find someone you want to connect with, do NOT use the standard invitation; personalize it. If you already know them or have done business with them, that’s easy. If you are members of the same group or have seen or responded to one of their questions, be sure to let them know. According to Tony Faustino, author of Social Media ReInvention, “If there is no information exchanged indicating why we would be able to build a mutually beneficial relationship, it indicates this person is only interested in the value of my connections for their personal agenda.”

Once a person agrees to connect with you, always send them a thank-you message. Good manners makes a difference!

 

Where Will the Jobs Be in 2012?

Forbes.com has some great recent articles on where the jobs will be in 2012. Believe it or not, two Florida areas—Cape Coral/Fort Myers and Lakeland/Winter Haven tie for first place with net hiring outlooks of 17%. To see if your city is on the list, go to http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2011/12/13/where-the-jobs-will-and-wont-be-in-2012.

Another December article gives the best cities for a sales job in 2012. The results are based on a Manpower survey of 18,000 employers in 100 metropolitan areas. New York City is #1, followed by Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Dallas, San Francisco, Burlington (MA), and Boston. Houston and Atlanta tie for #9. To read the article, go to http://www.forbes.com/sites/jacquelynsmith/2011/12/09/the-best-cities-for-sales-jobs.

 

New Year's Resolutions for Professionals

This is the week when many of us begin to think about what changes we want to make in the New Year. New Year's resolutions have a way of being forgotten within a few weeks, so perhaps fewer are better.

Among my suggestions for career professionals are the following:

If you do not have a social media presence, it is time to get one! Start with your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is being increasingly used by other professionals to find and hire people with certain skills and knowledge, by recruiters to identify candidates for positions they need to fill, and by companies to identify potential candidates. A number of my new clients have come from my LinkedIn site; they are able to read recommendations from past clients and frequently see that I am connected to one of their business or personal colleagues. That can work for you as well! Be sure that you include a photo, a robust profile, and recommendations from colleagues and clients.

Keep a file tucked in your desk drawer and include in it information for updating your resume. What should be included? Commendation letters; copies of outstanding performance appraisals; information on professional development, business affiliations and board memberships; and most importantly, detailed information on your contributions or achievements. You may think you will remember all of this when it's time to update your resume, but you will not. It will make the update so much less stressful if you have all of this information in one place.

Work to keep your life balanced. When it's time to work, give it 100% and when it's time to play, do the same. Spend a little more time with your friends and loved ones, do something that feeds your soul, and try to do something that makes life easier for someone else.

Let's all work toward making 2012 one of the best years yet in every way.

Happy New Year!

 

Holidays are a Good Time to Job Search

Don’t make the mistake of postponing your job search until after the holidays! They can be the best time for many reasons.

In a recent post Jay Block of Jay Block Companies give eight reasons for why you can land a job during the holiday season:

* Your competitors may stop looking, so you will stand out.

* During the holidays managers and decision makers tend to stay in the office and not travel.

* The holiday spirit may incline managers to speak with you.

* Companies are planning their budget and personnel needs for 2012.

* Networking opportunities increase during the holidays.

* The fact that you are continuing to search in spite of the holiday season may earn you respect from hiring managers.

So get out there, network, and talk your way into your next career move!

Top Four Tips for Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile

In a recent LinkedIn webinar sponsored by Career Directors International, LinkedIn expert Erin O’Harra shared her top four tips for capitalizing on your LinkedIn profile.

#1: Adding a photo makes you nine times more likely to be viewed by other people than those that do not have photos.

#2: Completing the Education and Experience sections increases the likelihood that you will be viewed  more than those who don’t list current and past positions.

#3: Having at least 50 trusted contacts helps those network connections begin to happen at the second and third degree levels.

#4: Having at least three recommendations affirms your abilities and exposes you to other people through the recommender’s network.

LinkedIn now has 135+ million members across the globe. If you are not taking advantage of LinkedIn, it’s time to do it!

What Not to Include on Your Resume

What should not be included on a resume? The simple answer is anything that is not relevant, is not true, or might lead to discrimination.

