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#YourCareer : How To Create An Impressive LinkedIn Personal Brand. Your Career Identity is Your Professional Reputation. A MUst REad for All!

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Not everyone using LinkedIn is looking for a job. Today, John sought my help as he is the CEO and Founder of his own company. His goal was to take the skeleton profile he’d had up for years and make it a fantastic marketing tool for himself, mentioning his products and service. This is done by developing John’s personal brand, so his professional reputation online shines.

Poor first impressions are so challenging to overcome. Advertising your strengths, talents, accomplishments takes great finesse. However, presenting the best possible image of yourself can be a winning combination. By establishing a career identity that uses your natural and best talents, you can distinguish yourself from your peers, attract more business and impress job candidates who are considering coming to work for your organization. So, how exactly do you improve your current profile’s effectiveness? First, you create a career identity in a way that’s similar to how a company makes a brand vision for a product. The significant difference is that, in this case, the product is you.

Ask yourself this question: Do I know what my career identity is? Not your job title, but your career identity, that unique reputation you have and advertise to the world. If you don’t have an answer that automatically rolls off your tongue, you are not alone. Most people haven’t given much thought to how they are perceived. But everyone needs to think about that question if they wish to become the best they can be.

The most common mistake individuals make is simply ignoring their profile and not ensuring it’s updated and complete. If you haven’t touched it in years, then it needs a major overhaul. And it needs to stress your unique personal brand. Unfortunately, many people get confused about exactly how to do this.

 

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Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

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Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

Article continued …

Your career identity is your professional reputation, and it is also known as your “personal brand.” It reflects other people’s opinion of you as a worker, leader, the associations they make when they think about you, and what you do or don’t do well. Your personal brand, which I refer to as “Brand You,” communicates your career identity to the world. A job title is a title, but it is not who you are when we refer to your personal career identity.

Throughout your professional life, you must continually define and promote your personal brand to keep it vibrant and to distinguish yourself in the workplace. You need to set yourself apart by emphasizing your talents in a way that showcases what is distinctive about you. You can develop a mark of excellence that reflects your unique talents and abilities in the tasks or activities that you do best. People who display an excellent personal brand find it is the very reason for their success.

What is Brand You?

Your career identity is not some slick piece of advertising. Brand You is based on the authentic, talented, genuinely unique, and special person you are. It is not phony and conceited or an exaggeration, nor is it a trick or a fleeting fad. The components of Brand You are the essence of you as a person, which include: your work strengths, accomplishments, your image, passion, and personality traits, along with others’ perceptions of you, applied in a work environment.

There’s quite a crowd of human beings out there competing for recognition, new business, jobs you’d like to get. To stand out means utilizing Brand You, especially when most everyone else is largely undefined. Advancing your personal brand is the most effective career development strategy you can implement. Consider how you want to be thought of by others. Do you want them to see you as just plain, ordinary, average? The answer is an emphatic no.

Applying personal branding to distinguish yourself

Rick came to me with a challenge. He was a CEO of a company he had founded. He realized people were checking out his LinkedIn profile, and Rick needed to update and complete it so he would impress potential clients and prospective employees. He came to me with his challenge. He said: “Robin, I have hired two other companies in the past to develop my LinkedIn profile, with poor results. Can you help do this?”

I define a person’s career identity and translate it into their LinkedIn Profile. Approach your profile by answering these questions that I asked Rick.

What are your top strengths?

What are the talents and things you are best at performing?

What are the most important accomplishments you’ve made for each job title, mainly focusing only on the last ten years of work experience?

Once you have these answers, incorporate these facts into your Professional Experience section and the About section. Note this when writing:

Professional Experience section is written in the third person and states facts using the formula YOUR ACTIONS = RESULTS. For example:

 

  • Created and executed product roadmaps and strategy to develop new tools (scheduling, pricing, contract-building), adding essential automation to support 300+ internal customers. Results delivered a cost savings of $28M.

 

About section is written in first person. It is more personal and should offer a few nuggets about your personality and should cover what you are best at. For example, another CEO client’s section began:

 

  • As a result of becoming a father, I have dedicated myself to helping families effectively solve two critical problems and ease their parenting life.

 

He then explained the issues and how he founded and ran two companies that effectively solved both problems. You create a positive impact on readers when you make this section more personalized and genuine.

Your Recommendations Matter 

As the CEO of your own personal brand, your job is to actively build and shape your reputation into a very appealing one. LinkedIn is the most powerful tool in your career arsenal in today’s competitive workplace in your references or on LinkedIn, professional recommendations. It’s the comments in the recommendation from past bosses, colleagues, coworkers, business associates, or employees that define your career reputation. Asking a few select others to write you a professional recommendation is essential. The best way to ensure you get one is to ask a colleague to write one for you. In the request, make a note of what you’d like them to cover and write out a few lines that they can easily copy and post on your profile page. Only 1st connections can post, so be sure you only ask 1st connections. It’s wise to write and publish a recommendation on that person’s profile, mention you have done so, and then ask them to return the favor.

By differentiating yourself from the competition, you show your uniqueness and impress anyone that looks at you online via LinkedIn.

