No lie.

LinkedIn is national and international. As of March 2019, LinkedIn had 610 million registered members in 200 countries, of which more than 250 million are active.

If you do not have a robust, high quality profile on LinkedIn.com, you are SERIOUSLY hurting your job prospects. Have you heard this one:

The average employer spends 6 seconds looking at a resume.

– Often-cited study conducted by The Ladders in 2012. Though it has been disputed, specifically by ResumeGenius.com. So then The Ladders wrote a good follow up with some real doozies. All good reads. See sources below.

So, certainly there is a lot more to the story, but the good news is, your LinkedIn profile and activity offers GREAT opportunity to stand out, capture attention and engage!  

If you are only using LinkedIn as a digital version of your resume, you are missing OUT!

Now, of course, LinkedIn should reflect your resume (see our two resume-writing blogs: one about Resume Design and one about Resume Content) but there is SO Much more to do with LinkedIn. Here are a few things that you should leverage. (You might consider carrying a few of these advantages over to your resume.)

1. Your LinkedIn Profile Picture

You can and should use a professional head shot on your LinkedIn profile.  Personally, if I look at someone’s LinkedIn profile and they have no photo, I think they don’t take LinkedIn seriously (which leads me to wonder if they take their job search seriously. Probably not.)

By “head shot”, I mean, a nice, “professional”-looking one, from the shoulders (or waist) up, with a light background and no one else in the picture – even if you sort-of-kind-of crop them out. It should look like a professional photo even if it is not. (It doesn’t NEED to be! Just go for natural outdoor lighting and a plain background.)

I’m sorry I have to even say this, but in the photo, you should be dressed professionally. A modeling, sporting, or formal event photo is typically not appropriate. I recently saw a profile picture of young woman with her midriff showing AND nipples visible through her shirt. And she wasn’t seeking a job in adult entertainment (or was she?) If you are unclear on what we mean by “professional”, and even if you THINK you are clear, allow me to refer you to our To Wear or Not To Wear blog.

Lastly, on LinkedIn photos, there is now also an option for a large background picture, or “Cover Photo”, much like Facebook. This is another great opportunity to stand out.  Keep it simple, maybe a pattern or image relevant to your career, like a drawing table, table of the elements, notebook and pen, etc.  Or a photo of a landscape, your college campus or cityscape… Don’t make it to complex; nothing that will distract from the rest of the content.

2. A HEADLINE: Give yourself a title.

This is one of my favorite “new” things about LinkedIn: You can give yourself a title under your name.  It doesn’t have to be your exact serious title of the exact position you have/want.  You could write “Project Manager” for your headline. But you can also be a little more creative or descriptive, like “Project Manager and Master of Efficiency”. I just saw one that started with, “Highly-Caffeinated…” Now, don’t get TOO cute, but, you know, you could show a little personality.

You can also combine phrases!  Like, “Project Manager | Team Relationship Manager | Time-Keeper”

(I know you want to know how to make those little slashes:  It’s SHIFT+ BACKSLASH ( \ ), and you should bold them to make them stand out.  BRILLIANT! )

3. INTRO: A Summary of Brand YOU!

Okay, now this is REALLY my favorite new thing on LinkedIn.  Remember in the Resume blog we were talking about how an “Objective” is possibly limiting.  Well, this is what you want instead.  A PROFILE SUMMARY of you, and your core competencies.  (I would add that THIS is what you should have at the top of your resume under your name and contact info.)

This is a good time to think about your Personal Brand. (We will write a blog on how to do this soon! In the meantime, google it. There are many articles on Personal Brand Statements. But ours will be more fun, haha.) 

You can write in the first person, ie. Use the pronoun “I” to talk about yourself.  As in, I am an energetic business student with a passion for x, y and z…”   You could also get creative and address a problem, such as, “If you are looking for/If your company is experiencing x, y and z, I am the candidate for you…” Go look at some of your connections and find some that you like. Follow a similar style, we won’t tell.

4. Recommendations!

Endorsements are okay, but recommendations are GREAT! Ask your close contacts to write them for you. Consider asking teachers/professors, bosses/supervisors, colleagues, clients, anyone who can legitimately say something glowing about your performance and skills; specific examples even better.  Also, don’t forget to return the favor! (Note that these are people who might also be a reference for you when you are interviewing.)

