Rita Ashley, Career Coach. Field tested advice for executives.

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By rashley, July 28, 2009 3:11 pm

Is Your LinkedIn Profile Working?

Working, you say.  What is it supposed to do?  I just want people to know what I do and my job history.

Your LinkedIn profile is often the first thing prospective employers and gatekeepers see regarding your background.  You know yours is working if you are getting introductions, invitations to chat and even interviews. You can check to see a sample of who read your profile.

Go to your ‘Home’ page and view the right side:  ‘Who’s viewed my profile,’ Click on: ‘see more.’

If you have connected with or were referred to some of the organizations listed and you did not get the results you wanted, chances are, you need to change your profile.  If you didn’t contact the organizations listed, chances are, they thought they were interested but didn’t see any reason to follow through.  Something is missing on your profile.

Most people believe a LinkedIn profile is just a truncated version of the resume.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  It can be the single most important job search tool you have. Linda Tancs, an employment writer for NJ.com states: A successful LinkedIn profile takes effort.

Your Profile is a marketing piece. Your profile is a tool, which when used correctly, will entice the reader to learn more.  A tool that tells the hiring authority and people who refer candidates to them, exactly why they want to talk to you, immediately.

That’s a huge job for such a small bit of media.  But think about your own behavior.  How often do you ‘research’ someone before you talk to them or when you only think you may want to talk to them?

Where do you start? First off, let readers know how to contact you if they are interested.  Use your public email address (hotmail or gmail, for example) and insert it close to the top of your profile.  Need some ‘air’ around it?  Type a period/enter to create a blank line above and below your email address.

Most common mistake? Your LinkedIn profile is precious digital real estate; use it wisely.  If you want viewers to know how old you are right out of the gate, say, “19 years experience managing new product designs.”  Don’t tell readers how old you are.  Tell them the most important accomplishment in which they would be most interested.

“Launched seven unique products in six seconds with no budget and one hand tied behind my back.”

What it is not. Your profile is a marketing tool, not a biography.  You do not need to list all your jobs or all your positions.  It is neither a resume nor a legal document.

If you want to list previous companies to attract certain populations, go ahead, but only list those.  Leaving lots of white makes for a more pleasing viewing experience.  Leaving lots to the imagination encourages people to contact you.

Your opinion does not count. Readers are not interested in your own view of your work.  “Successful marketing executive with impressive history of product launches” may be true, but your readers need proof, not your opinions.  Try to give examples of your success and let your work speak for itself.

Other people’s opinions count a lot. Use the ‘references’ section eagerly.  Invite folks who have worked for you, with you and managed you to make comments.  Notice the first line is visible. Recraft them to be punch lines (ask permission to modify) to encourage readers to click to read more.

Invite references over time so your updates appear constantly in your network’s radar.  Nothing better to help them recall what a swell person you are and keep you in mind when they hear about a job or person you should know.

Resist the urge to respond immediately to those who give you a reference.  Space out your responses over time to appear in the updates sections and also to get around the appearance of quid pro quo on references.

More white space. Unless your groups memberships are germane to your profession, leave the logos off your profile.  Go to the membership section of each and click off the ‘show logo’ box.

Do you have a blog? I encourage all my clients to create and maintain an industry specific blog to enhance their personal marketing efforts.  If your blog titles are not spot-on to your professional job search efforts, write some new ones.  These headlines are an effective way for viewers to learn more about you.  Use them wisely.

It goes without saying, though you’d be startled to know how often I am forced to say it, check for spelling and grammar.  One mistake can turn viewers off because they immediately jump to, “Not detail oriented” or “careless” or worse, “illiterate.”  Invite someone to review your profile before you publish because we often can’t see our own mistakes.

When you are truly delighted with your profile, when you believe it is compelling and an excellent personal advertisement, incorporate your profile address in your email signature and use it anytime you write a blog or answer a blog online.  Broadcast this marketing piece and you become your own advertisement agency.

For more advice on using LinkedIn for Job Search download your free copy at www.jobsearchdebugged.com

For a job search tune-up read Job Search Debugged, an insider’s guide to a compelling job search.

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By thejobcoach, June 11, 2009 12:51 pm

  THE ELEVATOR PITCH–Is Yours Working?

Your brand [Elevator Pitch] is the promise you make to a prospective employer.  Shivonne Byrne, Microsoft Branding Executive.

Do people respond to it with questions about your work, your success or processes? Do they want to learn more? Do they invite you to talk about your credentials? Do they offer to introduce you to others? Do they show interest so you can invite them to meet at a future date? Do they ask for your business card?

Simply stated, the Elevator Pitch is a powerful tool to gain the attention of a person who will offer leads, an opportunity and introductions to people who can provide them.  The whole idea of the elevator pitch is to communicate very quickly why they want to learn more.

