With the increases in vaccine distribution, it seems like the usual ways of networking could be back soon enough. If you need a refresher on how to prepare, check out this list put together by Money Crashers. In the meantime, there are still plenty of ways to build your network and connections online.

Here are four tips to help you improve your virtual networking game—and some recommended tools for maximum success.

1. Find thought leaders and influencers
Let’s say you want to find a job as an interior designer. The first step is to follow thought leaders and influencers in the industry. You can find them by searching “interior design” on Twitter and Instagram. One way to make your search more strategic, however, is to use a tool like Followerwonk. Search “interior design” + “blogger” or “writer,” and you will get a list of people who write about interior design, ranked by their number of followers.

See who they follow to grow your network. Through the people you follow, you are likely to learn about important industry news, online events, webinars, and webcasts. Sign up and participate when interesting ones come along.

2. Start listening
Once you’ve found the right people to follow, start listening to what they have to say and gathering the latest and greatest news and insights in your industry. Follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Quora, Yelp, Meetup, and Listly. Download their podcasts. Put their names in Talkwalker and Newsle so you get emailed when they appear in the news. Subscribe to their newsletters and YouTube channels, and subscribe to their content on Patreon.

3. Build awareness
Now that you’re aware of them, you can start making them aware of you. The key to successful networking is not to go around begging people for favors and being a nuisance, but to create value for them, too. Retweet their content, +1 their posts, share their content on Facebook, comment (insightfully) on their publications and videos, and include their insights in your content (with appropriate attribution, tags, and hashtags).

4. Connect 
Only then—once you know a little bit about them and have a clue about what’s going on in the industry, and once you’ve created some value for them through retweets and shares and engagement—should you reach out. Friending them on Facebook will likely come across as creepy because it is more of a personal network. But reaching out on LinkedIn and other professional network platforms is totally appropriate.

Lead with a sentence that starts with something like “I loved your article last week about…” And then let them know what you want (e.g., “I’ve written this … and would appreciate your advice” or “I’d appreciate the chance to interview you about your career for my blog” or “I’m starting out in the industry and would appreciate your mentorship. Are you available for a quick virtual coffee meeting?”

If you don’t hear back, send a quick follow-up message about a week later. Chances are the person you’re contacting is busy and misses messages from time to time due to the high volume of incoming requests. Don’t harass the person, though. Stalker is not the impression you want to leave. After two or three follow-ups, it’s time to move on to the next person on your list. But keep the door open by continuing steps 1, 2, and 3. The first secret of success is showing up—even when the room is a Zoom room.

The post 4 Tips and Tricks for Networking Online appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

In today’s job technology-driven world where initial interviews are conducted via computer and smartphone, a Webcam is a vital tool and your techniques can spell the difference between getting or not getting a second/in-person interview. This recent CNet article hits the spot!

We’re all on more web conferences and video meetings via Skype, Zoom, Google Meet, and WebEx lately, so you may as well make a professional impression and get your point across memorably. Here are the six easiest ways to look (and sound) sharp when you meet online.

1. Eye-level
The camera in your laptop lid, phone or tablet is perfectly placed — to look up your nose. Put something under your laptop or find a way to set your phone or tablet so the camera is at the same height as your eyes. That’s how humans are meant to look at each other. You don’t need a fancy aluminum laptop stand or phone mount: A stack of books or coffee mug on a shelf will often do.

2. Eye line
Once you have your camera at the right height, don’t forget to look at it. The natural temptation is to just look at your screen, below the camera, where the other participants are. But that gives you an odd, distracted look that subtly tells the other party something interests you more than them. Of course, you’ll look away to consult what’s on your screen, but try to maintain regular eye contact with the camera, especially when you’re talking.

3. Sound good
There’s an old maxim in the audiovisual business that good sound makes the video look better. Don’t rely on the crummy internal mic in your device — it can’t help but pick up the entire room or car around you and mix it with a big dose of garbling echo. At the very least, use earbuds that have a microphone in the cable or advanced wireless earbuds with multiple noise-canceling microphones. An inexpensive but effective choice is a single earcup wired headset with a boom mic. You always admired Madonna, here’s your chance to wear her gear. The goal is to transmit your voice with a closeness and warmth that commands attention on the other end.

4. Monitor light
The light bathing your face from a device screen is usually a shade of blue that makes you look like a cadaver or zombie. One way to combat it is to find the display controls that set it to a warmer shade or “color temperature.” Phones often call this “blue light filter” or “night mode.” Screen light will always mix with ambient room light, so try different display settings as you look at yourself in a test web conference. And ample light in a room is a good thing for many reasons.