What is irrelevant?  Jobs held many years ago that have no relation to your current career can be omitted. Unless you are an executive, the rule of thumb is to go back 10 to 15 years unless you held a position earlier in your career that is highly relevant to your current job target. I find that some clients want to include every job they have held back to high school. Once again, include only what is relevant. High school jobs usually are not; if you are a recent college graduate, you may need to include summer positions or those held during college to demonstrate a strong work ethic or that you paid your own way. Once you are in a career, those positions become less relevant.

Personal data such as age, race, or religious or political affiliation should never be included in a resume unless the information is directly relevant to your job target. That information may be used in a discriminatory way. If you want to work for a religious or political organization, that might be a time to include religious or political affiliations. If you once volunteered for an organization you now want to work for, include that information. Confidential information about a company you once worked for is another item that should be omitted; including it could indicate to a potential employer that you cannot be trusted or, in a worst case scenario, may lead to a lawsuit by your previous employer. Hobbies are usually not included; an exception might be a sales professional who is an avid golfer, cyclist, or who is active in another sport that helps build networking relationships.

Objective statements are no longer necessary. They have been replaced with hard-hitting profiles and branding statements that include your target as well as your most important qualifications. The same goes for “references upon request.” Of course an employer will ask for references, and you should have a list of references with their contact information ready to present at the interview. It’s not necessary to include at the end of a resume and may take up valuable space.

What about volunteer work? If you have been a leader in a volunteer organization, you should definitely include that in your resume. If you’ve collected once a year for a cause, that’s not as valuable. Treat the volunteer position the same way you would a job. Ask yourself if you made unique contributions to the organization and include them in the resume if there is room.

There is one item that should never be included on a resume, and that is a lie. Hopefully, most people would not dream of lying on a resume, but there are some who might be tempted to say they earned a degree that they did not complete or that they worked for an organization longer than they did. Lying can cost a job candidate the job. Not only is lying wrong, it’s stupid! You will be caught eventually and will have to pay the price.

Staying Prepared

No matter how secure you feel in your current job, the last few years serve as a solid warning that you must always be prepared for major changes. Showing up and working hard is no longer a guarantee that you will keep your job. Career experts are saying that we must continually be engaged in activities common to job seekers. What does this mean? For starters, keep your resume and other career documents current. I suggest you choose a date every year to update your resume and gather together performance evaluations, letters of commendation, and any other material you might need if you are suddenly thrust into the job seeker role.

What else might you be doing? If you are not already a member of some professional organizations, now is the time to join them. Do not join just to add them to your resume; being an active participant in a few selected organizations will be more productive than simply joining multiple organizations as a non-participating member. The more active you are, the more you increase your exposure to people with whom you can establish good networking relationships. Keep a current list of people who may be helpful to you in a future job search; offer to help them when you are able, and they will be happy to return the favor later.

Another suggestion is to remain current with the competition. Keep up with what other companies in your industry are doing as well as other professionals. Even if you are not looking for a job, stay current with your job market by looking at the type of positions your industry is trying to fill.

If you are currently looking for a new position, do not discount summer as a good time to look; in spite of what you might think, hiring does not come to a grinding halt during summer months. There are lots of opportunities to network during summer events. Networking remains the key to finding a new job; experts estimate that 70% to 80% of jobs are the result of networking, so work those neighborhoods barbecues and special events!

Are Your References Effective?

 

Picking the right references can be a critical factor in securing your next career move in this job market and economy. Many people make the mistake of choosing neighbors or friends. Put yourself in the place of an employer. If you were checking someone’s references, would you call a friend or would you call a supervisor or teammate? Would you call a neighbor, or would you call someone who had been on the candidate’s team? The choice is obvious. Potential employers want to talk with people who have seen you in action. They want to know what your superiors, peers, subordinates, clients, and business partners have to say about you.

I suggest to my clients that they pick six to eight references including a previous or current supervisor, a colleague, a subordinate if you are in management, an internal or external client, and perhaps a vendor. Be sure to pick people who will be able to give concrete examples of your value. Always ask for the person’s permission before you use him or her as a reference and be sure he or she has your most recent resume. You might even prepare the references by suggesting what they might talk about if contacted. If a reference can speak about an accomplishment on your resume, be sure to mention that.

What should be included on your reference sheet? Include names, companies, titles, business mailing addresses, phone numbers with area code, and email addresses. If the reference tells you he or she wants to be contacted via email only, be sure to include that information. It’s a good idea to list each reference’s relationship to you and perhaps how long he or she has known you. This type of information makes it easier for the interviewer to get the impression you want him or her to get.

Biggest Mistakes Job Seekers Make

Rob McGowan, author of How to Find WORK in the 21st Century, recently commented on what he thinks are the biggest mistakes job seekers make. At the top of his list is ignorance about the impact of social media networks. In today's world most recruiters and hiring managers check out a candidate online. Current and future job seekers need to understand that nothing is private online. My advice is don't put anything online that you would be embarrassed for your mother or grandmother to see. Chances are a recruiter or potential employer will exclude you as a candidate if your online brand is not professional.

Another job-seeking mistake on McGowan's list is to focus only on advertised positions. Did you know that 80% of employment opportunties are never advertised? If you are a job seeker, ramp up your networking and start approaching companies directly. If your search is not confidential, let everyone know that you are looking; be sure to clearly articulate what type of opportunity would be the best fit for you as well as the value you bring to the table.

Leveraging Your LinkedIn Account

Earlier this week, I attended a webinar presented by Jason Alba, CEO and founder of JibberJobber.comand author of several books/DVDs on how job seekers can use LinkedIn including LinkedIn for Job Seekers and I’m on LinkedIn, Now What? Jason has spent hundreds of hours writing about LinkedIn and consulting with private clients on how they can maximize their use of the site. He had some sound advice.

According to Jason, LinkedIn has replaced many of the databases and websites such as Monster that recruiters used in the past. He says recruiters now spend hours searching for both active and passive candidates through LinkedIn. Employers are also looking for talent on LinkedIn.

So, how can LinkedIn help job seekers? Jason emphasized that the same basic principles still apply to the job search. Networking and personal branding are still important; the interesting change is that LinkedIn can be used as an effective tool to help job seekers brand themselves and develop relationships with people who might be helpful to them.

Does this mean you try to link up with thousands of people, even if you have no connection with them? No, the size of a network is not as important as the relevancy. How you attempt to connect with people is important. Here are a few suggestions from Jason:

• Positioning: Position yourself as a professional, not as a job seeker. Show what value you bring to the table by using your LinkedIn profile to indicate your areas of expertise and knowledge, your career progression, and your quantifiable achievements. Start a professional blog and link it to your LinkedIn profile. Join some of the LinkedIn professional groups that are relevant to your industry or position.
•  Professional Headline: Sometimes your name and professional headline are all people can see. To be effective, you need to put your value proposition here. If you simply put your title and place of employment, is this going to be effective? Use the people search tool to see who comes up when you enter your specialty. Are you on page one? If not, your professional headline probably needs to be changed. One of Jason’s suggestions is to check what competitors who come up on the first page of a search have in their headlines. Maybe you can do something similar. 
• Linking with others: Most people do not respond to “blind” invitations from people they do not know. If you would like to add someone you do not know to your network, try to connect with them first. You may have a mutual connection who could tell the person about you. You may be a member of the same group or organization. You may comment on something he or she has said in a blog or group discussion. Only after you have established a connection should you consider asking them to link up. 
• Inviting people to link up: Jason advises that you not use the “canned” invitation. I agree! Take the time to say something personal first, and, if you think the person may not remember you, remind them of your connection. In some cases, people may be uncomfortable linking with you for very good reasons, so be sensitive to that. For example, I’m a resume writer, so some of my clients might not want to link up with me for fear that their job search will become public. I understand that and respect it. I have had clients who were happy to link up immediately as well as others who waited until after they secured new positions