How to include your LinkedIn profile in your email signature

Add your LinkedIn profile address
to your email signature.

A reader asked if it was really beneficial to include her LinkedIn profile public profile link in her email signature. 

I responded that I have found it very beneficial in two measurable ways:

Learn the hot jobs in your field

Are you in a field that has a future?

My friend Randy’s proactive approach to finding his next job reminds me of Wayne Gretzky’s famous quote, "A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”

In Randy’s case, he researched what the hot jobs will be related to his field in the near and long term. Then he put together a plan to use and improve his abilities to attain a well paying job in the technical field … a job that will make him much sought after for years to come.

Are you seeking the jobs of the future … or of the past? It’s a deceptively simple question with only one logical answer: We should seek the jobs of the future. But sadly, I find that most of my unemployed friends are seeking jobs that no longer exist.

For example, in my field, which is communications, almost every job opening I see seeks someone who can communicate business messages successfully through social networking. When I forward such leads to friends in my field, I often hear from them that business social networking is not their area of expertise or that they’re not interested in pursuing such leads.

Are you disqualifying yourself from great jobs because you are resistant to change? Take a tip from Gretzky’s playbook instead and figure out where the puck will be in your field.

CareerPlanner.com features a great deal of useful information in its article Hot Jobs for the Future. Read over their recommendations, then put together an action plan to attain a job where you can be invaluable for the long term.

How are you evolving to land a hot job with long-term potential? Share your comments via the Contact tab. Thanks! Kathy
_____________________________________

Like what you've learned?
Receive the WiserUTips blog by email or RSS feed and benefit from our services!

_____________________________________

Make the most of your LinkedIn recommendations

Aim to have several LinkedIn
recommendations.

Occasionally online job applications will contain a section where you can not only attach your cover letter and resume, but other documents as well. 

A list of recommendations about yourself makes a great additional attachment to include in this section … and developing such a list is a lot easier than you might think.

If you are on LinkedIn (and if you are job seeker, you really should be on this free business networking site), ask your contacts, particularly former colleagues and bosses, to make recommendations about you on the LinkedIn site. 

These recommendations will appeal on your LinkedIn profile.

Copy and paste the best recommendations into a Word document, and then format the page to look attractive. Save the document to your computer, then attach it to job application emails or online job applications. It’s that easy.

Suggestions

• To encourage people to make recommendations about you, make thoughtful recommendations about them first. People are usually glad to reciprocate.
• Email your resume or a short description of your past work duties and business successes to the people you want to recommend you to make it easy for them to write about you. Basically give them the general idea of what you want them to say so their recommendation will be correct and useful to you.
• Add a link to your LinkedIn public profile on your email signature so people can access your recommendations that way as well.

Develop a list of recommendations about yourself … after all, it could help you land a job that you will love.

What ideas do you have about this subject? Please share your comments. If I can be of help to you, let me know.  -- Kathy
_____________________________________

Like what you've learned?
Receive the WiserUTips blog by email or RSS feed and benefit from our services!

_____________________________________

How to get your resume to rise to the top

You CAN outmaneuver online
application systems!

Ever feel like you are sending your resume into a pit of no return when you apply for a job on an online site?

I've found a great way to get your resume noticed by the hiring manager after you apply online. It involves using LinkedIn, so if you aren’t registered there yet, establish a profile on it as soon as possible. Then invite all of your friends and colleague to connect with you there. 

The more LinkedIn connections you have, the greater access you will have to an extended network of your 1st degree connections and all of your connections’ 1st and 2nd degree connections.

Once you are on LinkedIn, use the search box to try to learn the hiring manager's name. Use the various filters, such as All Filters, Location or Current Companies to fine-tune your search. 

