Career Success Partners

18 Proven Ways to Help Recruiters Find You on LinkedIn

By now, most people know that LinkedIn is an excellent resource for improving a job search by allowing job hunters to make new contacts with recruiters and companies that might not have found them otherwise. But there are varying degrees of success among those on LinkedIn, and the simple fact is that some job seekers are doing a much better job than others when it comes to getting exposure on the site. They're not engaging in complicated schemes, just plain proven ways to become more prominent.

The following are simple ideas that you can put to work in order to get your profile in front of more recruiters who can make a difference for you. From better keyword placement to strategic recommendations, these are all great ways to help recruiters locate you on LinkedIn.

Read about these 18 tactics and strategies here .... "18 Proven Ways to Help Recruiters Find You on LinkedIn."

 

Photo Credit: BigStockPhoto.com

Executive Coach's Tip: Your Email Signature IS Your Business Card

How many emails to you send each day?  How may replies?  How many forwarded emails?

EVERY email you send is an opportunity to "display" and make available to someone your business card .... not the paper variety, but its digital equivalent .... your EMAIL SIGNATURE.

Does your email signature include your full contact information?  Your phone number? Links to your various social media pages and profiles? A personal brand statement?

MAKE IT EASY for someone to connect to you and reach out to you in the form THEY prefer.  Give them ALL the information they need .... in your email signature.

Take 5 minutes today, and "dress up" your email signature. Consider it your digital business card and dress it up accordingly.  

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

Photo Credit: www.BigStockPhoto.com

Step Onto the Stage of Boldness

"Fortune befriends the bold."
- Emily Dickinson

Leadership, professional development, and personal growth require us (DEMAND us) to take risks, to "push the envelope" and to occasionally (frequently?) step onto the stage of "boldness." 

Being bold requires courage, being bold may put us in a vulnerable position; but being bold also creates opportunity, opens doors and gets the attention of others -- others who can help us, others who can partner with us in making amazing things happen, and others who can champion our cause.

What does "being bold" mean to you? 

Consider an upcoming appointment on your calendar or an important task on your plate this week, and ask yourself: "What is ONE bold -- 'step-out-of-my-box' -- action I can take that could incite positive momentum or breakthrough results? 

• What can I do that might not be expected but could make a big difference?
• What would I do if I had NO FEAR?
• What bold step have I seen others take in similar situations?  What is something similar that I could do?
• How can I play to MY STRENGTHS in a way that would amp up my boldness in approaching the situation?
• How can I use social media to create a bold impression and possibly incite action?
• Who could I call to ask and seek out advice on a bold step to take here?
• What exactly is holding me back from taking bold action here?  What would help me overcome that (or those) obstacles?

Go ahead and jot down a few ideas now, mull them over, then pick one bold idea that you intend to put into play.  Now .... put it into play -- TODAY, if possible

Accelerate your success by embracing the vulnerability of being bold.  Make deliberate, planned and well-thought-out "boldness" a habit.

What is ONE BOLD THING you can do TODAY?

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact:  [email protected]

www.CareerSuccessCommunity.com - The Premier Interactive Career Development Community

Connecting the Dots in Your Network

Are YOU Connecting the Dots in YOUR Network?

Connecting contacts to each other in your network is a THREE-WAY BENEFIT -- it's a gift to BOTH of your contacts and it's ultimately a gift to yourself -- it feels good, it's intrinsically rewarding and it strengthens the quality of YOUR network.

Consider the following ways to connect others in your network to each other this week:

• Refer a service provider in your network to someone who might be in need of their service.

• Invite two (or three) people in your network to lunch who don't know each other but who you believe might mutually benefit in some way from the introduction.

• At a club event, business event, party or cocktail reception, make a concerted effort to introduce your contacts to each other and say something GREAT about each of them in front of the other.

• Suggest connections on LinkedIn between members of your contact network.

• Forward a great blog article from someone in your network to another party in your network for whom the article might be useful and relevant.

• Organize a golf foursome with a group of network contacts who do not necessarily know each other very well but who might have something in common.

• Make a habit of suggesting #FollowFriday recommendations on Twitter between followers in your Twitter network.

• Make a habit of ending EVERY conversation with the following question: "Who could I introduce you to to help you accomplish your business goals and objectives this week."

• Simply stay aware this week of your intention to connect others and take advantage of all opportunities that emerge.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

"Painting the Picture" for Your Network

I just wrapped up a call with another one of my high-performing coaching clients.  I often find, as I did in this situation, that a learning point emerges from my conversations with these bright, super-talented individuals. 

In reflecting back on this call, the learning point was the reminder to myself that it is up to each of us to ENSURE that we have EDUCATED our contact network -- i.e., our clients, prospective clients, "centers of influence," vendors, business partners, etc. -- by providing them with a CLEAR PICTURE of the situations and circumstances that, when present, are PERFECT EXAMPLES of situations where we can ADD VALUE, create an awesome solution, or make a meaningful difference in someone's life (business life or personal life).

