October 23, 2017 Leave a Comment

Identify the key person in a company to help you get hired

When I ask my clients who they would like to connect with to help them get a job in their target companies, the standard answer is almost always “Human Resources.” Job seekers tend to believe that the Human Resources (HR) staff make the final hiring decisions or are, at least, in the best position to influence hiring final decisions. This results in cover letters often being addressed to HR staff and LinkedIn connection requests being sent to them.

HR managers receive a huge number of calls, emails and LinkedIn requests daily from people trying to get employment opportunities in their companies. Job seekers might be surprised to learn that it is exceedingly rare for HR staff to be able or willing to influence hiring decisions. In most medium to large-sized companies, the final decision regarding who to hire is not made by HR managers. Most decisions such as these are made by heads of departments or team leads.

What does this mean for the average job seeker? If you are going to address your cover letter to a particular person, you might want to figure out exactly who they are. If that isn’t possible, then use the title mentioned in the job posting. If that is not available, then address the letter to “the hiring manager.”

For networking purposes, the most useful contacts are not necessarily those who make the final hiring decision, because those people are often particularly cautious about not being seen as applying any personal influence on hiring choices. Of course, if you personally know a hiring person well, and you know that they know and respect your work, of course you should approach them. For the rest of us, if you do not know the hiring manager, you may have greater success if you are referred to that person by someone who does know them. Very often, that is the person who does the same kind of job for which you are applying, such as a potential team member. For example, if you are applying for a social worker position, you might have much greater success at getting referred to the hiring manager if you connect with other social workers on the team.

Use LinkedIn to seek out people in your field who do the work that you want to do in your target companies. Connect with them and join LinkedIn groups in which they participate. Initiate conversations with them online, or even better, arrange to meet with them in person for a short information interview. Make a point of connecting with as many potential team members as possible. These contacts are, by far, the most useful sources of employment opportunities.

A referral from a potential colleague can be a very effective way to influence a hiring decision. If you are able to establish strong ties to them, you will find that when job opportunities do finally come up in their companies, you will have the most influential people on your side. They might think of you when employment opportunities come up, and even be willing to reach out to the hiring manager on your behalf.

September 25, 2017 Leave a Comment

Increase your job referrals by conducting effective information interviews

No matter how many technological tools are available to job seekers, the most effective way to be noticed by employers is — and always has been — to meet in person. LinkedIn can help to introduce you to people, but ultimately, if you want to leave the kind of impression on employer that will make them think of you when job opportunities arise, you have to meet face to face. This was confirmed by a study from the Federal Reserve Bank, cited in Forbes Magazine that found “referred candidates were twice as likely to get interviews and 40 percent more likely to be hired than other candidates.” How do you get that referral? Ask for an information interview.

What is an Information Interview?

The meeting does not need to be long; 20 minutes is all that you need to ask for. Think of it as first step in a long-term process of forging a meaningful connection. It’s simply intended to meet, gather information and develop rapport, with no pressure for employment.

How do you go about meeting with a potential employer face-to-face?

Step 1: Identify your networking target.

Job seekers often make the mistake of targeting their networking efforts at Human Resources managers, who are often not the final hiring decision makers. The best and most credible referrals often come from the person who does the job you would like to do (a potential colleague, perhaps) or a department manager. LinkedIn’s company pages, or the contact lists of your contacts, maybe can be useful to identify your target person. If you don’t have any connection and cannot get an introduction, try joining those LinkedIn groups whose members may be worth meeting.

Step 2: Connect on LinkedIn, if possible.

Try to connect via LinkedIn with your target person. Make sure to send personalised note with your invitation to connect, and thank them, once they agree. Work on establishing rapport, through commenting on their updates once in a while (not too often).

Step 3: Plan your meeting.

Think through what you want to discuss. Review their profile and think about questions regarding their job, company, education or career. Think through how you will introduce yourself and your career path. Prepare a script of your self-introduction. Call your contact from a quiet room; have paper, pen and your calendar ready.

Step 4: Pick up the phone and set up the information interview.

Introduce yourself briefly
State the purpose of the phone call (or email): you are researching careers and would like to set a date for a short meeting
Explain your reasons for wanting to meet: to gain information about the person’s occupation and benefit from their insights and advice
State clearly that you do not expect them to have a job for you or to know of any job openings, rather you want to be in a more informed position before you pursue a career direction
Ask for 15-20 minutes of their time, preferably within the next week, for the interview.
Set a date, time and location of the meeting. (Should the person decline to meet with you, check if he/she has time for some questions on the phone either now or at a later date and ask for additional names you could contact).

How to conduct an Information Interview:

Arrive ahead of time, dressed neatly (although it does not need to be quite as formal as an actual job interview)
Bring a folder containing a list of questions and information you have already gathered
Have your business card available (if you have one), as well as a copy of your resume – don’t offer your resume; you may want to ask for feedback about it, if appropriate, as well as provide it if they request a copy
Express appreciation for their time and remind them that 15-20 minutes is all you expect
Re-state the purpose of the meeting – information, advice, no expectation of a job
Introduce yourself: describe your background, experience, skills, interests, objective
Bring the person up to date on your research so far – concisely so that new information will be added
Ask three or four essential questions that you have prepared and take notes
Ask for suggestions and other areas to be explored
Ask for referrals to other persons in specific occupations in the other areas suggested; ask about their background, and request permission to use the referring person’s name when calling
Thank them and express your appreciation for their time

Make sure to follow up:

Send a thank you letter as soon as possible. In the letter, thank them for their time, mention a point of interest from your discussion. Inform them of your next steps.

In the long term, keep in touch with those with whom you connected. Send a holiday greeting card, comment on LinkedIn and update them about your progress.

Developing a life-long practice of networking is useful for all those involved. Successful networkers know that in addition to the rewarding feeling of making a positive impact on others’ careers, the time and effort spent on helping another person will surely benefit them in the future, in return.

September 11, 2017 Leave a Comment

How to be easily discovered by recruiters on LinkedIn

A recruiter friend recently suggested that LinkedIn has made him, in his words, lazy. LinkedIn has changed how he recruits candidates, making it much easier to find new candidates, using the search bar. LinkedIn allows recruiters to easily search through thousands of potential candidates, regardless of whether they are actively seeking a new job or not, to identify the most suitable candidate and reach out to them.

As a candidate who is hoping to be easily found by recruiters, there are certain things that you can do to make yourself more discoverable:

Strengthen your profile:

Most importantly, make sure that your profile is complete. Fill in all the sections, as recommended by LinkedIn, until the profile is rated as All-Star. The important sections include the photo, summary, your jobs and education, as well as skills and, if possible, any recommendations you might be able to get. Don’t underestimate the value of obtaining recommendations and skill endorsements. Recruiters will make a special effort to review any recommendations you might have, especially if they are about the important jobs in your profile.

Grow your network:

Make sure to have a large network, especially in your own field. It’s important to have a large number of contacts, preferable over 500, but it is also important to have professionals who are specifically in your field.

Connect with recruiters, whenever you can. You will find them mentioned on job postings. Recruiters can also be found by searching for them on the search bar. Remember that recruiters search for candidates from their own profile, which means that the more contacts you have in your field, the more likely you are to share 1^stor 2^nd degree contacts with a recruiter, and therefore, the more likely you are to appear in their search results.

Include the right keywords:

Once your profile is found by a recruiter, you want to make sure that they can immediately see how well matched you are to jobs in your field. To do this, you need to include all the important keywords in your profile – in your job title, your summary, in the various job descriptions, as well as in the skills for which you are endorsed.

Remember, also, that recruiters search for candidates by skills, so if you don’t have those skills on your profile, you are less likely to appear in a search. To identify the most important skill keywords, conduct a job search and review which words are chosen by recruiters and employers to describe the qualifications and characteristics of ideal candidates. Add those terms to your LinkedIn profile, as well as to your resume.

Search for jobs on LinkedIn:

Utilize the job search tab to look for jobs. Use it fully by searching for jobs, as well as saving and applying to jobs. You can also check the ‘Jobs You May Be Interested In’ and ‘Jobs In Your Network’ sections on the Jobs page, as well as set up email alerts for new postings in your field.

Recently, LinkedIn introduced an exciting new option, titled Career Interests, which allows you to flag yourself to recruiters and thereby make yourself more visible. It allows candidates to specify to recruiters exactly what and where are the jobs that they are seeking. This function is active for 3 months at a time, allowing you to update it every three months and keep it current and in line with your interests.

Participate in Groups:

Recruiters have been known to browse through LinkedIn Groups of professionals in the sector for which they are recruiting, to identify potential candidates. Join groups and take an active role. Remember also, that if you share a group with a recruiter, you are more likely to appear in their search results.

To be more likely to be discovered by recruiters on LinkedIn, make sure to present the best possible, most focused, coherent and easy to understand profile. Growing your contact list, using the job search function, signalling your openness to recruiters and participating actively in groups will also help recruiters find you and be impressed by what you bring to the workforce.

August 21, 2017 2 Comments

Use LinkedIn company pages to improve your job search

Most people think of LinkedIn as just a useful way of marketing skills and experience to employers. There are however, many other uses for the platform, including the ability to target specific companies, for the purposes of networking, job search and to gain company information.

What are LinkedIn Company Page and what do they include?

LinkedIn’s Company Pages are a useful tool for you to learn more about your targeted companies. For companies, this is an opportunity for greater online presence to market their brand, as well as a place to announce news and recruit candidates.

LinkedIn company pages include:

A detailed description of the company
Regular updates from the company (news items, products announcements, developments)
Detail about company staff, including details on how you are connected to them and the opportunity to connect with staff
A searchable jobs database which includes an opportunity to sign up for job alerts
An opportunity to follow the company and receive their updates
Some pages include insights into the company, which include items such as languages spoken, causes the company and staff support

To find company pages, type the company name into the search bar and click on the “company” option.

Uses of LinkedIn Company Pages for job seekers

Long before social media, Employment Counsellors such as myself have encouraged job seekers to not rely on advertised jobs, and instead to invest time in networking, because, as many job seekers have experienced, the best jobs come from people you know.

LinkedIn Company Pages can be an excellent tool for job seekers to:

Identify target companies: Use the search bar to search for companies near you that hire certain skill-sets. You can enter the skill set into the search engine (e.g. mechanical engineer or P.Eng) and click on the “companies” option for a list of companies that hire for that skill-set. Follow the company and sign up for job alerts.

Prepare for Interviews: When preparing for an interview, LinkedIn company pages can be an excellent source of detail about the company.

Build your network in the company: Identify potential contacts in your companies of choice. Don’t necessarily go for senior management or human resources contacts – it may be even more effective to connect with people who do the work that you want to do. People who work in jobs like yours are often be the best source of information, tips and referrals to jobs, once they get to know you. Consider reaching out to them, to ask questions and conduct information interviews.

April 3, 2017 Leave a Comment

Ask the Employment Specialist: Should my LinkedIn profile be the same as my resume?

Dear Employment Specialist,

After being laid off from my Inside Sales job, and struggling to find another suitable job in my field, I went to JVS Toronto to get help. With the help of my JVS Employment Counsellor, I have now finished preparing my resume, and have begun to work on my LinkedIn profile. My Counsellor recommended that I simply cut and paste my resume into the LinkedIn profile, but when I looked through other profiles of people in my field, I noticed that many people have profiles that are very different from what they might have on a resume.

I noticed that their LinkedIn profiles were often longer, and some seemed more casual and personal than a resume should. I’m confused now: should my resume just be an online version of my resume?

Thanks,
Signed: Need Help with my Profile (NWP)

Dear NWP,

That’s a question that I often hear from my clients. Your Employment Counsellor is correct: when preparing your LinkedIn profile, it helps to have a well written, spell checked and proof read resume from which to cut and paste. But, as I see it, that’s only your first step — once you have inserted the jobs, education and summary from your resume to your LinkedIn profile, you have an opportunity to add so much more valuable information about yourself. The goal of this is to make you stand out to employers as not just suited for the job, but as an interesting, impressive and likable person.

Think of your resume as your brochure, or self-marketing document: it’s brief (no more than two pages long), and written in concise, simple, and formal language (without first person pronouns). Your resume goes back no further than 10 years. It also is supposed to be adapted to each job to which you apply.

Your LinkedIn profile, however, is quite different. It is a living, dynamic record of you and your career. LinkedIn provides you with a chance to tell your story using a range of media (text, slideshows, photos, documents, websites and video). It is supposed to be more a personal description of you — it includes your photo, an opportunity to share your personal interests or passions, and to share your activities.

As a job seeker who is sending out resumes to potential employers, make sure that your LinkedIn profile reveals something new about you. You want them to be impressed by who you are and your personality, in addition to your expertise and professional background.

Here are some other features of your LinkedIn profile that distinguish it from your resume:

Work history: LinkedIn allows for longer, more detailed work history than the standard 10 year span of a resume. If you have good, worthwhile experience that goes back more than 10 years, share it on LinkedIn. There are no space restrictions and age should be less of a concern, since employers can see your photo anyway.

Summary: your LinkedIn Summary is an opportunity to introduce yourself, explain your history and give potential employers an opportunity to learn about what makes you unique. It can be less formal and more wordy than a resume profile — just make sure that the tone is appropriate for your industry.

Personal interests: while employers are not really interested in reading about your personal interests and hobbies on your resume, LinkedIn does offer space to list some of your interests. Choose what you share carefully, of course. Think about what your choices tell the employer about you. Consider listing interests that your potential employer might have in common with you.

Start off with cutting and pasting your summary/profile, jobs, and education into your LinkedIn profile. Next, consider whether you want to add other jobs that you might have left off your resume. Check out the LinkedIn profiles of other professionals in your field to help you figure out the best tone and style for your profile, and set out to inspire and impress your next employer.

Best wishes for your job search!

What is an Information Interview?

How do you go about meeting with a potential employer face-to-face?

How to conduct an Information Interview:

Make sure to follow up:

Strengthen your profile:

Grow your network:

Include the right keywords:

Search for jobs on LinkedIn:

Participate in Groups:

What are LinkedIn Company Page and what do they include?

Uses of LinkedIn Company Pages for job seekers

Here are some other features of your LinkedIn profile that distinguish it from your resume: