It's not just me touting LinkedIn!

Everyone should read this article about maximizing your potential to be found on LinkedIn. It lays out in clear terms the benefits to spelling out exactly what you do, and to using a title that's less like a vanity plate, more like a professional descriptor:

Revealing the #1 Secret to Being Found by Recruiters on LinkedIn

Also crucial, a link I found in the article above, this bit of enlightenment on KEYWORDS!

NO SPAM FILTERS when you're job hunting!

I recently got this message when I replied to someone applying to a job posting:
"To control spam, I now allow incoming messages only from senders I have approved beforehand. If you would like to be added to my list of approved senders, please fill out the short request form (see link below). Once I approve you, I will receive your original message in my inbox. You do not need to resend your message. I apologize for this one-time inconvenience."

Don't make employers have to work any harder to reach you. Even if it means you get a few offers of pills promising to enlarge certain body parts, deal with it. Otherwise you risk not getting that email saying "Thanks for submitting your resume, are you available for a phonescreen?"

My article on TalentZoo's Career Oxygen: "Value Add"

Value Add

You have three seconds to impress me.

You get 30 more if I like what I see at a glance.

It does indeed sound like dating, doesn’t it? And you should think of it that way; it’s in the interests of both parties to feel a little giddy and a lot excited about the prospect of “getting hitched.”

Recruiters want to know what you bring to the table. It’s even more the case these days. When you hear numbers like 2000 people have applied for one job at an institution used to receiving 20 applications per position, you know there is some very fast scanning of resumes going on.

So, what makes you special? Give it to us straight, up front, your 30-second elevator pitch in a neat and tidy summary at the top of your resume. An Objective is well, just alright—many of us tend to ignore those because they are usually rather generic sounding. We much prefer a concise yet explicit Summary.

It’s not enough to simply say you’re “multi-channel” or “multi-media” and leave it at that. What are your specialties? Give me the keywords I might be looking for: interactive, Web, online, digital, print, television, broadcast, direct, radio, video, traditional, packaging, branding, outdoor, out-of-home, guerilla, social media, iphone applications, mobile, technology, financial services, healthcare, beauty, automotive, consumer goods, Flash, Ajax, Javascript, CSS, MS Project, Visio, wireframes, and so on.

If you’ve got too many buzzwords for the summary, you can use “multi-media” or “traditional and digital” in your 30-second summary as long as you elaborate within the Experience section. We like details in the experience section because it helps us determine how many years exposure you have to a particular medium or client vertical. (Include dates for your work history—it only makes us suspicious if you don’t!)

You might think there’s nothing terribly outstanding in your experience, maybe just the usual stuff those roles entail? Look for the details, the golden nuggets. Don’t sell yourself short, *BUT please, please, PLEASE, DON’T say you’re “The Best” or brilliant or exceptional or cutting-edge, or anything that raises expectations so much that the only way is down! (Back to that dating analogy, does anyone like sitting across the table from a braggart? Don’t the self-proclamations frequently prove false? So, don’t set us up for disappointment. Be cool, be honest, be clear.)

Here’s a old trick, let friends and family read your resume and ask them to tell you what you do! If they can’t, ask them if it was too dull of a read or if perhaps they simply found it vague. Either way, it’s valuable feedback and warrants addressing. Now do the exact same thing on Linkedin.com—a missed treasure ship if you aren’t on it and using it to its fullest.

Make the first three seconds great and the next 30 even better. You’ll have a love connection going much sooner.

Now, this guy REALLY gets it!

Meet Jasen Dickan. Learn from Jasen Dickan.
His Linkedin profile makes me weak in the knees.
His online portfolio has me taking cold showers.
Why? Because he REALLY gets it -- he tells me everything I need to know about him. He is saving in-house and external recruiters probably 2 hours of up-front time that might otherwise be wasted going back and forth with questions about his skills.
Right away, we know EXACTLY what he does, how well he does it, where he's done it and how much of it he's done. Moreover, by noting what's not listed, we can determine the things that he likely DOESN'T do that much of, again saving us time.

So, does Jasen just want to save me valuable time? We do have a good rapport, so I can tell myself that's his aim, however, there's definitely a better reason for it and it's the reason I write this post. He's opening up more of the world to himself. He's getting valuable keywords out there and coming up in more searches. By doing so, he appears more professional and buttoned-up. This in turn ups his stock.

I mention him here with his permission -- I told him my goal is to get more people to follow suit. Everyone from Project Managers to Account Services to IAs to Creatives: give us the juicy details upfront and you'll reap the rewards.

Here are his summary and specialties sections from Linkedin:

Summary

Award-winning leader with 12 years of interactive, marketing, and branding experience. Proven ability to supervise teams and develop design talent in others. Passion for innovative strategy, design, and technology.

Specialties

creative leadership, web design, web sites, intranets, interaction design, usability, branding, business strategy, ecommerce, financial services, pharmaceutical, photoshop, typography, color theory, HTML, CSS, photography, successful new business pitches, inspiration

It's wonderful stuff, very informative. Now check out his portfolio: http://www.jasen.net/
Notice the way he specifies his % of involvement in various capacities AND how he gives credit to the other contributors. Providing the level AND kind of involvement you had on specific projects when you have a breadth of skills, goes a long way in establishing credibilty and setting expectations.

If you're looking for work - or just like to keep yourself current like Jasen - please take some time to enhance your profiles and portfolios. And make sure they all link to one another. Do it not for the sake of us recruiters, but for you.

Jasen, congrats on being this "teacher's pet", and thank you for letting me use you as an example! Keep on truckin'.

Tip for the day #5 when applying for a job

Think like a salesperson!

Insurance Agents, Car Salesmen, Real Estate Agents, Mortgage Brokers. Think about it: GOOD salespeople do one thing particularly well - they always leave a business card with you. Even on your 5th meeting, you're getting a business card.

So, if you drop me another line in 8 weeks to check in about that job that was put on hold, think like a salesperson! Include that resume again, include ALL of your contact information, make it so I never have to dig around looking for a way to reach you, or remember why I'd want to. (Replying back to my reply to your first intro email helps refresh my memory better than a brand new email, so don't be afraid to do that. It doesn't look lazy, it looks like you have saved our correspondence because this job/company is something you really want to pursue.)

The easiest way to remember to always include the "business card" information is to create an automatic email SIGNATURE with your full name, title, portfolio site, phone + email. (sidenote: You score extra points when you include the "www." in the beginning of the portfolio address because then it arrives as a live link, no copying/pasting required on our end.)

*If you have a Linkedin profile, include that too! If you don't have one, create one today. Make sure it clearly spells out all you can do (see our post on "Value ADD + Skills"). Within the profile, you have the opportunity to include a website -- don't pass that up! Linkedin is an ideal place to post your portfolio link and/or blog. Employers do keyword searches on Linkedin and on search engines -- make sure you're getting as much coverage as possible by employing any and all relevant keywords/experience/skills.

It simply comes down to thinking like a salesperson.