Kathy Taylor on Using LinkedIn on Your Job Search

The following is a guest post by Kathy Taylor, co-author of How to Succeed in Business Using LinkedIn with Eric Butow, on how job-seekers can use LinkedIn to their advantage.

LinkedIn is growing at a rapid pace, with a new member joining LinkedIn approximately every second (and about half of members are outside the U.S.) It has over 39 million members in over 200 countries and territories around the world and executives from all Fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members. So how can you benefit from this massive network, based on one-to-one connections?

Build Your Profile and Your Personal Brand.

In the current job market, creativity is the word of the day. If you are looking now (along with thousands of other people), you must make your LinkedIn profile stand out. Create a meaty profile for recruiters and hiring managers to see details about your professional life: responsibilities, accomplishments, awards, and professional organizations. Keep a great employment history with lots of description and be sure to include a link to your LinkedIn profile page on your resume. If you are in a field that is very cutting edge such as technology, punch up or emphasize key words on your profile on LinkedIn that will attract those companies that are in growth mode, not downsizing mode.

You can also use LinkedIn to build a personal brand. It’s a big world out there so how will you set yourself apart from everyone else? You can use LinkedIn to distinguish yourself building on your genuine skills and experience. Use people’s updates, discussion groups, and the “Answers” section to stay on top of the latest trends. What easier way to know what’s going on in an industry than being connected to the people in it? People are often asking questions about the latest thing (trying to work it out), helping you keep a pulse on what people are interested in. You can also use the “Answers” section to showcase your expertise. Impress your future boss by answering questions, making introductions, and actively working on LinkedIn. Don’t be afraid to ask questions on LinkedIn; there are people out there with answers.

Build Your Network and Benefit From It.

Everyone knows that the best way to find jobs is through your “network,” but how can you best take advantage of it? LinkedIn provides a great way for you to connect, re-connect, and stay in touch with all the people in your professional life, from your first internship to managing 50 employees. You may have gotten someone’s business card two months ago but are they still there? LinkedIn allows you to build your network as broadly as you can, with connections to your previous employers and schools, and spread your network to areas that you hadn’t considered before, such as alumni, friends, family and neighbors, so that a new set of people will find you. Start with the immediate connections and keep expanding out.

Take the time right now to get recommendations on your profile—the full 360°. Typically employers check references (usually your old boss) before hiring someone new. With LinkedIn, they can see all the great things people have to say about you beforehand and they can come from all around you – bosses, clients, colleagues, and the people you manage. This is the quickest way for a hiring manager to understand who you are and the reputation you have. She may find that she knows one or two of the references directly or through one other person to check you out thoroughly. Recommendations are also a great way of building up relationships with people for now and for the future. So what is the best way to get recommendations? Start writing them for other people. It’s common courtesy to reciprocate and people are more likely to be effusive about you once you’ve complimented their professional skill. You can also request recommendations from people, but it’s best to write one for them first.

Find and Then Get the Jobs.

First of all, start broadcasting that you are on the job-hunt (assuming you want everyone to know). Use your status update or InMail to send messages to your connections that you are looking for a job (privately if you don’t want your current boss to know). Also start checking your connections’ connections—you never know where a click-through will lead you.

Looking in the “Jobs” section on LinkedIn is a great way to start, but look to see how you are connected to that company or hiring manager and use that avenue to get your resume noticed. Coming across the transom with every other resume is not a way to make your information stand out. Send your information through a connection that knows you well to make sure your message gets passed along to the right person. Also utilize “JobsInsider” to get the latest listings from other job search sites and upload your resume.

Say you get that interview…LinkedIn has done it’s job right? No! You can learn about your hiring manager via their profile. You research a company and a hiring manager before the interview, so LinkedIn can help you with the company and hiring manager profiles. You might find something great to talk about in the interview, such as you both went to cooking school before going into IT.

And finally, looking for a job is a job, make sure you do something every day to move the ball forward.

Kathy Taylor is cofounder of Talent-Planet, an executive talent firm focusing primarily on high tech emerging growth companies the United States. She has more than 10 years of experience in her field and is an expert in recruiting through a variety of social networking sites, including LinkedIn. Together with Eric Butow, they are the authors of How to Succeed in Business Using LinkedIn: Making Connections and Capturing Opportunities on the World’s #1 Business Networking Site (AMACOM 2008), which Library Journal said “this informative text is well written; because of its value to business and human resources professionals and to individuals developing their careers, it is recommended for all academic and public collections.” Eric Butow is the CEO of Butow Communications Group, a technical writing and Web design firm, and is the author of 12 books including User Interface Design for Mere Mortals and Amp Your MySpace Page. He lives in Roseville, California.

Our final post for “Job Hunting in a Recession Week” coming tomorrow: Tony Beshara will be sharing the top ten interview mistakes job candidates make on an initial interview.n

Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D. on Using Visualization on the Job Hunt

The following is a guest post by Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D., author of Want It, See It, Get It! (AMACOM 2009).

Using visualization can be a powerful tool to help you land a job – or create work assignments for yourself as an alternative to finding a job.

Many in your field may have undergone lay-offs or restructuring, so you can’t find the kind of job you have held in the past. If so, you need to think who you are and how the skills and talents you have can be applied in a new setting. Or you may need to think of what new skills you need to learn for something you would like to do. Or possibly instead of finding a new job, you might turn your skills into a service you can provide.

Visualization can enable you to imagine the possibilities–so you can come up with more ideas to choose from and then feel more strongly and knowingly what to do. In a sense, finding a job or creating new work for yourself in today’s tough times takes more imagination and creativity, but if you put the power of visualization to work you can do this more successfully.

To prepare for the visualization process, get some paper and a pencil or pen so you can note your great ideas or use a cassette recorder and talk into it, if you would prefer to say your ideas aloud rather than write them. Then, find a comfortable quiet place where you can be alone for about 20-30 minutes.

Now get relaxed, and imagine that there is a screen in front of you where you will see the answers in the form of images or words in your minds eye. Then, ask yourself a series of questions and don’t try to judge or rate the answers in any way now. You’ll do that later, when it comes time to prioritize and choose.

Then, ask yourself the following questions as relevant to your job search:

- What kind of skills and talents do I have? Just write down or record whatever comes to mind. Later, you can rate your strongest skills and prioritize by ranking them from 1 (highest) to 5 (lowest) which you would most like to use now?

- What types of industries might be able to use my job skills? Again, just write down or record whatever comes to you, and later you can rate the industries you prefer and prioritize them.

- What steps can I take now to approach people in these industries about a new job?

- How can I best present myself to offer these new job skills? What might I do to show that I can apply these new skills in this new field? Then, be prepared to put the best suggestions into action, such as creating a portfolio to show what you can do; getting testimonials from individuals or organizations where you have used these skills as a volunteer, etc.)

Or if you are open to creating a new business using your skills and talents, ask yourself the following questions:

- What do people especially need now that they aren’t getting from other companies or individuals?

- How can I apply my skills and talents to providing products or services to help others fulfill their needs and wants? Do this for each of your top skills and talents first; then go on to the next highly ranked group for still more ideas.

- What steps can I take to develop, promote, and provide these products and services? Create a list of steps to take.

- What do I need to put these steps into action, such as employees, materials, and contacts with other companies or individuals?

Finally, put these steps into action. Start now by taking the first step.

The advantage of using visualization techniques as you ask these questions is that you tap into your intuition or creative force within you to see and experience the answers. This way you can come up with more and better ideas in addition to a clear view of what to do to turn this ideas into action.

Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D. is the author of over 50 books and a seminar and workshop leader, specializing in work relationships and professional and personal development. Her latest books include Want It, See It, Get It!: Visualize Your Way to Success (AMACOM 2009) and Enjoy! 101 Little Ways to Add Fun to Your Work Everyday (AMACOM 2008).

Tomorrow Kathy Taylor will be tackling how to use LinkedIn on the job search.

Webcast Reminder: Emotional Intelligence

Our own Harvey Deutschendorf, author of The Other Kind of Smart, is doing an webcast with the American Management Association (our parent) next week so sign up now!

Emotional Intelligence: A Powerful Tool for Effective Management
May 6, 2009
12:00–1:00 p.m. Eastern
FREE
Register HERE.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) abilities have been shown to be a vital component of individual and organizational success. As a manager, developing and refining your EI skills should be a top priority.

This Webcast examines ways that EI functions in your every day life and offers advice on applying the principles of EI on the job.

During the program, you’ll gain an understanding of the importance of maximizing your EI in order to improve your ability to reach your potential. Plus, you’ll discover a number of simple, easy-to-use tools for increasing your EI that will take you only a few minutes every day to practice.

Harvey Deutschendorf (Alberta, Canada) is an emotional intelligence coach who has worked in the field of EI for more than 10 years, and a Certified Administrator of the BarOn EQI, the first scientifically valid test for emotional intelligence approved by the American Psychological Association.

Maureen Anderson on Finding the Work You Love

The following is a guest post by Maureen Anderson, author of The Career Clinic, on finding your true passion.

A marketing professional who’d been out of work for three years sat down at his computer with his morning coffee to do more job hunting online. His wife, who’d stayed up late the night before reading The Career Clinic: Eight Simple Rules for Finding Work You Love, decided she’d had enough. “Turn off the (insert lively adjective here) computer,” she told him as she dropped the book on his lap. “We’re doing this the wrong way.”

