Seven Reasons You Must Use LinkedIn As Your Professional Networking Tool.

If you are reading this you hopefully already have a presence on LinkedIn, but maybe you are not as active as you should be.  Confused as to why you need to join and use LinkedIn?  Well, if you are a professional, there are many reasons why you at least need to join LinkedIn and should utilize the platform as your primary social networking tool.

Why use LinkedIn?

I will be honest with you in telling you that I first began using LinkedIn in transition, so for the job seeker it goes without saying that LinkedIn can be a valuable resource.  But this is not just about job seeking: LinkedIn is a professional networking site that should be utilized as a powerful tool at every step in a professional’s career.

So why join LinkedIn and use it?  Let me count the ways…

1) Reconnect with Your Past

Are you one of the many members of classmates.com? Do you use it to keep in touch with people from your past school days? Think of LinkedIn as an extension of that, with the ability of directly connecting you (without additional costs to send E-Mails or other restrictions that classmates.com has) to not only former classmates but also former colleagues. After you have graduated from college more and more people in your network are professionals, not classmates, so LinkedIn fills this gap nicely. This is the primary reason that I find most executives have a presence on LinkedIn, and this is a unique attribute to Linked In that no other social networking site at the present has.

2) Get Found

Once you have a presence on LinkedIn, just as you can find your former colleagues, they can also find you. Once you fill in your profile, you are added to the database of more than 30 million users worldwide, the excellent search tools that are available on the social networking platform will allow people to easily find you. Being found is also important if you are in transition or thinking of a new job, but more on that angle below.

3) Gain Expertise

There are many LinkedIn groups that are open for professionals to join, and by joining these groups you not only get potential access to directly contacting experts in your industry, you can also join in group discussions and read group news that are specific to your industry. [Note: If you are interested in learning more about and discussing social media, you should definitely join my Windmill Networking group!] I believe that most industries are covered, and the largest of these groups have anywhere from a few thousand to one hundred thousand members! I know of executives who have landed new jobs in new markets who use these groups to acquire new expertise. On the other hand, LinkedIn also provides a great Q&A functionality that you can use to ask the network of 30 million professionals any question you’d like. I have answered questions on “What is the best CRM?” as well as asked questions on “What Websites Do You Recommend to Self-Publish My Book?” The answers section is completely searchable, so you can really learn a lot and feel comfortable knowing that it is coming from real professionals, not just your standard Internet message board.

4) Career Management

I don’t want to be blunt in titling this “Looking for a Job”, because even if you are not looking for a job, a network should be your insurance for your future career growth. Companies are organic entities whose needs change and do not and cannot promise you a guarantee that your job will be there 10 years from now, next year, or even next month. That is why you need to be on LinkedIn so that you can both find potential companies and recruiters as well as be found by them. Even if you are happy in your job, it can’t hurt to have a minimal presence and receive contacts from recruiters in your industry or specialty who may be able to help you out in the future, can it? LinkedIn is free career insurance!

5) Business Development, Sales & Marketing

One thing I would like to make clear is that LinkedIn is not a tool to sell your product on, and you may very well be suspended should you decide to spam people or message boards with adverts. That being said, I have used LinkedIn from a sales & marketing prospective to a) find potential customers, b) map out their organizations, c) request introductions inside the organizations, d) look for potential partners or distributors, and e) look for potential service providers. In fact, I hired a translation service because I found them on Linked In! Why start from scratch looking for a service provider when you can utilize a network of real professionals to help you find them? Which leads me to…

6) Your “Trusted Network of Advisors”

I have an older brother who I trust in terms of asking for help in mapping out and executing on my professional goals. He once asked me, “Neal, do you have a trusted network of advisors?” In other words, for anything in life, do you have a trusted person you can ask for advice on? Do you have a financial advisor? A legal advisor? A career coach? A reliable web marketing adviseor? etc. These advisors (you don’t necessarily have to pay for their services if they are in your tight network) are essential in not only bouncing ideas off of them for your professional career, but can even help you out on personal affairs. I have met many in my trusted network through LinkedIn, followed up by actual one-to-one meetings with them at a Starbucks over a cup of latte (I’m a tall soy latte person for all of you marketers out there).

7) Network & Connect with Your Peers

I recently read a book called The $100,000+ Career which is about how to find a job.  It said that if you meet 100 people and meet 100 people that they introduce to you, you will most definitely be able to find a job. I have not tried out this exercise, but the whole idea is that you never know how someone, or someone that they know, may be able to help you out when you need it. I openly connect with anyone on LinkedIn because you never know how you can help them or vice-versa. Case in point: I recently accepted an invite from someone who was interested in relocating to Asia and looking for job advice. Six months later when I was looking for advice from him, he was able to guarantee an interview from the lead recruiter of a very large enterprise software company. This could not have happened if a) we never connected and b) I did not offer to help him out.

I hope that I have opened your eyes if you are not currently on LinkedIn, and if you are a current member I hope I have provided you advice as to how you can become a more effective user of the platform to meet your own objective.  I also welcome your comments as I am always a humble learner in this game of life…

Are there any other reasons that you would add to this list?

Base Source:  Windmill Networking

Ten Things That Spell Checkers Won’t Catch! Be Careful Out There!

10 Things That a Spell Checker Won’t Catch!

We always tell applicants to have their applications and resumes proofed carefully before hitting the ‘submit’ key on the application website. That means printing out your application and resume and having it checked for errors ‘by eye’ rather than trusting a spell checker to do the job for you. In case you’re wondering why, here are some examples of mistakes that most spell checkers will not catch:

• Homonyms (words that sound the same but mean different things depending on their spelling and use): Spell checkers won’t realize that you intended to write ‘pair’ instead of ‘pare’ or ‘pear,’ or ‘there’ instead of ‘their.’
• Incorrectly divided compound words: Spell checkers won’t tell you that ‘court yard’ should be spelled ‘courtyard,’ or that ‘inter net’ should be ‘internet.’
• Incorrect pronouns: Spell checkers won’t realize that you typed in ‘his’ or—worse—’its’ when you should have typed ‘hers,’ or ‘she’ when it should have been ‘he.’
• Usage errors: Spell checkers probably won’t alert you to typos involving ‘its’ and ‘it’s.’
• Missing words: Spell checkers probably won’t catch the missing word in a phrase like, “I attended University of Michigan… “
• Wrong words: Spell checkers won’t alert you to a gaffe like, “My supervisory experience sensitized me to the martial difficulties that married employees can encounter when pressed to work overtime.”
• Wrong dates: Spell checkers won’t question a statement like, “Entering the workforce in the late 0200s, I learned…”
• Misspelled names: Spell checkers won’t catch mistakes with people’s names or with most place names.
• Incorrect verb tenses: Spell checkers won’t warn you that you mixed up past and present verb tenses.
• Repetition: Spell checkers will alert you if you’ve typed the same word twice in a row, but they won’t catch other kinds of repetition, like typing the same phrase or sentence twice in a row—or saying the same exact thing twice, in different words.

Spell checkers are a handy tool for screening out many of the small mistakes we all make when we write. They can’t catch every mistake, however, and they’re not able to catch the really big mistakes, which can only be recognized and corrected by careful editing. Use a spell checker as a first step in proofing your application, but don’t count on it to do the entire job for you.

Source: Admissions Consultants -Hiring Manager Resources

Military to Cilvilian – Military to Federal? Hire Professional Resume To Do It Right

As a former or current member of the armed forces, you have already demonstrated personal dedication, perseverance and strong commitment to your country. Today, the US government is better prepared than ever to offer you new, economically competitive civilian employment opportunities. Whether you’re an officer, bookkeeper, aircraft repairman, supply clerk or administrative officer, the federal government may have the right job for you.

Professional Resume can create great Military to Civilian and Military to Federal Resumes.

First you will need a “military to civilian” or  “military to federal resume.” This resume style includes details of military experiences and duties, ranks, military operations and campaigns, specific training and certifications, security clearance levels, awards and honors, projects and accomplishments.  The resume is usually anywhere from 10 – 25 pages and also may include a KSA – Knowledge, Skill and Abilities that may be 10 – 15 pages.

Many military veterans find the resume-writing process difficult. In a recent class, soldiers at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center were interviewed about the hardest parts of writing good resumes.  They are:

•     Telling a good story.
•     Bragging about yourself.
•     Unlearning what you already know about resume writing.
•     Describing your work in detail.
•     Explaining the challenges of work experiences.

It is critical that you meet stringent requirements for your resume and KSA to be reviewed and ‘accepted’ .

Professional Resume has expert resume writers certified in creation of top-notch military resumes.

Call us now on 415.314.0982 to begin the process.  We can help.

How Important is a Thank You Letter?

So, how important is it to follow up with a Thank You Letter?  Let’s ask the experts:

Market Yourself Well
Thank-you notes are a nice gesture, and I would always encourage candidates to follow up with one after an interview. However, as far as influencing a hiring decision, I have yet to see someone being extended an offer because of it. The strongest candidate will get the offer. Every little bit helps in marketing yourself as the best and most enthusiastic person for the role. If you do send a thank-you note, always check for spelling and grammar.
– Bob Hancock, senior manager of global talent acquisition, Electronic Arts

No Question About It

Sending a thank-you note is a must. When a job candidate sends me a thank-you note, it shows me the person is truly interested in the opportunity. This simple gesture can distinguish one applicant over another. In fact, when considering multiple people for an open position, I typically recall who has and hasn’t sent a thank-you note.

The thank-you note is valuable for job seekers beyond demonstrating their interest in a position. This also is an opportunity to re-emphasize the skills and expertise they would bring to the role and address any outstanding concerns they may have from the interview.

The best strategy is to send a quick e-mail shortly after the interview followed by a handwritten note. Whether you choose to send a thank-you via e-mail or in writing, the key is to send one.

– DeLynn Senna, executive director of North American permanent placement services, Robert Half International

A Good Way to Stand Out

While my hiring managers or I would not make a hiring decision based solely on a thank-you note, a short and well-written note from a candidate following an interview will certainly not hurt their chances. As most candidates don’t follow up this way, you will automatically stand out if you do, and this can set you apart from the crowd in a positive way.

For example, a tasteful handwritten card sent to your interviewer is thoughtful, and will probably end up on their desk or bulletin board for a while, further reminding them of you when they see it. An alternative is to send an email note, which may appear more professional, will arrive more quickly and has the advantage of being able to be forwarded on to other interested parties within the company.

– Suzanne McFadden, senior technical staffing consultant, Wells Fargo

Boost Your Impact Easily

According to surveys, about 85 percent of executives say that a post-interview thank-you note has some influence on the hiring decision. While only half of candidates send thank-you notes, it seems to be an easy gesture everyone should use to greatly impact the hiring process. Surveys also suggest that hiring managers are divided in terms of preference for receiving thank-you notes by email or letter. It is therefore up to you to decide which method best fits the culture of the organization.

– Yves Lermusi, CEO of Checkster

What Color Is My Parachute?

“What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers” is the best-selling job-hunting and career-changing book in the world. Twenty thousand people buy the book each month, and there are more than 8 million copies in print. In its lifetime, it has been on the New York Times Best-Seller List (paperback) a total of 288 weeks.

In 1995, the Library of Congress’ Center for the Book listed it as one of “25 Books That Have Shaped Readers’ Lives” (alongside such works as Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” Saint Exupery’s “The Little Prince,” Henry Thoreau’s “Walden,” Cervantes’s “Don Quixote,” Tolstoy’s “War and Peace,” and Mark Twain’s, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”).

The author coined the word “parachute” to mean career transitions, back in 1968 when people commonly said, “Well, I’m tired of this job – - I’m going to bail out?” Bolles’ playful rejoinder at that time: What color is your parachute? It later became the title of the book.

A writer for Life Magazine said that the phrase “golden parachutes” appeared for the first time a decade or more later, as a “play” on this book’s title. In fact, a number of common phrases in our culture: “golden parachutes,” “informational interviewing,” “transferable skills” etc., were all born out of this book.

It was first published December 1, 1970 — self-published, in fact, with the author using a local copy shop (CopyCopia) in downtown San Francisco. Its first commercial edition was published in November 1972, by Ten Speed Press in Berkeley, Calif. It began appearing on best-seller lists in 1974, has been revised and updated annually since 1975.

Recent reviews have called it “the jobhunter’s Bible,” “the Cadillac of job-search books,” “the most complete career guide around,” and “the gold standard of career guides.”