Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile

There is doubt about the value of having and maintaining a strong and current LinkedIn profile and network. Finding ways to increase your network and cultivate great business contacts is one of the best ways to make yourself attractive to recruiters. Recruiters used LinkedIn aggressively, in fact, a recent Jobvite 2010 social media report, found that LinkedIn is one of the most popular social media sites for recruiters with 75% of respondents saying that they use LinkedIn regularly to look for new talent.

In an earlier post here on PhillyJobs, I talked a bit about using LinkedIn groups to find your next position. But once you have your profile set up, there are ways to make sure that you are using it to your best advantage and ways to maximize your presence on the network.

Here are some tips for optimizing your LinkedIn profile.

• Make your profile as important as your resume- Don't think of your Linkedin profile as an informal resume, but rather be sure to keep it current and updated whenever you update your resume. Be sure to use action verbs and keywords as well. By keeping it current and using keywords you will be more accessible to recruiters that are searching profiles to find matching candidates.

• Getting Recommendations and References- One of the key things you can do to make your profile more appealing to a recruiter is to have great recommendations and references. You want to have both character references and professional references. Make sure that you have several of each, but don't overdo it. Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations from people that you have worked with in the past and past professors etc.. Remember to thank them for the reference and offer to reciprocate if you think it would be useful to them.

• Make connections- Don't be afraid to ask people for a connection and don't refuse a connection unless you have good reason. Sometimes it helps to look at a friend's connections and find people on their lists that may be good contacts for you. Never underestimate the power of “a friend of a friend”.

• Use you LinkedIn account for research- Before your next interview, take the time to look up the company or the hiring manager that you have an appointment with on LinkedIn. Read over their profile and get a feel for who they are and what they are looking for. It can set you apart from other candidates if you are able to come to the interview armed with information about the company, the position and/or the interviewer. This isn't invading their space, because you can be sure that the interviewer will have looked over your profile before the interview as well.

Think about LinkedIn networking the same way as you would think about your personal network. Many of us have found jobs when we were just starting out by someone's mom knowing someone that knew someone that was hiring. This is exactly the same thing. Putting yourself out there can be difficult, but the rewards are worth it. By optimizing your LinkedIn profile it raises the odds of finding a new job that fits your skills and talents. And isn't that what we are all looking for?

By Melissa Kennedy- Melissa is a freelance writer and regular contributor to several websites and other publications, a volunteer, a full time mom and an active job seeker.

6 Tips to avoid Job Posting Scams

As unemployment has risen, more and more people are finding themselves entering a very challenging job market. Job seekers are sifting through many online job listings looking for an opportunity, and unfortunately, so are the spammers and scammers. It is important to understand how to protect yourself from unscrupulous people that are just waiting to take advantage of the unsuspecting person. These tips will help you spot and avoid some of the common traps that scammers employ and protect yourself from losing money, wasting time and even having your identity stolen.

• Consider setting up an email address exclusively for your job search.
  There are many sites that offer free email accounts, such as www.gmail.com , www.yahoo.com and www.live.com just to name a few. Remember to keep it simple and stick with something like firstname.last@email.com. By keeping your job search separate from your personal email address it will be harder for a scammer to track you down through social media and other sites that may have personal information. There will be times when, despite your best efforts, you will apply to a job listing that is used solely to harvest email addresses for spammers. When your job search is over, it will be easy to delete the email address and the spam right along with it.  

• View Work-from-Home opportunities skeptically
  If you look at almost any job board lately, you will find many listings offering work-from-home employment. Naturally, these jobs appear to be dream jobs for those of us struggling to balance work and family. In this day and age of internet and telecommuting, there are many companies that offer legitimate employment for at home workers. Many of these legitimate positions involve customer service, appointment setting and transcription, however, listings that advertise data entry, envelope stuffing and survey taking are always favorites of scammers. This isn't to say that just because a job listing says that it is a work at home position that it is a scam, but always view these listing skeptically, and do the research. 

• Avoid Ads that appear to be typed or spaced poorly
  If you have browsed through job listings lately, you will see that many ads appear to be double or triple spaced to make the ad itself much larger than is necessary. In addition, many of these same ads seem to have been poorly written with incorrect grammar and simple spelling errors. Scammers do this on purpose to make the reader feel like they are a real person who isn't savvy in the art of ad writing. Employers who are looking for a new addition to their team will have taken the time to carefully draft their ad. Don't fall for thinking that they must really be desperate for a ‘Secretary’ because they can't formulate a professional ad. Replying to this sort of ad is a waste of time.

• Beware of listings that give you a 1-800 number to apply
  Local businesses that are looking for new employees typically will give you their local number to contact if they don't want applicants sending emails. There are a few exceptions, as some large corporations may provide a toll free number to reach their Human Resources Department, however, they will almost always list the company name alongside the toll free number. Often scammers will require a job seeker to contact them at a toll free number and proceed to ask for very specific personal information. Occasionally, scammers will respond to your email telling you that due to the high volume of responses to their posting, they are requiring applicants to sign up at a website to verify that they are not spammers. The website will ask you to put in your cell number and click ‘submit’ so that they can verify that you are a real person. After the verification process, you are told someone will contact you for an interview. The job offer or interview never comes. In these instances, your cell phone number can be circulated to more telemarketing services, increased exposure you to possible identity theft risks or automatic ‘subscription’ charges to your cell phone that are often overlooked on cell phone billing statements. 

• "Red Flags"
  Another favorite tactic of scammers is to send you an email telling you that they have tried to contact you about the job opportunity, and time is running out. The email solicitation states, “We really like your resume and think that you would be a terrific addition to our team.” The alleged HR representative goes on to tell you that she is personally vouching for you, and that in order for them to offer you the job, you need to go to a specific web address and order a copy of your credit report and forward it to them. This request should be a ‘red flag’ to you. Specific screenings (background checks, credit checks, etc.) will always be paid by the hiring organization, never by you. Which brings me to my last point…

• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
  No matter how desperate you are to find a job or how wonderful the opportunity sounds, if it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is. The web is littered with ads that offer great pay and benefits for part time work, work at home positions that require little to no experience and advertisements that offer great pay and ask for generic skills such as  “must possess strong interpersonal skills” and “should be a self-starter” along with very vague descriptions of what the position is. Scammers prey upon the weaknesses of their victims. They hope that even smart people will disregard their own common sense and go ahead and forward their credit report or give out their cell phone information or credit card information in order to get the job of their dreams. Be cautious. Don't set aside common sense when deciding which listing to apply. And, don't lose hope, for every scammer out there, there are real companies looking to hire real people like yourself.

- Melissa Kennedy

(Melissa Kennedy is a freelance writer, volunteer, mom and full time job seeker.)

4 LinkedIn Mistakes – Have You Made One?

Aside from the basic rules of engagement LinkedIn has established, here are a few other courtesies to remember while making the most of your LinkedIn experience. Follow these points and you’ll be sure to get the most out of LinkedIn—and you’ll avoid aggravating other users in the process. Here are four mistakes to avoid while using LinkedIn:

BLINDLY REQUESTING CONNECTIONS WITH NO MUTUAL BENEFIT

On Facebook you can request new friendships with anybody at all. It’s a social network of friends, and if you want to be friends you simply make a request. With LinkedIn you’re making a ‘connection’ that will hopefully create a mutually beneficial networking opportunity later on down the line. Be strategic when deciding with whom you will connect, and explain to the person why you want to connect; what’s in it for them—and what’s it in for you? Don’t request to connect with just anyone at all; understandably, people will want to know why you are requesting the opportunity to connect. So provide a brief sentence or two explaining what you think a mutual connection can bring to both parties.

NOT BEING TRUTHFUL ABOUT WHY YOU WANT TO CONNECT

If it’s being brought up, it’s because people have done it. Others have complained about it. It’s hard sometimes to establish a connection with someone when LinkedIn only allows you certain ways to request connections. That being said, you should still be truthful in why you want to connect. If the purpose of networking is to create mutual connections that may help either party in the future, do you really want to start that connection with mistrust or deceit? The most frequent use of this is presenting yourself as a ‘friend’ of someone or ‘colleague at XYZ organization’ when you really are not. It’s not going to get you the connection, and in the end you’re going to be perceived as being dishonest—and who wants to connect or potentially help someone who isn’t honest?

PROFILE CONTENT IS NOT A REPRODUCTION OF YOUR RESUME

This mistake is so well ingrained in users that you’re now probably experiencing some disbelief. Don’t just copy and paste your resume into your LinkedIn profile. Here’s why: When you network with someone in person do you give them a word-for-word rundown from your resume of what you’ve done? No, you personalize the conversation and speak in the first person. It is a more casual conversation—not as formal as your resume. Your profile should be keyword-rich so that recruiters can find you if they’re performing a search, but it should also be authentic and sincere, as though you’re talking to the person about what you’ve accomplished.

KEYWORDS ARE NOT JUST FOR RESUMES

Recruiters and hiring managers are performing searches on LinkedIn for qualified candidates, and you want to be found. Why else would you be there? Seriously, make sure your LinkedIn profile is peppered with industry-specific keywords relevant to the target position you want. It should be called LISO (LinkedIn Search Optimization)—like SEO—but for LinkedIn. Keywords = Being Discovered = Interview = New Job. Get keywords now.

To recap: Be sure you are honest, strategic, and explanatory in your LinkedIn connection requests; your profile isn’t just a copy of your resume; and that your profile is keyword-rich so people can find you! These four key tips will make the most of your LinkedIn experience and keep you ahead of the game.

- Jessica Holbrook

Jessica is an expert resume writer, career and personal branding strategist, author, and presenter.  She has written more than 100 articles that are featured on some of the best career advice Web sites today.  In addition, her writing has been included in Launch pad, a career search strategy guide featuring exclusive information by the top career experts in the industry. Launch pad is the respected guide used by career development centers and MBA programs throughout the country. As CEO of Great Resumes Fast Jessica enjoys collaborating with forward-thinking professionals and executives, identifying their personal brand and value proposition and leveraging their unique talent, passion, and vision to position them as a leader in their industry.  Her passion is helping professionals and executives uncover what makes them stand out in the crowd.For a free resume analysis, e-mail your resume to info@greatresumesfast.com or visit our Web site: http://www.greatresumesfast.com  or for a free phone consultation call 1.877.875.7706