Contact these people through one of these means:

• If they are a 2nd degree connection (if one the people is a friend of one of your 1st degree LinkedIn connections), visit the person's profile and then click the arrow next to the Send InMail button. Then click “Get introduced" and follow the prompts. This will allow a friend of yours to send your message to the person. Alternatively, you can send a regular email with your resume to your friend and ask him/her to forward your resume to his/her connection and put in a good word for you.
• Send the person a LinkedIn “InMail” (this requires a monthly LinkedIn upgrade cost)
• Try to find the person's email address on Google by putting the person's name, company name and the word "email" in the search box and seeing if his/her contact information comes up in the search findings. (Their contact information might be in a directory, for example).
• If you can't find the person's email address online, but the job requires you to apply by emailing (for example) Bob Brown at bbrown@blank.com, you now know the construction of email addresses at that company. So if you learn the hiring manager is Becky (Rebecca) Thatcher at the same company, you know that her email address is probably bthatcher@blank.com or rthatcher@blank.com. Use that knowledge to send her a personal email and attach your resume.

Type the person's name, company name and the word "email" into the search box.

Of course another option is to try calling the company's main switchboard and asking for the name and email address of the director of the such and such department.

Taking these approaches has worked well for me because they show potential employers that I am proactive and resourceful. Personal approaches also appeal to recipients’ egos because they know I sought them out specifically. 

So start emailing key people after you apply online ... after all, it could help land a job that you will love.

How do you ensure your resume rises to the top when you apply for a job online? Share your comments. If I can be of help to you, let me know. -- Kathy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look to WiserU
WiserU provides LinkedIn training and services and career training and services for individuals and organizations that can transform your future or grow your business. Visit WiserU.com to learn more.

• Businesses arrange for WiserU to maximize their use of LinkedIn for sales, marketing, and fundraising through training and services. Learn more 
• The unemployed and miserably employed hire WiserU for career training, coaching, interview preparation, and LinkedIn profile and resume creation services. Learn more at wiseru.com/services/
• Subscribe to WiserUTips.com for weekly LinkedIn and career tips!

Job seekers’ favorite job sites

WiserUTips.com asked job seekers which job sites they preferred and why. Here are sites mentioned most often in alphabetical order, along with some of their comments. Peruse the sites ... they could help land a job that you will love!

Craigslist.org

• It has given me the best results of all.
• It has actually provided me with some decent opportunities.
• It is useful, but you have to scan multiple categories. The anonymous posters are a bit scary. But I had one good lead from there.

Dice.com

• Dice has the best IT job listings.

JuJu.com

• JuJu is a good aggregator that scrapes from other sites. It also gives a back door into The Ladders.

Idealist.org

• Idealist.org is a good site for nonprofit positions and information about nonprofit related employment.

Indeed.com

• Indeed mines jobs from a lot of different sites, like Monster, and Career Builder.

Indevjobs.org/
• I suggest that all development sector job seekers visit Indevjobs.

Jobserve.com
• It can find a few overlooked positions.

LinkedIn.com
• I love how I can look up who works at a company when I apply for jobs on LinkedIn, that way I can connect with someone at the company.
• It has a decent job board, but it is tedious to search.

Monster.com
• Monster is the industry standard. I check it often since I figure most recruiters are posting jobs there.
• Sometimes Monster seems to be thinking too long and is not user friendly. As much as I hate to say it, it just seems like Monster needs a new system implementation.

NPO.net (Chicago’s largest nonprofit board), and government postings.

• It has great functionality. It is not exactly a one-stop-shop, but it's an excellent first stop.
• I like Indeed.com, but I believe you should also post your resume on other sites so recruiters can find you.
• Indeed is quicker, easier, and simpler than Monster. It is very quick in doing searches and finding data. 

Talentzoo.com

• TalentZoo has a pretty good database, but I haven't found anything there, yet.

Many respondents also mentioned having success with local web sites such as their state career sites, their local newspaper or business journal sites, and local nonprofit aggregator web sites.

 A few responders mentioned that using online job sites may not be the best route for finding a job. 

