Simply Hired Blog

How to Improve your LinkedIn Background Summary

If you are a job seeker and are not using LinkedIn properly, you are missing out.

Employers and recruiters use LinkedIn on a daily basis to find the right talent. More than ever recruiters rely on LinkedIn to search for people looking for job and people who might be interested in a new opportunity.

However, if your profile isn’t complete and keyword optimized, employers will have a harder time finding you.

One section of LinkedIn profiles that is often neglected is the Summary.

Your LinkedIn Summary is the first opportunity for a potential employer to find out a bit more about you and get some insight into the person beyond your job title and a photo.

It’s important not to leave this section blank – otherwise the first section employer will see is your Experience section. 

The Summary gives you the opportunity to write 2,000 characters about yourself, and you can use it to grab the employer’s attention and encourage them to read more about you. It’s a place to highlight your specific achievements, additional trade qualifications, and internships or apprenticeships relevant to your career. 

Here’s some advice on how to improve it so that your profile attracts more attention.

Don’t waste space on mundane and over-used phrases

There are certain dry and mundane phrases that I’d recommend you don’t ever use on your LinkedIn profile or your resume/CV.

These include “self-motivated team player,” ”‘accomplished professional” and “exceptional communicator.”  These phrases do absolutely NOTHING to make you stand out from others, and you are only wasting valuable space which you could use to showcase your achievements instead.

Have a look at an example of a poor Summary: 

• I am an ambitious individual who is looking to broaden my career path. I enjoy contributing new ideas, I am self-motivated and an excellent team player. I work well under pressure and understand the importance of time management.

These very generic statements are not going to make you stand out from others.

Create your USP/Share your accomplishments

Your Unique Selling Proposition is a one sentence/paragraph explanation that gives the potential employer a quick overview of who you are, what you are looking for, and most importantly, what you can do for them.

You want your Summary to stand out – this means you should include some achievements and quantify them as much as possible. If you are a salesperson who’s achieved 120% of your target for the last 3 years, mention it. But even if you don’t have quantifiable achievements, you do need to communicate a clear reason people would want to engage with you.

You can share a list of your responsibilities and accomplishments in current and previous positions. Mention what you specialize in, what sort of clients you’ve been working with or what technologies you’ve been using. 

I’d suggest writing iPAR (identify Problem – Action – Result) stories in your Summary and including up to three bullets with your top accomplishments. How can you ‘wow’ a potential employer with your experience or achievements?

Make sure that you flesh out as much information as you can for each relevant position that you’ve had. For example:

An experienced Marketing Director with a proven track record of success within top-tier companies.

Has led significant marketing programs that have delivered tangible benefits to companies.

Achievements include:

• The development of Company X’s global brand strategy, positioning, and identity.
• Taking a leading role in driving Company X’s brand preference ranking globally from 6th to 2nd in 3 years.

Use the right keywords

Include the keywords within your profile Summary that are used in job descriptions of positions you are interested in. Try to include the keywords you think recruiters will be searching for. If a keyword appears is more job descriptions than another keyword, opt for the more often used keyword. 

Don’t stuff your Summary with keywords. Use effective keywords and phrases where they fit so list your areas of expertise using descriptive keywords.

Remember, writing a good LinkedIn profile Summary gets you noticed and will attract the right people to your profile. You get more connections and ultimately, more opportunities to advance your career.

Margaret Buj is an Interview Coach who’s helped hundreds of professionals across Europe and the US to get the jobs and promotions they really wanted. Margaret also has 9 years of experience recruiting, primarily in technology and e-commerce sectors.

How To Work With Social Media for a Successful Job Search

Having a working knowledge of social media is an important skill to have if you want to succeed in your job search.

The key word there is “working.”

A lot of us play with social media. It’s a quick, fun way to entertain and be entertained, even when it bends toward embarrassing. Posting a picture on Facebook from the Cinco De Mayo party that shows you wearing a lampshade and saluting the camera with a bottle of tequila is cute and likely to get a laugh from your friends — none of whom are hiring at the moment.

That’s playing. When you’re job hunting, it’s better to work with social media.

Working with social media means taking advantage of the great communication tools available on the Internet to help you find the right job, at the right salary, in the right place.  That could mean 1) writing blogs, 2) participating in online discussion groups or 3) posting videos that demonstrate you have a talent that an employer would want.

“If you know how to use social media, there really are no restrictions in your job search anymore,” Tom Gresosky, Executive Recruiter for FalconSearch, Inc., told Debt.org.  “It used to be that you were lucky if you knew 100 people around town, or maybe around the state, who could help you find a job. Now, you can reach two million people anywhere in the country or even in the world, if that’s what you want. All it takes is a click of a mouse.”

The encouraging news is that employers and recruiters are literally sitting by their computers, waiting to hear from you.

