Networking tips for college students

February 10, 2019 in The Latest

It’s never too soon to be using LinkedIn. It’s a great time for students to learn the best ways to network.

Consider my top 10 tips

  1. Build your LinkedIn profile
  2. Think about what clubs you’ll join at school in your field of interest
  3. Follow up with everyone you meet while home – you never know where that relationship may go.
  4. See if your college has an Alumni group on LinkedIn and join it.
  5. Invest in business cards.
  6. Get a professional sounding email address. I won’t be impressed with “BeerLover1989@ aol.com”
  7. Review your Facebook and other social media privacy settings.
  8. Distinguish yourself through volunteering or interning.
  9. Write (not email) your thank you after meeting with people
  10. Attend networking events in your area with a friend

I believe that creating a LinkedIn profile should also be part of the college search process and later as part of the college experience. It’s another way that your student can differentiate himself or herself from everyone else.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monster: many employees plan to skip work the Monday after the Super Bowl

February 3, 2019 in The Latest

According to a survey by Monster  about 12 percent of US employees will call out sick on Monday 2/4, the day after The Super Bowl.  If an employee is not planning on going in on Monday, there’s a good chance their boss or hiring manager might be absent, too. Monster also surveyed the heads of companies and heads of hiring at various size organizations, and found that these individuals were even more likely to say they’d taken the day off — almost 14 percent had called out sick the day after the Super Bowl to recover from partying.

Networking is as simple as A-B-C

January 26, 2019 in The Latest

Whether you’re:

·        A Business owner looking for new clients

·        A Job seeker looking for a better opportunity

·        Just looking to better yourself professionally and personally

You should be networking…..

Networking can mean anything from:

·        Attending a specific event (industry- related or of general interest)

·        Being available – volunteering your time and expertise

·        Connecting with former co-workers and others you meet

Consider this though – don’t just network when you need support, network when you don’t need support. LinkedIn has made networking easier but LinkedIn isn’t a replacement for picking up the phone, attending an event in your area (or by webinar) or meeting up for a lunch or a cup of coffee. You’ll find out that people are more approachable if they know you’re not just contacting them when you need them. Start a relationship and build on it.

A-B-C – Always Be Connecting

I connect and reconnect with as many people as I can, based on a schedule that makes sense for both of us. I use some of my downtime (whether it’s on the weekends or during holiday breaks) to coordinate everything and use my phone’s calendar and related apps to support this.  Networking also means determining why it makes sense to network with an individual. You should never refuse an opportunity to network with someone you’ve met because you never know who that person may know who can help and support you. That starts by personalizing your LinkedIn invitation to connect. Then following up an accepted request with a CTA (Call to Action) along these lines  (e.g. Thanks for connecting – let’s meet for a cup of coffee to determine how we can help each other)

It’s helpful to develop a networking strategy -targeting what your specific needs and expectations are and finding opportunities where your skills can be most beneficial to others.

A-B-C – Always Be Connecting

2019 LinkedIn Changes

January 19, 2019 in The Latest

 

I asked my connections for some changes they’d like to see in 2019. At the top of my list would be better communication about changes before they’re rolled out. LinkedIn used to send out emails from time to time about platform changes – but not anymore.  Here are a few other thoughts

Alex Freund – LinkedIn….at least provide its users the feeling that they care about them.…If LinkedIn is not recognizing the need to connect with the users then soon a competitor will chip away from their strength.

Christine Dykeman – With 5 generations in the workforce, is LinkedIn an “older” professional platform? And yes, others may come into the market, so LinkedIn as a business should be prepared.

Scott Hopper – I’d like to know how my content is rated. Knowing something is low value would be helpful

Beth Granger – I agree about communication, and would add communication when you are in a test group. From a technical perspective, I’d like a simple icon in the nav bar to remind me if my profile is currently public or anonymous and the ability to toggle between them from that icon.

Ed Han – A terrific change would be better granularity of what information is or is not shared with people in your network. I would also love the ability to disable LI messaging, which is a horrifically bad interface. chose.

Joseph Turkowski – I’d like to see better communication about changes and better understanding of how Linkedin data analytics match candidates to job postings.

Michael Cohn – better integration integration with email clients, office suits and CRM systems

Michael J. Wilson, PMP, ITIL – I’d like to see the mobile app improve. Simple things like smoother transition to new posting of original material…I see the phones increasing more active going forward and Linked in should focus on mobile platform app growth in its next 6 to 12month plan.

Are you listening Jeff Weiner?

My list of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly from LinkedIn 2018.

January 14, 2019 in The Latest

Good

  • Emphasis on content sharing, including introduction of audio and video as part of content sharing
  • Use of ‘#’ and ‘@’ signs along with the option how you want to share updates
  • Combining multiple positions at one company.
  • Relaunch of Events platform
  • Mobile interface changes – including Find Nearby
  • LinkedIn Local
  • New social ‘collaborators’ program
  • Commute info on LI jobs

 

Bad

  • Groups relaunch
  • Lack of meaningful communication from LinkedIn threw occasional emails at very least
  • Elimination of email address on downloads without any notice
  • Snapchat like interface for college students
  • Constant settings changes without notice

 

 

Ugly

  • Constant tinkering of LinkedIn platform
  • Kudos
  • QR code as connection tool – I know some people like this though
  • SPAM

12 Days of LinkedIn

January 5, 2019 in The Latest

As the holiday season comes to an end, here are my 12 Days of Linkedin…

  • On the first day of LinkedIn, my true love gave to me…. One New Profile Picture
  • On the second day of LinkedIn, my true love gave to me…. Two New Inmails and One New Profile Picture
  • On the third day of LinkedIn, my true love gave to me…. Three Recommendations, Two New Inmails and One New Profile Picture
  • On the fourth day of LinkedIn, my true love gave to me…. Four Status Updates, Three Recommendations, Two New Inmails and One New Profile Picture

Etc.….

  • On the 12th day of LinkedIn, my true love gave to me…Twelve changes to the platform, Eleven LinkedIn Gurus, Ten LinkedIn Groups, Nine New profile views, Eight new features on Mobile, Seven summary section keywords, Six new connection requests, Five article comments, Four Status updates, Three Recommendations, Two New Inmails and one new Profile picture

Wishing all my connections a happy and healthy 2019.