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The Importance of LinkedIn: How to Use It Effectively

January 15th, 2020

My clients regularly ask the following question: Is LinkedIn actually necessary? Yes, it is, and let me share why with a few statistics.

–Percentage of Recruiters that use LinkedIn to vet candidates: 94%

Sourced from “22 Interesting LinkedIn Job Statistics (2019) by the Numbers” DMR Business Statistics and Craig Smith from Expanded Ramblings.com

–LinkedIn is popular with employers, given that its primary focus is professional networking. Jobcast found that well over 93 percent of companies use LinkedIn to connect with and hire new talent, but less than half of all job seekers, just 36 percent, actually have a LinkedIn account. Furthermore, just 14 percent of users reportedly check their account on a regular basis.

–73% of Millennials found their job through social media (with primary sources being LinkedIn and Twitter).

Sourced from “11 Social Media Recruiting Statistics to Make You Rethink Your Current Strategies” Study by Aberdeen Group and Jobcast and posted on CareerProfiles.com

Just these stats alone should have people clamoring for a free LinkedIn membership. It should also underscore the value of creating a good profile and visiting LinkedIn at least weekly for profile updating and most importantly – networking! So, what do you need to do for LinkedIn to be effective?

Have a great picture. No selfies, dark pictures, photos you cut other people out of, old photos, etc. Also, SMILE, there are a lot of grouchy-looking people on LinkedIn. Smiling creates a connection, and the “I’m mad at the world” or “don’t care” look, chases people away. Have someone you know take several photos of you in front of a nice bookcase, interesting brick or tile work, or beautiful artwork.

Make sure you fill out the Intro Section (where your photo resides), and that includes using the “job title” area to showcase some keywords and key phrases (you have 100 characters to use).

Example One: Senior Project Manager, PMP, Lean Six Sigma, Agile, Risk Management, Scrum, Jira, Mavenlink.

Example Two: Administrative Coordinator, Reporting, Process Improvement, Training, Workflow, Change Management.

Fill out the remainder of your profile completely, including the Summary, Employment (similar to your resume), Education, Skills (using industry and position-related keywords and key phrases), Volunteer Experience (you participate in), Certifications, and Accomplishments which consists of: Honors and Awards, Organizations, Courses, Publications, Languages (besides English), Projects, and Patents.

Join applicable groups, particularly local groups where you can network, see additional local jobs advertised, and ask questions.

Be a participant, not an observer. Share great news from your company, invite people to an event, share an article, publicly congratulate a colleague on a promotion or accomplishment, share an inspirational quote, and congratulate connections on Work Anniversaries and New Jobs, etc.

Get and give Recommendations, not just Endorsements.

Build those connections. While you don’t want to spam people with lots of invites, you don’t need to know everyone directly that you connect with on LinkedIn. That’s the whole idea of this platform – six degrees of separation to make connections. Invite or accept invites for quality of contact, completeness of profile, and use it to find those you have lost touch with over time. Don’t be fooled by those who tell you that in order to have success with LinkedIn you must have 500+ connections. That is overwhelming to most people. Start with 30, that unlocks a certain amount of detail for your use, for free. Build to 50, then 100, and the next thing you know, you will have a robust group of connections and access to copious free information via this dynamic tool.

Check your LinkedIn several times a week and be active on a consistent basis. In essence, if you want your LinkedIn to work for you, you have to work your LinkedIn. This doesn’t mean spending hours of time on it. Just 10 minutes, three times a week will be sufficient. You can build a great group of connections and stay up to date with your profile, while proactively managing your career, business or job search. To your success!

Karen Silins is a multi-certified, award winning resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers, executives and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps current regarding trends in the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, executive/career management coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, blogging, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing numerous seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Categories Career Coaching, Career Management, Interviews, Job Search, Networking, Personal Branding
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Get Your Job Search Up To Speed

January 30th, 2017

Let’s face it, being in a job search is difficult. However, not doing necessary tasks or leaving portions of your job search unfinished that can help you get a new job is even worse. You could literally be losing out on new job prospects, contacts who will recommend you personally, and wasting a great deal of time doing personal “stuff” instead of actually job searching. So, what’s left unfinished or undone in your job search preparation?

–Have you completed your LinkedIn profile?

–Do you have a quality LinkedIn picture?

–Do you mind your manners and what you post on Facebook, Twitter and other social media?

–How about your friends on Facebook, Twitter, etc., are they minding their manners, and staying away from inappropriate pictures, political postings, constant complaining, or other overly opinionated sharing? Have you checked?

–Do you plan your job search out daily or weekly?

–Are you spending five to eight hours a day on your job search, or instead doing “honey-do” and “around the house” projects and errands?

