Using LinkedIn Effectively

For a jobseeker or job changer, LinkedIn can offer a valuable tool to get to know the world of work and to learn about opportunities and networks that are more in reach than you might think.

But first, how did LinkedIn start and what is its purpose?

LinkedIn launched in 2003 and is the largest career development social network in the world with 774 million members across more than 200 countries.  As of 2015, most of the company’s revenue came from selling access to information about its members to recruiters and sales professionals.

LinkedIn offers useful resources to job seekers: providing information, acting as a noticeboard to highlight your unique value, giving you access to organisations and job sectors at the push of a ‘Follow’ button and making your information public to recruiters who may be looking for what you have to offer. It gives you quite a bit of control over your jobseeking.

Individuals use LinkedIn for professional networking, connecting and job searching.  Companies use it for recruiting and for sharing company information with prospective employees.

Steps to a strong Profile

• Choose a Professional Photo – the right clothes, a clear background and good lighting are important

• Write a strong Profile Summary – Make the most of the character limit in this section.  Use short, compact sentences, avoid jargon, write in the first person and use keywords.

• Improve your Profile – This is your bulletin board that contains your work experience, education, skills, endorsements and recommendations from others in your network.  Include relevant keywords that you think search engines and hiring managers might look for. 

• Make connections - Let LinkedIn make suggestions to you from your address book and from your pool of contacts.  Most people will be happy to get a LinkedIn request and grow their network: after all, that is why they are there!  Think about people you’d like to reconnect with professionally or people (including public figures) you are curious about.

• Your skills list is important – it shows employers and recruiters at a glance what you are able and qualified to do. If you endorse other people’s skills, it helps you to reconnect with them and invites them to visit your page and endorse yours.

• Grow your network - Start to like and respond to the content that other people post.  Pay attention to the 2nd and 3rd numbers on people’s names on your Newsfeed.  These are people you may already know or may be one degree of separation from. 

• Use LinkedIn Recommendations and Endorsements – These will never hurt your profile.  One of the best ways is to endorse others in your contacts as this helps you to get noticed.  

• Change your LinkedIn URL to something simple related to your name and add it to your CV.

• Post some content – perhaps some articles that you read and would like to share.  Photos are popular.  Don’t be afraid to show your personality but keep your content clean, professional, relevant and work appropriate.

• Use LinkedIn to job search – follow your occupation or career themes as hashtags that are relevant to your industry, your country, your location.  Use the search function and the buttons at the top of the search page to look for Jobs. Think about organisations that would give you an insight into what you are aiming for.

• Use LinkedIn to learn about organisations - Look up organisations you are interested in and follow their pages or suggested follows.  If you are active on other social networks, compare their pages on those networks to LinkedIn. Assess which networks they are more likely to use for job postings. If you are preparing for an interview, LinkedIn can be a great resource to you when you’re researching the organisation.

• Tweak your Profile – Set a reminder in your diary to update your LinkedIn profile every 3-6 months until it becomes a habit.  Update with key projects, successes, some activity on your Newsfeed or anything that feels more relevant now than it did 6 months ago.

Although it can have its fair share of targeted marketers and cold call messages, LinkedIn has managed to preserve its core function and professionalism with less scope for fake profiles or trolling than other platforms. Which means that, while not perfect, LinkedIn can feel like a more focused and safer space than some other social media platforms.

If you start using LinkedIn along the lines of what is suggested here, your page will naturally become active and alive and - most importantly - useful to you. Why not try it and see how it goes!

Some Useful Resources

How to Use LinkedIn Effectively (thebalancecareers.com)

Top Skills to List on LinkedIn (thebalancecareers.com)

Customize Your Public Profile URL | LinkedIn Help

The Benefits of Assessment Tools

The first step to creating a new future is to make sense of what you’ve been through so far.

Career Assessments may not be for everyone. Nothing is.  But they can be a very useful tool to bring into the process of defining what you want in your work life.

When you have a career problem, it helps to bring new things to the surface that you may not have been aware of.  Maybe you want to better define what you are looking for and create a path towards that goal.  You are looking for solutions. 

