Networking strategy - Part13

HOW TO ASK FOR A RECOMMENDATION #3

6- According to your personal brand
You can kindly make suggestions that you think are attuned to your personal brand image. Make sure to vary the treat to focus on. People will appreciate it as instilling creativity.

7- Results and achievement
You mention them in your Cv. Why not having them asserted by a thrustful professional?
Ask what direct impact your service produced in terms of figure and subsequences of your positive input. You could get surprised!

8- Offer the choice
Clearly say that you have considered asking your referrer to put his reputation on the line for you and that you would understand if he would not feel like vouching for you.

9- Accompany it with a call
We are submerged by emails in nowadays crazy work pace. Receiving a call can help have a break, share a fun chat that will put a smile on your referrer's face and give him a slot to kindly do it. (Moreover, think about the impression on his colleagues around an open-plan office, as being so important that he is asked to assess the career of others ;-) !

10- Thank your referrer
After achieving all those steps and reaching the magic endorsement, please don't forget to show your gratitude.

Here is an example:
"Hi X,

I'm building my reputation on the web and to earn credibility I would really appreciate that you spend 5 minutes of your time thinking about what you liked about collaborating with me: 3 particular things that come to your mind!

To help you with it, I've given you some suggestions. However, the best reference will come from your personal point of view (maybe something surprising to me!)

- Proficiency at blogging,

- Creativity: entrepreneurship at developing a new valuable solution

- Consulting: valuable advice I gave you to enhance your networks, web presence, way of managing (self drive motivation, team leading etc).

I understand that I'm asking you to engage your online reputation. Therefore, it's important that you truly feel like vouching for me. Feel free to ask me for more information.

Thanks in advance for helping me out!"

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Networking strategy - Part12

HOW TO ASK FOR A RECOMMENDATION #2


9 tips to have a stunning recommendation 

1- Give it a kick start
Even if you think that the most genuine endorsement would come naturally form your referrer, (and consequently, that you should not intervene to orientate it) you would be better not to leave your referrer facing the "blank sheet".

2- Give a piece of you
What more involving than striking the emotional chord of your referrer. You're asking for a favor and a personal feed back. Therefore, you should first give an insight of what motivates your request: explain your current objectives and why this recommendation is an important part of the jigsaw.

3- Encourage your referrer
Tell him how important he is to you and value his effort as making a big impact on your career.

4- Offer guidelines
Most professionals are to busy with their job, concerns with their private life ... and would just lack of time and imagination; not necessarily the willing!

Border it by :
- specifying her/him the time he will spend doing it
- asking for 3 different remarkable points. 

Those can be:
- deed
- achievement/result
- relate a story
- quality
- trait of your personality
- strategic vision of the market
- promising personality
etc
There is no restriction! This can be something achieved in the past or a potential to realise; a professional proficiency or a personal demeanour.

5- Assert with examples
Nothing more concrete and assertive than associate with a real-life example every point. 

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Networking strategy - Part11

HOW TO ASK FOR A RECOMMENDATION #1

Assert your reputation

We understand how important our reputation on the web can be. One of the most efficient ways to build credibility is to have the recognition of our peers.

We want all the endeavours we put into delivering great outcomes to be assessed by people who, themselves, are well known to be reliable professionals.

However, there is a way to ask. Even if, in most instances, we have closely collaborated with the desired referrer it can come to be tricky.

Don't wait for the rain to fall: do it!
You know you want it. A recommendation can make a big difference when brought to the attention of prospects, investors etc. 
Actually, it will make a bigger impact than any self-promotion because it comes from a third party and it is a testimonial of a personal experience:  much more trustworthy because of its authenticity.

You are worth it To preserve this genuine authenticity, you might think then that it should come naturally as a compliment. 
But you know you deserve it!  Just go for it and ask. You might have great surprises of people truly keen and revealing qualities you wouldn't think of!

In my next post, I'll give the tips&tricks to have a stunning recommendation!

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Social media: what difference? - Part2

The features = your skill set

The big thing with social media is that they are free and accessible to learn, enabling private individuals with knowledge like:

- Branding: also called "brand name marketing", which consists in creating content (name, communication, visual, sound bite, concept, service delivery etc) around an identity. 
- Promotion: publishing content has given a voice to bloggers and producers 
- Advertising: several ways like posting or commenting are free and you can include a savvy message
- Public Relation: by generating an interest around news, making the "Buzz" or simply feed an audience
- Community management: gathering people together and manage the interactive participation
- Analytics/SEO (Search Engine Optimisation): you can optimise the ranking of positive results and broaden your web presence 
- Sales: the product you want to sale is you. Learn how then brave cold-calling
- Marketing: you can communicate how valuable you can be and what you can offer to an organisation, applying a structured strategy implying relationship, internal/external, integrated and socially responsive marketing
- Web/Digital: acquiring knowledge on multiple platforms allows you to commute them into an integrated usage
- Project management: Establish, organise and execute a planning and tasks