That’s one of the delights of being the author of The Career Clinic, hearing from readers who are inspired to make big changes because of it.

The book profiles fifty inspiring people, and I’m often asked what my favorite story is. You might think my answer would be that every story’s my favorite–that choosing among them is to betray all the others. And you’d be wrong. I do have a favorite career changer, and his name is Malcolm Bryan.

Bryan knew when he was twenty he wanted to be an artist, but was told he couldn’t make a living at it. So he sold out, temporarily. He became a successful air freight forwarder. But before he embarked on the life other people approved of, he made a promise to himself. No matter what he was doing at age forty-five, he would quit and become an oil painter.

He kept that promise. Twenty-five years later! I can’t remember the last afternoon I finished something I set out to do only that morning. But Malcolm Bryan did, after twenty-five years, and he’s one of the happiest people I know.

Another favorite career changer–okay, so it is difficult to choose–was a librarian in New York City until a health scare inspired her lifestyle change. Mary Jane Ballou moved to Florida and now plays the harp for a living. “It’s scary to overhaul your life,” she says, “and anyone who tells you it isn’t is a liar.” When Ballou got really afraid she’d make a list of little things she could do to advance her dream: “Make one phone call, send two e-mails, whatever.” When she was so hysterical she couldn’t even make a list, she scrubbed her bathroom. “It’s hard to worry really successfully when you’re cleaning,” she says. Afterward she was probably not one step closer to her dream: “But at least I had a clean bathroom.”

Successful career changers aren’t afraid to dream big. They know that passion is the fuel for what will likely be an exhausting, though fulfilling, ride.

Why do so many of us resign ourselves to boring jobs–or lives–and rely on celebrity magazines or movie rentals when we crave a good story?

The people in The Career Clinic don’t settle. They have spunk. They don’t get to a certain point in their lives and think, “Well, maybe this is it for me.” They keep reaching, and they want you to keep reaching.

Here’s wishing you a great story.

Maureen Anderson is an award-winning journalist and the host of The Career Clinic® radio talk show. The Career Clinic: Eight Simple Rules for Finding Work You Love is her third book. Her articles and essays have appeared in publications ranging from Radio World to Spirituality & Health. You can learn more about her work at www.thecareerclinic.com.

Stay tuned for Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D. on using visualization on the job hunt tomorrow.

Books for Job Hunting in a Recession

To kick off our “Job Hunting in a Recession” week, here are some book recommendations for your job search.

I don’t want to go back to what I did before. I want to pursue my passions.

Reinvention: How to Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life by Brian Tracy

The Career Clinic: Eight Simple Rules for Finding Work You Love by Maureen Anderson

Beyond Success: Redefining the Meaning of Prosperity by Jeffrey L. Gitterman

I know what I want, but how do I get there? How do I match my passion with my skills?

Want It, See It, Get It!: Visualize Your Way to Success by Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D.

Career Match: Connecting Who You Are with What You’ll Love to Do by Shoya Zichy and Ann Bidou

Smarts: Are We Hardwired for Success? by Chuck Martin with Peg Dawson and Richard Guare

Managing Brand You: 7 Steps to Creating Your Most Successful Self by Jerry S. Wilson and Ira Blumenthal

I know you find jobs through people, so how do I build my network?

Make Your Contacts Count: Networking Know-How for Business and Career Success by Anne Baber and Lynne Waymon

How to Succeed in Business Using LinkedIn: Making Connections and Capturing Opportunities on the World’s #1 Business Networking Site by Eric Butow and Kathleen Taylor

How to Tell Anyone Anything: Breakthrough Techniques for Handling Difficult Conversations at Work by Richard S. Gallagher

I have the passion, the skills, and the people—now I need the tools.

Acing the Interview: How to Ask and Answer the Questions That Will Get You the Job by Tony Beshara

Elements of Resume Style: Essential Rules and Eye-Opening Advice for Writing Resumes and Cover Letters That Work by Scott Bennett

The Job Search Solution: The Ultimate System for Finding a Great Job Now! by Tony Beshara

I hear the government is hiring…

Managing Your Government Career: Success Strategies That Work by Stewart Liff

How to Land a Top-Paying Federal Job: Your Complete Guide to Opportunities, Internships, Resumes and Cover Letters, Application Essays (KSAs), Interviews, Salaries, Promotions and More! By Lily Whiteman

The FBI Career Guide: Inside Information on Getting Chosen for and Succeeding in One of the Toughest, Most Prestigious Jobs in the World by Joseph W. Koletar

Coming tomorrow… Maureen Anderson on finding your passion.