Career Assessment tools are online tools that help you to explore your career interests, your personality and other aspects that all become part of answering those questions you have about what you’re looking for.  In my work I offer MyFuture+ which are well-researched, adult-oriented tools from the Careers Portal platform.

My Future+ tools are freely available to all my clients

The benefit of a Career Assessment is that it can highlight to you that there is a suitable work environment that you are likely to find rewarding and satisfying.  We are trying to find career options that are a good fit for you.

Here are some things to consider about assessment tools. 

·       The tools are realistic.  They may not necessarily tell you what you want to hear but they will hopefully provide you with insight into what would be a satisfying career for you. 

·       The tools are self-reported.  There should not be any major surprises here.  Done right, the results should feel like a good alignment with the way you see yourself. 

·       The tools are not right or wrong or set in stone.  Rather, they provide us with questions to consider. 

·       The tools should only be considered as a support to the career counselling process.  They are an aid to decision-making, not an answer in themselves. 

·       Discussion with your career counsellor can help you to narrow down choices into careers that you would be both good at and passionate about.

Here are some of the assessment tools I use:

Interest Profiler – This tool identifies career categories and specific occupations that are interesting to you.  By narrowing down a range of 8 interest areas to a top 3, and by thinking about which job sectors interest you the most, you start to think about how to combine these into satisfying work. 

Example: A person works in construction but their Interest Profiler shows a strong interest in Investigative/ scientific work and STEM sectors (Science, Engineering and Construction).  They start to consider options outside construction that build well on the career they have.  They show an interest in Robotics and upskilling in Automated Systems.   

Personality Quiz – What does personality mean to you?  I see it as the thoughts, feelings and behaviours that make us unique.  We use this quiz to explore your innate traits and how they relate to the work environment  Certain job environment will allow certain personalities to flourish.

Example: A conscientious person will enjoy a stable, ordered environment, while an idealistic personality seeks meaning and purpose through their work.

Career Values – It can help to look at your life values and whether your career choices relate well to these.  Do they align and bring satisfaction, or are they misaligned and lead to frustration?

Example: A person’s top career value is ‘peace of mind’ but they have worked as an Event Planner for five years.  Seeing these side by side helps them to appreciate that their career choices do not relate well to their top values and that this is generating stress in their life.

Career Skills – This tool separates skills from academic achievement.  It can help you to identify the skills that you have picked up through work, lifelong activities and friendships.  It can also help you to identify those skills that you (perhaps secretly) most want to learn.

Example: A person rates themselves as highly skilled at presenting ideas and public speaking.  This helps them to see that they would like to develop these skills further and become a trainer.  They have more to offer.     They also identify that they could learn practical task skills that would help with their new choice of career such as computer skills and working to deadline.

Multiple Intelligences – The theory behind this tool is that rather than a person having one intelligence pre-determined at birth, there are eight types of intelligence that we can grow and develop throughout life. This tool aims to connect people with their strongest intelligence areas and how they could apply that to their career search.

Example: A person’s top scoring intelligences are Intrapersonal (Self Smart) and Interpersonal (People Smart).  They have been considering retraining as a psychotherapist and this reaffirms to them that it is a good fit and they are likely to enjoy it.

As a career counsellor, I believe assessment tools are a really useful tool.  They can throw new light on a familiar situation. 

They can provide you with language to describe what you are already experiencing. What you have learned about yourself. What skills you have to offer. What you want your future to look like.

They can offer you a portfolio of yourself that you can bring with you and incorporate into future plans. It can be motivating and gratifying to see yourself clearly described in black and white.

But it is the discussion they generate – and the decisions and plans that come out of that discussion - that is their greatest value.  Learn from the past. Think of the future.

For more details on MyFuture+ see MyFuture+ | Irelands National Career Development Programme (careersportal.ie)

How to Change your Career

The feeling of being trapped in a job you don’t want to do is a very overwhelming and blocking feeling. 

Change is rarely a single distinct event.  The change process usually begins when you move from being unaware of something being wrong to gradually becoming aware of an unhappiness and a change that you want to make happen in your life. 

