Wednesday, December 11, 2013

LinkedIn and the College Student

I was helping a college student with her LinkedIn profile. She asked me if LinkedIn can help college students and of course I answered in the affirmative.  Why not have a leg up on the competition by having a LinkedIn account now rather than after graduation?  You can always update it to reflect your different experiences and skills.  So what did we do?

1.   We created a Summary or Background statement and wrote it in the first person; you know "I" and "My".  In it we showcased the skills that she has grown into as a student and part time employee.  We looked up the skills needed in her chosen (for now at least) professional and worked those into her statement.  For example, if the skills needed in a future job include problem solving and decision making, we used those words to describe some of her characteristics (as long as it's honest). We downloaded her resume here too.

2.   We added more to the Employment section than company name and title.  We completed a quick description of the position responsibilities.  We found some of those words by Goggling the company website. 

3.    We added Skills and Expertise: We added these as they related to the jobs she has had and the jobs she is interested in.  We also added some of her more technical skills such as Microsoft Office.

4.    We Collected Volunteering and Organizations: We added the names of the organizations for which she volunteers and a short description of what she does.

5.   We Searched for Groups:: We looked for groups in her college major, college groups, college internship groups and the college or university LinkedIn page.

6.     We Added Contacts: I showed her how to invite people using real words and not the canned invitation and left that to her.

7.    We Looked for Companies to Follow: I showed her how that worked and let her select those on her own.

      8.  We Selected a Photograph: We selected a professional looking head-shot from her "thousands" of  photos.

That’s it.  It took a couple of hours but at least this young college student can stand apart from the crowd with a professional LinkedIn profile.  It certainly won’t hurt her chances of finding an internship or professional position down the road.

Monday, December 9, 2013

On Having Fun at Work and School

I was reading an article on LinkedIn about the lack of play or fun in organizations and this led to many thought-provoking comments about the lack of play in schools.  One man said that play is a structure that kids are placed into to work around the narrow requirements of the parent’s work schedule.  Wow. Another commented that as a teacher he has noticed that many children don’t seem to know what to do with themselves when given free time or a recess.  The kids may have more equipment and balls than we had in school yet they don’t seem to know what to do with it all. Another mentioned that all the testing and structure and requirements that go on in school don’t take into account the right-brained children; those that thrive on creativity and arts. 

That’s all very sad.

I belong to a Facebook group that celebrates the memories of an elementary school.  They talk about their favorite teachers and memories. My dad was a teacher at that school so I joined to bring in some of the memories that he shared with me.  It’s funny; these folks are all grown up and have families and successful careers of their own.  When they talk about the school they talk about the teachers who took them on walks to identify trees and seeds, they talk about the 5th grade vs. the 6th grade baseball game, they talk about the Christmas play, they talk about the love, compassion and impact they felt from specific teachers and they talk about the fun they had learning. 


My dad, the teacher that they all mentioned in the above categories used to tell me that when I found my calling or profession that I should love it and have fun with it or move on to something else.  I was lucky enough to have experienced fun and teamwork and synergy my entire career.  I swear that it came from having fun as a kid.  I think that rather than concentrating so much on common core standards and left-brain mentality, educators and administrators should inject a little play, arts and recess into the schools.  Perhaps we’d get better rounded employees out of it, those who can have fun in their jobs and grow the company profits while doing so.

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Job Search During the Holidays

Just because the holidays are quickly approaching doesn’t mean that it is a time to slack off on your job search; especially networking. The holidays bring in plenty of opportunities to meet with new and old friends and to let them know that you are actively searching for work. The key is to build relationships, keep your eyes open for opportunities but not let it consume you. Target family and friend gatherings, volunteer or professional group end of year celebrations, neighborhood parties... I think you get the idea.



Here are a couple of tips:
1. Be prepared with a short, casual elevator speech. Think of what you’ll say if people ask about you about yourself. Here is an example.

You: “Hi Joan, how have you been?”
Joan: “Great but so busy lately, how about you? How are things?”
You: “Good but like you trying to get everything done with the few weeks that we have left to the year. I’m also in the middle of a job search. My company outsourced my department a few weeks ago and on top of the holiday rush, I’m also trying to find a new job.”
Joan: “It’s ridiculous – this is going on everywhere. What is it that you do again? I'm sure you told me but I forgot.”
You: “I’m technical writer and I really love it. I want to stay in the field and have started serious job hunting. If you happen to know anyone in your company or from your contacts, I sure would appreciate the help.”
Joan: “Let me think about who I might know. Let’s talk more after the holidays.”
You: “That would be great, thanks Joan. By the way, how is the college search going for Erin?”

2. Listen and be open to the person that you’re talking with. In other words, don’t make it all about you.

3. Be gracious with everyone.

4. Have fun, give yourself a break and enjoy yourself. Don’t be caught off guard but don’t feel as if you have to push yourself constantly.

Talking, listening, laughing and sharing are all parts of networking; all a part of life. It's important to be prepared for any networking situation but enjoy your friends and family first and savor the season.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Interviewing Questions for the Second Interview

Honestly, if you don’t go into a job interview with a few questions for the interviewer, why even bother going to the interview? You will be removed from the list of candidates in a heartbeat if when asked, “Do you have any questions for me?” you respond, ”No thanks, you’ve been quite thorough.”

It’s easy enough to Google questions to ask the interviewer in an initial interview. Some questions can include:

a. What is the company environment like?
b. What concerns need to be addressed immediately?
c. What do you see happening with this position for the next 3 to 6 months?
d. What are the particular attributes needed to succeed in this job?
e. What are the challenges a person coming to this job will face?

What if you are called back for a second interview and this time it is with your potential peers or team members?  There are questions for that group too.  Similar to the questions used in the first interview they can include:

 1. How would you describe the company culture?
 2. What do you like about working for the company? or What have you enjoyed most about working for the company?
 3. What made you decide to work for this company?
 4. What have past employees done to succeed in this position?
 5. Are there opportunities for training or professional development at the company?
 6. What kinds of people really grow here?
 7. What are the critical challenges your team is facing right now? How can the person stepping into the role help?


Your questions show that you care enough to prepare and research a company. To these add your ability to answer behavioral and common interviewing questions and having an idea of the products and services of the organization. They can only increase your chances of doing well in the interview. 

Please Visit a Dermatologist

Today I had surgery for a Stage 0 Melanoma. It was discovered about a month ago when I went to my dermatologist for my annual skin screening...