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Today, my colleague Dan Schawbel tweeted a link to an article by Scott Kirsner with information about LinkedIn that makes some interesting new suggestions and tips for LinkedIn users. I’ve been writing about LinkedIn for some time, but found a few great tips from Kirsner’s sources, Lee Hower (part of the founding team of LinkedIn, reporting to the chief executive) and David Gowel (called a “Jedi knight of LinkedIn.”)Whether or not you use these tips, be sure that you optimize your profile to include all of your previous jobs and keywords that will help people find you!
Spell your name wrong.
How many people are searching for you, but spelling your name wrong? O’Mally suggests including typical misspellings of your name in the “Summary” section. My suggestion – if you have changed your name after marriage or have a nic name many people know (or used to know) you as, include those as well.Take advantage of the toolbars.
While I don’t think that job seekers should spend an excessive amount of time searching for jobs on job boards, I thought this was a great reminder from the article:Add the free LinkedIn Browser Toolbar (available at the bottom of any LinkedIn page, to the right of the “Tools’’ heading). “If you go to job-hunting sites like Craigslist, CareerBuilder, or Monster and you’re looking at a job at a specific company, the toolbar tells you the number of people in your network who work at that company,’’ O’Malley says. “You can also see lists of those people’’ who might be willing to help call attention to your resume once you’ve sent it in.
I love this idea! It’s the perfect combination of networking and job board searching! Although, I like to advise clients to research and identify organizations rather than specific jobs, this is an enhancing option for job board fans.
LinkedIn can replace business cards.There’s a tiny link called “View/Edit contact info” that is in the right column of the screen for people who are connected to you. Did you know that you can actually save information about your contacts and use LinkedIn as a rolodex of sorts?Automated searches.
Did you know that you can track people being hired or leaving a company? (Stealthy!) Gowel says, “After you’ve done a search (regular or advanced), just click the link that says “Save this search.’’ LinkedIn will email you information weekly or monthly!Stealthy vs. public prowling.
You may or may not realize that LinkedIn tracks who views your profile. Well – there is a way for you to avoid being tracked. The post notes, “Click “Account and Settings’’ in the upper right corner of most pages, then under “Privacy Settings’’ choose “Profile Views.’’ You can select:This can be useful if you are stalking profiles, but think carefully about this option…There may be reasons that it would actually HELP you if someone knows you have reviewed their profile. For example, if you are going to be interviewed and you review the profile of your interviewer. I think it is a good thing for that person to know you are doing your homework!
There are other tips, but these were a few that I haven’t shared in the past! Read the entire post HERE.Need an optimized LinkedIn profile? Some tips to get your search moving forward? Learn how I can help with your job hunt.
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Article by Miriam Salpeter
Miriam Salpeter, author of Social Networking for Career Success, is a CNN-named "top 10 job tweeter" and contributor to U.S. News & World Report's "On Careers" column. Quoted in major media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and NBC news for her cutting-edge career advice, Miriam is an in-demand writer and speaker regarding job search and social media. She offers custom packages for job seekers and business owners, including transforming resumes and creating social media profiles/personal websites for clients. Keppie Careers has you covered. Let's get started!
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