–Are you tailoring your resume and cover letter to the jobs for which you apply?

–Are you writing personalized thank you letters for all in-person interviews and any lengthy phone interviews with decision-makers?

–Are you searching your local business journal for companies hiring currently or in the near future, information on companies for interviews, networking opportunities, and new companies to target?

–Do you go to networking events in your area and cultivate contacts in person?

–Do you attend local job fairs?

–Have you volunteered to help a local organization to both get out and meet new people (network) and to add new information to your resume?

The list of items you can accomplish that can positively impact your job search can seem endless, but many are actually very simple. You need to, as the Nike ads say “just do it.” Put together all the pieces of your job search puzzle and get back in the game!

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Karen Silins is a multi-certified, award winning resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps current regarding trends in the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, blogging, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 30-70+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Categories Job Search, Networking
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Wonder Why Your Networking Is Not Working?

July 12th, 2016

People, including experts, make networking so tough, and such a formalized process. We write entire books on how to network. It’s really quite simple – have a conversation, and remember that networking isn’t about you in a job search or a business interaction; it’s about you talking with another human being. Just talking, we can do that, right?

We have so many opportunities to network in our daily lives. Parties, weddings, funerals (not during the ceremonies mind you), church or other religious institution gatherings, and of course, networking events. We should start promoting networking as a state of mind, not a process or methodology, or something only done on special occasions.

I recently had a business person in my Your Business Plan: The Entrepreneurs Compass six-week program say the following “I attend networking events all the time and I can’t seem to get any leads. I go there with the intent of getting business and just never get any decent contacts.” My answer: Stop going with the intent of getting a client, and start going with the intent of helping someone else. I would tell a jobseeker the same thing. Stop going to a networking event and trying to “get” something out of it, and start giving to others. My course attendee was needless to say stunned at my comment and then the lightbulb went off. She realized the entire strategy of going to an event to “acquire” a contact or new business was too much pressure on her and the other networker. I explained that when our focus is on what we want, we communicate it in body language, our voice, and very likely the verbiage we use. All we are saying to a potential contact is we want, want, want. Not the most attractive communication approach.

When you take your eye off of yourself in a networking situation, and offer a fellow networker a tip, pointer, referral, potential contact, job or business lead, or just give someone a little guidance, that kindness will always come back to you in a positive way. I’m not talking about getting the crystals out and singing “Kum-Ba-Yah” here, but when you give you truly receive. Not only do you receive the knowledge that you helped someone else, that help to another always seems to return to you as help when you need it. Remember the “practice random acts of kindness” idea – it works!

The other two tips I offered to the business person in my seminar were more for people who tend to be on the shy side. First, take someone with you to an event, and even better, someone who is outgoing and let them do some of the work. Trust me, those of us who aren’t shy will be glad to help, and you may be assisting another jobseeker or business owner network too. Second, if you are alone, don’t feel as if you must go make a formal introduction to anyone initially. Instead walk up close to a person on the outskirts of the event that like you is probably shy, and say the following: Wow, there are more people here than I expected, or… there are fewer people here than I expected. If they talk back to you in a friendly way, CONGRATULATIONS, YOU ARE NETWORKING. Now introduce yourself and start a real conversation.

This isn’t rocket science, we don’t need more books on networking, but instead we need to as career and/or business coaches to show our clients how simple and empowering it can be once they step slightly outside their comfort zone. In particular, we must emphasize this is an ongoing process with people you know, people you need to reconnect with, and people you have yet to meet, and can happen in most any social situation. Putting people first makes you a better person, and I have found once my clients get a taste of that success in building relationships they want to continue the pursuit. Who knows where that can lead?

Karen Silins is a multi-certified, award winning resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps current regarding trends in the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, blogging, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 50-70+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Categories Business Coaching, Job Search, Networking, Personal Branding
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Sources of Job Leads

April 29th, 2016

Advertised positions constitute a small percentage of the jobs that are available at any given time. Because running ads and screening the high volume of applications that come in can be an expensive and time-consuming process for employers, many companies prefer to hire from within or to hire individuals who have been recommended by one of their existing employees.

To find out about unadvertised opportunities, you will want to let people know that you are looking for work, and the type of job and company you are most interested in. Tap your personal network – friends, relatives, neighbors, former employers and colleagues, fellow members of your chosen religious institution, volunteer associations, clubs and other organizations, even your doctor, dentist, and other people you talk to from time to time. Most people know at least 200 other people, so just because someone doesn’t work in your industry doesn’t mean that he or she doesn’t know of someone who does.

Many teenagers and young adults get their first jobs through connections, such as parents, teachers, siblings, friends, parents of friends, relatives, neighbors, or coaches. This tactic can work for you too!

