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I have a profile. Now What?
By now your profile should be well on its way to standing out in the crowd. So now what do you do? Complete the skills, recommendations and experience sections of your profile. Upload a professional headshot, change your background photo to reflect you and add supporting documents to your profile in the various sections with this feature. Once done, start to connect. Reach out to friends, family, co-worker, former colleagues and members of groups you are in. Build up your connections then begin targeting prospective employers at companies you are interested in working for or in the industry...
read moreAre you clear on your focus?
“What kind of work are you targeting?”, I asked Mark, a young client, as part of his mock interview exercise. “Ah, I hate this question,” he replied, “I never know how to answer it.” His response surprised me, because we’d just spent months working together to define a motivating, good-fit career focus. When I asked why he hadn’t described that in his answer, he said, “I don’t know if I’m going to actually be able to land that kind of work, and it feels silly saying it.” I think of this as Gotta-Get-Used-to-It syndrome, where as we move into a new life phase, it feels so awkward we have a...
read moreEAP services for a better you!
November was Mental Health Awareness month, but I was a little too overwhelmed to be on top of that, so this column is a few days into December. My recent discombobulation is as a result of some changes in my business. Then, when I noticed my stress spilling over into my personal life, I contacted my Employee Assistance Program and lined up some sessions with a counselor. For more than two decades, I’ve been quick to run to a therapist when my mental balances get out of whack. Seems as though I’m not alone in this behavior. According to a West Virginia University report, approximately 20% of...
read moreA Survey For Hope
Chances are you’re basking in the glow of a delicious holiday meal, feeling optimistic about the world around us. Or at least I hope you are. What is hope all about, anyway? According to Therese Lask, a training and organizational development specialist at Colorado State University, it’s about having goals and a belief that you can overcome obstacles to achieve them. The future seems bright to those with hope. Lask trains employees within workplaces on how to increase their feelings of hope, based on research by Shane Lopez, Ph.D. Using data gathered in schools, and combined with his...
read moreLinkedIn: Focus on Your Strengths
Having worked with hundreds of clients to improve their profiles, expand their networks, and leverage their connections, I have noticed that many people are nervous talking about their strengths. When we reach the summary section, skills section, or experience descriptions, many clients immediately cringe from my suggestion of expanding the verbiage to include more strengths. Generally speaking, individuals fall into two camps: they either say they “don’t want to brag” or they “don’t have any strengths.” For those who don’t want to brag, my response is fairly simple: it isn’t bragging, it’s...
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