5. Avoiding silhouettes
If you sit with your back to a bright white wall or uncovered windows, your webcam will try to balance out that bright background with your face — and your face will usually lose, ending up in silhouette. Cameras have gotten better at avoiding this, but the best way to keep yourself out of the shadows is to put a light behind your device, shining on your face. You can get dedicated LED video lights for this, or just play around with a desk lamp.

6. Background check
What’s behind you when you’re on camera can range from distracting to embarrassing to revealing. None of those are good. Don’t put unknowing co-workers in the shot, show whiteboards or monitors with sensitive information, or aim your camera where a naked family member might be traipsing to the shower. You’ll also want to try and maintain some distance between you and the background, for a pleasant sense of depth.

Some webcam applications such as XSplit VCam and Microsoft Teams let you blur out your background using image and edge detection. In web conference platforms like Zoom, you also have the option of using a green screen behind yourself to insert a photo as a virtual backdrop, not unlike they do for many TV newscasts, though with less convincing results than you see on TV. Before delving into these options, just try to have something pleasant but innocuous behind you in real life.

Bonus points
Done all the above and want to go the extra mile? Try these tips.

Use a dedicated camera. The camera in your device is probably pretty good these days, but dedicated webcams often have a better ability to adjust the shot and exposure. For the ultimate image, use a prosumer camcorder as a webcam by connecting it to your computer via an HDMI-to-USB adapter.

• Wardrobe. Try not to wear a white or black top, as those are hard for any camera to adjust to while keeping your face properly exposed. Avoid stark stripes or checked patterns, as they can show up as moire, or “sizzle,” that distracts.
• Jangling jewelry is really annoying, including when it bangs on the tabletop.
• Glasses often reflect the lighting we set up in the previous steps. If you have the choice of wearing glasses or not, don’t.
• Mute. Know where this button is on the conferencing application and use it whenever you won’t be talking for a while. That will keep out room noise, road noise, and what you just called your roommate.

The post Ultimate webcam tips: How to look and sound great online appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

Let’s begin with a story of our time. Joe is a recently unemployed IT specialist who is a whiz at network infrastructure. O irony of ironies. He is about to attend a meeting of a local professional group to “network” with people who might help with his job search. He has 500+ LinkedIn contacts and he tweets every day, but let’s watch him as he tries to mix and mingle.

Needless to say, he is not looking forward to this at all. Joe creeps into a room full of people who are standing around, talking in groups of twos and threes. They all seem to know each other–unlike himself. Joe spends some time at the buffet, picks up a brochure and feigns interest. He almost approaches someone standing on his own but settles for getting a drink instead. Looking for comfort, he takes out his iPhone, checks his email and Twitter messages. He then walks around a bit nibbling on some peanuts. After 45 minutes he can’t bear it any longer. He leaves, having wasted his evening and feeling unsatisfied, unfulfilled, and undiscovered.

Enter Elias Howe, the 19th-century inventor of the sewing machine and the zipper. What could Joe possibly learn from Howe? Quite a bit it seems; because Elias Howe knew a lot about people as well as technology. Turns out that, in addition to being a fine inventor, Howe cut a fine figure in the ballroom and he knew a thing or two about how to behave in social situations. Which is important today, because research confirms that the extent of your real professional social network can have a significant impact on your promotion prospects and your salary.

A recent study of 6,000 executives at 3,000 companies in the U.S. and Europe found that executives with 50% more professional contacts above the average, had a salary 3.5% or $15,000 higher than their less gregarious/friendly/sociable colleagues. So the conclusion seems simple: increase your professional contacts and get a raise. Hundreds of contacts on LinkedIn and Facebook? That’s a no-brainer. But creating “real” contacts is not as easy as it sounds.

1. Understand that networking is not “selling yourself” or self-promotion–it is about developing and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with professional colleagues.
2. Understand that you do not have to change your personality to succeed–turning yourself into a pushy salesperson won’t work. Networking has to be authentic. You can and should be yourself.
3. Get over rejection–tell yourself that a turndown is your counterpart’s loss, not yours. Besides, recent research demonstrates that people overestimate the likelihood of rejection anyhow.

Whenever people gather together in a room, known social patterns emerge; patterns which often have well-defined rules. Some are unwritten and can only be learned from the “invisible teacher” (also known as “the way things are done”). But long before the Internet, people turned to etiquette teachers and social guidebooks for written networking advice. One such guide was published in 1858 by our sewing machine inventor friend Elias Howe, whose “An American Ballroom Companion: Handbook for Ballroom Etiquette” provided valuable advice for 19th-century “Joes.” And so from the ballroom in one elegant glide to the meeting room and all you need to know to work a room with grace.

Start networking before attending the event.

1. Start with an event where it will be particularly easy to meet people, for example, a speed networking event where short three- to five-minute meetings are pre-arranged. Meeting people this way will help build your confidence.
2. Warm-up before the show–reach out to see who will be attending the event and set up appointments to meet. Most conferences today publish a list of attendees prior to the show via event-specific social networks, mobile apps, or Facebook pages.
3. Change your mindset from “I hate working the room with strangers” to “I like meeting people.”

When you arrive at the event, survey the landscape and create a plan for how to work the room.

1. Apply the 1-2-3 rule–people at events tend to congregate in groups of ones, twos, and threes. Approach the “ones” first. They are people just like yourself, shy to engage with others; they will be the most welcoming. Twos and threes are more difficult to approach, but read on.
2. Look for Twos Standing in a V Formation–when two people are standing in an open V formation, they are usually open to others joining their discussion. Avoid people standing directly across from each other; this indicated they are engaged in a closed conversation.
3. Use the ballroom waltz trick for joining a closed group of two–follow this advice for “breaking in” to talk to someone you know. Approach the other person he is speaking to and ask permission from him to join.
4. Use the O or U Rule for groups of three or more–a group of people standing in a circle is the hardest to join. Look for groups arranged in a U formation.
5. Be professional in men/women interactions–professional is not flirtatious and flirtatious is not professional. Decide which one you want.

How you present yourself projects a lot more about yourself than you may realize.

1. Stand tall, smile, and say something friendly and intelligent–follow your mother’s advice and don’t slouch. For more on this, view social psychologist Amy Cuddy’s excellent TED video on the significance of body language.
2. Act like the host–introduce people to each other. Acting as an agent for others removes some of the self-consciousness of social interactions.
3. Pay it forward–help your counterpart; helping people build trust and belief. The most useful thing you can say in a social-professional setting is, “Is there anything I can do for you?”
4. Be bold–blaze your own trail. Take a chance. Mimic Collins in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. In response to Elizabeth’s expression of horror at the thought of Collins approaching a social superior without an introduction, he replies, “Indeed I am. I shall entreat his pardon for not having done it earlier.” If Collins could do this in the rigid rules of 1800s social etiquette, you can certainly do it in 2013.

So go and meet the folks knowing that the real reasons are not to increase your chances of getting a job, get a raise or build social capital–all of which are benefits found in Berardi’s and Seabright’s research. The real reason is this; nobody’s heart was ever warmed by the glow of a screen like the way it is by chatting to a live person, and people talking to people has always been the way business gets done.

The post 15 Tips To Master The Awkward Networking Waltz appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

Most of us have worked with great colleagues, bosses, and employees over the years who we’d be happy to recommend on LinkedIn (or anywhere, really) in a heartbeat if asked.

Problem is, of course, that sitting down and writing said recommendation always takes more time than you think it will. What should you say that will make your contact stand out—but still sound genuine? Should you describe every amazing skill this person has—or keep it short and sweet?

Don’t worry. We’ve turned that daunting task into a five-step (and five-minute) process. Next time you’re asked to recommend someone, follow this template (complete with sample lines to cut and paste—we won’t tell!).

Step 1: Start With a Knockout Line

As with any good writing, you want to start with a line that grabs your audience and makes them want to read more. (After all, what good is a great recommendation if no one reads all the way through?)

Ideally, this line will show right away what an awesome person your recommended is. Be careful, though, to avoid phrases like “one of the best” or “one of my favorite employees”—while, no, not everyone’s going to be the ultimate superlative, there are plenty of words and phrases that sound just as strong, but less qualified.

“It’s rare that you come across standout talent like Mike.”

“Few people have the opportunity to report to a manager who is also a coach and mentor—but I did when I worked for Susan.”

‘Ridiculously efficient’ is the phrase that comes to mind when I think about Tim.”

Step 2: Describe Your Relationship

Next, you’ll want to give the reader some context as to how you know the person, including your reporting relationship, what you worked on together, and the length of time you’ve known each other. While you don’t have to give all the details (LinkedIn will show the company and both of your job titles on your recommendation), it’s important to let readers know why you’re qualified to give the recommendation. (And, of course, be sure to note that it was a positive working relationship!)

“I had the pleasure of working with Jim for two years at the Smith Company, collaborating on several project teams.”