The tactic you use is to relate what you do to what they do. Understand your client. If, for example, you are talking to a financial person and you are an IT professional, you probably don’t want to stress the latest technologies you implemented in record time. You do want to stress how what you did affected the bottom line or the impact your work had on the stock or upcoming IPO.

Critical to this conversation is your own understanding of what you do.

• What makes you unique and why anyone would care?
• Your pitch must be clear, succinct and interesting.

Your pitch becomes the basis for your resume and all your outreach.  It is the fulcrum of all your communications and the trigger that creates conversations, generates interviews and signals to contacts why they want to help you.

This is your opportunity to convey your passion for what you do and the importance of the outcomes. Need more reasons to create a great Elevator pitch?  Think about all those social networking events where you just didn’t know how to start a conversation, or worse, stammered when someone asked, “what do you do?”  Your elevator pitch at the ready, you can respond with confidence.

An article worth reading: Good Advice for an Elevator Pitch.  For a tutorial on elevator pitches download Elevator Pitch Essentials from Chris O’leary.  His guide is free and endorsed by Guy Kawasaki.  Of course, I would be remiss if I did not suggest you should purchase my book, Job Search Debugged, to get the full range of elevator pitch uses.

OK, that’s the theory of the Elevator pitch, here’s reality. In all my years in recruiting and coaching I’ve rarely found anyone who has their pitch down cold. It is difficult to see our own image. Often, the pitch is lukewarm and the words just stumble out because the job seeker isn’t comfortable with it. Or worse, it sounds canned and doesn’t change with the audience.

Tip:  Say your elevator pitch to a twelve year old.  If they can tell you what you do, you have a good pitch.  If not, keep working until yours is clear and simple.  Crafting your pitch isn’t the time to show you are the smartest person in the room; it is the time to say something so interesting, the listener asks questions.

The Internet has fundamentally altered job search behavior – the way employers identify, evaluate and hire is changed forever.  Email me for your free chapter:     BASICS FOR SIX-FIGURE INCOME CANDIDATES

Job Seekers must accept employer behavior has evolved and learn how to use digital job search methods to land their jobs.  Effective use of LinkedIn, blogs and search engine alerts combined with excellent use of job search engines gets you a faster outcome.

Download Job Search Debugged and learn how to:

• Get what you need from your network; job leads and introductions
• Avoid common traps that trip up the competition
• Create messaging that makes you memorable
• Use digital job search tools to optimize your search

Want a sneak peek at the table of contents?  Job Search Debugged Table of Contents.

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By admin, January 21, 2009 12:22 pm

Resources to learn more about personal branding

My clients often ask for more information and different points of view on personal branding.   We start our coaching relationship with a focus on their brand  and how to up their brand exposure.  In the job search game, exposure is the most important factor so we start by creating the right focus.

For efficiency sake, I created this  list of resources where you can read about the importance of personal branding and how to affect your own brand.  All start from the fact that you have a brand whether you know it or not, so you might as well gain control over it for career optimization.  While the list is not exhaustive, it provides enough resources to get you going.  Check back frequently as I add to this list.  Feel free to let me know other resources you have found to be valuable.

Shivonne Byrne’s blog is an ongoing discussion of thoughts on strategy, business, marketing, content & creativity.

Tom Peters (TJPET@aol.com) is the world’s leading brand when it comes to writing, speaking, or thinking about the new economy. “The Brand YOU 50? is Tom’s complete guide to personal branding.  Look for “Tom Peters’ Career Survival Guide” (Houghton Mifflin interactive),   In Search of Excellence and A Passion for Excellence.

Tom Peters comments on Brand for Fast Company.

Managing Brand You by Jerry S. Wilson, Vice president of Pepsi is renown for his branding successes.  He turns his expertise to individuals in Managing Brand You; an excellent guide to taking charge of your own personal marketing through branding.

Dan Schawbel tells readers how to get their brand into the public eye.

Chris Brogan talks about building a strong brand online using examples you will recognize.  Click here for his bio.

Quintessinal Careers lists many articles on personal branding and the job search.

Dealing with your digital dirt by an Execunet career guide is another resource for understanding the problem and solution to digital dirt.

Job Mob shares the ultimate list of resources to view and clean your digital dirt.

CFO.com discusses personal digital dirt and the harm it can do.

Peggy Klaus discusses how to toot your horn the right way.  This is a must read book for those reluctant to go beyond, ‘actions speak louder than words.’

William Arruda stresses the importance of personal branding in seminars and training sessions.

Martin Lindstrom is the New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best-selling author of Buy-ology – Truth and Lies About Why We Buy. Lindstrom is the CEO and Chairman of the LINDSTROM company and the Chairman of BUYOLOGY INC New York and BRAND sense Agency London.  While he advises corporations about branding, much of the content is relevant to any professional who hopes to establish their own brand.

justbrand.me A common sense blog that speaks to the heart of the branding issues.

