Rock Your Network

Back up your LinkedIn now – or else

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Well, Jason Alba sure is on a roll. One of his readers’ LinkedIn account got deleted – and she could not recover it! I don’t know about you, but if you’ve got great connections and awesome recommendations like mine: www.linkedin.com/in/wendyterwelp take action on Jason’s tips now!

Here they are:

Here are two absolute must-do’s, right now, on LinkedIn – and they will take less time than it takes to read this blog post (so do it now!):

  1. Export your contacts. Simply click on Contacts, scroll down to the bottom of the screen and click on Export Connections, and follow that process. Just leave everything at default and you’ll end up with your connections in a .csv file, which opens in Excel.
  2. Export your profile. You’ve probably put a fair amount of thought into creating your profile, right? What about any references you have gotten? Simply click on Profile, then find the grayed-out icons above your name, and click on the adobe pdf icon. This exports your profile, including recommendations, into a very nice, presentable document (kudos to whoever at LinkedIn did that formatting, it is very well-done!). Here’s an image of where the icon is:

These are the two most important things for me to grab, if I knew my LinkedIn account might go away. (1) Who I connected with, which includes e-mail addresses very every single contact, (2) my recommendations (I can always rethink and recreate a profile, but those recommendations are priceless!).

You can follow the rest of Jason’s story about this here.

Always on the lookout for a new gig? Keep your network up to date

Wendy Terwelp 1 Comment

Constantly on the make – for a new job that is.

More than half the executives (57 percent) in a 2007 survey were actively searching for a job or preparing for one, and 75 percent of surveyed execs (average annual salaries of $197,000) were unhappy with their jobs, according to ExecuNet, an executive recruiting and networking company that did the research.

Yet, here’s what happens. We get too busy to retain, rebuild, and remain connected with our networks. And when it comes time to look for a job, that’s when we hit our network hard. No more begging!

Get reconnected NOW if you’ve let your network lapse. Here are five things you can do RIGHT NOW to reconnect – and they take less than five minutes. Yes, really. Networking is no longer a two-hour lunch.

1. Send an email with an article you know is relevant to your connection. Just today I reconnected with a recruiting solutions director pal by sending an article link on his fave topic, employer branding.

2. Send a card. E-cards are fine, real cards are even better.

3. Make a 5-minute call. Ask about THEM. What’s the latest? How are their kids? Set up a time to have a real conversation.

4. Get on LinkedIn and add some new people by sending out quick invitations.

5. Update your contact list! Who’s still hot, who is not? Get it on a system. Here’s a free networking database: JibberJobber.

Want more tips on networking? Check out our Opportunity Knocks newsroom right here: www.knocks.com/news.html – under Networking.

 

 

Create your brand online and get hired faster

Wendy Terwelp Leave a comment

Abridged: Kiplinger.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The last time Phylise Banner looked for a job, the job market was much different. And as someone who designs online distance-learning programs for a living, she knows the world has changed since she last pounded the pavement. “This is a different type of search,” says Banner. “I’m trying to create my own online agency to promote myself.”Banner maintains a profile on several social-networking sites, including a popular online address book that, can broadcast her job-seeking status to anyone keeping up with her comings and goings. Banner is ahead of a big curve. “Job seekers today don’t realize the extent to which social networks are a good tool to reach someone inside the corporation you’ve targeted,” says Gerry Crispin, a corporate-recruiting consultant at CareerXroads.

On her website, Banner has posted the full text of her resume, seeded with key words she’s researched for her industry. Time is still of the essence in a job search — it just moves quicker these days. Be among the first to know when a job opens up by also setting up automatic searches on job search engine sites. They’ll spider other sites, then send alerts to your e-mail address.

 

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Want more tips to crank up your brand online?

Check out: http://www.knocks.com/Social_Networking_Course.html.

Online social networking helps land interviews!

Wendy Terwelp 3 Comments

Abridged: Reuters.com

AUSTIN, TX — Job seekers should tap into online networking sites to help hunt down potential employers, new surveys suggest. The polls, conducted in Canada and the United States on behalf of California-based recruitment firm Robert Half International, showed that most executives believe that professional networking sites will prove useful over the next three years for job seekers.

Networking sites can be used to identify new career opportunities, create online profiles that highlight one’s skills and experience and build a roster of business contacts over time. Of 100 senior executives interviewed, 67 percent said they thought professional networking sites — such as LinkedIn — were useful for recruiting new employees, and 25 percent said they thought social networking sites like Facebook would be useful.

Although online networking can play a role in helping people to find work, job seekers should continue to use traditional job-hunting methods. In today’s competitive job market, you can’t afford to leave any stone unturned. “Tried and true methods, such as networking at industry events, submitting well-written resumes and cover letters, and diligently following up with hiring managers are still essential to landing the ideal job.

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Want to crank up your online presence the right way – and learn how to use social networking sites like LinkedIn to get hired faster? Check out: http://www.knocks.com/Social_Networking_Course.html.

Networking: Are you begging or building?

Wendy Terwelp 3 Comments

Meeting

Do you feel networking doesn’t work? Here’s how to change those feelings and network with confidence and ease. Networking, after all, is simply having a conversation with friends. 

Networking DOES work. Time and again, my clients land positions using their network. BUT, as others have said, it must be done right. “Hey, know anyone who’s hiring?” is NOT networking done right. And this happens to be the way many people start their search.

One of my clients, a senior programmer, was unemployed 18 months before meeting with me. (She’d been downsized after 25 years working for a company that had been acquired.) She said, “Do NOT tell me to network. It does not work.”

Really? Hmmm. How are you going about it?

She had asked people, “Hey, know anyone who’s hiring?”

She began emails this way, sending out a poorly done resume with each one. And when meeting with friends, her opening line was the “know anyone who’s hiring” line.

So, for 18 months, her network did not work.

What we did: First, revamped all communication pieces – resume, cover letter, email format, etc. Next, identified all of her contacts. (Think BIG people.) Then, we created a sound bite that could be quickly revamped for emails, in-person meetings, and even her bowling league. (To create your own sound bite, check out Chapter 5 in my book, Rock Your Network®.) My client took action.

Guess what? Within three weeks she had a new job at a higher level, project management, despite it being summer and one of the weeks was the Fourth of July, when many people are on vacation.

How did this happen? One of the people on her bowling league said, “Why didn’t you tell me you wanted to work at X company? My son works there!” So, my client gave her friend the new resume, her friend passed it on, and my client landed her dream gig.

This person had been in her network the whole time!

Steve, a six-figure commercial lender (and one of my clients), has landed his last four positions using his network – maintaining it throughout his career. Each position was at a higher level – in title, compensation, perks, etc.

George created his last two positions where no position had been before one of them was as a marketing director. He made the connection at one of my live Rock Your Network® events. Set up a meeting. Shared his ideas and voila! A new gig was created especially for him. His landed other roles by remaining connected with those he met.

Lisa, a human resources manager who had recently relocated, also landed her most recent position through networking – despite having no local network (or so she thought). She too attended one of my Rock Your Network® events and made several connections. Yes, she followed up. She was most amazed by how warm people were and by how much they wanted to help.

Can social media be used for networking? Heck yes! Again, it must be done right. Asking for favors with zero connection is not networking. It’s begging. Networking is about relationships – building them and maintaining them.

Margaret, working in DC politics, wanted a major career change. She jumped on Facebook and reconnected with some friends from high school. One of them had her exact dream job with her dream company. She learned more about the position and her friend got her an interview.

Networking DOES work – offline or on. The important thing to remember is that it is a two-way street. Build and maintain the relationship.

Can they be revived after being dormant for years? Yes! I got a call from a former coworker. It had been years since I had heard from her. She called with an opportunity, not begging for a job. She called to reconnect. She called to ask for help with her husband’s company who is experiencing a downsizing – and she wants to put me in touch with their HR team. Now that is the right way to go about reconnecting.

A wrong way? Got a call from another former coworker. He wanted to change careers. What names could I give him? Who do I know in the X field? Hmmm. I had not talked this person in several years and the first thing he wants are my connections.

See the diff?

Challenge: Take a look at how you’ve been networking. Really look. And be honest with yourself. Have you been begging or building?

Want help? Check out Rock Your Network for Job Seekers.

Copyright 2008 – 2016 Wendy Terwelp | All rights reserved.