Your last step is to lay this all out in LinkedIn, converting your brand so it is apparent to anyone who reads it. This step-by-step guide, E-Guide for Creating a LinkedIn Profile, takes you through that process and will be most helpful in completing your profile.

Forbes.com – September 14, 2021 –  Robin Ryan

#BestofFSCBlog : Top Networking Tips For Job Seekers: Essential Do’s And Don’ts . Tip #1: Stop Shying Way from Networking. A MUst REad!

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One of the most important career activities that both new and seasoned professionals need to focus on today to accelerate their success is networking. But as we continue to move more fully to a digital world, there’s a great deal of confusion and misinformation about how to network effectively, particularly for folks just starting out but also for mid-career professionals who are unsure how to leverage top networking platforms such as LinkedIn in the best way.

In a typical year, I hear from hundreds of professionals globally asking questions about the specific steps they should take to reach out to strangers they’d like to connect with, as well as the best ways to build supportive, influential relationships that will help them land ideal roles, gain access to top organizations, achieve advancement and promotions, and get the info they need to steer clear of toxic workplaces. And in my work on LinkedIn, I personally experience every week people reaching out in an off-putting manner, burning bridges that could have been highly instrumental for them.

To explore this topic in greater depth, I recently joined Andrew Seaman, Senior Editor for Job Search and Careers for LinkedIn News, to discuss “Networking for Job Seekers: Building a Support Community To Help,” and here’s what we shared.

Below is my take on the most essential networking tipsthat will help you reach new mentors, sponsors and “ambassadors” who can open powerful doors to elevate you and your work:

Tip #1: Stop shying away from networking. Understand why networking is essential if you want to build a truly rewarding career that will grow as you grow  

But you need inspiring and influential people in your corner to help you land and assess potential jobs and continually evolve throughout your career. As one of my top mentors for the past decade,Judy Robinett—bestselling author of How to Be a Power Connector and Crack the Funding Code—teaches, to elevate our careers and professional endeavors, we have to “get in the right room” and not focus only on connecting with people who are our current level. And according to Ivan Misner—Founder of BNI.com, the world’s largest business network organization and who CNN called “The Father of Modern Networking,” we have to network “up” with our business idols to achieve the advancement we long for.

You simply cannot build an amazing, rewarding career without people in your corner who can help, advise and guide you, whatever professional stage you’re in.

A supportive network helps you1) identify great new jobs of interest, 2) vet companies and cultures, 3) connect with people already working at your ideal organization or in your desired field, 4) show you that you’re worthy of bigger possibilities than you originally considered, and 5) present yourself in a more confident and compelling manner.

Unfortunately, thousands of people resist networking for a number of key reasons. First, they shun it because they feel it’s somehow deeply challenging or even “unsavory” and “awkward.” And introverts can often perceive networking to be in stark contrast with their preferred personal style.

But there are ways to engage in networking without it feeling intimidating and difficult. Matthew Pollard, author of the bestselling new book The Introvert’s Edge to Networking, and an introvert himself, shares exactly how this can be accomplished, in our recent Finding Brave podcast interview.

Another mindset that helps shift people’s reluctance to networking is recognizing that the rules of engagement online are the exact same as those you apply in your personal life and in your in-person social situations. You should apply the same rules of etiquette and graciousness—and of being of service first and putting yourself in the other person’s shoes—when you’re attempting to connect with strangers online as you would meeting a new group of people in person.

What I’ve found helpful is to view LinkedIn as the “big cocktail party in the sky” where we can choose to meet the most inspiring people in the world who are doing great things that motivate us. So why wouldn’t we want to push ourselves to stretch out of our comfort zone and connect with these people who are making a huge positive impact in the world in the way we long to?

Another key thing to note regarding networking is that professionals who are unhappy in their work often stay isolated for years, not building the very relationships they need outside of their current organization, to help free themselves from those unsatisfying situations.

Many unfulfilled and disengaged professionals feel they don’t know how to talk about themselves or their achievements and talents in compelling and positive ways, so they remain hiding and stuck, often for years.

This challenge is, in fact, what my research has uncovered as one of the 7 most damaging power gaps that 98% of professional women (and 90% of the men I’ve studied) face today that block them from reaching their highest, most rewarding potential. This “hiding” behavior is what I refer to as Power Gap #4: Isolating From Influential Support, and according to my latest survey, 71% of professional women globally are experiencing this gap today. Further, when I ask unhappy professionals who their role models are, the most common answer is, “I don’t have any role models.” When we don’t have role models, we are holding ourselves back from key information and shining examples of new ways to operate and contribute professionally.

This has to change if you want to land ideal roles that excite and stretch you. You have to know what you’re great at, understand the great value you bring, and why hiring managers should employ you over someone else. And networking will help tremendously with that. You need to get more comfortable articulating in writing and verbally sharing information about your talents, contributions and areas of special achievement, on LinkedIn, on your resume, and in your interviews and conversations, if you wish to move forward in your career and your professional life.

Finally, it’s vitally important to remember that this next job won’t be your last job. To continue to grow and thrive throughout the long arch of your career and have the freedom and choice to make the moves you want to, you need a robust community of mentors, sponsors and ambassadors to open doors you can’t open by yourself and avoid the error of staying too long in a dead-end role or organization.

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

 

Tip #2: Make full use of LinkedIn and other networking platforms to build mutually-beneficial relationships that will help you

I’ve seen in working with professionals that “how you do LinkedIn is how you do your career.” In reviewing scores of LinkedIn profiles a day, I can tell in 5 minutes more about how you’re operating in your professional life than you probably know yourself.

Take steps this week to power up how you’re operating in your work as well as how you’re presenting yourself online about your work. Are you demonstrating that you are engaged, committed, excited about your work, a thought leader, a contributor, an inspiring manager, one who is making a difference?

As a start, make a list of the top 50 people in your career who have been the most helpful, and make a connection, and share how they’ve positively impacted you. Endorse and recommend them on LinkedIn. Engage in a “random act of kindness” every week and offer an unsolicited and generous endorsement.

Follow 50 top thought leaders and influencers in your field (or in the field you wish to enter) and share their posts and updates, with a detailed comment as to why their work inspires you. And always tag them in your shares. Be of service to them by amplifying their messages to your community.

Up level your profileand make sure you’re making full use of all the features available on LinkedIn, including:

  1. A beautiful, engaging banner image that represents you and what you care about most
  2. Attractive headshot with a face-forward, smiling image
  3. Compelling headline that follows this formula: What you do (functionally), who you do it for, and for what key outcomes
  4. Summary – articulate your top skills (use the best relevant keywords for your job and field), key contributions and the ways you’ve moved the needle in your area of expertise and what you’re most passionate about in the work you do
  5. The powerful outcomes you’ve generated in the jobs you’ve held—don’t just list “tasks” you’ve done. Share the key outcomes you’ve contributed to that have made a difference at your organization that other employers would want as well
  6. Skills for endorsement— select a robust, large list of skills (from the selections that LinkedIn provides) that you possess so others can endorse you for those skills
  7. Follow key groups and organizations that reflect your keen interests

 

Tip #3: Some key Do’s and Don’ts for job seekers wanting to network powerfully

Top Don’ts

  • Don’t reach out to a total stranger and ask for a favor immediately. Build a connection first and do that by being of generous service.
  • Don’t pitch someone hard right after you’ve connected with them. No one wants to be hawked, ever. You’ll burn bridges forever.
  • Don’t use canned language—be unique, creative and authentic.
  • Don’t ask a stranger whom you’ve just connected with to recommend you for a particular job, or introduce you to the hiring manager. People won’t put their own necks on the line for someone they don’t know at all.
  • Don’t ask a stranger if you can “pick their brain.” Recognize that many of the folks you’re asking information from make their living offering this type of consulting. And have empathy for how crushingly busy many of these people’s work-lives are.

 

Top Do’s:

  • DO make a list of 50 people you’d like to connect with, and be of service in some way (share their content and add your thought leadership, etc.)
  • DO join organizations, societies, groups in the field of your choice and be active in them—answer questions, offer thoughtful discussion points, etc.
  • DO remember to connect with a wide array of folks in and outside your field whom you like and admire. Demonstrate your potential to them by being of service through sharing their work.
  • DO write recommendations for those people who’ve had a positive impact on you, and also endorse them for key skills.
  • On LinkedIn, DO make your headline more than your job title. You’re more than any one job. Share a comprehensive over-arching statement of who you are as a professional over the trajectory of your career.

 

Tip #4: Be someone who is easy to help. 

Overall, the key message here is don’t be lazy or passive in your process of finding and vetting jobs that will help you thrive in your career. Do your part fully to build professional success and to embark on an exciting new chapter.

Here’s how:

  • Develop an ideal job description of what you want to do next, with all the criteria, qualifications, areas of expertise, etc. of a job you’d love to assume, and share that widely with your mentors.
  • If you don’t have all the qualifications for the job you want, take steps to close those power and skill gaps. Take a class, earn a certification, volunteer, intern, etc. to build those skills.
  • Remember to go for a job even you only have 50-60% of the qualifications, not 100%. Research has shown that often men will go for jobs when they only have 60% of the listed qualifications, but women tend to go only for roles where they have 100% of the qualifications. Don’t make that mistake. Go for stretch roles. Jobs are often created and shaped for the right candidate.
  • Make a list of 20 organizations that you’d love to work for, and find within your existing connections (people you’ve already built a relationship with) someone who might know of an individual who works there that you could speak to.
  • Do your due diligence—read about your desired organizations on salary.com, glassdoor.com, LinkedIn, etc. to get a real feel for what’s behind the scenes (work culture, style, diversity, etc.).

 

Tip #5: Finally, understand that success in your job search and career is inextricably linked to how you feel about yourself internally and how you talk about yourself externally.

It’s essential to understand and communicate the core value you deliver, and the positive impact you can make in a new organization.

If you lack confidence, self-worth, and a clear assessment of what you offer, and you need to develop a stronger ability to communicate what you bring to the table and how you stand out from the competition, then get some outside help. Close your power gaps, and take brave action today to stretch beyond where you believe you are.

Once you do, doors will open and your potential will soar.

 

Author:  Kathy Caprino, M.A. is a career and leadership coach, speaker, educator, and author of The Most Powerful You: 7 Bravery-Boosting Paths to Career Bliss. She helps professionals build their most rewarding careers through her Career & Leadership Breakthrough programs, Finding Brave podcast, and her new Most Powerful You course.

Forbes.com | September 2, 2021

#BestofFSCBlog : #SocialMediaNetworking – Leveraging the Power of LinkedIn Groups. A MUst REad for All!

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No doubt, you know by now that LinkedIn is the place to be if you are an executive or professional looking to advance in your career. But just how can you leverage the power of LinkedIn to do that? One of many ways you can leverage LinkedIn is by participating in different groups. Joining a few groups can boost your LinkedIn profile development, since you’ll naturally gain more connections as a result. However, you have to be careful with how you approach these groups.

Here are some great tips on how to optimize your LinkedIn profile and expand your network by joining groups.

 

Be Wise When Choosing Groups

Currently, there are over 2 million active LinkedIn groups with 8,000 joining the ranks each week. You could join 50 groups, but you can’t actually utilize that many, nor do you need to join that many to leverage LI’s power. Consider joining groups related to your industry, your social life, interests, hobbies, school affiliation, and other similar groups. The more groups you join with relevance to your interests, the better chance you’ll have of expanding your network properly with people you can relate with.

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Observe Group Conversations

Once you join a group, watch and learn. Don’t jump into the conversation right away. People in groups are generally familiar with one another, so they may not like it if you barge in on their discussions. Instead, sit back and observe conversations for a few days or a couple of weeks. See how the group members interact with one another, so you’re able to fit in more naturally once you become more active in the group.

 

Introduce Yourself

After taking some time to observe the climate and determining whether this group is a good fit, write a nice introduction to the group. Tell them to visit your LinkedIn profile to learn your background, but also tell them things about yourself that aren’t on your profile. The more you talk about yourself, the wider range of people you’ll be able to relate to. When you’re trying to boost your LinkedIn profile with more connections, relating to people is the best way to go.

 

Become Active

Now that you’ve introduced yourself, be sure to reply to any comments welcoming you to the group. From that point on, people are at least familiar with your name and would enjoy having you in discussions. One mistake people often make is not being active in a group, so other members will forget about you. Activity in LinkedIn groups is the best way to expand your network. The hard part is over—find the group and introducing yourself. Now, be active and participate in the group.

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog – June 15, 2021

#JobSearch : This Summer May be the Best Time for Networking Ever! THIS Summer is Different!!

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As a rule, summer isn’t considered the best time to network, connect for a job opening, drum up new business, or make new connections. People typically are on vacation, traveling, and formal networking events aren’t typically planned. BUT—THIS summer is different!! People have been cooped up in their homes for months, travel hasn’t been happening, venues have been closed, and people are looking to get out and start moving around again. With that comes a desire to get back to some sense of normalcy.

People want to start connecting with other people face-to-face, get away from their screens, and have “real” conversations. This presents a great opportunity for avenues of connection that could prove to be more valuable. Here are some reasons why you may need to look at this summer as your chance to improve your personal branding, make some new connections, and revive some old.

People Want to Connect and Will Make Time

Since many businesses hit their slower months during the summer, you’ll notice people are more relaxed than normal. This means they should be more willing to connect with you. And with restaurants reopening, you can finally grab a cup of coffee or go to brunch. Taking a relaxed and casual approach when networking during the summer can improve personal branding for senior level managers more than you think.

Use Downtime to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile

Summer could also prove to be the best time to work on your executive LinkedIn profile. This year, companies are still looking for employees, so you want your LinkedIn profile to be complete and up-to-date when they reach out. Use your downtime to connect with those you haven’t connected with recently, join a LinkedIn group, or make some new connections. You can also job search through LinkedIn and use it to connect with companies directly. Take time to learn about all the tools available through LinkedIn to help in your job search or to find some great new connections.

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Be on the Lookout for Networking Opportunities

The summer months offer some of the most unique networking opportunities when compared to other times of the year. You don’t have to be dressed in professional attire in order to make a connection. Listen to conversations at the beach, at sporting events, kids’ events, or anywhere else you may be. As much as people say they don’t want to think about work when they are at different places, many conversations will inevitably lead that way. You never want to miss the opportunity to work on personal branding for senior level managers.Professional Resume Services has plenty more networking tips like these to get you through the summer. Whether you need assistance with your LinkedIn profile development or identifying other networking opportunities, feel free to contact us at any time.

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

FSC Career Blog – June 4, 2021

#YourCareer : Build Your Authority on LinkedIn. Ya Think LinkedIn is Just for Your Job Search?? Think Again!

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I’ve noticed that many of the job seekers I talk to don’t utilize LinkedIn for reasons other than job search.  It’s also a great platform to help you build authority as a thought leader! 💡💡 

What are some ways you can do this?

Complete your profile. Fill in all the areas. Top to bottom. Leaving sections blank leaves questions unanswered. Be as thorough as possible.
Add a profile photo AND a background cover photo…get rid of that blue LI background! You will get more views, and it adds personality and helps to brand you by having a photo of your industry or product you represent.

 

Like this Article?  Share It!    You now can easily enjoy/follow/share Today our Award-Winning Articles/Blogs with Now Over 2.5 Million Growing Participates Worldwide in our various Social Media formats below:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-g-laughter-b46389198/

Twitter: Follow us @ firstsunllc

Best Daily Choice: Follow the Best of FSC Career Articles/Blogs @

https://twitter.com/search?q=bestoffscblog&src=typeahead_click

Question: Want the ‘the best/current articles/blogs on the web’ on Job Search, Resume, Advancing/Changing your Career, or simply Managing People?

Answer: Simply go to our FSC Career Blog below & Type(#Jobsearch, #Resume, or #Networking) in Blog Search:  https://www.firstsun.com/fsc-career-blog/

What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Did you know?  First Sun Consulting, LLc (FSC) is celebrating over 30 years in the delivery of corporate & individual outplacement services & programs to over 1200 of our corporate clients in the U.S., Canada, UK, & Mexico!  

We here at FSC want to thank each of corporate partners in the opportunity in serving & moving each of their transitioning employee(s) rapidly toward employment !

 

Article continued …

Start writing. Show your expertise, experiences, and things of interest to you. with articles or posts–either share or write them. Your objective is to build credibility and achieve increased visibility. They both remain on your profile for others to view. When commenting, think about influencing and helping/supporting others. Activity on LI raised your ranking in the search algorithms.

Join discussions. Read something that pertains to your field? Talk about it. Add your .02 and expertise or experience. Share something that will keep the discussion going. Make sure the comment is 5 words or more to be considered a thoughtful comment by LI algorithms…otherwise it is ignored. Try LI groups for this as well.

Connect. Connect with people in (and out of) your industry. The more you engage and reach out to people, the more apt they will be to help you. Connections to consider are vendors, partners, colleagues, decision-makers in your target companies. Etc. Comment on their posts and build a stronger, supportive relationship.

Improve. Take a course or certification? Add it. Take a skills test on LI.

Commit. Make a plan to use LI three times a week, ten minutes a day. The more you use LinkedIn, the more it will work for you! Now that your profile is fully optimized, use it! It is a living organism.

In today’s professional (and unpredictable) world, being on LinkedIn is crucial. Making your presence strong and credible is even more important. Build your profile and connections, and then network and engage on a daily basis, or as often as you can to show who you are, what you have achieved, and the credibility and value you offer in your field. You won’t be sorry and may even snag the career opportunity of your dreams!

 

FSC Career Blog Author:  Ms. Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

FSC Career Blog – April 12, 2021

#BestofFSCBlog : 5 Ways To Update/Change Your LinkedIn Profile For A Career Change. Holiday Season is Prime Time for Networking! MUst REad!

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If you hope the new year brings a new career, you’ll want to promote your background in a way that translates to your new target field. Your LinkedIn profile is a powerful tool to reposition yourself for a new industry, role or both. LinkedIn is public and searchable, so not only prospective employers and recruiters might view it, but also potential connections who can offer information, leads or other support.

LinkedIn is a social network, and we’re still in holiday season – prime time for networking! Therefore, updating these five aspects of your LinkedIn profile so that it supports your career change should be a priority:

1 – Rewrite the Headline for your new target industry and/or role

If you don’t customize the phrase that appears right below your name, it can default to your current title and company. That’s sufficient if you want to continue working in the same industry and role. However, if you aspire to change careers, you don’t want your old industry and/or role to be the first thing potential connections and employers see. (Your headline may be the only thing employers, recruiters and other potential connections see if you appear in search results, and people decide not to click since your headline isn’t relevant.)

For example, let’s say you are currently a marketing manager at a bank, but you want to do marketing for a media company. You could change your headline to include your marketing expertise overall – e.g., Marketing Manager | Partnerships | Direct Mail | E-commerce. This takes the focus away from banking, which isn’t relevant, and highlights your marketing expertise, which still fits.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

 

2 – Highlight new activities in the About section

Similarly, when you summarize your background in the About section, open with the most relevant and substantive qualifications for your new field, even if your experience in previous industries or roles is lengthier. You want to catch the reader’s attention early, since they may not read everything, or even if they do, once they see you in the old industry or role, they won’t see you as a potential fit for something new.

For example, you might have 20 years of experience at the bank, but you could still open with your enthusiasm for the latest media trends. If you are working at all in your new industry (even if it’s a side consulting project or volunteer work), highlight that first. If you have certifications or are an active member of a relevant professional association, that can also legitimize your interest in the new field. If instead you open with a laundry list of your old experience, expertise and skills, by the time they get to the new stuff, they will see you as a newbie and therefore a hiring risk.

