Improve your LinkedIn - Part6

SEO friendly

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. When doing a search on a browser, we are more likely to use nouns and adjectives. The SEO are therefore more focused on them than on verbs.

Be impressive
What strike to people’s mind are the verbs that describe action.

Keyword
Take psychometric test, like the MAPP test (Motivational Appraisal of Personal Potential), look for specific adjectives with: onetonline, find this particular category of people you belong to (like the Gen-Y slacher)

“Skills & expertise” section
To find the appropriate keywords that describe best your job, a simple way is to have a look at the other Linkedin profiles in your field. As well, investigate the job descriptions on job boards.

And the last but not the least:

Public profile
Now that you have built up a full profile, it would be a pity if no one could access it, wouldn’t it? 
- Go to your “settings”, on the top right corner of the page
- in the section “helpful links” click on “Edit your public profile” and make sure you open it to everyone.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Improve your LinkedIn - Part5

PARTICIPATE IN ANIMATING THE COMMUNITY #1

Networking
Join groups related to your interest. Participate in discussion, attend events to meet with people.

Be a LION
LION stands for LinkedIn Open Network. You indicate that you are open to receive connection request from people you don’t know. The trick is, on the other hand, to do a search of LION profiles!

Status update
You generate exposure to a large community: the 1^st and 2^nd degree of your contacts. It means that your status will be shared to your contacts and their contacts.  Make sure you communicate properly.

It’s a great “ice breaker” to start a conversation and engage with new people in your networks.

Trends
People will follow you if you can generate an interest by bringing out relevant and trendy information related to their business.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Be the CEO of your career - Part1

Take the risk to think out of the box
 We are all sensitive to stability in our life with having a consistent and well balanced situation that can bring us serenity on a bliss. 
However, "Going along with the crowd is rarely a good choice"-R. Branson and you will have to get out of your comfort zone to explore what is your true color.

The idea
You want to change this important part of your life. Let's face it: we spend 80% of our time at work. You have asked yourself what your motivations and aspirations are. And you identified that particular job as it would be a great fit for you.

Too late, you can not step back anymore; without living in regrets.

Become an Entrepreneur
You know what dream job you want to land. You know what it will take to reach out and prepare yourself. It might be a long way to go but you marked it with milestones.
This is your project and and the product to launch on the market is  ..you

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Business networking rules - Part2

Dos
People expect from you being:
- interesting
As I said, we are bombarded with too much information. means also, that people are desperately looking for a valuable source of information. Be specific, accurate, consistent and concise

- good looking
Appearance is a crucial. Human is a visual creature. If you offer a nice image of you on the web to your audience, you have satisfied to a great expectation

- genuine
By entering the world of social media you expose yourself by bringing your authentic self to the table. The purpose of "social" media is above all to instil a personal bite. Don't be shy show some personality and give a piece of your

- reliable
You have to deliver what you promised at the time you promised

- listening
Respect the time people give you for advise, information, knowledge etc by always jotting notes, not necessarily on a book: you have plenty of media to do so! 
As well, information is at hand and researching someone online before interacting will get you respect

- positive
People are fond of fresh and smiley attitude. Even if complains can sometimes be justified, you should not sit on, but move on

- proactive
As I said, your dream job is at hand waiting for you. But you have got to make it happen. Broaden your networks via forums, blogs, events etc and think of how you can articulate those people together

- "connecting people" - Nokia.
Wherever you can offer your help, make introduction, link like-minded people, share articles that someone may like, go for it.

Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

Business networking rules - Part1

The protocol
Online networking is pretty recent to those last years. Even professionals in communication/marketing still make (huge) mistakes. We are experimenting a new way of communication and rules are still formalising as we go.
But there are some fundamentals:

Don't
- ignore the rules of the group. For example, recruiters post job ads in the common news feed. This is perceived as flooding, irreverent and commercially aggressive

- pester. Just as you wouldn't do in real life with phone calls, consider the fact that we are nowadays bombarded with too much information. And we just lack time and sometimes the energy to respond.
Leave at least 1 week before following up and offer a solution to your contact's busy schedule: put yourself in their position and suggest several slots

- shout. Using CAPS LOCK is like shouting. No one likes to be shouted at

- beg. Networking isn't about you; but them. Like the old saying that goes: "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar", don't come across as desperate. Instead demonstrate your passion and offer your help

- accept someone in your networks without a notice. Ask the new comer in what way you could be of an help. That will also be a reminder about how you met

- add someone without an introduction. You know how intrusive it can be to receive a connection request  from someone you never heard of!

Please consider sending at least a message before. Anyhow, if you follow the methodology I give you, you should not even think about it! :D

Author - Kevin Simonnet
Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.

How has social media changed the recruitment process - Part2

Drive your career

Social media has enhanced networking. You are given the access to people you could never imagine get in touch with a decade before! This multiplies the possibilities and empowers you with a great asset.

Now you can build your own tactics and strategy to break into a targeted circle of decision makers. Trough referrers you can be introduced to key people that will then promote your profile and help you reach the decision maker for this particular job you covet.

Individuals are now able to do their own job hunting and drive their careers in the direction they choose.

Brand name marketing

Building your image on the web is a hard and long path to follow. However, it is to last for long. That gives you the opportunity to cover a longer period of time and move to a more ‘passive’ search.

One of the main issues in recruitment is struggling on time: from the initial business need and the time the job has to be filled, there are just a couple of months! HR has then to be really organized and have to choose between the candidates that are, at this time, available. That leads, most of the time, to a default choice.

By adopting a passive search strategy you merely avoid the time criteria. And you give the opportunity to a broader range of recruiters or hiring managers to identify you!

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet

How has social media changed the recruitment process - Part1

From 2D to 3D!

Social media allows both, candidate and companies, to promote themselves. Being able to take a proactive approach, revolutionizes the whole process.

In addition, that stretches the period devoluted to the hiring process and broadens the channels of sourcing. 

Broadcasting

Before, the only format we could use was the hard-copy Cv. It’s  formal and focused on the professional knowledge. 
Moreover, we were to synthesize it to one page! How can you decently sum up several years of your career into a single page?!

Now we have access to much various channels, each one to communicate specifically on a certain aspect of our profile.

For example, Linkedin is the extension of our existing hard-copy Cv: it allows you to talk about what is “between the lines” in your ‘work history section’. As well, you can expose more about your personality, your beliefs and objectives in the ‘summary section’

In brief, social media gives the opportunity to show different facets of you.

Enlightenment

It has made talent come to lightening. Experts are excellent at what they do, but not everyone work in media! 
By enabling self-promotion at an individual scale, talents became far more visible and accessible not only at a national range, but globally.
As a result, our networks expand to a richer talent pool, in which we can identify the best person with a larger choice.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

Author - Kevin Simonnet