Interview Doctor
Katherine Burik is a Job Search / Career Coach and, in this video, she shares advice and tips on formatting your resume. Your resume is a personal reflection of your experience and your brand. It needs to reflect you.
Mark got a job!!! A wonderful job that was exactly what he wanted. He said the background photo he chose for his LinkedIn profile made the difference in separating him from all the other candidates. Mark added a background photo of his son playing baseball. The hiring manager also has a son playing Little League baseball. That photo became a great conversation starter!
What does your LinkedIn profile say about you? Does your LinkedIn profile offer anything interesting for someone to latch on to as you network for a new opportunity? If you do not have a good answer to either of these questions, perhaps you are missing an opportunity.
LinkedIn offers us a perfect opportunity to create a personal brand describing “you” as a person, “you” as a professional and “you” as a future asset to some organization. What will you do about this opportunity?
My profile background photo describes the books I have written using the colors that make up my brand along with my logo. My personal background photo is the same as my company background photo and is consistent with my website, www.InterviewDoc.com. Maybe it is easier when you have your own business but everyone can do this.
I have some great examples:
What image represents the brand you are putting out there? Be like Mark and create a solid, consistent, interesting personal brand that attracts people TO your profile! This wonderful article can walk you through it – How to Create a Custom LinkedIn Background.
Who would have guessed?
This insight unexpectedly popped up at a workshop I led the other day. I have the privilege of conducting a three session workshop with folks who are mentoring 8th graders in the Cleveland Public Schools. I am very impressed with this program and these wonderful volunteers. They signed up to help 8th graders figure out the path they want to follow for the rest of their lives, beginning with the important choice of which high school to attend and which career path they want to explore.
This is a big deal. Like the mentors, I had no idea what I was signing up for.
I was asked to present three workshops on how to confidently speak in front of a group. I ended up learning so much more.
Like any public speaker or trainer, I consider the outcome I want to achieve then find exercises, activities and stories to allow the participants to make observations that result in change. But you never know what will happen!
The room was loud with laughter and conversation as these folks learned from each other, sharing life stories that will influence their relationships with the young people they mentor. Many people continued to talk long after the session ended even though these volunteers had already worked all day. The enthusiasm was contagious!
Here are some observations from the participants:
I share this experience because I see strong similarities with folks seeking to advance their careers or find a new job. We are most successful when we are relatable. The stories you tell from the heart, with passion get attention. Realize that even diverse groups of people have similar stories and you have the power to connect with other people. It is that connection that moves you forward in your career or in your job search.
Be brave. Share your stories with passion so you can relate to other people. Relationships build careers. Use this information to your advantage!
Coffee? Expensive coffee? Comfy chairs? Green logo?
Big companies like Starbucks or Panera spend millions building their brands. They want you to have a mental picture of their organization the minute their name is mentioned.
Everyone has a personal brand, even you. Whether you know it or not your brand represents what you stand for, your reputation, what you are known for. Your brand exists whether you pay attention or not.
Your personal brand is like that great smell wafting out of the bakery before you even open the door. That great smell is out there based on your reputation, accomplishments and presence. Strengthening and sharing your personal brand helps you get what you want out of life.
Your reputation is one of the few things in life you can sort of control. Why not put a little effort into forming your brand into something you can be proud of?
This kind of self-promotion is harder for shy people. Susan Cain, author of the fine book, Quiet, reminds us that shy and introversion are different. Shy people fear negative judgment while introverts get energy from quiet.
Shy people work quietly to build their reputations but are often fearful to share their results in networking situations. Most efforts to reinforce our personal brands are heavy on networking activities that are harder for shy and introverted folks like me.
If the thought of glad handing at a large networking event sends you screaming to the basement, you are not alone. I’ve run out of my share of networking events. I remember being unable to get out of the car to attend a celebration at my college graduation. It happens to the best of us.
Fortunately, networking is no longer confined to large meetings of anonymous people. There are other things we can do!
Social media takes the fear out of going into a room full of strangers. It is networking for shy people – a great way to quietly spread your personal brand!
First, some homework.
Next, take action.
Even shy people can promote their personal brand. Avoid large networking meetings if that environment makes you uncomfortable. But get out there via mediums you can use quietly to take control of your personal brand.
What do you want to be known for? This is your personal brand.
Are you sure your social media profile highlights what you want to be known for? Hmmm… How can you tell?
Most people struggle with this. Even people who should know better. I coach people on how to use social media to advance their careers. I use social media every day to advance my business. But I strive to stay on top of my personal and professional brand in the ever-changing social media environment.
I was having this conversation with my business colleague, Dan Toussant, recently. He said he thought it was odd that people kept approaching him on LinkedIn with coaching needs when he really wants to focus on recruiting and leave the coaching to me.
Was there something about his LinkedIn profile contributing to this confusion? Was there a way to maximize his profile to attract candidates and potential corporate clients to his profile?
It was time to look at Dan’s profile with new eyes. Follow along to see if these steps can help you maximize your profile too!
Dan wants two kinds of people to find him – people who could be candidates for positions Dan wants to fill in areas Dan specializes in like finance, operations and sales. He also wants to be attractive to executives who might hire him to fill positions in their companies.
Dan’s profile needs to highlight words those ideal people will use when they are looking for someone like Dan. He wants his brand to demonstrate that he specializes in: recruiter, search, finance, manufacturing, operations, and sales.
You want your profile to rise to the top, don’t you?
Dan’s profile had only one word that appeared over 20 times. You guessed it. The word “coach”. The only word that came close was “recruiter” at 18 times. No wonder people thought Dan was good at coaching!
We found four of Dan’s recruiter colleagues, some who were successful and some he thought were not successful. Monica is a successful medical sales recruiter. Her profile mentions sales 34 times, medical 22 times and recruiter at least 16 times. Her LinkedIn profile represents her professional brand very well.
Joan is not a very active recruiter, probably not terribly successful. Her profile has one keyword at 11 (supply chain) and no other words that appear more than 5 times. Her profile does not support her professional brand very much.
This gives Dan an idea of how to restructure his profile to be found with the brand he wants to portray.
Anyone can do this. Today I reworked a client’s profile summary. Jim’s keywords are respiratory, medical, devices, and sales. These are the words someone looking to hire Jim will use so these are the keywords we must put in his LinkedIn profile.
We measured how many times those keywords appeared in Jim’s profile then started reworking to increase his numbers. Simply by reworking the profile summary I added the word “respiratory” seven more times bringing the number up to 20! Now when people look at Jim’s LinkedIn profile they will think he is very good at respiratory device sales, supporting his personal and professional brand. That is what Jim wants!
Take another look at the ways you describe yourself in LinkedIn to see whether your social media profile supports your brand. Then start editing!
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