MAS Recruiting-Executive Search & Recruiting

A fellow business associate of mine, Mike Podesto, shared this article with me.  I wanted to share it with my readers as well.

Are you struggling to find a job on LinkedIn?

Using LinkedIn to find a job is an excellent idea. But just like anything, the platform you use is only as good as the person using it.

Below, we interviewed 8 of the most credible career experts on LinkedIn. We asked them to share their number one tip for job seekers on LinkedIn.

These 8 tips will not only skyrocket your LinkedIn performance, they will improve your overall LinkedIn profile, and ultimately, land you a job at your dream company.

Stick out from the crowd by creating engaging content
If you want to stand out from other candidates, get yourself noticed and quickly expand your network, join the 1% of LinkedIn users who are not just consuming, but creating content on this platform.

Job seekers who post status updates are 10 times more likely to be contacted by recruiters, as reported by LinkedIn.

You don't have to be a writer to share an interesting story or a powerful message. Your experiences and personal stories can become valuable lessons others can relate to.

Use your LinkedIn posts to create engaging conversations, challenge the status quo and learn from like-minded professionals.

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is public
When employers are researching you as a candidate, the first place they go is Google. Typically, all your Social Media profiles come up.

Make sure your LinkedIn profile is public. If you spend a few minutes each week engaging on the platform, your LinkedIn will rank ahead of the other platforms.

I know of people who are only active a few times a month on LinkedIn and their page ranks higher on a Google search than other platforms they use daily.

Companies want to find information about you. Let LinkedIn be the platform you use to have positive, public content available for them to see.

Update your LinkedIn profile picture
The very first thing a recruiter will see when searching for a candidate is your profile picture. Whether or not you like it, you need a photo on your LinkedIn.

Let’s take a look at some real-life examples of what not to do.

• A bathroom selfie trying to reenact Derek Zoolander’s famous ‘Blue Steel’.
• Your wedding picture with your spouse cropped out.
• An animated avatar of yourself is creative don’t get me wrong, but no.
• If for some reason you think even for a second, it’s ok to have your drivers license as your profile picture… change it.

​Dress appropriately for the job you want, have someone else take the picture for you with a blurred or blank background and of course… smile! Unless of course you are me and are trying to be mysterious.

Do not simply announce your job search to the world
It’s very common for job seekers to put something on their LinkedIn profile announcing their need for a job. I have seen profiles that say:

“Currently Seeking Employment”
“Looking For A New Career”
“Open To New Opportunities”

While there is nothing wrong with letting people know you are unemployed, writing something publicly like that on your profile has very little value and wastes precious real estate.

Do not expect recruiters or hiring managers to find you. It will rarely ever happen.

Be proactive about your job search. Private message decision makers for the roles you are interested in and let them know you are searching. Be proactive. Not passive.

Know how to message hiring managers effectively
Avoid cut-and-copy messages without personalization (and no, using their name doesn’t count). It may take a little more time, but it’s worth it. Mention a recent talk the person gave, an event they attended, say how the mission of the company resonates with you. One well-thought-out sentence is all it takes.

Make the message about them. Instead of “I have x years of experience doing y...” try “You mention needing someone who can do x without sacrificing y, something I successfully achieved in my last role.” Use the exact vocabulary from the job description. If there isn’t one, use the vocabulary in their mission or culture. It shows you did your homework.

Take full advantage of networking opportunities
It is well documented that networking is the most effective way to land a new job. In fact, it is reported that 70% (or more) people landed their job through networking.

I tell my clients that the informational interview is the secret tool everyone should have in their back pocket and truly the only way to "beat" the ATS. They are a hybrid of an info-session, a Q&A with a mentor and a job interview.

LinkedIn makes it easy to find decision makers. Use your InMail wisely - the more personal the message, the more likely the recipient will respond.

Follow up after connection invites are accepted
LinkedIn encourages adding a note whenever sending connection invites. But invited profiles have a difficult time replying to that note, so they may say nothing.

Why? They cannot send messages to 2nd / 3rd-degree connections with a free account. If they accept the invitation, the note disappears. Yes, it can be found in their messages, but most won't take the time to look.

So, if someone quietly accepts your invite and your note was important, send them another message. Ask them politely if they had seen your note.
Sometimes, something as simple as, “Hi Name, thank you for accepting my invitation.” can work wonders at getting a response.

Your LinkedIn headline is valuable real estate
Your LinkedIn Headline is valuable real estate and should be used to illustrate how you can benefit the viewer. Keep things like your email, phone number, and website out of your headline. There are other spaces in your profile for that content.

