LinkedIn for Job Search

We Set a Record in One Week!

June 22, 2020 By Katherine Burik

Sometimes a fast response is exactly what is needed to convert an average candidate to a stand-out candidate!

Here is how we did it…From Inquiry to New Job Search Materials in One Week.

A recruiter sent me a lead – a small company General Manager, James, wanted out of his current situation. The owner was making him crazy, so he started to look. The recruiter knew she could not present him with a patched together resume and vague LinkedIn profile. She sent me the lead.

James was very frustrated with the fellow who owns this business. He thought he was not getting the investment and rewards he deserved. I looked at the current resume and could not understand why James was so cocky. The resume was a list of tasks and responsibilities that any Operations Manager might present. There was nothing to indicate James had any reason to be so confident.

As I asked questions, James described accomplishment after accomplishment, demonstrating how he doubled the size of the business in ten years through creative ventures taking advantage of opportunities only he saw. NONE of this was visible in his job search materials.

We had plenty of conversations that gave me the information I needed to update the resume in the first three days.

Then we talked about the changes needed in his LinkedIn profile so he could present a unified personal brand that would make sense to potential employers. We focused on these areas:

Accomplishments: We copied the new resume content, heavy with accomplishments, into James’ LinkedIn profile. This increased the keywords.

Pictures: James substituted a nice headshot for the original pictures of his family doing some activity in the distance. We uploaded a beautiful landscape of the Grand Tetons he took on a family vacation to be his background photo, establishing his love of the outdoors.

Skills and Recommendations: We added skills related to the General Manager role he wants. James secured a few recommendations from colleagues, team members and customers, with more to come.

It is too soon to know whether these changes will result in a new job, but the recruiter is thrilled. She feels confident in presenting James for General Manager opportunities that come up. James is very pleased. This exercise gave James a new confidence in his value, even if he stays in his current role.

What value can YOU derive from an updated resume and LinkedIn profile? Even if you do not plan to leave your current organization, that boost of confidence might be just what you need to regain confidence and propel you to the next level.

We offer many packages to update your resume and LinkedIn profile. We work fast to produce outstanding results.

Check out The Interview Doctor’s free training, How To Use LinkedIn To Get The Job You Want, to get you started updating your LinkedIn profile.

5 ways to use LinkedIn for job search

June 2, 2020 By Katherine Burik

LinkedIn is the gold standard for business social networking these days.

LinkedIn has made it easier to connect and build relationships with people you meet, giving you advantages in job search and career growth. It is not a perfect medium, but it is the best we have right now.

This is particularly important for job seekers since networking is a more successful method of finding a job than submitting resumes to job postings. A strong optimized LinkedIn profile can tip the scales in favor of one candidate over another. Why miss out?

Here are five ways you can use LinkedIn for job search:

Establish a personal brand. Your personal brand are those characteristics and accomplishments that make you different from other people who do the same thing. Your LinkedIn profile is the perfect platform to distinguish yourself. You can put your personal brand in pictures, descriptions and content that illustrate how you are different. Without LinkedIn, you must rely on submitting your resume to job postings, a job search strategy that does not work in your favor.
Research companies & people. The key to a solid job search marketing plan is identifying target companies. You can research those target companies by exploring the company pages. Most companies have a company page where they share ideas, propaganda, and news. By clicking on the “See all XXX employees on LinkedIn” clickable link, you can use the advanced search functions to find people who might be your boss or colleagues. You can learn a lot about a company and their people from this resource.
Connect with people. Making social connections is at the heart of social media. LinkedIn encourages you to add more connections and talk to them regularly. Expanding your network makes you more visible and opens you up to opportunities you never would have imagined. Set goals for yourself to add a certain amount of connections each week and month. My goal is to add 50 connections per month, or 600 per year. That goal keeps me active and provides a steady flow of new ideas and opportunities.
Become a thought leader. You enhance your reputation and visibility by sharing content on your profile. Posts and articles you write or record on video, and the content you find, are shared with all your connections in the daily feed. This is a chance to remind people you still exist. SlideShare provides a platform for you to share PowerPoint presentations you create in PDF. All this keyword rich content is attached to your profile, making you more findable.
Learn & grow. Professional development keeps us fresh and relevant. LinkedIn offers formal learning through its LinkedIn Learning platform, available with the Premium membership. I use that service to research topics and prepare presentations by simply entering the topic in the upper left search box and exploring the resources that appear in the results. You can also find and connect with experts who attach interesting books and articles to their profiles. LinkedIn Groups offers information sharing in specialty areas. LinkedIn also offers certifications after you take online courses. I saw a job seeker’s profile recently where he had taken 20+ LinkedIn courses, receiving as many certification badges that add to his credibility. This is particularly important in high tech professions.

Do not miss an opportunity to find your ideal job and be found by hiring managers in LinkedIn. Check out The Interview Doctor’s free LinkedIn training, “How to Use LinkedIn to Get the Job You Want” for job seekers.

Zoom interview failures? Still I persevered!

May 25, 2020 By Katherine Burik

Two things happened recently that taught me a lesson in humility and preparation.

We are all dealing with coronavirus quarantine isolation. Everything is different. I am trying to find ways to help. Although this is uncomfortable and scary for us all, sometimes funny things happen. I thought I would share so you can have a giggle at my expense.

Recently I created a video lesson, Shine! At your next Job Search Video Interview, teaching people how to set up their video equipment for a video interview. This is a skill we all need in this coronavirus world.

I thought it was funny. You might too. I made a dozen mistakes in camera set up, lighting and background, until finally settling on a set up that seemed to display my best me.

Nice, right?

Then I had a virtual speaking engagement on my favorite topic, LinkedIn for job seekers. The coronavirus new working situations changed all that, making virtual speaking engagements possible.

Time to put my video advice to work!!

I did a test run to find the best location, lighting and background. I put a box under my computer so the camera found the best angle (no up-the-nose-shots for me!). I tested the sound. The soft late afternoon light and the lovely water in the background would look great. I was all set!

I called into the zoom meeting 30 minutes early to test my equipment. Background. Check. Sound. Check. Slides moved right. Check. Ok, I leaned back and waited for the speaking engagement to begin.

This meeting of Grace Job Seekers would be in three acts. First, an overview of the group and the process. Then a lesson about LinkedIn basics and targeting companies. I was the final act with a presentation on advanced LinkedIn techniques.

I was ready. Camera, computer, slides, background, lighting. Until I wasn’t… It was awful.

During the second act, I realized I had to go to the bathroom. I watched the clock. Fifteen minutes until I was on. But I was on video in a little corner. Everyone could see me if I stepped away. I sat quietly, increasingly uncomfortable.

I went on promptly at 8:00 pm. The sound failed. There were so many people on the line that my “computer audio” was garbled. They couldn’t hear me! I ran into the next room, grabbed my phone and headset and quickly dialed into the telephone connection.

My fingers fumbled! I couldn’t find the password to log in! In the background, I could hear the host killing time. People I knew in the audience were trying to talk to me. I waved in my silent frustration. It took 9 minutes out of my 45 minute presentation to get back online.

Not a great start but ok, I can do this. Then I couldn’t advance the slides! I had to ask Todd to advance each slide. Not what we planned or practiced!

As I talked, I noticed my background was disappearing! The lighting I carefully curated was gone with the sunset. Shouldn’t I have anticipated this? I kept skooching the camera over a little towards the light coming from the next room. But in the end, it looked like a grotesque Halloween graphic, lit only by the computer screen.

Still I persevered! The presentation was fine. The content worked. Plenty of participation. I hit my mark and finished on time.

The best laid plans, right? The set up failed me COMPLETELY! Everything that could have gone wrong, did go wrong. I was ready until I was not. Sometimes our best laid plans are upended. The coronavirus upending our 2020 plans, giving us an unwanted opportunity to display our character in these difficult times. How will you respond? What can you do to recover from these technical difficulties?

The way we respond to these difficulties is more important than the problems themselves. I am here for you to help in any way with job search or take a chance on my technical support. Whatever you need.

Discover the tactics to using LinkedIn as a critical part of your job search plan. Check out our free training, How to Use LinkedIn to Get the Job You Want.

Job Search Tip: Create a List of Target Companies

April 13, 2020 By Katherine Burik

Learn how and why it’s important to create a list of target companies.

Katherine Burik is a Job Search / Career Coach and, in this video, she shares her tips on how and why you need to make a list of target companies. This list is the corner-stone to your job search marketing plan.

Get more Job Search Tips from the Interview Doctor and Interview with confidence. Get your free copy of the “Career Advancement Tips Sheet” for more tips on how to put together a great job search marketing plan and create the career you want!

Want to learn how to Find a Better Job? Register for this FREE LinkedIn Training from the Interview Doctor – Get instant access here.

Shine! At your next Job Search Video Interview

March 30, 2020 By Katherine Burik

Learn how to prepare for a video interview using Job Search Tips with the Interview Doctor.

Katherine Burik is a Job Search / Career Coach and, in this video of video vignettes, she prepares for a video interview. See her mistakes and learn best practices. Listen, enjoy, prepare!

Get more Job Search Tips from the Interview Doctor and Interview with confidence. Get your free copy of “Top 30 Most FAQ at a Job Interview” and change how you interview by being prepared for those Job Interview Questions!