As a recruiter I can testify that Linkedin is a wonderful tool.
Linkedin has slashed my advertising costs, enables me to easily find people I would never have previously found, and market my self and services at almost zero cost (my time to set up Linkedin initially, and brief daily management).
However as Linkedin evolves, and the worlds business population becomes more comfortable with online media and social services, I know I am barely scratching the surface of what Linkedin can do for me.
Aside from my recruitment business, I have also started helping friends promote their businesses using the Internet; combining websites, blogging, Google Places, Linkedin, You Tube, Facebook and Twitter.
Though I still class this as a hobby I find in fascinating how most small business owners are reluctant to invest much time in the marketing of their businesses via the net, this soon changes when they see the potential, and unbeatable ROI this form of marketing offers.
Linkedin can be central in this marketing approach whether marketing yourself and your skills, or your company and services offered. If you are looking for a job Linkedin enables so much more than an on line CV / resume, as you can showcase your abilities in your Linkedin profile, summary and experience sections, and back this up with proof of achievements, through Linkedin recommendations provided to you by bosses, colleagues, and friends. Add in the ability to show videos, slide presentations, white papers, and links to other social / business media you might have.
A good Linkedin profile could become your most powerful sales tool.
Anyway whilst Linkedin remains a free service for the majority of people and businesses, I feel it is a service well worth investing a few hours to evaluate how much it will help you.
However the purpose of this article is to tell you about a Linkedin training course I recently bought. Linkedin Influence is a video and ebook training course on how to make the most out of linkedin. I felt I knew most of the recruitment tricks for Linkedin, and bought the course to help me better understand how small businesses could best promote themselves, develop their brand, reputation, and bring more leads to their door.
This course has been put together by author and Linkedin expert Lewis Howes, who demonstrates how to set up Linkedin so that you get out of it whatever you need, be it more business, job opportunities, potential partners or investors.
The course comprises 25 videos broken down into 4 modules, two pdf ebooks covering basic Linkedin set up and advanced Linkedin strategies, and a excellent bonus course for Twitter called Twixplode (Twitter and Linkedin can be the perfect marketing combo, and this bonus shows you how).
Linkedin Influence will be ideal for those who are familiar with Linkedin, but are unsure of how to turn its potential into the value you are looking for.
So if you think you or your business could benefit from Linkedin look take a look at Linkedin Influence by Lewis Howes.
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Filed under Featured Articles, Uncategorized by on Nov 12th, 2011. Comment. 
Linkedin Profile Optimisation – It’s All About Keywords
If you are looking to get headhunted or found by recruiters on LinkedIn, the trick is to understand the keywords that recruiters will be using to find you.
What I mean is what are the keywords that describe the work you do, identify them and then make sure that they are sprinkled throughout your LinkedIn profile, this is what I mean by Linkedin profile optimisation.
I’m a recruiter and as an example if I were looking for a risk management consultant to to work out of London, I would simple type in the keywords risk management, as this would bring me up all the Linkedin profiles well optimised for my keyword in the world, I would go over to the advanced search parameters on the left of the window and add London, to narrow my search.
In reality I would add more keywords and maybe company names to really pinpoint what I want, but the principal is simple; understand what keywords you need to be found for and optimise you profile accordingly.
The other thing that will hamper you ability to be found by recruiters and in house talent acquisition teams is if your network is too small. Because LinkedIn works to 3 degrees of separation, you do really need to have at least a few hundred connections.
In fact the bigger your network the better, as it means the more people can find you and therefore possibly approach you with employment opportunities.
And finally you need to make sure your Linkedin Profile is also compelling. If you have keyword optimised your Linkedin profile, built a reasonable sized Linkedin network, your profile will be found by recruiters (assuming your role is in demand).
So your profile needs to demonstrate to your readers, that you have the skills and ability their client is after.
To make all this easy I have put together a free guide “Linkedin How To Get Headhunted” which will expose the secret to getting prominent placement for your chosen keywords, how to ensure the profile is compelling, and how to easily build a powerful LinkedIn network in double quick time.
Please follow this link and let me show you how to use Linkedin to get found by recruiters.
Filed : LinkedIn Profile Optimisation.
Popularity: unranked
Filed under Uncategorized by on Oct 22nd, 2011. Comment.
Self Evaluation for Job Interview Success
I am going to ask you to keep an open mind over this next paragraph, because as the title suggests this next section is about taking inventory of all the skills and abilities you offer your target employer. And most people when I introduce the topic, say they know everything they need to about themselves, and ask me to get on with it.
Well I’ve interviewed; and myself been unhappy in a job I thought I was suited to. So I am not going to let this stage go without making a couple of what I see as critical points.
Firstly to re-establish that for the employer; hiring somebody is a buying decision based on logical and emotional criteria, weighed on the scales of risk (miss hiring is a really expensive, and common mistake for employers).
For you to win the job offer you have to demonstrate and PROVE that you have the logical and emotional attributes they are looking for. The amount of proof you can supply reduces the risk in the employer’s eyes.