5. Other Ways to Optimize your LinkedIn profile

• Customize your LinkedIn Profile URL to http://www.linkedin.com/YourName, not a bunch of numbers. (You can check/change this in settings. Also, put this link on your resume.)
• Include your contact information! Seriously! I suggest at the end of your summary, say something like, Please reach out to me at [email].
• Add videos, blogs, link to your personal website, samples of your work – good stuff that can make you stand out.
  
• Build your network but be careful of being annoying. I like to be a bit selective (e.g. people related somehow to my industry, or just people that I know personally.)
• Post/Share articles, comment on others’ posts, write articles, be active.

Get to it! Have fun. You should be proud of your LinkedIn profile!

Sources:
Ladders study: https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/you-only-get-6-seconds-of-fame-make-it-count
Good objections raised about this study methodology: https://resumegenius.com/blog/5-problems-with-the-ladders-6-second-resume-study
Snap decisions made about your resume here: https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/is-it-true-that-recruiters-reject-a-resume-in-six-seconds (like, if you use hotmail or AOL or some other outdated provider, you could be rejected outright.

Please find below some resources for Educators

You just got a call/email asking if you would be available for an interview for that job that you applied for! 
Congrats! GEAR UP! Here’s some advice on how to prepare.

1. Review the job description again, making notes.

Typically, you are applying based on a job description, so you should spend some time making sure you understand the position, and make a list of any questions you might like to clarify during the interview.  Cross-reference: Make some notes about how your skills and interests match up with the job description.  These are good points to emphasize in the interview.

Also, I just want to note here that you are not likely to have ALL of the qualifications listed on the job description and that is OKAY. Don’t let that deter you! Here’s a statistic for you:

“Men apply for a job when they meet only 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them.”

Source:  Techniche Universitat Munchen, https://www.tum.de/en/about-tum/news/press-releases/detail/article/31438/,
but you can find it quoted several places, including https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140403095421.htm

Seriously? Be that guy, not that girl. (P.s. All the women should read “Lean In” by Sheryl Sandberg! Also, definitely check out more on that study.)

2. Know the Company and Industry.

ABSOLUTELY do some research on the company that you are interviewing with. You should be able to demonstrate a general understanding of their business.  You also should know anything big currently going on with the industry.  You don’t need to know EVERYTHING (you can’t possibly, and they won’t expect you to) but you should know enough that you don’t come across as having not bothered to do any homework.

As a bonus, you might know someone (or someone who has a relative you can talk to) who works here or in the industry. Pick their brains a little bit about what they know, but also be sure to do your own internet research.

3. Know your interviewer.

Hopefully the recruiter is going to tell you who you will be interviewing with (if not, ask), unless you are just having an informational/screening interview (which sometimes will be on the phone) with a recruiter. 

Look him/her/them up on LinkedIn. Google them. Have a feel for who they are and make note of any interesting facts or commonalities that you have, e.g. hometown, past employer, alma mater, interests.  Better yet, if they’ve posted an article on LinkedIn, ask about it. Great point of discussion. 

4. Bring a notepad, pen and copies of your resume.

Seriously, do not even think about arriving at an interview without these items. Maybe even invest in a little portfolio thingy, like this. You can pick one up at an office supply store – a nice leather one to use for many years, or a cheap pleather one for $15 on a certain marketplace website.

5. Be prepared for tough questions. Rehearse.

Oh, man, some interviewers like to ask tough questions and the tougher the better so be prepared for the worst and trust me, you’ll be ahead of the game. If you’re like me, you dont think fast on your feet and always think of the PERFECT thing to say, several hours ex post facto. So, here are some practice questions*:

• Tell me about a time when you had to demonstrate leadership.
• Where do you see yourself in 5 years?  
• Tell me about a time when you made a mistake at work. (This is a trick question. Be humble and carefully admit your mistake… then turn it into a positive.)
• Describe a situation in which your work was criticized (This is similar to the above – be sure to turn it into a positive.)
• Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss.
• Describe the biggest challenge you have encountered in your work life
• What did you do in your last job to make your team more effective?