3 – Showcase your new expertise in your Activity

In addition to the About section, your Activity – e.g., posts you write, comments on other posts, videos or presentations you attach – can be tailored to the new career and showcase your expertise. Being active in your new field is also a good way to make and expand your network in that field. An insider may take note of your insights and make introductions for you to others.

For example, you could summarize insights from books or courses you are taking to learn about your new field. If you conduct informational interviews (and you should), you could highlight key takeaways from these meetings. You don’t need to produce content from scratch – you could follow executives in your target function or dream companies and comment on what they post.

4 – Include substantive consulting, part-time or volunteer work in Experience

The work experience you include in the Experience section doesn’t need to be paid or your primary job, as long as it’s substantive. Yes, you could also put volunteer work in the Volunteer section, but then it might be overlooked. Your goal is to catch the reader’s attention early before they have formed an opinion about you as being too deeply embedded in your old career.

This also includes how you organize the description about your current job — if some aspects of your job are more relevant to your new career than others, highlight these first. For example, a client of mine made a career change from financial services to education. It seems like a big pivot given she had decades in her original industry. However, in her last job, even though the bulk of it was financial, she also had some mentoring and training activities which she listed first.

5 – Speak to your new audience with relevant keywords

Whether it’s your headline, summary, activity, experience or other section, review what you include and how you describe it from the perspective of your new target field. Avoid jargon that only applies to niche areas. Generalize your skills so that multiple industries can see your value.

For example, I had a client in the transportation industry switch out references to passengers for customers. Another client in healthcare switched out patients for clients. A seemingly small change does make your profile more welcoming.

Put your LinkedIn URL in your email signature so your entire network has your updated information

Of course having an updated, career change-friendly profile is meaningless if no one sees it. Putting your LinkedIn URL into your email signature (your personal one, not your current work!) is an inobtrusive way of attaching your background to every correspondence. While it’s presumptuous to send people a resume (and people who don’t know you well may not open an email with an attachment), posting a URL gives access to the same information but more subtly.

As a career changer, most of your network will likely be in your old career rather than your new target, so your existing connections may not know all your adventures in your new career. Pointing them to your profile in each and everh email is an ongoing reminder of what you do and how much you’re working towards something new.

 

Forbes.com – December 30, 2020 – Caroline Ceniza-Levine

#YourCareer : Build Your Brand Through LinkedIn Recommendations. Recommendations are Like an Online Review of Who you Are.

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I don’t know about you, but before I buy anything online, I read the reviews. I like to read a first-hand perspective from other buyers. Very often a review will change my mind. Think about that when it comes to LinkedIn recommendations.

Recommendations are like an online review of who you are, your work, etc. Receiving recommendations from colleagues, past supervisors, professors, etc. can act as a professional reference for your expertise, skills, and overall work ethic. It’s social proof for you.

But how do you go about receiving recommendations from your network? 

Here’s the Plan:

  1. Make a list of people you’ve had contact with at previous companies or projects.
  2. After you write it, send them an email telling them what a great job they did.
  3. The best time to do this is right after the event is done.
  4. Wait a week or so, then contact them and ask if they would be willing to write one for you.
  5. Be sure to send them a thank you if they follow through.

So now you have the plan, but how do you go about executing on it? 

What to Include in Your Recommendation

When you’re writing a LinkedIn recommendation for a connection, think about what you would want someone to say about you. Be specific when it comes to your experience with working with them or how you know what they bring to the table. Grab the reader’s attention with the first sentence and be very clear as to why you think they will succeed in any given endeavor. And never hesitate to ask your connection what information they would like you to include in the recommendation as well, so it’s tailored appropriately. It only needs to be 2-3 sentences, not a novel.

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued … 

Requesting Recommendations

Now that you’ve written recommendations for your colleagues, you can feel more comfortable asking for one in return. You can do this through email or through, sending a personalized message or on the main page, under “More” you can ask for a recommendation. Don’t expect everyone to respond with one, but be sure to thank those that send them. 

Choose Your Recommendations Carefully

You may receive recommendations from your network you never requested. Think quality over quantity at this point. LinkedIn gives you the opportunity to review your recommendations before they get posted on your profile. Don’t just accept every recommendation without reading them first. You want to make sure it matches your personal brand before accepting. On the other hand, you could harm your own reputation if you give out a recommendation every time you’re asked. Unless you worked closely with the person or know them very well, proceed with caution before writing one. Hiring managers and recruiters can tell a genuine recommendation from a fabricated one, so it’s not worth it just to make someone happy.

If managed properly, LinkedIn recommendations can increase your brand messaging and shore up your social proof. But live by the motto of “reciprocity”, giving back and sharing the love to your network in return.

FSC Career Blog Author:  Erin Kennedy, MCD, CMRW, CPRW, CERW, CEMC, is a Certified Professional Resume Writer/Career Consultant, and the President of Professional Resume Services, named one of Forbes “Top 100 Career Websites”. Considered an influencer, she is consistently listed as a “Top Career Expert to Follow” on Twitter and LinkedIn.

 

#JobSearch : How To Land A New Job In Tough Times. What Is the Ideal Strategy to Land a New Job? A MUst Read!