“I hired Carrie as a freelance designer in 2011 after seeing her online portfolio, and she’s completed six flawless projects for me since then.”

“Mark expertly filled the role of social media coordinator for my company’s marketing team for just over a year.”

Step 3: Share a Standout Trait

If you’re recommending someone, there’s a good chance you think he or she is smart, talented, organized, wonderful to work with, the list goes on. So, there’s no need to use the limited characters in your recommendation to state the obvious.

Instead, think about one or two things this person does better than anything else—or that really stand out to you above others—and focus your recommendation there. You can also ask the person if there’s something he or she would like you to talk about: For example, if she was your executive assistant but is now applying to her first management role, she’ll likely want you to highlight her experience managing volunteers over her organizational skills.

I was particularly impressed by Kelly’s ability to handle even the toughest clients—effortlessly. That skill often takes years to develop among customer service professionals, but it seemed to come perfectly naturally to her.”

“I was always in awe of Fred’s ability to command a room and get people on board with ideas—even people who were initially on completely different pages.”

“Matt’s ability to juggle multiple projects was unlike any I’ve seen before and made a dramatic difference in the productivity level of our team.”

Step 4: Add a Touch of Personality

Let’s face it: Everyone wants to hire someone who not only gets the job done, but who’s also great to work with. So, if you can share a tidbit about what it’s like to work with this person or some insight into his or her personality, do so! (Just, you know, know your audience. “Sophie planned the best office happy hours ever!” might not go over so well with her future employers.)

“Oh, and she made sure our Monday morning staff meetings were never without bagels and coffee. Talk about motivating a team!”

“And we still miss her on the office softball league!”

No matter how tense a meeting, Annie made sure everyone left with a smile.”

Step 5: End With Your Solid Recommendation

Finally, it’s always nice to seal your recommendation with a final line that makes it clear that you give your contact an enthusiastic thumbs-up. You don’t need to do much here—think short, sweet, and solid.

“Allison would be an asset to any team.”

“As a team member or a leader, Steve earns my highest recommendation.”

“Any employee would be lucky to have Michelle as a manager.”

Try It!

While we recommend following the steps above to create a new recommendation for each contact, here’s a quick example of how to put them all together (and a template to use if you’re pressed for time!).

That’s it—five steps, five lines, and five minutes to a recommendation that will make sure your contact shines.

The post Your 5-Minute Guide to Writing an Amazing LinkedIn Recommendation appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

8 CAREER RESOLUTIONS TO PUT ON YOUR CALENDAR

Everybody starts the year off with a list of New Year’s resolutions — which are nearly all abandoned or forgotten by February. This year, keep that January motivation fresh in your mind by adding your resolutions to your work calendar now. Here are some suggestions from career experts about what goals to set for this year.

Make a “greatest hits” list.
“Everyone should take time at the beginning of every year to take stock of what they accomplished the prior year… and put those into writing in a resume-like fashion,” says Monique A. Honaman, CEO and partner at ISHR Group. “It’s much easier to have all of this information ready to go when you need it as opposed to having to create a resume from scratch and remember what you have accomplished for the past 10 years.”

Establish one big goal.
“We frequently spend more time hammering out the daily demands of life such that we forget to focus on the big picture,” Honaman says.  “Everyone should set at least one goal of something major that they want to accomplish for their career each year.” Carve out time for yourself, just as you would for any other appointment, to work on your big-picture goal each week, she advises.

Seek out advice.
“Find a trusted mentor who can help guide you towards your goals with a dash of realism about how to navigate the waters ahead,” says Joseph Weintraub, a professor of management and director of the Babson Coaching for Leadership and Teamwork Program at Babson College. Even if you think you know the ropes, somebody more seasoned could give you advice about navigating your company’s higher-up office politics. Weintraub says this person can be someone at your company or someone highly-regarded in your industry who knows the unwritten as well as the written rules.

Set progress benchmarks.
“Set stretch goals but don’t bite off more than you can chew,” says Roy Cohen, career counselor, and executive coach. To keep your big idea manageable, come up with a few smaller goals that will help you accomplish your big achievement. Taking a class, earning a certification or writing an article for an industry publication could all be stops on the way to your final destination that will help build momentum towards it, Cohen says.

Do a quarterly check-up.
“As is the case with quarterly performance reviews in organizations, take the time to do the reflection of where you are in accomplishing your resolutions by doing your own internal audit in your scheduling calendar by setting up a look at your resolutions every three months,” Weintraub says.

Do a mid-year network check.
“Ask yourself at the mid-year point, who have I connected with this year?” Honaman says. You don’t want to be that guy or gal who gets a reputation for only getting in touch if you need a favor, she says. “Make the investment, and sustain your investment, by building a valuable network.  If and when you do need to reach out, the connection is not cold.”

Acquire new tech skills.
“Learn how to better use technology to support all aspects of your job search,” Cohen says. “The downtime around the holidays is great for coming up to speed on new technology applications or skills that need to be strengthened.” Figure out your weak spots, then find classes, books or tutorials where you can learn or brush up on the skills you need to move forward.

Take stock of your accomplishments.
At the end of the year, give yourself a personal performance review — and since you’re not sharing it with anyone, don’t dodge the mistakes and missteps you made during the year. “Be realistic in what you have done and not done towards moving towards your resolutions. Often failure along the way brings the biggest learning,” says Weintraub. “The key is to learn from past mistakes,” he says, by figuring out what you need to do differently the next time around.

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It will be Christmas before too long and the kick-off of holiday networking. If you’re planning on using this time to maintain and grow your professional network (and you should), make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date. Here are 10 areas to check on your LinkedIn profile:

Photo: You don’t need a professional headshot, but you do want to look professional. Choose a close-up of your face. Don’t include pets, children, or busy backgrounds. People who you network with and then want to connect with on LinkedIn will better remember you when they see both your profile and your picture. You want your photo to look like you.

Headline: These are the words that appear under your name. When you create your profile, LinkedIn includes a default – typically your current title and company. But you can change that. If your title is generic and your company isn’t a household name, it might not be clear what you do and what your industry expertise is. You may want to instead choose a more descriptive headline (e.g., marketing professional, finance manager).

Summary: Directly below your photo and brief outline of your experience is space for a Summary. This is searchable, so be sure to include the keywords that you want to be found for – brand name companies, technical skills, functional and industry expertise. Look at other profiles for summaries that you like, and model yours after that.

Experience: If it’s been a while since you have updated your profile, your experience section might not reflect what you’re currently doing. Make sure your title and description of your role is current.

Extras: Don’t stop editing at just the main sections, like Education and Experience. There is a Publications section where you can mention if you have written something – a report for a trade newsletter, a guest blog. You can also add videos or PowerPoint to your Summary or Experience sections to showcase examples of your work. The Volunteer and Interests sections reflect another aspect of your background.

References: You can ask people to write a Testimonial about your work. As a former recruiter, I can confirm that this won’t at all replace actual reference checks, but it’s another way of showcasing your background. It’s also a great way to reconnect with the people from whom you request references. Endorsements are another way to show peer support of your skills (while Testimonials are written references, Endorsements are just checkmarks against specific skills that show someone in your network confirms you have that skill). Be sure to list the skills you want to receive endorsements for so these keywords accumulate on your profile.

Settings: If you haven’t checked your privacy settings in a while, do that while you’re updating everything else. When you make a lot of updates, you want to turn off the notification to your network of changes you make – you don’t want your connections to be bothered every time you make an edit. Then, be sure to turn the notification back on because for less frequent updates – when you post a status update, when you change your title – you do want your network to be made aware. Another setting to look at is regarding your browsing activity — “Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile.” When you look at someone else’s profile, you can reveal who you are, stay semi-anonymous (LinkedIn shows no picture and just a generic industry or title) or anonymous. If you don’t want others to know you’re looking at their profiles, make this setting anonymous.

Connections: The connections that you have determine what kind of new connections you can see (because you are seeing their networks and their networks’ network). So as you update your own profile, think about what connections you’d like to make, and which connections you’ll accept going forward.

Groups: Groups are like-minded members drawn together by industry, role, shared background (e.g., company, alma mater) or shared interest. Groups are a great way of meeting people and staying current. The groups you are in also reflect your own experience and interest. So groups are another area to proactively update.

Contact info: Your email might have changed since you first set up your profile. If you want to know when people reach out to you on LinkedIn or get activity feeds or notices from your Groups, you need to make sure the email connected to your profile is something you check regularly. When I was recruiting, I regularly received very tardy responses from candidates I reached out to on LinkedIn with the sheepish excuse that they don’t check that platform so often. Have the notifications forward to an email that you do check often! Why be present on a platform known for its recruiting advantages if you’re not going to respond!

Don’t just network during the holidays. Plan to follow up and stay in touch. LinkedIn is an ideal platform to do this, so make sure your profile is ready now.