Said one, "Getting my resume in front of local and national staffing recruiters has provided me with the most leads. I use a local creative recruiter here in St. Louis." Another respondent commented, "I have found that while you are unemployed, volunteering for a nonprofit offers a wealth of networking opportunities that I would never have been exposed to using the internet. It also offers a viable work effort while you are searching for a job. In my opinion, the internet is somewhat helpful, but can work against you in this economy."

What job sites work best for you and why? Add your comments via the Contact tab. Thanks! -- Kathy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look to WiserU
WiserU provides LinkedIn training and services and career training and services for individuals and organizations that can transform your future or grow your business. Visit WiserU.com to learn more.

• Businesses arrange for WiserU to maximize their use of LinkedIn for sales, marketing, and fundraising through training and services. Learn more 
• The unemployed and miserably employed hire WiserU for career training, coaching, interview preparation, and LinkedIn profile and resume creation services. Learn more at wiseru.com/services/
• Subscribe to WiserUTips.com for weekly LinkedIn and career tips!

How to change your resume for each opening

Change your resume for every opening
to improve your job prospects.

A recruiting friend gave me a great tip when she told me to change my resume every time I apply for a position. 

Why? 

She said recruiters often use keyword search software to select the best candidates from hundreds of resumes submitted for one opening. She explained that if your resume doesn’t include the keywords recruiters are seeking, it could very well end up in the reject pile.

For example, recruiters might look for the following words if they are hiring an administrative assistant:

• Typing 90 wpm
• Dictation
• Microsoft Word
• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Reception
• Phone Support

Or they might look for these words when seeking an accountant:

• Tax Accounting
• Reconciliations
• General Ledger
• Profit and Loss Statements

Tips for Impressing the Keyword Search Software

• Revise your resume to include keywords in the job description for each opening. So for example, if the job description says, “Coordinate the development of podcasts and blogs,” your resume better include launching podcasts and blogs (if you have that experience, of course!)
• Update your general resume with the most frequently used keywords so you won’t have to revise it as much each time you apply for a job. 
• Also (briefly) weave the most important keywords into your cover letter.

What ideas or comments do you have about keyword search? Share your comments and let me know if I can be of help to you via the Contact tab.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look to WiserU
WiserU provides LinkedIn training and services and career training and services for individuals and organizations that can transform your future or grow your business. Visit WiserU.com to learn more.

• Businesses arrange for WiserU to maximize their use of LinkedIn for sales, marketing, and fundraising through training and services. Learn more 
• The unemployed and miserably employed hire WiserU for career training, coaching, interview preparation, and LinkedIn profile and resume creation services. Learn more at wiseru.com/services/
• Subscribe to WiserUTips.com for weekly LinkedIn and career tips!

LinkedIn … Indeed … which job sites work best for you?

Check multiple job sites to gain
job leads.

Do you check just one job site to search for open positions? That could be limiting your success.

When I was unemployed, I visited at least four core sites each day. I also kept an extensive Word document list of all of the sites I came across and clicked through these links once a week (In such a Word document, you can simply hover over a link and push Control and click your mouse at the same time to go to the selected site).

View/use my extensive list of job sites.

The sites I included on my list to search regularly included:

• Local job sites like the local newspaper and Business Journal.
• Sites that related to my area of expertise like the local American Advertising Federation, International Association of Business Communicators, Public Relations Society of America, and Direct Marketing Association job sites.
• Nonprofit/religious sites (since I was interested in working in these two areas).

The general sites that worked best for my search for communications, public relations, and marketing jobs were LinkedIn (go to the Jobs page), Indeed.com, CareerBuilder, and ZipRecruiter.

Fine-tuning your job search preferences can help on any job site. For example, on Career Builder, my search results improved when I adjusted my search to exclude entry-level positions.