Therefore taking an accurate and professional inventory of you is essential. If you get your “ducks in a row” at this point it will really help you to structure your marketing messages. The outcomes will be honest and compelling for your target, rather than relying on injecting the usual “power words” which often come over as hype and spin.
This stage can also help you avoid terrible career decisions. I’ll use myself as an example of this point. Early career I was in sales. I thought I liked it, and was suited to it, but I did not realise that I had to adapt some of my natural behaviour to succeed. Adapting ones natural behave by a wide margin, makes for stress, de-motivation, unhappiness, more stress, you can see were this is leading…
It wasn’t until I started taking these new fangled (they were at the time) personality and motivational assessments that I realised, how off track I was.
Anyway the whole exercise is made simple and quick by a great free internet service (there is a paid version if you really like the self analysis stuff – but the free service is sufficient for most). Take a free online free motivational assessment test.
Wandering off into the wilderness used to be the preferred method of “finding oneself”, but with responsibilities and time constraints as they are, completing one of these online assessments with give you “fast food” solution, that is really very, very good.
If you want to know more, I’ve reviewed the MAPP Motivational Assessment service in detail here
Otherwise sign up and take the MAPP test here
This will take you about 40 minutes and will give you:-
- What tasks motivate you and what tasks don’t – this may surprise you!
- Really professional and honest wording to describe yourself in your marketing materials – can be inspiring!
- You may face one of these tests as part of your interview, so why not have a practice run before the big day.
Once you’ve completed your test, you can get it sent to your email, or leave it on the MAPP website where you retain password access to it.
I suggest downloading it and printing it out.
MAPP themselves give a lot of information regarding how best to interpret the report. And I will add more information if requested (leave comments at the bottom of the page). But the principals are straight forward, ideally you want to work in areas that are motivational to you, avoid work that scores high negative motivational points. I realise most jobs have elements within them that you may strongly dislike, which you cannot avoid, but you may be able to delegate, or structure your day to get this work done when your fresh and full of life.
The results here often surprise people; I know some of this stuff surprised me.
The big WARNING sign here is if the work you’re doing or considering is mostly made up of negative motivational aspects. I know we have bills to pay, but extensive exposure to this sort of work will eventually suck the life out of you.
The point in asking you to complete a MAPP test or review similar tests you may have recently completed is two fold. Firstly as a checkpoint that career direction is on track and secondly for ideas and inspiration for developing your marketing messages.
As the words you choose to describe yourself are vital, both in print and spoken, we are trying to get the perfect balance, of using the most compelling words to appeal to your target, without over hyping or spinning things away from reality.
Yes; over hyping yourself at interview can on occasion win you jobs, but roles won based on misrepresentation don’t often end well.
As most of us are not great actors it’s also much easier to be confident and outgoing, when our script is based on the truth.
Right next step is to start filling in your side of the Target Employer Profile using both your own information and experience and where appropriate input from the MAPP assessment.
Input video.
Our next major task is to build your marketing silver bullet, your offer employers can’t refuse, but before doing that I want to plan an idea your mind, so the next page is about the skills and attributes that all employers want, and how we can use this information to our offer winning advantage…
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Filed under Uncategorized by on May 15th, 2010. Comment.
I remember whenever I’ve had to Interview for a position in the past the bit I always looked least forward to was the stage where the Interviewer asks me questions. The majority of which were easy to answer as its very clear what information the Interviewer was looking for, but there were always the odd tough Interview Questions thrown in to throw me out.
Those coupe of tough Interview questions were always difficult to answer as it was never clear what information the Interviewer was looking for.
I’ve since been working in recruitment for some time and have been the Interviewer asking those tough Interview questions on many occasions. Its clear that many candidates still don’t know what I’m looking to hear from them. So I thought I’d cover some of the tough Interview Questions and ways to answer them.
How to answer them
What are your weaknesses?
State a weakness but turn it into a positive: “At times I’ve been considered too much of a perfectionist, I use to get irritated if I felt someone else’s work on the project was below company standard, I’ve since learned that I can’t affect other peoples work so channel my energies into making my work as high a standard as possible”
How have you managed to attend an Interview in works time?
“I didn’t want to deceive my current employers, so I asked them if I could take an unpaid day of leave to attend to a personal matter”
How do you feel about carrying out repetitive or mundane work?
“I appreciate every position has an element of repetitiveness but I take all aspects of my job seriously whether they are repetitive or not and always give 100%.”
How do you handle Criticism?
“At some point we all make mistakes, I’m always happy to take on constructive criticism as this will help me perform better.”
How long would it be before you would expect to be promoted?
“I couldn’t give a time scale, I would want to prove myself and demonstrate my value to the company, I appreciate that promotion is a reward, not a right”
What sort of people do you find it difficult to work with?
“I am a very amiable person and very team orientated, If I were to find it difficult to work with someone, it would be someone whose standards doesn’t reach that of the team.
What do you think of your existing employers?
