Keppie Careers

Social media speaker, social media consultant, job search coach

Career tip — what makes you special and how will they remember you?

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This is part two of my series where I share tips from colleagues I met in October, when I attended the Career Directors International conference in San Diego. Today, a tip from Sherry Mirshahi of Interview Roadmap:

I agree that it is a great idea to carry networking cards. Some believe they are out-of-date, because people are using smart phones and apps to exchange information (via “bump” or another, similar technology). I admit that I am as guilty as the next person of taking a business card and intending to follow up, while the card slips to the black hole that seems to live inside my purse! However, I also often find myself referring to the cards I collected for contact information, a reminder of someone’s website I wanted to visit or to get connected via LinkedIn or Twitter after an event.

I don’t always remember all the details that I need to follow up, so business and/or networking cards are great for me.

However, be sure your card is professional. Alicia Sanera, founder and CEO of Sanera, The People Development Company, is a distinguished business consultant, coach, corporate facilitator and speaker. She recently wrote a post called, “Why I’m Shredding Your Business Card.” Sounds harsh, but her points are well taken, including:

  • Tiny font (we need to be able to read it)
  • No name (!)
  • No email contact

Make sure you hand out cards that represent the image you want to portray. I’m a fan of inexpensive services such as VistaPrint, but don’t hand out their free card with the ad on the back; it doesn’t say anything good about you, especially since the upgrade is only a few dollars. Aren’t you worth it?

Read Susan Kelly-Easton’s tip here.

photo by medialoog

Career tip — Find out what people think of you!

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In October, I attended the Career Directors International conference in San Diego, but I have been so busy traveling and attending events since then, I have not had a chance to write about it yet!

One thing I did when I was there was take some video of my friends sharing their “best career tip.” Today, a tip from Susan Kelly-Easton of Competitive Edge Career Services.

It was so much fun meeting and spending time with Susan, and I am delighted to share this tip with you!

One way to collect this input is via the Reach 360, a tool that is available for free online for a 15-day test. It allows you to request feedback from people anonymously and to learn what your contacts and colleagues think of you!

How to write your LinkedIn profile

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I’ve written about using Facebook for your job hunt this week, but clearly LinkedIn is an obvious place for professional networking and connecting. While your resume typically will be a formal document that doesn’t include the words I, me or my, LinkedIn is a place where you can tell a story.

In the “Summary” section, you can describe yourself and highlight something you have to offer that is unique. There is no need to be overly formal – write something that will draw the reader in!

My colleague Barbara Safani inspired me to write about this today with her tweets from the Career Directors International conference during Louise Kursmark’s presentation. Follow the hashtag #CDI09 on Twitter for lots of great insights from the speakers and participants in Orlando this week!

Here’s a sample of Barbara’s tweets to whet your appetite:

LI from Barbara

Feel free to share success stories, questions and thoughts about LinkedIn in the comments section!

While you’re at it, be sure to become a fan of Keppie Careers on Facebook…I’d be thrilled to have you as part of the community!

If you need help mobilizing your networks and your job search plans, learn more about how I can help you!