Im Dumb Connect the Dots for me

Im Dumb Connect the Dots for me This post is part of Job Action Day. See other Job Action Day posts here, read the Job Action Day chatter on Twitter here. I went to a job seeker network club and one of the complaints was the interviewer was not nearly as prepared as the job seeker. It was almost an insult to be interviewed by someone who was so ill-prepared. In Dallas a career coach told me one of the techniques she teaches job seekers is to help them tell stories (think Problem-Action-Result), AND finish up with a connect-the-dots response like: and what that means for you is that I can ________. This is one of the most powerful things Ive heard all year. I like to think you know what to do or think, or why you should do something after I tell you something but we have somehow been trained to wait for the messenger to TELL US what to think, what to do or why to do it. I LOVE MY TV.  (you should buy one because) I LOVE THIS HAMBURGER. (the next time you get a burger, go to this restaurant) Translate that to your career management perhaps even your 30 second pitch: heres my 30 seconds all the great things Ive done, or can do, or who I am AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU IS ____________. Im telling you, if you think the person you are talking to knows why they should talk to you again, or why they should recommend you to their network, or why they should introduce you to their boss, or why they should ______, you are CRAZY. In general, most of the time, you have to connect the dots for people. Heres what this might look like notice the gap in the middle FILL IT IN and tell the rest of the story Im Dumb Connect the Dots for me This post is part of Job Action Day. See other Job Action Day posts here, read the Job Action Day chatter on Twitter here. I went to a job seeker network club and one of the complaints was the interviewer was not nearly as prepared as the job seeker. It was almost an insult to be interviewed by someone who was so ill-prepared. In Dallas a career coach told me one of the techniques she teaches job seekers is to help them tell stories (think Problem-Action-Result), AND finish up with a connect-the-dots response like: and what that means for you is that I can ________. This is one of the most powerful things Ive heard all year. I like to think you know what to do or think, or why you should do something after I tell you something but we have somehow been trained to wait for the messenger to TELL US what to think, what to do or why to do it. I LOVE MY TV.  (you should buy one because) I LOVE THIS HAMBURGER. (the next time you get a burger, go to this restaurant) Translate that to your career management perhaps even your 30 second pitch: heres my 30 seconds all the great things Ive done, or can do, or who I am AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU IS ____________. Im telling you, if you think the person you are talking to knows why they should talk to you again, or why they should recommend you to their network, or why they should introduce you to their boss, or why they should ______, you are CRAZY. In general, most of the time, you have to connect the dots for people. Heres what this might look like notice the gap in the middle FILL IT IN and tell the rest of the story Im Dumb Connect the Dots for me This post is part of Job Action Day. See other Job Action Day posts here, read the Job Action Day chatter on Twitter here. I went to a job seeker network club and one of the complaints was the interviewer was not nearly as prepared as the job seeker. It was almost an insult to be interviewed by someone who was so ill-prepared. In Dallas a career coach told me one of the techniques she teaches job seekers is to help them tell stories (think Problem-Action-Result), AND finish up with a connect-the-dots response like: and what that means for you is that I can ________. This is one of the most powerful things Ive heard all year. I like to think you know what to do or think, or why you should do something after I tell you something but we have somehow been trained to wait for the messenger to TELL US what to think, what to do or why to do it. I LOVE MY TV.  (you should buy one because) I LOVE THIS HAMBURGER. (the next time you get a burger, go to this restaurant) Translate that to your career management perhaps even your 30 second pitch: heres my 30 seconds all the great things Ive done, or can do, or who I am AND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR YOU IS ____________. Im telling you, if you think the person you are talking to knows why they should talk to you again, or why they should recommend you to their network, or why they should introduce you to their boss, or why they should ______, you are CRAZY. In general, most of the time, you have to connect the dots for people. Heres what this might look like notice the gap in the middle FILL IT IN and tell the rest of the story