How well have you educated
YOUR contact network?

How clear is your network on the TOP 5 most common situations and circumstances where you are typically introduced, win the business and then create "magic" through the value you add and the service you deliver?

The mistake we often make is PRESUMING our network KNOWS what to look out for on our behalf. But ... WILL THEY recognize relevant situations and then "connect the dots" back to us?

My intention is to make it MY JOB to take the "presumption" out of the equation ... to thoroughly educate my network with the information that allows them to POINT SPECIFICALLY to situations and circumstance where they KNOW I can help.

Describe the situations to your network -- give them a short list of the most common ones. Tell them stories and give them real life examples of those situations.  Talk about WHY you were introduced.  Discuss the outcome and results you helped achieve for your client or customer. 

Help your contact network "connect the dots" -- empower them with the information THEY NEED to refer opportunities to you -- and you'll find you have an ever-expanding set of eyes and ears in the marketplace constantly on the lookout on your behalf.

NOW .... Obtain the same information FROM THEM so you too can be THEIR eyes and ears. 

Long term .... It's a win-win for everyone.

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

Enhance Readability with These Guidelines

"Vigorous writing is concise." - William Strunk Jr. - "The Elements of Style", 1919

Many companies are tapping the power of their employee base to help create useful, relevant and brand-centric content for company blog sites. In that regard, I have advised my coaching clients to consider establishing and communicating guidelines for blog article writers to help enhance readability, "gravity," and consistency of general "look and feel" of posted articles.

Commonly communicated guidelines include the following, which you'll generally note when reading articles posted on many of the more popular blog sites:

• Come up with a catchy article title that is not too long
• Keep the length of the blog article to 500 words or less
• Use eye-catching photos or graphics that help communicate some key element or key theme of the article
• Use bullet points and short paragraphs, allowing plenty of white space
• Use bolding to highlight key thoughts and phrases
• Incorporate a thoughtful quote that resonates well with the spirit of the article content
• End the article with a call to action: Ask a question; Suggest an action; Make a statement that challenges the reader's thinking -- but AVOID SELLING messages
• Include a picture and contact information for the author with a link back to the blog site home page
• Spell-check and proofread your article carefully. Read it back to yourself out-loud. Ask a friend or colleague to review it too

What else do YOU do to improve the readability of your blog articles?

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Andy Robinson, Executive Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected]

www.CareerSuccessCommunity.com - The Premier Interactive Career Development Community

48 Essential LinkedIn Tips

LinkedIn continues to accelarate in its popularity as THE online networking and social media application for business and professional use.  I recently came across an EXCELLENT article -- targeting college students -- that equally applies to ALL USERS of LinkedIn -- Me too!  You too!

The articles offers 48 essential LinkedIn tips -- including some you probably haven't considered before.  Check them out by clicking the link below, and special thanks to Jasmine Hall at "Online Colleges.net" for providing this list.

48 Essential LinkedIn Tips

 

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Andy Robinson, Executive Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected]

www.CareerSuccessCommunity.com - The Premier Interactive Career Development Community

Is My LinkedIn Profile Really Compelling?

LinkedIn is the world's largest social business network in the world. As it continues to grow it is crucial to have a compelling and interesting profile. Here is a list of questions you can ask as you review your profile:

 

• Is my profile 100% complete? If not, LinkedIn will tell you exactly what to do to get it there (look on the right side of your profile).

• Have I created a compelling headline that is my marketing/branding slogan? Have you told your audience what you do best.  A headline should not be your title, i.e., Owner, Senior Vice President, etc.

• Do I have a great professional photo, one that shows me from the top of my head to my Adam's apple?  Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words!

• Do I have a personalized your URL? Having a personalized URL helps you be findable on Google and is also another branding tidbit. You can use this URL in your email signature as well.

• Is my Summary compelling and easy to read? Whether you are seeking a job, building a network or generating sales this is the key place to market what you do (think of it as an elevator speech). This is the place to display your key achievements.

• Have I added Current and Past Experience?

• Have I added Specialties?

• Have I added Skills?

• Have I added my Education?

• Do I have recommendations? The easiest way to get a recommendation is to give one. Start by giving a recommendation and in turn asking for one.

• Is my phone number and email easy to find? The biggest mistake people make is not having contact information on their profile. If someone is not in your network, they may not take the time to try to connect with you if there is no contact information.

• Have I used key words so you can be findable? It is important to display your key words within your profile so you can be found in LinkedIn.

• Have I Joined Groups? Joining groups is a great way to connect with others and stay on your brand.  Join groups that you are interested in and are relevant to what you do.

• Do I have 500+ connections? Having 500+ connections gives the appearance of being a networker. If you are just starting connect, connect with people you know first and branch out from there.

There are so many things you can do to create a compelling LinkedIn profile but these are the best basic ways to bring it up to "snuff". If you are still wondering how to get started, spend some time on LinkedIn looking at other profiles to get some ideas. Once you get your profile updated, ask friends or family to review it and give your honest feedback.