6. ALWAYS have questions for the interviewer.

When an interviewer says, “Do you have any questions for me?” (or even if they don’t ask that, you should ask questions), have some good ones ready. Ideally, they should include some clarification about the role, but maybe they really did a good job explaining so you don’t have any.  So, here are some other good basic questions:

• What would you say would be the biggest challenge for someone taking on this role?
• What do you enjoy the most about your job/working for XYX company? What is the most satisfying part of your job?
• What are your biggest frustrations with your role? What about it keeps you up at night?  
• Beyond experience and skills, what would you say are the biggest soft/personal skills that a candidate needs to bring to this role?
• Tell me a little bit about the culture here at XYZ company.
• Tell me a little bit about how the company has grown or evolved over the past several years?

7. Be prepared for a phone or video interview!

Ugh, I don’t like phone interviews.  That’s not to say I haven’t had some AWESOME ones but it’s harder to make a connection.  So, that just makes all of these other tips even MORE important: Be prepared so you know what you’re talking about so you can be more comfortable/less anxious.

Now that we are all accustomed to working remotely, be prepared for a video interview: dress professionally*. Whether or not you’ll be on camera, (if they ask you to Zoom, Skype, Google Hangout, Go-to-Meeting or Microsoft Team) you’ll look and feel professional/sharp/organized. Video ettiquette: IT IS RUDE TO HAVE YOUR CAMERA OFF, esp. if the Interviewee or anyone senior to you has theirs on. If you must have your camera off (e.g. if you are somewhere distracting or driving – which you shouldnt be,) say hello face to face and then apologize that you need to have your camera off for whatever reason.)

Make sure you are in a nice quiet, private place with a good phone/internet connection and do NOT use a cheesy background filter if you are on video!

8. A few important things to AVOID on an interview

• Wimpy handshake:  LEARN A GOOD FIRM (but not too strong) HANDSHAKE.  Women – this means YOU TOO.  Men, NEVER shake a woman’s hand like it’s 1920, where you just take her fingertips. UGH.  WOMEN HATE THAT.  I could go on, but I won’t. LEARN IT. PRACTICE with your friends, parents, classmates, peers, mentors.  CONFIDENT.  ENTHUSIASTIC. RESPECTFUL.
  
• Bad news: In an effort to show you did your homework, don’t bring up anything negative about the company you read online/in the news. It could be uncomfortable.
  
• Overly personal information:  While I encourage friendly ice-breaker conversation, keep it professional and safe. No politics, no religion, no “party like a rock star” stories when asked about your weekend. Also, I know this might sound odd, but try to avoid bringing your mom into any kind of professional discussion. There have been too many stories like this over the years. [Story: I had I had a summer intern whose daddy knew the CEO, and her mommy called HR and said that her precious butterfly had to leave the office every day by 3 p.m. to take a class. Now, we all know full well that was total bullshit. But, too bad for you, but I am now scarred for life and when any potential employee brings up his/her mom in a way that suggests over-involvement, it’s game over.]
  
• Salary*, Benefits or What’s In It for Me (WIFFM): This is all inappropriate for the first interview. In fact, the recruiter may screen you for your salary range requirements BEFORE the interview to make sure you are in the ballpark. Salary and benefits, including vacation and holidays, and even official work hours or work-from-home options are follow-up conversations with Human Resources/Recruiting once you are offered the position. You should KNOW what your reasonable salary range should be given the position and your experience (and any salary history) but in the interview, you should focus on communicate your skills and how you can contribute in a significant way to the company, not what they can do for you.

9. Ask about next steps.

Make sure you follow up with HR about next steps, either on the way out the door or in an email a few hours/next day. Are you supposed to send samples of your work? Writing samples? References? If so, do that promptly – same day or next day. Also, the recruiter should be able to tell you how soon you can expect to hear back, but it may be vague.  Do not pester your contacts. Hiring usually takes way longer than you would expect. But not always, so be ready.

10. Lastly, send a real ‘Thank You’ note*.

I highly recommend you go OLD SCHOOL and send a hand-written ‘thank you’ note. I really would. (In fact, you should always send ‘thank you’ notes to people, even family, for any gift, even if that gift is just an inordinate amount of time and energy. It’s called respect and appreciation. But I digress.)  You’ve got to admit, no matter who it’s from, a hand-written note is just way better/more sincere (because it’s more effort and more meaningful) than an email. 

