New To LinkedIn? Don’t Make These Rookie Mistakes!

LinkedIn is a wonderful resource for anyone who is looking to expand their professional network. Because it is easy to set up and reflects a resume, many of our students find it to be user-friendly and a helpful tool. But just as there are ways to look like a rookie on any social media platform, there are ways to look like a rookie on LinkedIn.  In his article on Careerealism, Don Goodman outlines 4 mistakes that will need to be avoided in order to really make your LinkedIn account shine.

1. You connect with everyone – When establishing a LinkedIn account, it’s easy to go crazy and want to connect with anyone you can think of.  But remember LinkedIn is for networking purposes, so make sure the people you connect with are going to be a positive reflection of you – and that you are a positive reflection for them!
2. Your profile picture isn’t great (or nonexistent!) – Your picture is many times the first impression a fellow LinkedIn user may have of you, so make sure it is clear, professional, and shows how approachable you are. Also keep in mind that many times, if a profile doesn’t have a picture, people will be less likely to accept the connection.
3. Your sub-header doesn’t reflect how awesome you are – Your sub-header shows up in search results, along with your name and picture. Why have something bland, like “Marketing Specialist” when you could be “Marketing Specialist for Non-Profit Organizations With 5 Years Experience”? This conveys much more detail!
4. You didn’t establish how private you want to be – This is especially important for anyone who may be job searching. Tweaking some of your privacy settings can limit how much of your information is shared with others (or not shared with your current employer!)

You can read the full article here: http://www.careerealism.com/linkedin-mistakes-rookie-avoid/

LinkedIn: Taking the Stress Out of Networking Since 2003

LinkedIn: Taking the Stress Out of Networking Since 2003

The link is from our friends over at Education Week, and I love the article because it addresses two concerns that many students- regardless of whether they are education majors or not- face: the stress of networking, and understanding the value of LinkedIn. I think it’s important to reiterate that the value of LinkedIn is it  can reduce the stress that comes with networking. LinkedIn has many ways to find information about employers and companies, which can help you feel better prepared as you walk into a job fair or other networking events. For example, if you can see a list in advance of which companies will be at a job fair, you can search for them on LinkedIn to get a better idea of what their company represents, who some of their recruiters are, and what job listings they may have posted already. Or, if you know the specific person who will be available for questions at a networking event, you can search for them individually, look through their profile, and determine if you have any connections with them- maybe a shared hometown or you have mutual acquaintances. By finding similarities, you’ll feel more comfortable and confident approaching them. Another positive aspect of LinkedIn is the fact that can connect with professionals through groups.  For example, you can join alumni groups or groups for people with similar interests just as a service organization or fraternity. Additionally, many professional organizations, such as Teachers Networking Group or Creative Design Pros-Creative Forum, will help you connect with others in your field, again, finding a common bond and making it easier to reach out to new connections. Networking doesn’t have to be stressful as long as you do your research ahead of time, and LinkedIn will be a great resource for you!

Graduated, but Still Connected

Graduated, but Still Connected

We’re at a pivotal moment on our campus.  Our winter graduates just walked across the stage, and our spring graduates are getting ready with excited anticipation.  For many students, the job search is in full force.  We are frequently asked “where can I look for a job?” without realizing that they can build from what they already have! Students are typically a very connected population- thanks to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like, they’re able to make connections all around the world. Just because they are holding their diploma doesn’t mean they have to give up their profiles.  In fact, students are encouraged to build from those profiles and make those connections more professional.

 Careerealism has provided a great article regarding social media after graduation.  Yes, it is possible to use your social media accounts to your advantage! They give much greater detail in their post, but I wanted to give a brief summary to you to get you started.  They break down social media networking into six steps:

1. Create an online portfolio- this allows employers to see your accomplishments all in one place
2. Create a blog- you can share your opinions, writing skills, and critical thinking skills, however, it’s especially encouraged to focus the blog subject on your field of study.  This will show how knowledgeable you are!
3. Join LinkedIn- you can find so many professionals through LinkedIn, and easily be introduced to professionals you don’t know.  You can also follow specific companies to stay up to date on their information
4. Keep your accounts professional- keep an eye on what pictures you are tagged in, and make sure anything you post is PG-13 (at most!)
5. Be social on social networks- don’t feel that you can’t post anything at all.  Join in conversations, especially those related to your field or businesses in which you are interested.
6. Go offline- if you make a connection with a professional, find a way to talk with them more.  Try to set up an informational meeting either in person or over the phone to see what advice they have for you.

 Just because you graduated, you don’t have to go completely off the radar.  Think outside the box on how you can use your social media to work for you!

Twerking Hard or Hardly Twerking?

I am sure many of our readers saw, or at least heard about, the Miley Cyrus fiasco at the Video Music Awards. First of all, we hope no one aspires to “twerk hard” quite like Miley did. And if you do, we hope you keep it off national television.  Even better, keep it off Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. I want you to go to Google right now and search for Miley Cyrus. The first things that pop up are articles about her VMA performance. Even CNN is talking about it!  Now Google your name. There should not be any articles about you rocking out with Robin Thicke.  If there are, or if there is anything similar, you may want to reconsider what image you are projecting to the rest of the world.  When you think about it, is an employer really going to be interested in hiring someone like Miley? Would they want someone with that reputation to impact their reputation? If your Google results need a little cleaning, we suggest putting some privacy levels on your social media accounts. Ask a friend to untag you in your less-than-professionally-flattering pictures. Also, if you create a LinkedIn account, it will automatically go to the top of the search results. If it’s the first thing an employer sees, that will lead to a great impression! You don’t need to completely eliminate all of your social media profiles.  You can always use them to share your accomplishments (both personal and professional) and share your community involvement. But next time you go to get down, make sure you don’t let any moves- or pictures or videos- get out of control!

LinkedIn Etiquette

LinkedIn Etiquette

It seems that on many social media platforms, etiquette has gone by the wayside. It’s all too common to use abbreviations, post drunk selfies or food pictures, and unfriend someone just because you don’t like what they post.  If you do these things on your personal site, that’s ok.  Unfortunately, if you do that on your professional LinkedIn profile, it’s not.   Careerealism has a great article on what to expect on LinkedIn and how to be polite about those things. Remember last week we talked a little bit about first impressions? For some people, your LinkedIn profile may be the only impression they have of you. You want to keep that wonderful reputation, right? So follow these rules and you’ll be shining in the spotlight!

10 Reasons Why You Need LinkedIn

10 Reasons Why You Need LinkedIn

In our office, we actively encourage all of our students to create a LinkedIn profile. It doesn’t take long to create, it’ll upload your resume for you, and it makes it so easy to network! Even if YOU don’t know anyone in your field or at your dream company- one of your connections might! Kristin Johnson at Profession Direction, LLC came up with this great list of 10 Reasons Why You Need a LinkedIn Profile. What do you think? Do you have any other reasons?

Social Media: It Is My Gift, It Is My Curse

And Thank You to SpiderMan for that awesome quote!

Almost everyone has Facebook nowadays, and most even have Twitter, too. They can be great tools. They remind you to say Happy Birthday. They announce exciting news, like engagements or new jobs. They invite other people to events. You can even use them to find jobs and connect with professionals. You can “like” company Facebook pages to see promotions or breaking news. You can use hashtags (#) to find specific keywords, like #accounting or #Nevada. Putting them together, you can tweet: #Jobsearch in #Nevada for #accounting and see if anyone has tweeted about openings with those key words. OR someone else can see that you used those keywords and reach out to you. Pretty neat, huh?

Unfortunately, there is a downside to social media, too. Unless you keep your privacy settings as tight as possible, others can see you just as well as you can see them! Which means, they can see the status update where you slammed your internship supervisor, they can see the picture of you with a red solo cup (regardless of what is in it) and they can see that you posted a youtube clip of a comedian that uses a lot of profanity. Unfortunately, although an employer shouldn’t be looking for things like this (Facebook announced it goes against their privacy policy), they still do. So be aware of what you post. Untag yourself from pictures if you need to, and make sure people you aren’t friends with can’t see your posts.

However, one form of social media I encourage others to use is LinkedIn. It’s set up a lot like Facebook, and you can use your friends on Facebook and Twitter to find people to connect with. You can join groups and follow companies. You can even upload your resume right onto the page. It’s a much more professional form of social media, and again, you can use it to see if there are job openings. Moreover, employers can search for skills, and if you match what they are looking for, they’ll reach out to you!

Social media can be really helpful as employers shift their sites to hiring with them. However, you also have to make sure that you’re putting your best foot forward!

Why does my employer want THAT?!

On nearly every website you sign up for, it tells you in bold letters: Do Not Share Your Password. People are more aware of everything they do on the internet, from buying on Ebay to finding a flight to LA to posting a picture of your new puppy. We take for granted all of the security settings, and we never share our passwords.

But what if you’re in an interview and you’re asked for it? Then comes a dilemma. Do you offer up your password, pray no one remembers it after you leave, and hope they don’t find anything in your personal life a reason not to hire you? Or do you say no, and pretty much ruin your own chances of getting the job?

From the research I’ve done, it seems that employers will Google candidates in an effort to weed out the extras and determine who is an upstanding citizen who would be a beneficial team member. But why a personal profile? Why not a professional network like LinkedIn? In the articles, you’ll find that some companies will have you do your application through Facebook, or ask you to sign in while in your interview, just so they can find out more about you. For some super sensitive jobs, say, police work, maybe it makes sense. And some can argue that you reflect yourself in your work, and vice versa. So how would you, dear reader, interpret the question of “may I go through your facebook?” Is it an infringement on your personal life, or a chance to show what a genuine candidate you are?

http://blog.resumebear.com/college-graduates/facebook-employers-wanting-usename-and-password/

http://news.yahoo.com/job-seekers-getting-asked-facebook-passwords-071251682.html