The post Refresh Your LinkedIn for Holiday Networking: a 10-Point Checklist appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

LinkedIn has revolutionized the recruiting world and made it easier than ever to reach out to job candidates directly, whether they’re actively or passively job hunting. With so many recruiters on LinkedIn, this is obviously welcome news to job seekers.

Well, at least some job seekers — the ones who can actually be found on LinkedIn.

To make sure you’re in this position and ensure that recruiters who are searching for people like you find, well, you, read on and follow these three simple steps.

Step 1: Show Up in Searches

Your profile isn’t going anywhere if you’re not showing up in a recruiter’s LinkedIn search. With this in mind, use LinkedIn SEO to your advantage. You know the usual things to keep in mind: Complete your profile, make sure it includes keywords that employers may be searching for, and get recommendations and endorsements, which help boost your profile higher in search results. But another interesting idea, as Larry Kim of Inc. recently shared, is to use LinkedIn more like Twitter — in other words, to add as many contacts as possible — which increases the chances that you’ll be seen and your work will be shared on the platform.

While this isn’t something that will work for everyone (for example, I try to only stick with contacts I’ve had at least one meaningful conversation with because I use LinkedIn more as a way to keep track of professional acquaintances than a job search tool), it may make sense for you to be a bit more liberal in adding contacts in order to raise your profile in search results.

Step 2: Be “Clickable”

Now that you’re higher up in search results on LinkedIn, the next step is to make sure people want to actually click your profile to have a closer look at your experience.

We know recruiters spend almost a fifth of their time looking at the photo when reviewing LinkedIn profiles, so one thing you definitely want to get right is your LinkedIn photo. Make sure it’s professional and expresses your brand, and try having your photo reviewed by PhotoFeeler to make sure you’re sending the right message.

Along with your name and photo, your headline will also show up in the LinkedIn search. This little line of text may just be what convinces recruiters to click on your profile or not, so be extra thoughtful about what you write here. (Hint: Don’t just settle for the default setting of listing your job title!) Elliott Bell offers some exceptional advice on how to be memorable in your headline in this short, 90-second video.

Step 3: Stay Active and Up to Date

Lastly, once you have a recruiter actually looking through your profile, you want to make sure they a) like what they see and b) can tell that your profile is accurate and updated.

To get this right, don’t be lazy and skip writing a summary section. As Jenny Foss explains, “It’s where you get to lay down, if you choose to, an incredible, original first impression to recruiters, decision makers, potential clients, and the universe of other professionals.” As a recruiter herself, here are four things she likes to see in a LinkedIn summary, starting with hooking the reader with an engaging story.

And finally, to allay any concerns that your profile hasn’t been touched in years, and is in fact being used actively, post relevant industry articles to your homepage feed, “like” articles that others have posted, and maybe even write and publish your own articles to be posted through LinkedIn. Or, if you’d like it broken down further, follow this handy plan for what you should be doing on LinkedIn daily, weekly, and monthly to create an active presence.

LinkedIn is a great tool for recruiters to find talent, but it’s also a great tool for job seekers to bring eager eyes to their qualifications. To reap the benefits of recruiters relying on LinkedIn more and more, do what you can to improve where you come up when recruiters are searching, and make sure your profile is compelling enough to click. You never know what opportunities might come your way if you set yourself up to be open to them.

The post 3 Smart Ways to Attract Recruiters to Your LinkedIn Profile appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

Seconds after I added a well-known writer to my “Journalists I Admire” Twitter list, a little blue notification popped up.

[Well-known writer] followed you.

Soon after, I direct-messaged him to ask for writing advice. Our conversation moved from Twitter to email, and now he’s agreed to meet me for an informational interview when I arrive in NYC this summer.

Score.

My five-minute Twitter technique for getting people to notice me via quotes is super effective — but it’s not the only one I have in my arsenal. I also love using what I call “the list trick.”

First, What’s a List?

As Muse writer Lily Herman explains, “Twitter lists are really underutilized by a lot of tweeters, despite how totally awesome they can be.”

A list is a curated selection of Twitter users. Each list is like its own mini-feed. For example, if I added 10 writers to a list called “Lifestyle Writers,” when I clicked on it I’d only see tweets from those 10 users.

(Check out Twitter’s guide to creating lists for more details.)

The List Trick

Lists are great if you follow a bunch of different types of people and want to quickly and easily sort all their content — but that’s not how I’ve been using them.

Instead, I’ve been using them as an indirect compliment, a way to pique a user’s interest.

Because — and this is key — when you add users to a list, Twitter notifies them.

So when I added that well-known writer, he got a message saying, “@ajavuu added you to list Journalists I Admire.”