Your contribution

By taking you online, you offer an exposure to your:

- Identity: Social media are above all diluting the boundary between your "social" and "professional" life
- Interactivity/Conversations: Once you pop (out), you can't stop. Initiating a dialogue with a community will make people expecting a response. Ignoring your followers is worse than doing nothing at all.  Social media requires daily attention
- Sharing: you have to offer (for free) first, to get eventually a feedback. Generating this interest is the hardest step: "to get traction, you have got to get attractive"
- Presence: Establishing your presence on the Web will make you visible to the rest of the world
- Reputation: Since what you promote is you (even through a service) people will identify your standing amongst others. It's based on trust
- Relationships: by pro-actively networking your final point is to meet in person: virtual doesn't mean there are not real people behind!
- Groups: The more ‘social’ a network becomes, the bigger the group of friends, followers, and contacts. What you want is to grow a community.

The purpose of it?

As you might have noticed, this is all what a Marketing Department does at a company!

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Social media: what difference? - Part1

Cv is just a resume
Prior, there was the hard copy Cv with one formal way to apply for a job.  It can only answer one question: what is our skillset? That implies a one-way communication in an ultimate job interview.

A change in the job market
Gen-Y
These people, among whom I belong, took advantage of the Web 2.0, globalisation and the digital revolution. But also, had to face the 2000 dot-com bubble burst and the repetitive crisis that have followed with its high level of unemployment.

Leading challenges such as:
- With technology the skills required are evolving so quickly that adaptation has become crucial

- the subsequent unemployment is more the consequence of a volatil and versatil job market. The remaining number of jobs have increased but are now emerging in new areas, both technologically and geographically speaking

- globalisation has allowed competition from everywhere in the world. To keep abreast of the market, the Gen-Y has to be internationally mobile at an early stage (Leaving the household for studies, Erasmus, first experience in a multinational etc)


A whole new opportunity
Breaking the limits and opening up has empowered us with the opportunity to recast the fundamentals: religion, culture, identity, social conventions, life balance etc; for a whole new world.


More than a new technology..
Social media is now offering a way to grasp the digital world. Across the different platforms, we can make your own exposure. 

Each one dedicated to a particular aspect:
For instance, LinkedIn is mostly about career advancement, work relationships, networking, achievements and group membership whereas YouTube’s primary features are sharing, entertaining, conversation, recognition and creativity.

..an empowering tool!
By creating our content online on several aspects of our profile, we make a big picture: our image on the market. From there, we can manage our online reputation.

Gen-Y has grown up with the idea of a precarious situation, not only regarding employment but many different aspects of our lives. We are now fully prepared to:
- drive our career, 
- be comfortable with Freelancing,
- evolve with the trends,
- choose our personal path.
This makes us, in return, being demanding towards organisations.

In the next post I'll explain you how to use social media.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Improve your LinkedIn - Part4

HOW TO CREATE A CUSTOM URL

First, what for?

A shorter and custom url will make it:- easily memorable- reserve your domain name- user friendly by inserting a more design logo with an innovative extension (cf. in/). That will suit with the other web sites ones, like Twitter. What surveys say.

- Finally, it will demonstrate your proficiency of social media.
Thereby, that will enhance your profile broadcasting when using it in, for example, the details of your cover letter or your email signature.

How do I do?
1- On the very top right hand side, point the mouse on your name (without clicking), wait until the window opens, again choose "Settings"








2- In the section "Helpful link" click on "Edit your public profile"










3- Scroll down to "Your public profile URL" section.

Improve your LinkedIn - Part3

YOUR BEST PROFILE PICTURE #2

5 tips to look amazing!

Attitude&Assumptions
People will draw a picture of you unconsciously by what they feel from your image. Make sure to communicate something personal of you: a warm smile, a youthful attitude, a pleasant look..

Professional attire
Think about the perception you want to reflect. Either friendly but professional as part of the Gen-Y, or serious and sharp..  it is your image, part of your brand. Not only the conventional suit&tie will suit you. Think about your dream job and dress for your first day.

Background
It can be whether a texture, for an emotional impression (look here for the meaning of colours) to show your true color^^; or, an environment, like having the logo of your company behind you to communicate a strong corporate spirit.

Interesting angle
It's not the formal one required on your passport! As I said, you're communicating a visual identity. Find the right angle to offer an insight of your personality.

Motion
Conveying an impression of movement will reflect a more natural and sincere behaviour and will tell much more than the classical static one.

Even if that can seem to be superficial, don't overlook the power of visual identification! That will, at least, show that you made this extra effort and that you consider others.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet