Four Ways to Let Your LinkedIn Contacts Know You're Looking for a Job Change

Answers to your Questions

Reader question from the mailbag:

Question: What is a good way to let people on LinkedIn know that you are actively looking despite the fact that you have a job?

Answer: Great question! LinkedIn has become kind of the public résumé database. How do you let the world know that you're open and receptive to recruiter inquiries? Let me put a twist on your question, though. Try to think about it this way: "How can I make sure recruiters find me on LinkedIn?" Here are a few ideas:

1. Update your LinkedIn profile to look like a résumé. I don't necessarily mean that you include an objective. However, think of your résumé as a marketing document - its primary goal is to sell you as a candidate. You can transfer a great portion of the data from your résumé to your LinkedIn profile. Fill in your jobs beyond just your job title - What responsibilities did you hold? How many people have you supervised? What quantifiable accomplishments have you accomplished? Don't be modest - include all of these (but be truthful). The more information your profile contains, the more recruiters will see it when they search for candidates.
2. Upgrade your LinkedIn subscription. LinkedIn offers Premium memberships. You're paying for increased visibility of your profile through better promotion as a featured applicant, you can see who's looked at your profile (so you can contact them back to express your interest in their company - a-ha!), and you'll get a few InMails, which enable you to reach people who aren't your direct contacts.
3. Become an Open Networker. This means you accept all invites. Accepting more invitations expands your network. An expanded network means you'll show up in more searches.
4. Be Proactive. Look at what companies of interest are posting scads of jobs. Identify the recruiter at the company. Send them a note to express your interest, along with your résumé.

Good luck!

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.

Effectively Manage Your Time to a New Job

Following is a guest post by Laurie Turner, an employment and career counselor with Jewish Community Services of South Florida, a social services agency which is the largest non-profit [501(c)(3)] Jewish social service agency in South Florida, JCS provides critical help in the community, such as care management for frail seniors; counseling for families in crisis; and employment skills for developmentally disabled adults. Laurie also works with JworksMiami, an employment service which helps match job-seekers and employers.

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Looking for a new job? Not getting paid to do it? If you take your job search seriously, you may realize sooner or later that you have a new full time job for which you are not getting paid.   There may be a direct correlation between the amount of effort you put into searching for a new position and how long it takes you to find one!  So, how do you approach your job search?  Do you wake up in the morning, get dressed, have breakfast and hit the ground running?  Consider planning your day’s activities to include some time at your computer searching for postings, time attending networking events and some time with friends and family to let them know what you are seeking.  Make sure you have developed your “elevator pitch” so you can articulate, in a concise manner, the type of position you are seeking whenever you have the opportunity.

Applying to 100 positions per week? It is probably impossible to do a thorough job of applying to this quantity of jobs. Consider applying to less than 10 and do it properly.  You can research the company or look on linked in to see if anyone you are connected to has a connection with the company.  If you find a possible connection and a position that is a good fit, reach out to see if the person can refer you to Human Resources. Many companies offer their employees an incentive if someone they refer is hired.  You could be doing the employee a favor and helping your own cause at the same time.  Submit a version of your resume and cover letter that best markets you for the position you are applying for.  If you are invited for an interview, prepare, prepare, prepare.

Figure out how to distinguish yourself from the pack. Prepare to answer standard interview questions but also take the opportunity to reveal a little about yourself that will make the interviewer remember you.  Email and snail mail a thank you note.  You will certainly be noticed! Use the thank you note to tell anything you may have forgotten to share during the interview.   There are sample resumes, cover letters and thank you notes on the internet.   Don’t take shortcuts!  Go through the above steps for a week or two and see if you are able to jump-start your job search.  If you are stuck, get unstuck!  Keep a positive attitude, try to relax, exercise, take care of yourself (i.e. eat well and get enough sleep)!  Hopefully, sooner or later, you will get the results you are looking for!

Three Weekly Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy Job Hunting Tips – June 22, 2015

Lemon Squeezy

Here are three simple job hunting tips for you to begin your week!

1. Any time you prepare a paper résumé (yes, these still exist) to give to anybody, print it up on your printer. DO NOT make photocopies - the copier glass tends to get filthy and shows all sorts of residue, lines, and other grossness. Don't believe me? Compare for yourself. And, yes, people will notice the lines and dots that are copier artifacts.
2. Treat an internal job application (i.e., an application for a position inside your current employer) with the same level of respect you'd treat one on the outside. This means: apply in a timely manner; dress professionally for the interview; and send thank-you notes to everyone you meet with; and should you not be selected for the job, handle the defeat with graciousness and dignity. Keeping doors open applies in your current job, too.
3. After the interview, if you don't hear anything after repeated attempts to find out your status, know when to stop asking for feedback. It's crappy for an employer to not get back to you after an interview, but you need to recognize the line between persistence and stalking.

Scott Singer is the President and Founder of Insider Career Strategies Resume Writing & Career Coaching, a firm dedicated to guiding job seekers and companies through the job search and hiring process. He is a Human Resources professional and staffing expert with almost two decades of in-house corporate HR and staffing firm experience, and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) and Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).

Insider Career Strategies provides resume writing, LinkedIn profile development, and career coaching services, including a free resume review. You can email Scott Singer at scott.singer@insidercs.com, or via the website, www.insidercs.com.