I’m not surprised he clicked over to my profile. Who doesn’t love being admired?

Why This Works

Important people are used to being told they’re awesome. They’re also used to getting lots of requests: for their time, for their money, and for their energy. But when you add them to a list with a flattering title, you’re not requesting anything or even fan-girling out — you’re sending a subtle compliment that requires zero action on their end. Not even a polite “thank you.” Plus, it feels more genuine, because lists were designed to exist for your benefit, not theirs.

So rather than sending tweets like:
@joelgascoigne I think @buffer sounds like an amazing place to work!

You can add people to lists.

One caveat: I never add people to lists on which they don’t belong. Let’s say I saw a job listing for a business I’d never heard of before — I wouldn’t just find a random employee on Twitter and add him to an “Inspiring Executives” list. That would be manipulative and disingenuous. And, if the list isn’t well-curated (i.e., it’s just a hodge-podge of people), the chosen person’s much more likely to be confused, rather than complimented.

The Details

So, who should you target? I’d go with people who have fewer than 5,000 followers.

As with any Twitter strategy to get attention, it’s not as though this doesn’t have any chance of working with people who have, say, 10K+ followers — however, the chances of them seeing your notification among the thousand or so they get each day are slim.

This method is great for everyone from bloggers to PR reps to potential employers to industry trendsetters. Once you have a few list themes in mind, it’s time to come up with the name.

One option is to incorporate a job title. Maybe you start a list for “Marketing Experts,” or “Successful Communications Specialists.”

Another option is to play on your lists’ unique skills or abilities. For this method, I look to Twitter and LinkedIn bios. For example, if someone calls himself a “seasoned brand storyteller,” I might make and add him to a list of “Fantastic Storytellers.” Or, if a CEO prides herself on her ability to “get things done,” I’d put her on a “Powerful Women” list.

The last option (for now) is to use more of a catch-all title, like “Inspiring Professionals,” “People I Admire,” or “Thought Leaders.”

The most important thing to keep in mind is that this has the biggest chance of working if your title is complimentary. In other words, a user will be more intrigued by being added to a “Career Experts” list than a “Career Writers” list.

Also, make sure you’re not creating too many lists! Your lists are public, so if you make 20 lists, all with just one user each, it’ll look a little strange. I’m limiting myself to 10 lists, none of which have more than 15 people.

The post Here’s How to Get an Influencer to Notice You in the Next 5 Minutes appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

You’re ready to make a career move — maybe you’re looking for a new job, launching a side business, or eyeing a promotion. In all of these instances, boosting your personal brand can help you achieve your goal.

That’s because a strong personal brand is a carefully designed message that’s compelling and attracts the right people. It helps you stand out for who you are and what you do best.

You’re probably nodding along, because you already know all of this. You don’t need to be convinced how valuable personal branding is: What’s holding you back is the time commitment.

That’s why you have a LinkedIn Profile, even though you haven’t updated it since you set it up. After all, who can devote hours each week on top of working or job searching? Well, believe it or not, 30 minutes is all you need to take your efforts to the next level. Here’s how to spend them:

Minutes 1-10: Evaluate What Makes You Stand Out

The first thing you want to do is perform a self-assessment. This step is often overlooked, but it’ll be super helpful as you find your voice in a sea of professionals with similar experience.

This evaluation helps you have a clear vision of your USP, or “unique selling proposition,” which is just a fancy term for the value you offer to your target audience.

Here are some questions to get you started:

What are you passionate about? You want to think about what excites you, and what things you truly enjoy doing.

What are your core beliefs? This is important because it’s like a mission statement. It’ll help you relay your personal approach to getting things done.

What are your top four strengths? This’ll help you share what you do better than anyone else, to set you apart from the competition.

Are you a good leader or a good doer — or both? This is good to know because it’s a way to identify and highlight the kind of roles that complement your strengths.

What do others say about you? Ask around! You may have strengths you’re unaware of, or talents you need to put more emphasis on so people know they exist.

To be clear, I don’t expect you to answer these questions with witty taglines. This exercise is to help you target your branding efforts. So, answer the question(s) that inspire you by jotting down notes, and honestly writing what comes to mind.

Minutes 10-20: Compare That to What You Already Have

Now that you’ve done some reflection on what you want to say, it’s time to see how it stacks up against what’s already out there.

If someone were to read your LinkedIn profile, tweets, or personal website, would they see messaging that points them toward the answers you came up with?

You might be thinking: Wait, I only have 10 minutes, that’s not enough time to read my whole website or review my LinkedIn line by line. But, here’s the thing, people who click into one of your social profiles or visit your website are probably going to spend a fraction of that time looking at it.