That said, an email thank you is better than no thank you at all.  So, if you’re going to wuss out on the hand-written note, send a thank you note to the recruiter and ask him/her if they would please forward your note to the interviewee. Please be sure to also thank the recruiter. An email is fine, otherwise, they’d get a stack of mail every day.

Buy some simple, classy notecards (that either say thank you or are blank).  You should always have a box of these on hand anyway.

“But, Kim,” you say. “I don’t know HOW to write a thank you note! What do I write?” Come on! It’s easy – about 3-4 lines.  It goes something like this:

• “Dear __________, (First name is usually fine, but if you are more comfortable using Mrs./Mr./Ms., that is always respectful.) 
• Thank you so much for taking the time to talk to me this week about the [insert] position with [company]. 
• [insert one creative line here – call out something specific you talked about.  Examples: I really enjoyed talking/hearing about xyz. I’m particularly excited to hear that the company does xyz /position will include xyz.  Or, I followed up on that thing you mentioned and saw that xyz. I picked up a copy of [xyz] book/read that article/watched that video you mentioned and blah blah. One simple unique line or two.] 
• I look forward to hearing back/talking more about how I can leverage my skills to make a strong contribution to [company].
• Thank you again. 
  Kind regards/Sincerely (SPELL IT RIGHT), 
  Bob Smith

Alright! Congrats. You got this!

*Additional references to check out:
Read “To Wear or NOT to Wear” before your interview.
Watch for Future Posts on:
– Crushing Your Job Interview (Part II)
– Talking about Salary (NEVER during the first interview)
– Business Communications Basics (e.g. Cover Letters, Memos, Conference Reports and Thank You Letters)

In our first post, “Resume Basics – Design”, we talked about the visual design of your resume and that it’s more important that your resume is easy to read and find information, well organized, than cool-looking and really design-y. Here, we talk about what to put on your resume.  The basics, but how to beef it up a bit, legitimately.

EXPERIENCE:

• Obviously, include your employer, title and dates of employment. Then some details on your responsibilities and skills used or developed. (For example, if you were a waiter, you strengthened customer service skills, speed, accuracy, memory, professionalism, grace, dedication and reliability.) Call out specific projects, clients/brand names or accomplishment.
• Value-Add projects:  If there was anything extra or unusual that you did or any recognition you earned, like you won an intern of the year award or if you can actually say that you lead a team or 5 interns or you organized a company picnic, include any extra relevant and specific experience.
• Results:  If you have impressive results, always include those. Some people love data. Make sure you explain why that data is good (like an improvement over the prior). Example:  You handed out 250 free Popsicle and 300 coupons every Saturday in the grocery store resulting in an increase in Popsicle sales by x% over a non-promotional day. Pay attention to that stuff while you are doing it, or go back to your employer and ask for data if it’s collected. 
• Keep notes while you are employed: Always look for opportunities to learn or do something you can put on your resume. You don’t have to have it on there 5 or 10 years from now, but when you are fresh out of high school or college, you want as much as you can – as long as it’s relevant. (Again, resume only one page.)

As always, A few things NOT to do:

1. Don’t get too cute or fluffy. And for goodness sake, NEVER lie or even over-exaggerate what you did. If you get asked about it and aren’t convincing, or an interviewer follows up with a previous employer, you’re so screwed. Some industries are a tight network and you could ruin your reputation before you even get started.

2. Be careful about including experience that might send a message about you that you don’t want to convey.  If you were a stripper or a model or a drug dealer, think about if that might either turn off a potential employer or attract the wrong type and consider how you might word something on your resume to show that you were reliable, responsible, strengthened your entrepreneurial skills, customer experience, etc.  Also consider that there MIGHT be something on your resume that you need to leave off or seriously edit. 

[Story:  I saw a resume for someone on LinkedIn who had waited tables at Hooters. Additionally, her profile picture was less-than-classy (See: Midriff and Nipples in the “What NOT to Wear” section of our related post). Finally, she had listed “modeling” under activities.]