To ensure you are seeing the best jobs on online job sites, do the following:

• Explore all of the main job sites and figure out which ones work best for you.
• Input the types of jobs you want on each site. Fine-tune your search criteria until the site finds the most appropriate jobs for your experience level and expertise. Save the search results.
• Sign up to receive free daily or weekly job alert emails based on your search criteria. (If you don’t start receiving the emails, make sure they aren’t caught in your spam filter).
• Research job sites that specifically focus on your area of expertise.
• Look into local job sites associated with your city’s newspaper and business journal, or that are connected with local networking organizations.
• Sign up for LinkedIn groups that relate to your area of expertise and select whether to receive daily or weekly digests of discussions and job postings.
• Maintain a list of viable sites (by copying and pasting the web address for each into a Word document). Click through all these links once a week.

By taking these steps you will find unique opportunities amidst a sea of repeat postings ... and that can help you land a job that you will love.

What job sites work best for you and why? Share your comments. If I can be of help to you, let me know via the Contact tab. -- Kathy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look to WiserU
WiserU provides LinkedIn training and services and career training and services for individuals and organizations that can transform your future or grow your business. Visit WiserU.com to learn more.

• Businesses arrange for WiserU to maximize their use of LinkedIn for sales, marketing, and fundraising through training and services. Learn more 
• The unemployed and miserably employed hire WiserU for career training, coaching, interview preparation, and LinkedIn profile and resume creation services. Learn more at wiseru.com/services/
• Subscribe to WiserUTips.com for weekly LinkedIn and career tips!

Are you trying to find a job all by yourself?

Don't job search alone!
Enlist your network to help.

Are you like a job-seeking friend of mine who doesn’t want to network because he’d rather land a job all by himself? 

That mindset can really hurt your job search success because networking plays a major role in up to 75% of all hires. Many job openings are never posted on general job search web sites or featured in a newspaper classified ad, but are instead spread by word of mouth. 

If you aren’t communicating regularly about your job search with a wide variety of people, you won’t hear about these jobs.

Even if networking doesn’t come naturally to you, you can take simple steps to expand your network:

• Email everyone you know and ask them to send you leads for the types of jobs you are seeking. Send them upbeat reminders every couple of weeks to remind them to keep looking out for you.
• Send invitations to connect with friends and business acquaintances on www.linkedin.com (with a quick note about your need for job leads), and then invite mutual friends on their contact lists to connect. Make sure your “What are you working on now” box on your LinkedIn profile indicates that you are seeking job leads.
• Reach out to unemployed friends. Send each other job leads and encouraging messages. Meet for coffee to learn how you can connect with each other’s contacts.
• Participate in free and low cost networking events in your region. You can find out about these events from your local library and by joining local LinkedIn groups (just type your city name in LinkedIn’s “Search groups” box).
• Volunteer, particularly for groups or associations involved in your area of business.

Step out of your comfort zone and network … after all, it could help you land a job or get a better one! 

In what ways do you network successfully? Share your comments!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look to WiserU
WiserU provides LinkedIn training and services and career training and services for individuals and organizations that can transform your future or grow your business. Visit WiserU.com to learn more.

• Businesses arrange for WiserU to maximize their use of LinkedIn for sales, marketing, and fundraising through training and services. Learn more 
• The unemployed and miserably employed hire WiserU for career training, coaching, interview preparation, and LinkedIn profile and resume creation services. Learn more at wiseru.com/services/
• Subscribe to WiserUTips.com for weekly LinkedIn and career tips!

Job seeker: Don’t accept your weaknesses … fix them!

Fix your weaknesses that are keeping
you from the jobs you want.

If the same lack of experience is repeatedly keeping you from being eligible for positions you really want, take active steps to get the knowledge or experience you need to be a viable candidate.

Review your skills and deficiencies and then create an action plan to become strong in all key areas. 

You may be pleasantly surprised to find that many deficiencies can be improved through free or low cost means that don’t require having to learn them in an actual job situation.

For example, if you need to beef up your understanding of Microsoft Office Suite products such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint:

• Take free classes at your local library or low-cost classes at a community college.
• Research the programs online.
• Take the online tutorials and review the help section within each application.
• Watch instructional videos on You Tube.
• Ask a knowledgeable friend to show you the basics.
• Most importantly, create PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, Word documents, etc. using the skills that you have learned.
• Show potential employers these documents as proof of your abilities.
• Add your new abilities into your resume and cover letter.

Other ways to improve your knowledge and experience:

• Sign up for free webinars.
• Take an expert for coffee or lunch and pick their brain.
• Shadow a person on the job.
• Volunteer to help a local charity using the skills that you need to build.

It's not OK to wallow in your weaknesses! 
Strengthen your abilities right now, while you are unemployed … after all, such efforts could help you land a job that you will love!

How do you improve your abilities to make you a more viable job candidate? Share add your comments! -- Kathy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look to WiserU
WiserU provides LinkedIn training and services and career training and services for individuals and organizations that can transform your future or grow your business. Visit WiserU.com to learn more.

• Businesses arrange for WiserU to maximize their use of LinkedIn for sales, marketing, and fundraising through training and services. Learn more 
• The unemployed and miserably employed hire WiserU for career training, coaching, interview preparation, and LinkedIn profile and resume creation services. Learn more at wiseru.com/services/
• Subscribe to WiserUTips.com for weekly LinkedIn and career tips!

Are you selling yourself short? Use power words in your messaging!

Use power words in your resume!

I worked with a really talented guy who I thought would never leave the company we worked for … not because he didn’t want to leave … he did. 

I thought he would never leave because he sold himself so short in his resume, no one would hire him.

Learn from his mistakes

Check your job application messages before you hit send!

Error-free job application
materials are a MUST!

My friends and I at Enterprise Rent-A-Car always got a big laugh about a cover letter that a recruiting department friend said he had received from an eager job seeker. It said in part, “I am very interested in your Account Executive position at Kentucky Fried Chicken.” 

Obviously the job seeker had used the same cover letter for both companies and had neglected to change the company name. And while he gave the recruiter a good laugh, he didn’t land the Enterprise job because he had not been careful with his messaging to the company.

Writing cover letters and resumes is hard and exacting work! And re-entering the same information into some of those maddening online job forms can lead to typos, poor formatting, and other problems ... that are entirely fixable if you are careful.

To avoid costly mistakes in your job-search messaging:

• Proof your copy every time. Pay particularly close attention to any last minute changes.
• Make sure you have correctly typed the contact person’s name and title.
• Run spell check.
• Have someone read your correspondence.
• Make sure have attached the documents you intended to attach. (Don’t you hate when you forget that?)

Improve your grammar and punctuation by visiting the many free sites dedicated to help you do just that. GrammarQuizzes.com offers an excellent, free grammar quiz that you can take and retake until you can answer all of the questions correctly.

Proof your materials … after all … a well-done resume and cover letter can help you land a job that you will love.

What ideas do you have about this subject? Share your comments! -- Kathy

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look to WiserU
WiserU provides LinkedIn training and services and career training and services for individuals and organizations that can transform your future or grow your business. Visit WiserU.com to learn more.

• Businesses arrange for WiserU to maximize their use of LinkedIn for sales, marketing, and fundraising through training and services. Learn more 
• The unemployed and miserably employed hire WiserU for career training, coaching, interview preparation, and LinkedIn profile and resume creation services. Learn more at wiseru.com/services/
• Subscribe to WiserUTips.com for weekly LinkedIn and career tips!

Does your email address say you’re old or ready to party?

Is your email signature hurting
your job prospects?

Sometimes we can shoot ourselves in the foot in our job search.

Take your email address. Could it be keeping your from getting jobs? It could be if you are relaying information you hadn't intended. See if you can spot what I am talking about in these examples:

Twinky8baller@blank.com
Iwanttobeoutdoors@blank.com
Juliebrown59@blank.com

Which job candidate would you choose?

Are you presenting yourself as
the best candidate?

This was my first WiserUTips blog post, written Sept. 6, 2009 ...

Imagine you are a hiring manager wading through resumes to zero in on the right candidate to be your company's next communications leader. 

If all other attributes of the top two candidates were equal, would you choose the candidate who included this bullet point in his or her resume ...