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Yesterday a Baby Boomer called me with a question that many of you might be tossing around. Sandy asked, “I really dislike my current boss, and I want to leave this job, but should I just be grateful I have a job and not try for a new one? The pandemic has caused so much bad news about company closings, reduced hiring, and my brother just lost his job. It has got me down, so should I stop complaining, suck it up, and hang on for another year or two until times are better?”

Sandy’s fear is understandable. She thinks that few employers are hiring, which is not valid. I never advocate for anyone to remain in a miserable work situation. Understanding she needs a paycheck, I suggested that she test the hiring waters to see if her skills are in demand. I reassured her that I’ve just had four clients get hired for great paying jobs. Two were Baby Boomer professionals making over six-figures. Another was a 2020 grad getting an excellent opportunity to launch his career in a field he wanted. Lastly, the mid-level client who got the remote job he wanted.

There are new opportunities available. So, don’t assume all the bad news means you can’t land a better job – YOU CAN! It will take more time than before. You must use some job search savvy and know what is effective and what doesn’t work. You need to take the calculated risk and see what develops. I think you’ll be surprised by the positive results if you implement the right job-hunting strategies.

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

What is the ideal strategy to land a new job? The answer is being referred to the company and the hiring manager by an employee or colleague they know.  Jobvite, a talent acquisition system reported that employee referrals only make up about 7% of potential candidates, but the number of those referred candidates hired is 44%. 44%! That makes this well worth the effort to try and locate a connection to someone inside the company. LinkedIn is the ideal place to search for contacts and obtain a referral.

In today’s challenging economy, people who learn and use networking techniques will be those that succeed. But for some people, the task of networking is hard to do. Ken was a Program Manager for a tech company who had lost his job because of the Covid pandemic. He became a client and told me he had no network to speak of. Ken had no LinkedIn profile and did not belong to professional or civic organizations. An introvert, Ken disliked the idea of networking, but he did email a few colleagues and his old boss, but no one had any job openings, so he stopped. We started our career counseling sessions by educating Ken on what today’s job search involved.

First, I wrote him a powerful resume, and then we developed a complete LinkedIn Profile. I gave him the mission to make connections with a target of obtaining at least 300. Next, we worked on having him learn some effective networking strategies. He was surprised by the fact that according to a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and Yale University report, 70% of all jobs are found through networking. Learning more effective techniques, he began again. The changes he made worked. Recruiters contacted him, and an old colleague he found on LinkedIn passed on his resume for a great job opportunity at her company. The employer called, and after several interviews, he was selected and hired for a terrific new job.

Today’s job market requires you to approach the job hunt differently than before. Here are a few tips to get started.

Increase your contacts. LinkedIn has become the place to collect contacts. An excellent way to farm for connections is to think about all the people you have worked with. Note former bosses, coworkers, colleagues, vendors, anyone you interacted with at your last job, and other positions you have held.  Many people add their company’s Executive leadership team too. Next, invite your friends, neighbors, family, and college alum friends. Then branch into your professional associations and connect with those folks, especially the group’s leadership team, and board members. When it comes to networking, the more connections you have, the better.

Do not waste a contact. Do not approach people until you are ready. A common mistake is to frantically call EVERYONE you’ve ever met and say, “I’m looking for a job – do you know of one?” Huge error! You must clearly articulate the specific job title, company, and kind of company you want to work for. Instead, you can reach out to connections individually. Calls are great, emails work, and if you don’t have those, use LinkedIn to send them a message. Tell the contact you are job hunting. Be specific on the job title you seek. Ask them what is happening in their company. Don’t expect them to know of a job, but some will and usually share that information as they want to help you. Another thing to ask is if a job comes up at their company, would they pass on your resume. Most times, the answer is yes.

Have Your Resume Ready. The goal of your resume is to secure interviews. Is your resume updated and downright the best it can be? Will it get through the employer’s Applicant Tracking System? Is it full of accomplishments and the results you achieved on the job? Will it stand out in a crowd? Find out before you network. A useful Forbes article to read to ensure your resume is topnotch and will impress employers is: Employers Ignoring Your Resume? 5 Mistakes To Avoid.

Dig deep so you can use a Referral. When you hear of an opening or find the opportunity online, go to LinkedIn and search “the employer’s name” and use the “people” drop-down tab. This will bring up anyone in your online network who works there. You can also see 2nd connections and who you know that may know someone at that company. Reach out to the person and tell them about the opening you plan to apply for, and would they be willing to pass on your resume to HR or the recruiter. Some companies pay their employees for any referred person they hire, so this might help your contact too. Forward on your resume. Just to cover all bases, do apply online for the job opening also. You want to be found in the employer’s system if the connection doesn’t come through. (Most do, in my experience).

Know What to Say. Be able to offer a concise intro about your skills and experience when talking to connections, recruiters, and eventually hiring managers. A technique I call the 60 Second Sell (outlined in this Forbes article Best Way To Open An Interview To Secure A Job Offer) gives you the easy formula to create your persuasive elevator speech and verbal business card. You want to quickly outline experience, your top strengths, and some key outcomes you’ve achieved on the job as you only have about one minute to impress them.

It’s a whole new job market, so you’ll move ahead of the competition if you use these strategies.

 

Forbes.com | December 1, 2020 | Robin Ryan

#JobSearch : Where to Search for Today’s Jobs -Finding Your Next Opportunity. It Might Seem Counterintuitive, but the More Experienced you Are, the Longer it May Take You to Find a Job.

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Finding the perfect job takes time, patience and the right resources. It takes people around nine weeks, on average, to find a job once they start searching, according to Indeed.com. The time it takes for you may vary depending on your industry, location and level of experience. It might seem counterintuitive, but the more experienced you are, the longer it may take you to find a job, because employers may see you as overqualified.

But there are some ways you can make the search more constructive.

1. Network.
One of the most powerful things you can do when searching for jobs is actively network. It can be awkward and, for people who aren’t naturally outgoing, requires a bit of courage and initiative.
  • Start with friends and people you know. Get a feel for creating rapport with those you are already comfortable with in order to have some ice-breakers ready to go when you expand beyond your social circles.
  • Find people who have similar jobs to the one you are seeking. Let them know you would like to learn more about their jobs and see if they know of any openings in the industry. The more you make connections, the easier it will be to gather intel on what is available.
  • Force yourself out of your comfort zone. Start reaching out beyond your immediate circle once you feel like you have a good rhythm. You don’t need to contact 10 people right out of the gate. The first couple of cold calls are always the hardest.
  • Know that people genuinely enjoy your interest in them. Don’t feel like you are imposing on people by asking about their jobs. Steve Dalton, author of the “Two Hour Job Search” told us, “It’s an old maxim that ‘interested is interesting.’ They take a reciprocal interest in you because you have good taste in who you listen to speak, and that’s where jobs come from.”

 

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What Skill Sets Do You have to be ‘Sharpened’ ?

Article continued …

2. Start your search with online job boards.

Looking at online job boards is an efficient way to find opportunities. Most employers use one or more of them to find candidates.

Glassdoor: Glassdoor is known as a resource for researching a potential employer. You will find ratings and reviews of different employers on a range of topics, such as compensation, company culture, how generous benefits are, and what employees think about top executives.

Indeed: Indeed’s main function is as a search engine for jobs. It also happens to be one of the most popular sites for job candidates, which makes it attractive to employers trying to cast a wide net in search of potential candidates. It has other value-add offerings, such as a salary comparison tool, allowing you to look at compensation trends among different industries. It also allows other users to review companies, providing insights into what it might be like to work for or interview at certain companies.

Ladders: The selling point of TheLadders is that it only features vetted jobs with annual compensation of $100,000 or above. It offers a well-curated index of jobs by industry and skill specialism. It also allows you to filter by the highest-paying companies in each industry.

LinkedIn: LinkedIn markets itself as a “professional social network” where, aside from job listings, you can potentially reach decision makers at the companies you wish to apply to. Candidates can get an edge by looking at the profiles and posts of those who they might be interviewing with for insights into their career paths. Since users’ profiles are always available to view and the platform is used for networking, LinkedIn allows potential employers to find you whether or not you are actively seeking a new job. This sets it apart from other job sites.

SimplyHired: This site can flag job openings to you based on your location. It also offers a resume-building tool with a number of templates and formats specific to your career. Employers aren’t charged to post jobs on SimplyHired, so the quality of the jobs may not be quite as high as on other boards.

Upwork: If you are looking for freelance gigs, there are a wealth of job opportunities on Upwork, particularly if you have technical or design skills. The platform is well designed for bidding on jobs and communicating with those commissioning the work.

ZipRecruiter: ZipRecruiter’s key features include an option to message with employers through the site and a one-click application option. The platform will also let you know when employers are looking at your resume.

Key takeaways from job boards

  • Different boards have different features, so it makes sense to use more than one to take advantage of the resources they offer.
  • Researching a potential employer can help you decide where you want to work.
  • You can streamline your search using boards that cater to certain pay levels, or based on employee and interviewee feedback.
3. Get an inside track by joining a professional organization.

Professional organizations can be a useful way to network with people in your industry and give you access to jobs that might not be widely found on the job boards we mentioned above. JobStars has a list of professional organizations you can use as a starting point for finding one relevant for your search.

4. Get someone to be your job advocate. Work with placement agencies and job recruiters.

Agencies and recruiters can maximize your search potential by actively looking for work for you. Once they have familiarized themselves with your skills and experience, they can be an additional resource pounding the pavement to help you land your dream job.

Keep in mind agencies and recruiters will receive a fee from the employer for placing you, and companies only work with a preferred list of agencies and recruiters. This can work both for and against you, depending on whether the job you are hoping to get is one they have been approved to recruit for.

You can find lists of recruiters and agencies by industry on JobStars. Other websites where you can find recruiters include SearchFirm, Online Recruiters Directory and Recruiterly. For creative jobs, a great place to look is Aquent.

 

WSJ.com | November 11, 2020 | Anthony DeRosa