Some businesses, particularly in the retail and restaurant industries, rarely advertise jobs because they receive so many applications on a regular basis that they are able to select people to interview from the applications they have on file.

Job fairs can be an excellent venue for meeting a large number of potential employers at one time and to network with other attendees. Go to every booth and network with the recruiters and those standing in line, since each one of the recruiters attending may know of positions within and outside their company, and each attendee may know of companies hiring. Some organizations attend these events or hold their own job fair in order to collect a large number of resumes they can refer to when a position becomes vacant, not for immediate employment.

If you’re unemployed, find out what programs and services are available in your community. The staffs of these organizations usually have good employer contacts, and sometimes employers can receive a wage subsidy or other benefit by hiring someone through such a program.

This article was co-written by Karen Silins and Janet Barclay, and their information is included below:

Karen Silins is a multi-certified resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps current regarding trends in the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 50-70+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Janet Barclay is a former employment counselor who helps career practitioners and other solopreneurs to maximize their online presence by creating websites and blogs as well as providing blog promotion, proofreading and editing, content management, and WordPress technical support services. She can be reached through her website OrganizedAssistant.com.

Categories Job Search, Networking
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How to Stop the Excuses and Start Networking

May 19th, 2015

Networking

You hear or read about it every day as a jobseeker – you need to network to get a new job! The biggest issue is not what you know, but what you are doing about it, because most people find networking downright overwhelming despite understanding its importance in their job search. Here are 10 of the reasons people don’t or won’t network:

–I’m uncomfortable introducing myself to, and talking with, someone I don’t know (shy).

–Fear of rejection.

–Expecting networking to work like magic, and giving up when after a couple of networking events, I don’t have a new job.

–I don’t have time.

–I can do all my networking online now.

–I can find a job without networking if I just apply to enough jobs online.

–I like my privacy.

–I have no idea how to network.

–I have no idea where to find networking opportunities.

–I don’t want to ask others for help or a favor.

Do any of these sound familiar? So, how do we overcome the “land of excuses,” here are eight suggestions to try:

First, I recommend getting a networking buddy; a friend or acquaintance that may also be looking for work. This person should be outgoing and comfortable talking to strangers, and may already be experienced in networking. Your buddy will introduce you to others, and get you used to the process of having a networking conversation.

Second, privacy does not exist anymore to the extent it did before Google and 9/11, so don’t be afraid to let people know where you might have worked or what you do. Remember, there is no need to give them your address, Facebook account password, and driver license, you are merely having a conversation.

Third, use a networking business card with your name, specialty/job title, email address, telephone, and LinkedIn link. You can print them via Microsoft Word yourself. Having a personal business card allows you to control what information is given out, and to get business cards/contact info from networking contacts.

Fourth, networking online is fine, but don’t become a hermit only looking through social media venues for contacts, when that face-to-face meeting will get you more “bang for your buck.” Furthermore, just applying for jobs online over and over doesn’t work for most jobseekers, and is again relying on online efforts only to get you a job. Combine your online and in-person efforts and your job search success will accelerate.

Fifth, look at your local business journal (all large cities have them), local LinkedIn groups, and other local publications for networking opportunities throughout your area. You can also go online for articles and check out books at your local library on networking to get more comfortable with questions you can ask, tips on introducing yourself to others, and how to keep a conversation going.

Sixth, remember that networking is NOT ABOUT YOU, but how you can help the other person. This approach should leave you feeling less anxious about networking and trying to “impress” others. Always provide some information that might help the person you are networking with, like a company you hear is hiring, the name of contact you have, other networking events around town, or even how to create their own networking business card.

Seventh, we are all busy, but truly we all make time for what we really want or need to do. If you want to network you will schedule that time into your job search.

Eighth, you will not get great contacts at every event. Not every person you meet will “love” you and want to hire you or help you in some way to get a new job, and yes, it can be hard to ask for a favor. Networking will not work like magic within the first two or three events you attend. The old saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day” is still true and very much applies to networking as relationships aren’t built in one event. Give networking a try; be yourself, be polite, go into it with an open mind and relax, and it will ultimately pay great dividends to your job search.

Karen Silins is a multi-certified resume writer, career, business and personal branding coach working with individuals and small businesses. After graduating with degrees in education and vocal performance, she made her own career transition into the Human Resources realm. Karen left Human Resources to become an entrepreneur and help jobseekers and fellow entrepreneurs achieve their goals. She keeps her pulse on the resume writing, coaching, HR, small business and marketing industries by working daily with individual clients on resume development and career coaching, consulting for small businesses in business plan development, marketing, hiring and overall HR processes, and providing 50-70+ seminars and workshops annually to a variety of organizations in the greater Kansas City area. She can be reached via her website at www.careerandresume.com.

Categories Networking
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Top 5: Tips for Online Job Hunters (an interview with the Examiner.net)

February 16th, 2013

Online Job Search

By Adrianne DeWeese – adrianne.deweese@examiner.net

The Examiner

Posted Feb 16, 2013 @ 12:20 AM

Independence, MO —

From the advent of online job-searching websites, many people have assumed they can go online, post their resume and automatically get a job.

That’s not really how it works, said Karen Silins, president and owner of A+ Career & Resume LLC.

“It doesn’t mean that people don’t find jobs that way,” Silins said, “but there are well over 100 million people on those sites, also looking for jobs.”

As a resume writer and career/personal branding coach, Silins provides workshops throughout greater Kansas City, including with the Mid-Continent Public Library system.

Those on the search for a new job can put their time to better use, rather than just posting a resume on many job sites and facing potential privacy issues. Silins helped The Examiner in developing the Top 5 ways for effective online job searching.

1 USE JOB BOARD AGGREGATORS. Websites like indeed.com and simplyhired.com are examples of job board aggregators, which provide results daily on what new jobs are available. “That is going to save people a lot of time,” Silins said. “If you have more than one specialty – and most people do – you might be doing more than one search for jobs out there.” For example, searching “administrative assistant” could also require searches for “secretary,” “executive assistant” and “office manager.” When searchers find a job they’re interested in applying for, Silins said they should go directly to the company’s website to apply. “You are wanting to identify real companies,” she said. “This protects your identity much more instead of just posting your resume all over the Internet.”

2 GET ON LINKEDIN. LinkedIn, Silins said, “is networking online at its best.” Users can build a profile, offer up information on their work history and education and provide what certifications, licensing and professional development they’ve earned. Under the “skills and expertise” section, users can provide keywords right off of their resume, showcasing traits important to their respective industries. Connections can then endorse their colleagues for their skills, as well as provide paragraph-length recommendations. “It’s proof of experience by someone else saying, ‘Yes, they can do this.’” Silins said. “There’s nothing better than having that secondary opinion of someone saying, ‘Yeah, we think they’re great for you.’” Users can also join groups, where recruiters often offer up job opportunities that aren’t found anyplace else. “It’s another networking avenue,” Silins said of LinkedIn. “It’s going to allow you to connect with people who you would never connect with otherwise.”

3 USE SOCIAL MEDIA RESPONSIBLY. Just because you have an opinion doesn’t mean you need to give that opinion, Silins said. “HR immediately goes to online venues to search you out,” she said. “They’re going to Google your name. They’re going to see if they are on LinkedIn – and then they are going to see what you are saying on Facebook and Twitter.” What people don’t realize, Silins said, is that they are making comments about their personal lives and opinions that aren’t appropriate to be posting online, including pictures. “This happens a lot,” she said. “And, it’s not just pictures of partial nudity and people who are obviously drunk. It’s pictures of people with way too personal of stuff that they don’t need to be sharing online. I would just prefer that people don’t post their opinions, but oftentimes, people think of freedom of speech.” But, Silins said, with freedom of speech comes responsibility. “That responsibility translates into your job search, as well, and if employers don’t think you are responsible, they won’t hire you,” she said.

4 BE CAUTIOUS WHILE BLOGGING. Use the same good judgment with blog posts as you would with social media sites, Silins said. If you choose to blog or make social media posts, make them tailored to your areas of expertise. “That’s what personal branding is about,” Silins said. “Personal branding isn’t offering your opinion on every single little thing. Personal branding is discussing your areas of expertise.” Do research to identify trends in your industry that you can talk about, as well as share information from other experts in the field, Silins said. She recommends her clients go to Google to sign up for Google blogs and Google news feeds, based on a digest of keywords they seek out. For example, Silins personally receives daily information on career coaching, personal branding, resume writing and human resources.

5 DO YOUR COMPANY RESEARCH. People often don’t research the companies they are going to go to work for – and there is a lot of information out there, Silins said. Research should consist of more than just visiting the company’s website and clicking on the “careers” tab, she said. Glassdoor and Manta are two popular websites that provide company profiles and information. Or, Mid-Continent Public Library has access to databases that allow company research for job seekers. All they need is a library card, and they can even do the research from a computer at home. “There’s just a ton of information for people out there,” Silins said, “but if all else fails, Google the company.” Lastly, Silins said job searching isn’t “just a numbers game,” contrary to popular belief. “If you provide good information online, showcasing you are a professional in your areas of career interest and utilize the tools that allow you to do a more comprehensive job search, your success will increase significantly,” she said.

Categories Job Search
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