Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Spell your name wrong in LinkedIn?

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LinkedInpic_logo_119x32Today, 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!

Some points they suggest in the piece that I have not written about (points theirs; commentary in my words):

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.



Seven Days to Online Networking – a review

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seven days to online networkingJ5502If you want to stay competitive in today’s job market, it is crucial to incorporate today’s social networking tools into your job search. Not necessarily to find more job postings (although that is certainly possible), but to connect and interact with people you might not ever have another opportunity to “know” online or meet in person.

I first meet Ellen Sautter and Diane Crompton, co-authors of the book, Seven Days to Online Networking, last April, and wrote about their presentation sharing some details from the book. I have since had the opportunity to get to know Ellen by attending a weekly networking event with her. Anyone looking forward to reading the book should know that Ellen really lives by the philosophy of helping job seekers connect and goes out of her way to be generous and helpful to anyone who requests her advice and assistance.

Ellen and Diane’s book really does cut down the clutter to help job seekers and others dive into social networking in a short amount of time. By first explaining WHY you would want to network with millions of people (!), exploring the issue of how to find the time and identifying the importance of social networking, they bring the reader to the “guts” of the book – How to Stand Out in the Cyberspace Crowd.

With a market flooded with profiles, blogs and digital dirt, can one person really make inroads and “be someone” online? The answer is yes – if you know what you are doing and how to get there! Ellen and Diane offer an easy to understand and digest tutorial to help even the most resistant networker join the fun online.

Readers will learn the “do’s and don’ts” of online networking, how to optimize their use of blogs (their own or others’), various professional networking sites to explore (such as XING and Ryze) and how to start thinking about a “webfolio” – information on a website identifying skills and accomplishments.

I highly recommend Seven Days to Online Networking to anyone who is overwhelmed at the prospect of jumping online, but recognizes how important it is for career success. WIN a copy! Leave a comment here and at my other blogs for a chance in a random drawing!

GreatPlaceJobs

Examiner.com

Secrets of the Job Hunt

Sometimes, it pays to  hire a coach to teach you everything you need to know! Need some help getting your job search jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

How to find a captive audience to fuel your job search

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tv at gas.outcastLast night, on my way home from the #ATLMix tweetup I co-hosted with Stephanie A. Lloyd (which was terrific – we had a wonderful turnout and a great time meeting up with new and old friends. If you joined us – THANK YOU) — I noticed that my gas tank was running on empty. (I have this bad habit of always waiting until the very last minute to get gas.)

I stopped to fill up, and as I  was starting to fuel, I heard a grunting noise. Then, a gurgling. Not so thrilled to be at an unfamiliar station late at night, I looked around, concerned, and thinking that I should have gotten gas on my way TO the tweetup!

Looking for the source of the noise, I noticed a video screen above the pump. Good – not a creepy person making strange noises. A baby. A LOUD baby in an ad above the gas register. Then, the screen flashed an inspiring message…”Advertise here. Why? Find a captive audience...” That was all I needed to see. What a concept – the captive audience.

Unless you already have made a name for yourself in your field and have a big following, it is unlikely that you already have a captive audience. So, as a job seeker – what can you do to find one?

First thing I would suggest is to expand your network. You need to connect with people who will appreciate your skills and experience and take a vested interest in moving your search forward. I love Twitter for this reason – it’s a great way to connect with all types of people and Twitter is a wonderful resource for your job hunt.

Another thing to consider – are you optimizing your LinkedIn presence? LinkedIn is probably the closest thing most job seekers have to a captive audience. Recruiters and hiring managers are increasingly turning to LinkedIn to source candidates. Learn how a recruiter uses LinkedIn and how to optimize your LinkedIn profile to fuel your search. You need to be sure you are making it easy to find you, otherwise you are wasting untold numbers of opportunities!

The best way to find a captive audience – make sure you are where your target audience can find you. Social networking is one great way. What other ways have you found or do you suggest job seekers look for a captive audience?

Sometimes, it pays to  hire a coach to help you fuel your search! Need some help getting your job search jump started? Not sure you can put all of the great tools at your disposal to good use? Need a great resume? Learn how I can help you propel your job hunt forward.

In Atlanta? GA is expecting > 10.7% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.

A discussion of social media for job seekers

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Interested in some great tips about how to use social networking for your job hunt? Wonder why you should conduct vanity searches regularly and what to do if you have the same name as a death row inmate(!) Do you know about pipl.com and why you should incorporate it into your search? I have just the resource for you…

I hope you’ll listen to the High Velocity Radio Show, guest hosted by Stephanie A. Lloyd of Radiant Veracity. I was a guest along with  Jenny DeVaughn, Senior Talent Consultant with Talent Connections. (There we are in the picture at lunch after the show.) We talked about using social media for both recruiters and job-seekers. Listeners will gain lots of inside tips and tricks!

You can listen to the show by clicking HERE.

We were joined in the studio by Lee Kantor, co-host, who runs Business RadioX, “an Atlanta-based internet radio network that helps entrepreneurs and business owners connect with their prospects and dramatically grow their businesses by hosting their own radio show and podcasting it on the internet.” If you are in Atlanta, be sure to review Business RadioX to learn about opportunities to host a radio show!

Do you need help with your job search? Follow this link to learn how I can help propel your job hunt!

In Atlanta? GA is expecting 10.1% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/.

The other side of the hiring desk, pt. 7: How a recruiter uses LinkedIn

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desk7P10517300Today, another interview with my friend and colleague Stephanie A. Lloyd, a Talent Strategies Consultant and Owner of Calibre Search Group in Atlanta, Georgia. She is a National Careers + Workplace Columnist for Examiner.com and also blogs at Radiant Verocity. You can also follow Stephanie on Twitter.

How important is it to be on LinkedIn and can you tell us how a recruiter uses LinkedIn to source candidates?

If you’re not on LinkedIn, create a profile *now.* I suggest a robust profile – the more the better. Recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn all the time to find candidates, doing key word searches. Many times these are based on job responsibilities, so if you have your title but don’t fill in what you did in each job you may not show up in the results. For the most part I copied and pasted my resume in to my LinkedIn profile.

The next thing you should do is search and select several groups to join. These should relate to your job function and/or industry. Jobs can now be posted free in groups, and if you’re a member you’ll have access to the listings. Recruiters join industry groups in order to have access to members. Remember, your goal is to be found!

Finally, recruiters and hiring managers are looking to see how many recommendations you have, and how genuine they are. Carefully select several people you have worked for and with in the past, and ask them to write a recommendation for you. A word of caution – if your recommendations are all reciprocal that can be a red flag (“I’ll write one for you if you’ll write one for me.”) Instead, write several (genuine) recommendations for other people you’ve worked with in the past and pay it forward.

Do you need help with your search? Follow this link to learn how I can help propel your job hunt!

In Atlanta? GA is expecting 10.1% unemployment. Get ahead of the game so you will be prepared to search for your next opportunity with local job search interventions: http://youneedajob.org/