Happy Profiling!

 

By: Carrie Robinson, LinkedIn Profile Writer and Certified Online Professional Networking Strategist for CRG Leadership Institute LLC.  [email protected]

The Power of LinkedIn - A Personal Testimonial

I remain a HUGE fan of LinkedIn and have written a number of articles on how to effectively use LinkedIn as a networking, business development and learning tool.

I have been an avid user of LinkedIn going back more than five years and remain an active daily communicator on the platform.  I am a firm believer in the LinkedIn "Open Networker" philosophy and am currently connected to almost 8,000 business professionals on a first degree basis.

Looking back over the years, and particularly over the past two to three years, I've personally realized SIGNIFICANT benefits from using LinkedIn -- benefits to me personally and benefits to my business.  I've written this article to inventory some of those benefits as a personal testimonial to the power of using LinkedIn.

Some of the Benefits I've Personally Realized from Using LinkedIn:

I've chosen to highlight only SOME of the benefits I've realized from using LinkedIn over the years. This list would be extensive if I listed ALL of the specific benefits I've realized.

• Brand Development. LinkedIn has been an outstanding platform for distributing blog articles from my various blog sites, allowing me to communicate my brand to a targeted audience of business professionals.
• Meeting Career Experts.  As a co-host of the weekly Career Success Radio Show on Exceptional Wisdom Radio (based out of Cambridge, MA), I have "met" and been introduced to (referred to, etc.) a number of experts who we have invited as guests on the Radio Show.  Many of those guests have since become good friends and business partners, and a number have been a source of new business referrals to me.
• LinkedIn Experts.  I have met, become associated with and have learned from several of the nationally recognized top experts on LinkedIn.  A couple of those individuals have also appeared as guests on our Radio Show (as noted above).  I met all of those individuals through LinkedIn.
• Networking "Pinging."  LinkedIn allows me to regularly "ping" my network -- individual network members, members of LinkedIn Groups, and/or my ENTIRE network with useful information, updates and brand-specific content -- allowing me to "stay on the radar screen" with my important business contacts and prospective clients.
• New Clients.  LinkedIn has been an EXCELLENT source of new coaching clients over the years -- I regularly receive requests from individuals who met me EXCLUSIVELY through LinkedIn and who are interested in initiating an executive coaching or career coaching relationship.  I've had as many as three new clients in a 30 day period coming directly through LinkedIn.  Other than "word of mouth" referral, LinkedIn is my number two source of new client referrals.
• New Business Ventures. LinkedIn has also been an excellent vehicle for developing and expanding a number of new business ventures I have launched over the past five years.  LinkedIn is ALWAYS a key component of my marketing and "public relations" campaigns when expanding a business.
• Client Job Search Successes.  A number of my executive coaching clients, with my assistance and knowledge of how to effectively use LinkedIn, have secured job opportunities as a direct result of LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is an excellent job search tool.
• Business and Vendor Resources.  When I'm in need of outside resources, my LinkedIn network is definitely a "go to" resource.  LinkedIn serves as an excellent "yellow pages" for finding excellent third party business and vendor resources.
• Learning and Professional Development.  I could go on and on with this particular benefit of LinkedIn.  It's a source of great information, timely information and I use it as a way to keep current on important topics -- through Groups, through LinkedIn's "Answers" feature and through tuning in to my network's status update feed. 
• New Friends and Relationships.  LinkedIn has been a GREAT place to meet and get to know new people -- people who share in my interests, my areas of expertise and my outside interests and hobbies.

LinkedIn has worked for me because I HAVE SPENT TIME USING IT -- DAILY. 

How effective has it been for you?

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected]

www.CareerSuccessCommunity.com - The Premier Interactive Career Development Community

 

Set Up and Use Google Reader for Career Success

Keeping current on the latest thinking in your field, in your industry, in your profession and in matters pertaining to your customers and client base is a MUST DO for anyone with the desire to grow and development professionally and to stay on the cutting edge of client experience service delivery. 

An excellent tool for aggregating news, blog articles and other information of interest -- IN ONE PLACE -- easily accessible and continuously updated, is Google Reader.  Because it's "cloud-based" information, it's always available to you wherever you are, regardless of the computer you're using.

TRY THIS TODAY: (a 15-minute activity).  If you don't already have one, set up a Google Reader account and begin subscribing to feeds from blogs and other sources of information and articiles pertinent to your field, your industry, your profession and your customers.  Check out this short video, which will walk you through the process of setting up a Google Reader feed list. 

NEXT STEP: Continue adding feed sources to your Google Reader list, and develop a HABIT of reviewing you Google Reader news items on a daily basis.  Share relevant news (sending links or distributing through your social media updates) to your network, friends and contacts (a great way to give to your network and establish yourself as an expert in your field).

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Andy Robinson, Executive Career Coach
Co-host, Career Success Radio Show
A leading authority on career success; 15-year executive coaching veteran
Contact: [email protected], 239-285-5575

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