So, you want to look for things that shout what you do. On LinkedIn, that means moving beyond filling out the basics and adding links to media, writing posts, and getting endorsements for skills. On your website, that might mean building a portfolio. On Twitter, it’s about not just following influencers, but composing tweets, too.

This step is about comparing what you want to highlight to what you have and asking yourself: What’s missing? What can I add?

Minutes 20-30: Create a Schedule

Truth talk: Personal branding isn’t a “set it and forget it” kind of thing. Once you’ve figured out what you want your message to be and how you can share it more effectively, you’re going to need to start posting — consistently.

A helpful way to be consistent is to set a schedule that you can use as a guide. It shouldn’t feel like a chore, but if you’re anything like me, if you don’t schedule it, it could get back-burnered. All I ask is that you give it 10 minutes a day!

Here’s an example of a schedule you can start with:

Monday: Make (or update) a list of people you’d like to engage with more (a former manager) or simply connect with (an industry influencer).

Tuesday: Reach out to someone from that list. If it’s someone you’re reconnecting with, try one of these ideas. If it’s a stranger, you can test out this Twitter trick, or, if you’re brave, just send a cold LinkedIn invite using these templates.

Wednesday: Spend time looking for industry-related articles in publications popular in your field and share one. Or, alternatively, comment on someone else’s post (or at a minimum, share it).

Thursday: Make (or update) your list of improvements you’d like to make to your online presence. Break it down into baby steps. For example, you wouldn’t write, “Build personal site.” You’d write, “Look into site designers” and “write copy for personal site bio.”

Friday: Spend today looking yesterday’s list and knocking just one thing off.

Of course, you can tailor your plan to whatever works best for you. Honestly, if you just do the five things above even once a month, you’ll see traction. Regardless of the schedule you choose, feel free to switch it up, and see what gets the best response. You won’t see results overnight, but, that’s OK.

My final piece of advice is to avoid being misled by the term “personal branding.” What I mean is: The most successful brands aren’t just about you. Take the time to know your target audience, and listening to what’s on their minds as well. Genuinely connect and build relationships! As best-selling author Dale Carnegie said, “To be interesting, be interested.”

The post How to Create a Personal Branding Plan in 30 Minutes (Even if You Hate “Personal Branding”) appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.

The age of the private exhibitionist blog is over. Today, blogging has become the single most powerful platform on the internet for the individual, the professional, and the thought-leader.

When I graduated from college in 2000, there were no blogs. I’d had email for only about two years by then. But even then, the principles that make blogging so powerful still applied.

Our graduation keynote speech told the story. I went to Brown University, and if you know about Brown, then you know about its open curriculum. This meant for four years, I didn’t have to take science or math classes.

In fact, at Brown, as long as you fulfilled your concentration requirements, you could take anything you wanted. The school assumes that the student will choose classes they are truly interested in and therefore will work harder to succeed.

As you can imagine, this stance is still quite controversial in academic circles. That summer of 2000, sitting in my graduation gown, wondering if I’d been duped out of a real education by not taking math classes, the dean said something I will always remember.

“There are only two skills you need to have to be successful in life,” he said. “The ability to think critically. And the ability and willingness to communicate your thoughts through effective writing.”

I believe, now that I’m older, that these two skills are ALL anyone needs to win in life. Furthermore, after speaking with many hiring managers, I believe that these two skills are what companies look for above and beyond anything else.

Your blog demonstrates your ability to think and your ability to write, and these abilities are important to your future boss. And if you’re going toe-to-toe with other job candidates, your blog can pole-vault you into the office chair of your choosing.

Starting a blog these days is easier than it ever was.

For setting up a WordPress blog, I think Laura Roeder’s training Zero to Blogging is the best out there.

If you want something simpler, there is Tumblr or Posterous, both platforms that take less than 5 minutes to set up.

In Seth Godin’s Linchpin, he talks about being indispensable to an organization. It’s so easy these days for companies to off-shore or automate jobs. If you aren’t investing real emotional energy, and expressing your full self in the job, your position could be removed. But when someone is a thought leader, puts their heart into the results of the job, and otherwise shows that they are irreplaceable, that person wins in the end.

Your blog makes you irreplaceable. It shows you have something to say and the confidence to say it.

I don’t care if only your mother reads it for the first few months. Your blog is going to become your biggest career asset. Trust me!

The post Why Every Job Seeker Needs to Blog appeared first on Résumé Writing and Career Services.