Improve your LinkedIn - Part2

YOUR BEST PROFILE PICTURE #1

LinkedIn is now a standard in recruitment, and even in business in general. As a recruiter, I systematically Google my contact. Not only the job seekers, but employer and whatever business relationship!

The LinkedIn profile tells longer than you imagine.

What's behind?
For someone who don't know you, this is the first personal contact, the first impression! Visual memory will be printed over your written presentation. Because of too many content on the web, image is the lightest thing our mind can catch.

Moreover, think of LinkedIn as a highly credible professional site, and you come to understand that it forms your public image: your personal brand visual identification! In other ways: your "logo".
This is a photo you can re-use for the numerous other sites you use, to broadcast and build your image on the web.

You'd better have one!
I know that the preparation for a good one can be fastidious, but let me tell you that is worth the effort!
A blank one will attract to you suspicion, an impression of lack of completion, lackluster motivation and even a disrespectful attitude. What surveys say. 

Above all, it will reflect an inexperience in social media, from which your visitor might deduce about your:
- aptitude at evolving and continuously learning to keep abreast on innovation
- your fit within the requirements of your industry
- motivation at following trends
- your networks (and networking skills!)

For the rest of the people that has already met with you, it can be useful to recognize you among loads of homonymous.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Improve your LinkedIn - Part1

HOW TO STAND OUT FROM THE CROWD #1

Make it more personal

Profile picture
One that suit the environment you work in (dressing, style, attitude…) with a smile, on a side angle.

Summary
Give an overview of your personality (what passionate you, how you team work..), your professional beliefs, your objectives, the project you're currently working on.

Employment history 
Tell the story that is "between the lines": not the one already written on your Cv, but this original version you would give to an hiring manager to strike his interest on your particular profile.

Earn credibility

Recommendation
At least 5: 
- colleague in a different field, 
- counterpart, 
- direct manager, 
- client, 
- expert (guru or fellow member of a recognized association of professionals) in your area.

Certification
Get a membership of a recognized association of professionals in your field. When accredited, update your job title section

Broadcast yourself

Links
Add links to your blog, website / article, publication / Twitter, Google+

Furnish with an attached portfolio
You can add applications to your profile. The “add section” button below your summary is a link for all of them. I recon Box Net, Blog and Publication.

Video
Make video as an introduction of you

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Networking strategy - Part10

TRACK DOWN YOUR INFO SOURCE

Be creative

Here are some identified sources:

-          Your school’s alumni network
-          Conferences in your industry
-          Job fairs
-          Former employees

-          New hires and recently left ones

-          Seasoned employees or industry veterans

-          Member of an accredited group in the industry

-          Twitter feeds

-          LinkedIn: in your level 2 or 3 LinkedIn network

-          Publication: the author of an article interviewing your target hiring manager

manager

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Networking strategy - Part9

CONDUCTING AN INFORMATIONAL INTERVIEW #2

The aim

Remember that your goal is to get a feeling of what working at a particular company or in a specific industry is like, an inside scoop or a distinctive tip to make your application stand out. 
And even if you are tempted to, resist asking for a job.

The outcome

Moreover, you can fall on great surprise: this person may appear as far from the decision process and in fact, be closely related to the hiring manager (on a private level for example). 

The outcome may result in a way you can not anticipate.

What is different?

Even if it is considered as to be a lower stakes conversation with a non decision maker, it is still a professional interview. And the same rules apply: be on time, dressed appropriately, choose a nice location etc and obviously, prepare this interview. 

The only difference is that you will be more likely to lead the interview and get to ask the questions. Being prepared with questions, don't mean that you are ready to fire off.

You have to turn it to a relaxed, fresh conversation and round smartly, with draped questions, the topics you want to cover by keeping a framework in your mind.

Be smart

Start on a positive note. Break the ice by asking your info source how he came to this job or company, or what makes him happy with this current role.

Example of draped questions:

-          Is the industry in a state of growth or decay

-          How long has he been in this position for? Has he evolved within the company?

-          What parts of the job does he enjoy the most? What change in the job or industry are to be anticipated?

-          What are the trends to follow? And how the company adapts to innovation? And what about the training of the employees?

-          What should be improved? What are the main struggles the company is facing and how?

-          What are the priorities? The projects on going or in preparation?

-          Who would be the next person to talk to and why? Ask a description of this person and what, according to him, will interest this new person?

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet