On LinkedIn? Great! Now what?

Having a profile on LinkedIn is a great start. But it’s just that – a start. Now that you have that, what do you do now? I’ve coached a lot of individuals on this very thing, and they’re usually surprised at how much they can do on LinkedIn beyond the basics. The first step of course is to make sure your profile is complete and current (including a photo in business professional dress). Also, don’t overlook the Summary section: this is a great opportunity to highlight in a concise manner your most relevant work experience, education, skills and accomplishments. Keep in mind that potential employers often view your profile as a basis for hiring decisions.

OK, moving on. What next, now that you have an awesome profile? Ask for a few recommendations from former supervisors and co-workers, as well as past and present professors, for example – really anyone who can attest to your skills, qualifications, work style, etc. is a potential recommendation for you. But as in other networking situations, it’s important to be willing to reciprocate and offer to write a recommendation for those same individuals (assuming it makes sense to do so).

You’re making progress: got your profile up, with a couple recommendations. What now? Get active. Join some of the groups related to your target industry, or perhaps your school’s alumni group. for starters. And now that you’ve joined, what’s the next step? See who the group members are with whom you can potentially connect. Participate in the discussion forums by posting relevant articles and commenting on other members’ posts. This is a great way to get better known by group members.

What else? LinkedIn can be a valuable tool when it comes to informational interviews. How does this work? Do a search on an organization you’re interested in, and Linked will show you which of your connections have some sort of association with that organization. Requesting informational interviews from 1st degree connections is usually relatively straightforward, but with 2nd degree connections, try to get an introduction from one of your mutual contacts if possible.

So this is just a small taste of what you can do with LinkedIn, but hopefully this will get you moving in the right direction if you’ve been wondering about some of the next steps to take with your networking strategy. Final thought: LinkedIn is a very effective way to network, but don’t forget about all the other great ways. Use a combination of strategies that works best for you.

Oh, and what if you’re not on LinkedIn at all? Well there’s no time like the present to start!

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Introverts from outside the comfort zone

A few weeks ago, I presented my new webinar called “The Introvert’s Guide to Career Happiness & Productivity.” I was pretty sure it would generate interest, but it was still a little surprising to see just how many people attended.  The webinar discussed some of the challenges introverts face in the workplace, as well as strategies to make it a more positive experience.

One of these challenges deals with being talked over or drowned out by extroverts in a group meeting. Been there. I also tend to lose in “face-offs” with extroverts when we both begin speaking at the same time, allowing my colleague to have the floor. This challenge actually played out in my own job just a few days ago. We were having a small-group meeting to debrief on a recent work event and offer ideas on how to improve it for next year. Despite having several ideas to contribute, I found myself in the old familiar pattern of starting to talk, only to be talked over by one of my extroverted co-workers. I then fell into my usual stance that I would just remain quiet for the rest of the meeting. My colleagues are all lovely people, but I figured, what’s the point?

As discussed in the webinar, introverts like to observe, take in information, maybe make some notes, think through a few ideas alone, and then present them to the group. This can often yield the same, or even better results in terms of viable ideas and solutions. But in this particular meeting, I knew that if I wanted to contribute ideas, it had to be right then and there. I also knew that saying nothing can be perceived as being a non-contributor. So I quickly changed my mindset and decided to keep trying, keep speaking up to get my ideas voiced. And by the end of the meeting, I did manage to get a couple thoughts out there to the group, which were well received, and I considered it a personal victory.

Introverts often have to walk a fine line. On the one hand, it’s important to stay true to who we are, recognize our strengths, and avoid putting on an extroverted facade just to fit in. On the other hand, it’s important to sometimes come out of our comfort zones despite feeling like a fish out of water, to see how far we can stretch ourselves! On this particular day, it paid off for me. But on any day, it’s a good strategy to follow for anyone!

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What did I get myself into?!

Many of us have been there, me included. We accept a job offer based on what we thought the job entailed, but ends up being something very different. And sometimes it may be a case of not fully understanding the responsibilities of the position. So what now? We’re now in a job that has turned out to be something other than what we expected, something we would probably have turned down if we knew what we were getting into.

In a case like this, the misunderstanding and resulting fallout rests jointly on the shoulders of both the employee and the employer. It’s the employer’s responsibility to clearly and accurately convey the responsibilities and scope of the job before we accept the position. It’s also our responsibility to ask as many clarifying questions as it takes to completely understand what the job really is. And if something doesn’t feel right about it, then we should trust our gut instincts. Of course, other factors may come into play – like an attractive salary, or a feeling of desperation (i.e.), “I’ll take the job just to get out my current situation.” But being unhappy in a job usually overrides anything else.

So several scenarios are possible here: 1. We didn’t fully understand the job in the first place; 2. The employer didn’t clearly communicate the job; or 3. There was full clarity and understanding in the beginning, but the job has suddenly turned into something else, something we didn’t or wouldn’t have signed up for.

So what now?

1. If the job is really intolerable, then the best thing would probably be to rev up the job search again. Look outside the organization, but also see what opportunities may exist within. (If however, you just started, it may be too early to make a move internally.)

2. If the job is tolerable, and you’re comfortable doing so, talk openly with your supervisor and see if your job description can be adjusted to allow for more of the things you really want to do.  If this isn’t possible, try to give the job more time to see what develops, and what twists and turns it might take. It may just turn in your favor. But in any event, it could never hurt to keep your eyes and ears open for other opportunities.

3. If you have the means to do so, then quitting outright may be a viable option. I see this more as a last resort, but if the job is causing undue stress and having an unhealthy impact on our lives, then sometimes we’re left with no other option than to remove ourselves from that situation and start over.

Clear communication and full understanding are key before accepting any job offer. But again, sometimes even with that, things don’t turn out the way we expect. But also know you have options if confronted with a bad situation. When it happened to me, I thankfully chose to look elsewhere and am now doing something I truly enjoy.

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Be fearless in pursuit of your career goals!

Lukas Rosol’s reaction after winning the match!

I’ve been watching a lot of Wimbledon on TV this year. The other day I saw one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon history when Raphael Nadal was beaten in the 2nd round by a virtual unknown named Lukas Rosol. This morning there was much in the way of analysis and commentary about how Rosol could pull off the seemingly impossible. A huge part of it, I believe, is that he went out there without fear, unintimidated, and just went for it unafraid to take chances. When you take this into account, the result isn’t as surprising as one might think. Playing it safe isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be. The same can be said for how we approach our careers and professional goals. That’s not to say we shouldn’t spend time to thoughtfully plan and strategize. In fact, it would be foolish not to.

Think about your career up to this point and see if there are times when fear and uncertainty have held you back. Have you ever felt stuck in a dead-end job because of a fear of taking a chance on pursing a job/career that was out of your comfort zone but would feed your passion? Or did you ever forego further education that would qualify you for a more suitable job because you weren’t sure you could handle the extra workload?

After some valuable life lessons, I’ve learned that it’s very important to take some chances, and fight through the fear and uncertainty in order to reach those career goals and dreams. I think it all boils down to this: when all is said and done and it’s time to look back on your career, will you regret the things you did or the things you DIDN’T do? Of course, NO regret at all is what we all strive for, but I’d rather have had taken some chances regardless of the outcome vs. being stuck in “comfort” and fear! Soren Kierkegaard had it right when he said, “To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily.  To not dare is to lose oneself.”

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Have you tried a “warm call” yet?

Years back, I got a job offer as a result of cold-calling a company where I was interested in working. This was incredible, especially since I am so not the cold-calling type. I had pulled up the company’s website, which merely gave a contact name and number to call “for more information.” Little did I realize at the time that I was dialing the number for the Vice President of Sales. I left a voicemail introducing myself and gave a synopsis of my background and what type of job I was looking for. Within an hour, I got a return call from one of the Directors at the company, who invited me in for an interview and who would ultimately become my boss. 

Now I wouldn’t exactly advise against cold-calling today when on the job search. It does show initiative, assertiveness and confidence. But with the growing popularity and prevalence of social media sites like LinkedIn, the cold call is gradually being replaced with the “warm call.”  I went to a LinkedIn workshop last night that walked us through the process.

In a nutshell, using the Advanced Search feature in LinkedIn can potentially put you in touch with decision makers at key organizations. For example, if you know only the geographic area and industry you want to work, and don’t have particular organizations in mind, you can do a search on “CEO” (or another job title with decision-making power), zip code, industry, and then include other search criteria such as your alma mater. LinkedIn will give you a list of CEO’s who work in a certain industry, in a certain area, who have gone to the same school as you. From this list, see who is a 2nd degree connection and which connections you have in common. This is a perfect opportunity to contact that mutual connection to see if he or she would be willing to introduce you to that person who works in the industry and area you’re targeting. And going to the same school is a great lead-in when you ultimately contact this person. Hence, the warm call!

One final note: you want to request an informational interview from this person, rather than asking for a job. More on informational interviews in a future post!

Here’s an example I found on youtube that illustrates the “advanced search” function.

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Work Well By Avoiding “Social Media Overload”

LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, WordPress, YouTube…that’s about all I can handle at this point, as far as social media goes. Maybe it’s a generational thing, I’m sure Generation Y, for example, has a greater capacity for social media than my generation. In any event, it’s incredible how many social networking sites there are today, and a new one seems to pop up almost every day. A common theme among clients is that they try to use as many sites as possible in order to cover their bases. But this strategy often backfires. Instead of using a few sites in a smart and strategic way, they tend to spread themselves too thin and end up not taking full advantage of what those sites have to offer.

Our time is scarce and so what I recommend to clients is to try out whatever sites look interesting, and then see what works for them, and forget about the rest. In this case, less is definitely more.

There are hundreds of social networking sites out there. Here’s a summary of 50 of them, which are used by both businesses and individuals. Hopefully this will help you focus in on what will work best for you!

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The Emotional Side to Job Transition

As a career coach, I’ve been able to work with a wide variety of individuals and provide the tools necessary to get them to their next job/career. Along with the work I do with them on resumes, interviewing, networking, career direction, values, etc., part of my job is to be as encouraging and motivating as possible. As to be expected, job transition involves an emotional component, one where the job seeker often feels depressed or hopeless, or at the very least, discouraged and frustrated. Coaching is not psychotherapy, and coaches should not attempt to do therapy with a client. With that said, sometimes all a client needs is, like I said some extra encouragement and motivation.

In between coaching sessions, I recommend  that job seeking clients ask a close friend or family member to be their “support buddy”  – someone they can trust to check in with them every day (or every other day) to give an extra shot of encouragement. A little can go a long way. And if they can find someone who has been through a job transition or has been laid off in the past, even better (in terms of being able to relate.) I also think it’s important that a job seeker’s support network not only care about what he or she is going through and can appreciate the challenge of it, but also be able to express that to them.

Is there a job seeker in your life that you can lend a little moral support to?

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Do What You Love: Lessons Learned from 9-11

On the dawn of the 10th anniversary of 9-11, I’m reminded of the tragic events of that day and how in many ways it seems like only yesterday.

I got on the subway, like every other morning, to make my way downtown to my office, which was located a block away from The World Trade Center. I came up from the subway right around 8:50 a.m. to see people running through the streets and covering their heads. I had no idea at this point what was happening, but as I looked straight up and saw a gaping hole in the North Tower, I knew at least that this would be like no other day. I soon found myself caught up in the wave of people and started to run and cover my head as well to protect myself from falling debris. I made it to my building, out of breath and confused. I saw my voicemail light flashing and listened to a message from my sister, asking if I was alright. I then ran into a couple of my co-workers who told me what had just happened. A few minutes later, at 9:03 a.m., we heard a terrible thud and felt the building shake as if an earthquake had just struck. We were evacuated soon after that, quickly making our way down from the 9th floor. In reality it took only a couple minutes to get to the ground floor, but felt like an eternity.

After about 20 minutes of watching and waiting out on the street, I suddenly felt that it was no longer safe to be even standing there, so walked up a few blocks and got on the last subway train back to my apartment, before the entire transit system shut down. I stayed glued to my TV the rest of the day and night, and as I awoke the next morning, my first thought was that this was all a bad dream, but was quickly snapped back into reality the moment I turned the TV back on. I spent the next few days in the city, which was a surreal experience in itself. Once the trains were running again, I was glad to escape for a few days at my parents house in New Jersey.

The company I was working for at the time had found temporary office space for us until we were allowed back into our building six weeks later. We were all given face masks and were advised to stay inside the building to avoid breathing the questionable air.

My company had lost a lot of business because of 9-11 and as a result I was downsized at the end of the year. This was a blessing in disguise. Coincidentally, I had just started my coaching certification program down in DC  that September, and knew that it was time anyway to explore another career. The line of work I was in was certainly my comfort zone, but it wasn’t doing anything else for me. So as we approach the 10th anniversary of 9-11, we’re reminded, of course, of the senseless loss of life, but also how fragile life is, and how important it is to love what we do and make the most out of every day. And if we’re not loving our jobs or careers, we need to do something about it…like finding something that we can be passionate about and make us happy. Do what you love. So I’ll leave you with one question. For those of you who are settling…is it worth it?

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Facilitation Made Easy

I’m about to leave for a 2nd day of facilitating at GWSB’s MBA Institute. As part of the Institue, incoming MBA students get the opportunity to strengthen their job interviewing skills and learn what makes an effective resume in the eyes of employers and recruiters. If the 2nd day is anything like the 1st, it’ll be an easy day. And I say that because the students in my group are not only energetic, respectful and engaged, but also eager to help their fellow classmates and receptive to both their input and mine.  I’ve facilitated groups in the past where I’ve had to spend a lot of time encouraging group members to contribute to the conversation, reminding them not to interrupt when someone else is speaking, or keeping up their energy levels late in the day. No signs of any of that with this group…they are definitely making my job easy. The biggest challenge I guess is keeping on schedule since there is so much enthusiasm in the room!

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Post-College Job Search: Get out of Neutral and into Drive

Most recent college graduates have either landed jobs or are still on the hunt. If you or someone you know is still looking, here are a few tips to get in gear and on the right path:

1. Make sure your resume is all up to date and up to par. Put yourself in the shoes of potential employers who’ll be reading it. You want to make sure that they actually do read it. So make it results-oriented, be concise, and incorporate keywords from the job announcement.

2. If you haven’t already, create a LinkedIn profile. Like I tell students, completing a LinkedIn profile is a gradual process. Fill in whatever you can now, and as you get more experience and meet new people, your profile will grow with regard to connections, credentials, recommendations, and so on and so forth. Once your profile looks the way you want it to, it’s a good idea to list your LinkedIn URL in the heading of your resume. 

3. Network, network, network. In addition to online networking, become active with your local alumni association, do some informational interviewing, and join a local networking group (such as Washington Network Group). Another effective approach is to write an email to family, friends, and other trusted connections letting them know about your career objectives and goals and request any leads they might have.

4. Get business cards. They don’t have to be anything fancy, just a simple card that you can hand out at networking events. They’re relatively inexpensive, especially on sites like vistaprint.

5. Line up your list of references. If you’ve lost touch with any of your references, your first order of business should be to reestablish that relationship.

6. Keep track of all your job search activities on a spreadsheet. This is especially important when it comes time to follow up with potential employers and networking connections. If spreadsheets aren’t your thing, find a system that works for you.

7. Remember: it’ll happen as long as you’re consistent, persistent and patient!

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