Branding made simple  Installment One

Branding made simple installment two

Branding made simple installment three

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By admin, November 18, 2008 7:42 pm

MY SOAP BOX THIS WEEK IS PERSONAL DIGITAL DIRT.

THE PROBLEM: Who among us has not been tempted to rant on-line about something we care deeply?  Politics and religion are tempting topics for your opinions; they are also exactly the topics where you can offend the most people.  And what about all those pictures of the drunken brawl after the game?  Well, guess what, with the newest tools, anyone can find out even the oldest dirt about your personal and business life.

Fact:  Prospective employers vet ‘suspects’ on-line prior to contact.  There is no law to prevent them from not contacting you because they found something you said or did to be at odds with their own views.  You will never know who did not contact you for a job.

And worse, if you are already in the interview cycle, it is a guarantee someone with whom you interview will vet you on-line.  If they see or read something unpalatable they can make a reason not to proceed with hiring.

THE SOLUTION: Personal digital dirt has no shelf life; it exists forever.  So, what can you do to manage your reputation on line?  How can you overcome these self made obstacles to create a professional brand?  How can you manage your professional brand on-line and keep dirt away from your digital door?

1. Stop creating dirt.  Keep your opinions off line, just don’t do it.  Not even once.
2. See what is out there.  Use the tools above and search on your name, phone number, aliases, first initial and last name and your full name with your middle initial.  Women, search your maiden name.
3. Contact every site that lists your dirt.  Do whatever is possible to have it and your account removed.
4. Use all the social networking sites you can find.  Create a wonderful and accurate profile of your background and professional life.  Use a professional head shot and maintain these profiles.
5. Create a blog, respond to questions on social networking sites and other blogs, and participate on forums including those for your hobbies.  Your objective is to create so much clean dirt that the bad dirt is forced much lower on the page.
6. Use Google Alerts on your name to monitor how the world sees your digital brand.

CLEAN-UP ON STEROIDS:  The über solution employs the notion of pushing your dirt as low as possible on search engine results.  Sign up for as many high profile social networking sites as you have the time to monitor.

Ziggs, a social networking site for professionals, misleads prospects with the promise to “Build a free professional profile and search for other professionals.”  Enticing as that is, their real value to the job seeker, passive or active, is that they are invested in helping professionals create an online brand.  While not specifically targeted to job seekers, it inevitably works as a tool for clever hiring authorities to find you through the very best digital footprint you can create.

How is it different from other social networking sites?  Ziggs is highly ranked with search engines and as such, your entry is almost guaranteed to come up high on any search for your name.  Sure, it takes Internet time for your original profile to appear, but if you are in a hurry, Ziggs offers a 48 hour presence for a few bucks.

The advantage to you is one of the first entries people see is one that sets the stage for you as a professional; one over which you have complete control.  That first impression may very well cancel out some of the less positive dirt available. Fill out the complete profile and people can see you as a well-rounded, exemplary citizen in the business world.  No Dirt.

There are the familiar groups to join, comments and discussions to use and many ways to search for contacts or companies.  And a truly stand-out feature is you can actually see, using a map feature, the locations of people who found you on Ziggs.  Why do you care?  If you sent your resume to Dallas and a red flag appears on your map on Dallas, you know someone is vetting you.  To add to the thrill, Ziggs will email you with every new flag and information on the key words used in the search for you. Mouse over the flag reveals useful data:

Ziggs Real-Time Search Alert
Search Terms: Rita Ashley Medford Oregon
Search(Engine): Ziggs
Visitor(Location):Bellevue, WA
Date: 11/18/2008
Time: 5:11:00 PM

Julia Bradley, Vice President of Ziggs Marketing, encourages professionals who want to stand out from others who share their name to purchase their own domain URL, a service Ziggs makes very easy.  If you want to look truly professional, you need your own named address such as Julia@juliabradeley.com.  Sage advice for the long term.

CLEAN THE PICTURE DIRT: Julia also recommends using as many as six photos on Ziggs that show you in your many professional guises.  Google supports image searches which can be damaging.  Your objective is to have  many good pictures show up first.  Because of Ziggs high search engine ranking, your Ziggs pictures just may push bad images further down the page. Check it out, Google your own name, then Google/image  Ziggs President, Tim DeMello, or Eve Maler which is a terrific example of why your hobbies count, for example.  Everything on her image page, including her book covers is impressive and relevant to any job search.

Do not underestimate the picture is worth a thousand words cliche.  Remember, you want to create and maintain a professional brand, not let your college buddies know you are still a wild and crazy guy or gal.  It is all about a professional brand and your career.

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