I respect waitstaff, models, dancers, etc. I am well aware that they are very hard working and that those are legitimate professions and good money. But I’m merely suggesting that, as you move forward in your career and want to build some credibility and professionalism, you might want to be selective in what you include and what you leave out or how you communicate it. For example, the above-mentioned young lady might (a. change her profile picture to something more professional and b.) say she waited tables at an American restaurant chain. We will talk more about this in another post – about Separating your Personal and Past Life from your Future Professional career. And, how to use LinkedIn.

EDUCATION:

If you are most recently a student, consider listing education FIRST, above experience. (I wouldn’t say this is a hard and fast rule, especially if you have some killer experience – if so, list EXPERIENCE first.) If you haven’t graduated, you can put expected graduation date.  Maybe list your grade point on your resume if it’s really good?

Include your degree, major, minor, overseas study, special coursework. YES – Consider calling out relevant coursework.  When I was in college, in some more senior level courses we worked on assignments for actual clients. When I was in grad school, we had extremely specialized courses that I listed a few of on my resume.

BEEFING UP the resume

 Okay, so your resume is feeling a little thin. What are some other things you can do to add one or two items to your resume? 

Training:  Take a training class. Teach yourself. Get certified.  There are many free (or nominal fee) courses online! Complete something relevant.  Take an Ideo +Acumen course on Human Centered Design or Public Speaking. Free! Get certified in Google Analytics.  Sign up for Toastmaster’s Club and learn to give public speeches – one night a week for a 6 months.

Non-profits: We will have a whole talk on volunteering but get out there and DO something out of the goodness of your heart. Why? Because its easier to get a free job than a paid job and its good for your soul and your community.  It also looks good on your resume, though hopefully you are doing it for more reasons than that. Did you serve on your subdivision social committee? Did you coordinate a can drive for the local food bank? Did you help organize a 5K or park cleanup that attracted an impressive number of participants? Did you head up a committee at your church?  Did you install a Free Little Library at the local park? Ideally, you can volunteer your time doing something that is relevant to a future career.

For Profits:  Offer to conduct a free (short term) internship or project work; Coach or Referee; Camp counselor; even just job shadow a few places; find work/projects/activities through your college; anything you can learn and put on your resume.

Clubs, organizations and networking:  Join some. Commit to the ones you enjoy and benefit you. Consider fraternities (not necessarily just the college ones, also ones like Lion’s Club, Elk’s Club, PEO, Masons) and get involved on sub-committees that interest you; go to regular meetings, presentations, outings and put this on your resume under activities/interest.  You might not only learn something but you’ll make connections. More on networking on another post.

Be creative; be entrepreneurial:  Start your own company by selling stuff for others on eBay on a commission; mow lawns/rake/shovel snow/gardening/landscaping; babysit/ pet-sit/house-sit; odd jobs.  Try Kelly Service temporary jobs; make phone calls or campaign door to door for a political candidate you endorse.  All of these things demand shorter periods of time or you can do around the edges of other jobs/school.

Be interesting.  Do what you love and include it in your Activities/Interests/Awards section:  Don’t go crazy, but remember that sometimes in an interview or when scanning through piles of resumes, something might catch a potential employer’s eye, so put a couple fun things here without getting too personal.  Did you hike the Appalachian Trail?  Did you referee youth soccer? Were you a member of the local Skydiving or Archery Club? Remember to do most of these things because you’re passionate about them and you truly want to engage, not just to put it on your resume.

A few miscellaneous resume items:

• Objective/Personal Statement: Not a fan but open-minded.  If you feel you need one, because it’s not obvious or there’s no email (“cover letter”).  Just keep it super simple. I’m looking for an administrative/entry level marketing role at a ___ company where I can learn ___ and contribute ____. I worry that something too specific might limit opportunities, so don’t be too particular about what you are looking for. But then if you need to be too vague, what’s the point?
• “References: Available Upon Request”:  Skip this on the resume: It’s presumed you have references.  BUT, be sure to think about who your references are (teachers, professors, bosses) and make sure that you have permission to use them as a reference. Get their name, title, phone number and email and have that tucked away on a prepared document for when you need it.
• These two above items, IMHO, only serve to take up space that is better filled up by all the interesting things you can include as noted in previous sections.

Get started! You can do it! Build that stand-out resume!