The best headlines are value-driven, memorable and will leave people wanting more. My favorite headlines force me to pause, re-read and immediately request a connection.
​
Don’t bury yourself under the millions of LinkedIn professionals by using words like expert and guru. Instead, use descriptive keywords to create powerful imagery for your audience. You only have 120 characters, so make them count!

About the Author:
Mike Podesto is the CEO & Founder of FindMy Profession.

Find My Profession is the #1 company in the United States that will manage your entire job search. If you are a senior or executive professional with an expected salary over $100,000 then keep reading.

We call it the Career Finder... Here's what we offer:

1) Chat with a professional to discuss your career goals, expectations, and requirements.
2) Receive an updated, optimized and redesigned professional resume and LinkedIn.
3) Work with a dedicated account manager to build strategic relationships that get you hired.
4) Utilize your very own personal assistant responsible for applying to jobs on your behalf.
5) Interviews Guaranteed – Each interview will be pre-approved by you.

I am always on the lookout for new technologies that will help to transform the Recruiting industry.  Back in the 90's, it was Monster and CareerBuilder.  LinkedIn started in 2004  and has help to usher in a new platform  that changes the way  recruiting is conducted.  What future technologies will help transform what is a very fragmented industry?  From what I can see, Blockchain offers an even greater ability to transform and streamline not only recruiting,  but the entire HR process as well. 

What is Blockchain?  According to Wikipedia, a blockchain is a continuously growing list of records, called blocks, which are linked and secured using cryptography.  Each block typically contains a cryptographic hash of the previous block, a timestamp and transaction data. By design, a blockchain is inherently resistant to modification of the data. It is "an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way". For use as a distributed ledger, a blockchain is typically managed by a peer-to-peer network collectively adhering to a protocol for inter-node communication and validating new blocks. Once recorded, the data in any given block cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of all subsequent blocks, which requires collusion of the network majority.

The main area in recruiting  that will be aided by blockchain technology is in the verification of candidate's  resumes (or CVs) including the verification of work history plus educational schooling and training.  Currently, the process is very time consuming for companies to do references checks as well as potentially contact universities to verify a degree.    If companies don't do the work themselves, they generally outsource to a firm that does background checks-an added recruiting cost.   Blockchain technology will cut out the middlemen, eliminate costs, but most importantly, will add verified trust to a system that is somewhat lacking in verification.

While blockchain use in the recruiting industry is in the very, very early implementation stages, my research have uncovered three companies that seem to have a jumpstart in the market:

APPII-The APPII platform allows individuals to create dynamic career profiles which are verified using blockchain technology. These ‘Intelligent Profiles’ represent the first time in the global recruitment industry that candidates can use blockchain technology to verify qualifications, career history, and other career achievements.

For recruiters, this collaboration not only provides the reassurance that all information on a candidates’ application is accurate, but also significantly reduces the cost and time to hire – a major benefit to employers, particularly in the public sector and financial services, where extensive personal background checks take place.

For candidates, the blockchain-based Intelligent Profiles act as an assurance that they will be measured on their achievements, rather than the format of their CV.

Individuals can add their education, professional training, and work experience to their Intelligent Profile, and use QR codes to record continuing professional development and course attendance. Every assertion added to the platform can be verified by the relevant institution or employer and stored securely and permanently, completely free of charge.

The platform uses biometric identification to ensure the validity of candidates. Going far beyond basic identity verification, APPII’s technology uses biometric scanning to compare a selfie taken on its mobile application with official photographic identification.

Vertalo-Vertalo is, at its most basic level, an incentive-driven platform that enables the verification of work and academic history. They will be rolling out many applications to enhance this basic function of the network. The end goal with Vertalo is to provide a way for people to leverage their work experience (because it is authenticated in the blockchain) to gain access to more opportunities, for employment, for education and more.

With Vertalo, individuals will have authentication of their credentials and work stints, whereas organizations will have a holistic census of verified freelancers, contractors, employees and future employees and individuals.

By joining Vertalo’s network, individuals will be able to prove their histories to a hiring company, a background checker, or a credit bureau, based on certification of their history by employers or universities. Organizations on the other hand will be able to produce a census of all their associates without reliance on siloed HR platforms, and all parties will be able to provide neutral and passive references via standardized certifications.

HireMatch-HireMatch.io is a Decentralized Application (DApp) that will eliminate the friction and costs of third party intermediaries like expensive recruiters, when firms are searching for talent. HireMatch will reduce the cost to find, interview and acquire new employees by removing unnecessary friction and creating a more efficient marketplace.

I am sure that there are other companies in the marketplace who are working on and rolling out disruptive blockchain technology that will help transform the recruiting industry in the very near future.  It should be very interesting to see what the recruiting market looks like in the next 2-5 years.