“I have really enjoyed working for xxx and am thankful for the some, training and career progression that they have provided to date.”
Answering Tough Interview Questions well, will set you apart from other candidates applying for the same position.
By: James P Grant
About the Author:
Learn the secrets to land the job you desire: http://www.land-that-job.com.
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Filed under Uncategorized by on Apr 28th, 2010. Comment.
Behind every interview question there is a concern or another question. Your job is to process the question thinking about what the interviewer’s concern might be. In other words, why is the interviewer asking you this question?
Q#1 – How long have you been looking for a job? (Concern – is there something wrong with you that other employers have picked up?)
A#1 – “After I was laid off from my last job, I took the opportunity to take some time out to examine my career goals and where I was going with my life. I have just begun my search in the last few weeks. I have a definite goal in mind and have been selective about the positions I consider. Your company and this position are of great interest to me.”
Q#2 – How did you prepare for this interview? (Concern – are you interested enough to do some research, or are you going to “wing it”?)
A#2 – “When I found this position posted on the internet (monster.com) I was immediately interested. I checked out the company website and mission statement, looked at the bios of company founders and executives, and was impressed. Once I had the interview appointment, I talked with friends and acquaintances in the industry. And, I’m sure I’ll find out a lot more in today’s meetings.”
Q#3 – What is your salary expectation for this job? (Concern – Can we afford you? Can we get you for less than budgeted?)
A#3 – “I’ll need more information about the job and the responsibilities involved before we can begin to discuss salary. Can you give me an idea of the range budgeted for this position?”
Q#4 – How do you keep current and informed about your job and the industries that you have worked in? (Concern – Once you get the job do you continue to learn and grow – stay challenged and motivated?)
A#4 – “I pride myself on my ability to stay on top of what is happening in my industry. I do a lot of reading – the business section of the newspapers and magazines. I belong to a couple of professional organizations and network with colleagues at the meetings. I take classes and seminars whenever they are of interest, or offer new information or technology.”
Q#5 – Tell me about a time when you had to plan and coordinate a project from start to finish. (Concern – behavioral questions – seeking an example of specific past behavior)
A#5 – ” I headed up a project which involved customer service personnel and technicians. I organized a meeting to get everyone together to brainstorm and get his or her input. From this meeting I drew up a plan, taking the best of the ideas. I organized teams, balancing the mixture of technical and non-technical people. We had a deadline to meet, so I did periodic checks with the teams. After three weeks, we were exceeding expectations, and were able to begin implementation of the plan. It was a great team effort, and a big success. I was commended by management for my leadership, but I was most proud of the team spirit and cooperation which it took to pull it off.”
Q#6 – What kinds of people do you have difficulties working with? (Concern – ability to be flexible and work in a diverse environment?)
A#6 – “In my last three jobs I have worked with men and women from very diverse backgrounds and cultures. The only time I had difficulty was with people who were dishonest about work issues. I worked with one woman who was taking credit for work that her team accomplished. I had an opportunity to talk with her one day and explained how she was affecting the morale. She became very upset that others saw her that way, and said she was unaware of her behavior or the reactions of others. Her behavior changed after our talk. What I learned from that experience is that sometimes what we perceive about others is not always the case if we check it out.”
Q#7 – We expect managers to work more than 8 hours a day. Do you have a problem with that? (Concern – are you a work-aholic or a person who requires balance?)
A#7 – “I have no problem working long hours. I have worked 12 or 14 hour days. What I have found works for me is to work smarter, not necessarily longer. My goal is to get the job done, whatever that takes, in the most efficient manner.”
Q#8 – When have you been most satisfied in your career? (Concern – what motivates you? Or demotivates you?)
A#8 – “The job before the one I am currently at, was my most rewarding experience for me. I worked in a wonderful team environment. There was a lot of camaraderie. I worked with a team of four people and we did some really original thinking. It is that kind of environment I want to be involved in again.”
Q#9 – Why do you want this job? (Concern – are you using the shot-gun approach to job search or do you really know what you want?)
A#9 – “I’ve been very careful about the companies where I have applied. When I saw the ad for this position, I knew I found what I was looking for. What I can bring to this job is my seven years of experience, and knowledge of the industry, plus my ability to communicate and build customer relationships. That, along with my flexibility and organizational skills, makes me a perfect match for this position. I see some challenges ahead of me here, and that’s what I thrive on. I have what you need, and you have what I want.”
Q#10 – We are ready to make an offer. Are you ready to accept today? (Concern – we don’t want you to go away and think about it and change your mind – we want you.)
A#10 – “Based on my research and the information I have gathered during the interview process, I feel I am in a position to consider an offer. I do, however, have a personal policy that I give myself at least 24 hours to make major life decisions. I could let you know by tomorrow.”
There is no way you can accurately predict the questions that will be asked in an interview, but you can be ready and prepared by thinking about the factors that might concern an interviewer or employer before the interview.
By: Carole Martin
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Filed under Uncategorized by on Apr 14th, 2010. Comment.
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