Gresosky says joining discussions about your field of interest, and answering or asking questions that contribute to the discussion, is the best use of these sites. For example, if you are an accountant, your Facebook page could show discussions related to filing income taxes, as well as news and other points of view from different sources.

“There are a number of ways people exchange information and collaborate on issues via social media,” Gresosky said. “Recruiters know about those sites and they go there to make lists of prospective candidates and give them a value.

Another way to make an impression is to post a video using YouTube, particularly if your skill set shows up better in video or audio form. It’s often hard to convey personality in text form, but very easy to project on video as are communication skills in dealing with people.

“I’m definitely in favor of a short video clip being part of the overall social media strategy,” Gresosky said. “But there are limits. Make sure the skills you’re showing off are appropriate to the job you’re seeking.”

In other words, make sure the form of social media you choose works for you. Keep the playing part private, or save it for another time.

Bill Fay is a writer for Debt.org, focused mainly on news stories about the spending habits of families and government. He spent 21 years in the newspaper business and eight more in television and radio, dealing with college and professional sports, then seven forgettable years writing speeches and marketing materials for a government agency.

Small Talk Topics To Avoid

This post is the follow up to The Art of American Small Talk.

In my previous post I discussed how important it is to build your small talk skills thereby enabling you to quickly build personal connections with others. However, it is important that you realize how easily one can destroy these new relationships.

Every country has different faux pas topics that you need to avoid. 

 

Any of these topics are inappropriate small talk topics to discuss with Americans:

• Money
• Sex
• Politics
• Religion
• Family Problems (i.e. divorce)
• Death
• Economic Problems
• Terrorism & War

For example, in India it is common to ask “How’s the health of your family?” This question would not be well-received in the States, as that kind of “intimate” question would be deemed inappropriate.

Money is a touchy topic and you need to treat it delicately. In some countries it is very common to ask, “How much do you make?” However, if you ask an American that question it is considered rude and offensive. Like family matters, we tend to keep things closer to the vest.

Sex is another topic highlights the American feeling on impropriety.  What may be easily, casually discussed in a European country, for example, would cause an Americana to blush. You might be noticing the general theme of the American idea of “personal” information.  We tend not to share this information in a first meeting, so topics like sex, family problems, divorce and death are not mentioned. It may be confusing to see “politics” on the list as well, because you likely hear people talking about politics quite often.

However, I exclude it from the list of small talk topics because it can very easily lead to an argument. Discussion of economic matters and opinions could lead to a similar outcome. Imagine, for example, that you happen to love the President and his policies, and the person you are talking to cannot stand him. Sparks will fly. The same applies to religion: with such a variety and intensity of opinions regarding religion, it is best to just leave the subject along in an initial small talk session.

If someone else brings up one of these topics, then it is your job to steer the conversation in another direction. The last thing you want is a feeling of negativity, and it is better to make the conversation slightly awkward for a moment than to fall into a tense discussion of an uncomfortable topic.  Remember, the goal of your conversation is to build that connection where eventually can lead to a job, not a shouting match.

I believe that the hardest part of a conversation is having the courage to start it. It is intimidating to have to open with an engaging, interesting topic. Of course, that’s usually the first thing that people forget when they are nervous. So if you tend to have trouble doing that, I’d suggest trying each of these conversation openers:

• “Hi, I’m new to (city name) and am looking for amazing new experience this weekend. Do you have any suggestions?” (works even if you have lived there for 10 years)
• “Did you do/like/dislike the reading we had to do?” (for students)
• “Did you hear about…?” (refer to a recent event most will have knowledge about)
• “Do you know____________?” (make a connection with a mutual acquaintance)
• “Do you always get the same drink?” (coffee shop introduction)         
• “I like your shirt/hat/sweater/shoes, etc.  Where did you get them?” (everyone loves compliments)

Find out which works best for you and reuse it. I strongly believe in Pareto’s principle and know that 20% of the things I say to start a conversation will lead to 80% of my success. So today I want you to try out as many of these as you can and figure out which works best for you. Set a personal goal to talk to 20 people.

Then I want to hear how your tests go! Leave a comment below with your favorite opening line!

Michael Miller is the author of 4 Weeks To Your American Dream Job and the founder of Culture Adapt, a career education and consulting firm focused on international business people who are eager to work in the USA.

How to Get Found by Recruiters on LinkedIn

If you’re looking for a job, and you are reasonably smart, there are recruiters out there who would benefit from talking to you. The problem is, they simply can’t find you. Or if they do find you, something about your LinkedIn profile turns them away. In either case, you have more control over this situation than you think. Getting found by recruiters doesn’t have to be a passive strategy.

Here is a two part active strategy for getting found.

First, Get on Search Results

The first step to getting found by recruiters is to simply show up. Like me, recruiters are using keywords to search LinkedIn profiles. Results will show up based on degree of separation and presence of the search term. 

Tip 1: become 1st degree connected to as many recruiters as possible. They are the ones making the most searches. Having recruiters in your network increases your chances of popping up based on your degree of separation.

Tip 2: describe yourself as specifically and as accurately as possible. The well known social media strategist Christopher Penn uses his own profile as a great example of this: 

My job is simple: get qualified leads in the door using Inbound Marketing methods such as social media, search, and email. 

Not terrible, but it doesn’t show results. Here’s an improved version:

My job is simple: get qualified leads in the door using Inbound Marketing methods such as social media, search, and email. In the first 8 months, I’ve helped to create a 10x increase in the number of inbound leads through organic SEO, social media marketing, email marketing, and other marketing methods. 

Tip 3: Adjust your profile for an upward trend in search appearances. Most LinkedIn users have access to a graph called “Appearances in Search.” You can find it by going to your Home page and clicking on “Who’s Viewed Your Profile.” This is an area on the right side of that page.

On this page you’ll find the “Trends” box with a graph in it. Click on “Appearances in Search.” By filling out your profile with specific and accurate information about yourself, you should start to see an upward trend in this graph. The better you write about yourself, the more this graph will grow. If you're struggling with writing about yourself, there are plenty of LinkedIn profile writing services.  

Make Them Click

Think of your profile not as an advertisement rather than an online resume. Once you start to show up on search results pages for recruiters, your next job is to get them to click on your profile.

Just like with other paid ads online, just showing up on the page isn’t enough. The ad headline and description text needs to compel you to click.

On LinkedIn your photo, headline and recommendations have the greatest impact on click rates (from my own experience). 

By making small changes to these three elements, you will begin to see increases in the number of times your profile was actually viewed. This is the graph called “Views” from the page we just visited.

If you're not seeing an upward trend, the fix your photo, headline or try to get more recommendations.

Be an Internet Marketer

Simply by shifting your perception of LinkedIn from an online resume to an online advertising platform, you can approach your career opportunities from a quantifiable perspective. First you have to show up on search results for the right people, then you have to compel them to click. Using LinkedIn’s two graphs, “Appearances in Search” and “Views” allows you to make measurable improvements and increase your chances of getting recruited to that dream position.

 Joshua Waldman, author of Job Searching with Social Media For Dummies, is recognized as one of the nation’s top authorities in Social Media Job Search Advice. To learn Joshua’s secret strategies for shortening the job search and getting the right job right away, watch his exclusive video training: Using Social Media to Find a Job.

How to Always Get a Response From Recruiters

The key to getting a recruiter to respond to you is to make sure they know who you are before you apply.

If a recruiter knows you, and if you share network connections, there is an implied obligation to respond to you.

How do you get to know the recruiter before you apply?

• Find out who posted the job application. A lot of times the poster will include the recruiter's name and e-mail address.

• Find them on Twitter and interact with them. Retweet their posts, respond back to their tweets, etc.

• Search for their name on Linkedin and see if you share any connections to the person. If you do, ask your contact for an introduction.

• Write positive things about them or their company on your blog and/or Twitter.

• Send them a very short email letting them know that you mentioned them and to keep up the good work at company X. This usually results in a simple "thanks!"

Then you apply to the job

• Wait a few days, and then formally apply to the job posting with a personalized cover letter referencing your interaction.

• Send an email letting them know you applied to the job and would love the opportunity to work at company X. This email should be sent as a reply to the initial email so they remember who you are.

What happens if you can’t find a contact?

Often times, there won’t be a contact name listed, just a company name. This really throws a wrench into the process, but there is a backup plan!

• Find all your contacts who work at company X using Linkedin (your first degree connections).

• Find all your contacts who are connected to someone who works at company X (These are your 2nd degree connections).

• Prepare a powerful e-mail to send to those contacts.

The email should include the following:

• The position you are applying to and job posting's URL.

• Why you are qualified for the position (keep it short and passionate).

• Your request: a connection to a hiring manager or recruiter.

The email should read somthing like this:

Hi Eric,

I was wondering if you could do me a favor. I noticed on Linkedin that you have a connection with person X at company X. I am interested in working there, specifically in a project management position (the link is below).

Do you mind forwarding this on to your connnection at company X and/or connect us through Linkedin?

Thanks!

<url to job posting>

Attached is my resume.

When I tried this, I sent about 15 emails over the course of 3 hours. The next day I got a call from the recruiter at the company. The recruiter said that my resume “just landed on his desk”. I don’t know which connection came through in the end, but it worked.  

The key getting a response from a recruiter is to hustle and use your resources. This will help move the application process along and keep you from biting your nails while waiting for the recruiter / hiring manager to respond to you.

 

Robbie acts as an interim CTO for startups, and helps corporate rockstars quit their full time jobs. Check out his blog at robbieabed.com