Why Your LinkedIn Company Page is More Important than Your Website

Why Your LinkedIn Company Page is More Important than Your Website LinkedIn has over 3 million companies on its database and these are a great source of information for recruiters and candidates, but the average company page on LinkedIn is a total mess. Heres why and how it could be affecting you I often tell my clients that they should consider their LinkedIn Company Page as website number 1, and that the one they spend loads of time and £$€ developing maybe website number 2 thus they are not investing enough on (free) tools within LinkedIn that their ideal talent and clients are already looking at. Heres a scenario which may help you see where Im coming from: Recruiter surfs LinkedIn for talent Recruiter finds talent Recruiter looks at talent (perhaps talent looks back?) Recruiter contacts Talent through LinkedIn (talent definitely looks at the recruiter) Then perhaps (very likely) Talent nips into the recruiter’s Company page (that handy link on the recruiters profile makes it easy to click through) Talent looks at company page and perhaps sees: Very little information about the business Lists of employees with very little information about themselves (and perhaps either no photo or some dodgy looking line-up of the usual suspects) If the company has bothered to start using the Company Updates feature, I bet that its just #job, #job, #job, or maybe just news about their own business Maybe the jobs arent relevant to the Talent (Russian Roulette) There are no Products or Services pages (which would give confidence to the candidate about whether the Recruiter is able to help them in their sector) If the Products and Services pages have been created, I wonder if they have been key words optimised so that Talent can find them? Perhaps there are old staff on the page which left some time ago and no-ones bothered to get them removed (you can do that, you know!) Dont get me started on the fact that clients will be looking at your company page too! So, some tips to help you maximise your company page on LinkedIn Check regularly who works for you anyone can add your company name to their profile and link through to you what are you doing to check that your company page accurately reflects your workforce? Create some Products and Services â€" don’t bore me with what you sell, talk to me about your outcomes and what you are looking for… don’t be restricted by LinkedIn telling you what to put â€" advertise your charitable causes, your mantra, news about your business help me buy-in to you. Company updates â€" please don’t just dump your jobs in there! Be more original and focus also on the 80% of users who are NOT looking for work and perhaps clients who have no vacancies at the moment… can you publish sector information, demonstrate your specialisms and approach? Have a good look at your company page is it really a true reflection of your business? What could you do with it to attract talent and clients and ultimately engage them? The best advice? Speak online the way you would if in a room with a client and you’ll go a long way! Related: How Business Recommendations on LinkedIn Can Help Candidates.

Personal Branding Weekly - Stop Guarding Your Resources - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Personal Branding Weekly - Stop Guarding Your Resources - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career I recently wrote about the five things you need to stop doing now to create great connections in 2015. Stop guarding your resources is one of them. In a minute, you can Google almost anything that you want to know more about so the days of keeping resources or a piece of information “top secret” are fleeting. When you can recognize problems or opportunities and provide solutions, you elevate your value in someone’s mind.   I’m not saying to “give the farm away”. What I’m recommending is, when you find a great tool to help someone solve a problem, then share the information with them. In positioning people who are experts in their field, you often hear this statement, “identify the problem before they even know about that problem and you’ll be seen as an expert.”   The same belief applies here. Identify a solution or resource before they even know where to begin seeking assistance and you’ll be seen as a valuable connection. To do item:   What resources have you been using, that you could inform someone about that would assist them? Start getting into a habit of reviewing your resources and sharing how people can acquire the resource for themselves. Here are last weeks posts that can help you with your personal brand: How to Answer Questions Better Than Others  by Debra Benton 8 Brand-Building Conferences We Would Keynote  by The Young Entrepreneur Council Do You Deserve a Better Job?  by Nance Rosen 5 Tips to Ace Your Phone Interview  by Ceren Cubukcu 6 Ways to Manage Your Personal Brand in 5 Minutes Per Day  by Heather Huhman Getting Coached Is Catching On  by Alex Freund An All Star State Of Mind  by Christian Roberts New Perspective Brings Improved Days  by Elinor Stutz Life Isn’t About Finding Yourself  by Richard Kirby The Quality of List Determines the Quality of Career  by Maria Elena Duron Hot Water and Stretching are Good for You  by Jeff Shuey How These LinkedIn Strategies Can Help Your Personal Brand  by Susan Gilbert Things to Consider Before Telecommuting  by Leslie Truex 5 Ways To Prepare For Your Vacation  by Glassdoor.com 5 Employers That Should Be On Every Recent Graduate’s Radar  by Ken Sundheim Workplace Communications â€" Generational Differences  by Marc Miller