If you are feeling stuck, trapped, restricted: pay attention to that feeling.  It is trying to tell you something.  Try asking yourself what is happening for you here and what can you do to relieve it?

Take time for yourself

It is tempting to always want to be somewhere else but it is really important to focus on what is going on for you and to develop a response to that in the here and now. 

I believe there is always a solution and that there is real power in clearing an hour of your day to focus and to clearly articulate to yourself what is going on for you and how are you experiencing it.

Look at your whole life.  Look at how you spend your time.  What qualities in yourself are important to you?  What are the supports and interests that sustain you?   Outside of the personal elements of your story, what are the systems that are holding you back.  Are you blaming yourself for feeling a certain way when there are other factors (such as time shortages, financial hardship or a toxic boss) that are having a negative impact on you.   

Making changes needs to wait until you have defined what is causing you stress and suffering. 

Explore how much you want to change

Think of dropping a pebble into a pool of water and the ripples it causes.  Sometimes a small change can have a very big impact.  Be honest with yourself so that you can more closely define what you are looking for.  Career success and career contentment are very different things.  

Are you suffering from a lack of meaning or are you experiencing daily stress that a change of context (such as a change of team, of leader, or an adjustment to your expectations) would improve.  If it is a problem of burnout, explore whether this is a repeating pattern in your life and whether the changes that you need to make are in how you respond to stress, rather than allowing this pattern of burnout to continue to follow you into a new role.

You need to define what this change means to you so that you recognise it when it happens.  Try to define what would help you to feel a little bit better.  Hopefully you’ll gain insight from that. 

Make a decision on what you want

At this point it can be helpful to broaden your thinking.  Do you want to change your job or do you want to change your relationship with your job? Allow yourself to daydream.  What subjects did you like most in school. What did you want to be when you were a child and what does that tell you about yourself? 

Would you feel happier in your job if it was meeting more of your needs, and can you reconcile those needs at work without making bigger changes.  For example, if you are experiencing a lack of control in work, is there an aspect of work that you can request to coordinate or manage, to meet that need for control without changing the entire context.  

What would happen if you got involved in projects or causes that reflect your interests so that energy flows back into you.  The more practical the better.

Defining what is causing your distress is not easy to do alone, which is why I believe career guidance can help you build the life you want.

Act on your world so that it better matches what you want

It’s time to take action when you decide that there is a definitive change you want to make in your life.  Once you know what you want, then break it down into steps.  What do I need to put in place to make it happen? 

When planning change, it’s important to know how far into the future you can see.  If you can only see the short term, plan only for short term change.  However, if you have decided where you want to be in 5 years, then set that goal, and break it down into stages with milestones along the way.

As you contemplate change you will come up with arguments against yourself.  You may experience ambivalence where you counter the reasons to stay unchanged in your career (the hassle, the fear the risk) with potential benefits of change.  The way to combat that is to ask yourself honestly, what are the good things about changing, and what are the not-so-good-things.  And which do I want most?  

Life is a complicated compromise between what you want and what is enough.

Setbacks are as human as you are

If you are changing and able to maintain that change consistently, well done.  Your goals are clear to you and your steps are achievable.  

If you are changing and experiencing a loss of motivation or a setback, be gentle with yourself.  Setbacks are part of being human.  Ask yourself what has worked so far and what can you learn from that? 

How can you raise the quality of your thoughts again?  How can you prevent your energy from continually flowing away from you?   What has worked in the past and what does that teach you? Don’t be hard on yourself, long term change takes a few cycles before we get it right.

Perhaps bring the plan for change back to little changes and leave the bigger changes until the timing is right. 

I am sure there is one thing you can do this week that can take you a step in the right direction.

6 Ways to Use Your Phone to Improve Your Job Search

Most people would say their favourite gadget is their phone.  For many, it is their only gadget.  2017 research found that nearly 90% of Irish adults own a smartphone, with the top three uses being email, social media and news/weather.  28% of people check their phones all day, every day.

Your phone gives you a chance to contribute to wider conversations, it allows you to focus on your strengths and interests and it builds your knowledge.  For most people, it’s indispensable.

But a smartphone is probably also your kryptonite.  Job searching can pull down your emotions and your fatigue to the point where you are not thinking clearly and are losing your potency of thought.   A phone can exacerbate that fatigue. 

Here are 6 ways to use your favourite gadget to centre your search and raise the quality of your thoughts again.   

1.     Follow the Path Already Travelled

There are people already doing what you would like to be doing. List five organisations you would love to work for and follow them on all your social media pages. Look for inspiration, industry knowledge, opportunities.  Go directly to Career Opportunities listings on their websites instead of waiting to see them on job sites.

Search for jobs on job sites that have a more personal handprint.
JobAlert.ie is a smaller Irish job site with strong employer engagement.
Activelink.ie is a specific site for the community and non-profit sectors.
Jobs.ie have a 4.6 star rating on their app and you can apply directly to the employer.

Look for professionals within those organisations that may have a public profile that is worth following on a platform you already use.  Look at the About Us section of organisations, or take a look at their list of board members.  Consider small recruitment start-ups.  Do they have CEO’s with strong public profiles?  You may see opportunities by following the individuals as much as the organisations.

By bringing new voices into your newsfeed, you may spark an idea you haven’t had before. 

2.     Name Your Themes

Quieten the noise by knowing the themes of your job hunt and following these as hashtags across social media. 

One of your themes is the sector of work you are looking for.  Follow this theme using hashtag functions on social media, in particular LinkedIn.  Build your knowledge.

Jobseeking is another theme.  #Jobsfairy and #Jobfairy are useful follows across social media.  If you find a good resource for jobseeking in your context, follow that resource directly and keep an eye on it.

Another theme is a community that you may belong to.  Do you have characteristics which define your job hunt?  Are you a career returner?  Have you moved to or returned to Ireland?  Are you looking to juggle work with home life or a sideline? What about your age group?   Your location?

Use these keywords to find support and communities to join on Instagram and Facebook.  Look for groups and organisations that ‘get’ you and your context.

3.     Instagram and Facebook

Consider separating your professional self from your other social media personas.  Instagram is surprisingly effective for setting up a work-focused page.  It is better to have a separate Instagram page that has 25 priority-focused follows than to add them into an already busy feed.  The imagery that floods your feed generates calm, motivation and ideas.  And going there to jobseek is a conscious decision that you make.

JobAlert.ie provide targeted job listings by county.  So you can follow ‘Galway Jobs’ or ‘Tipperary Jobs’ on Instagram or Facebook, making it easy to spot new opportunities.

Replenish your energy.  Follow local groups that spotlight your area with free initiatives like your Local Development Company, your local Council or innovative responses to things you care about.

Is there a Facebook group for your profession in Ireland?  This is a place to generate ideas and build connections within your industry.  When you are contributing to a discussion, aim to be a helpful person who stays on point.

4.     LinkedIn 

LinkedIn should be an app on our phone so that when you move to kill time on social media, you get into the habit of opening LinkedIn as much as any other app.   

All you need is a simple LinkedIn profile with all sections complete and a professional-looking photo (not a holiday snap).  At the top of your profile you can click to show recruiters you are open for work, and you can control who sees this.

Start to say hello on LinkedIn as you would in real life.  Add a short note to an invitation to connect. Comment on people’s posts.  Build a network.  Start to look for people whose message you connect with or who are living out your dreams.  

Use LinkedIn like Facebook: comment and share and like content. Done right, your LinkedIn feed will look like a vibrant Facebook-like newsfeed with a professional orientation.

5.     Zoom

Job searching is an isolating experience.  Try combatting that by scheduling a Zoom call over coffee with a good friend.

Make it someone who won’t give you platitudes but will be happy to offer you practical help such as endorsing your skills on LinkedIn or introducing you via email to a friend who works in your field.

Make it someone you have fun chatting with!

6.     Know When to Fold

You may want to try scheduling times of the day when your phone is not with you. You can see it as a placeholder for something else in your day.  Put your phone out of your reach so that you have to consciously stretch for it. Choose the radio, a podcast, a book, a chat or some quiet reflection instead. Change the habit and see how it makes you feel.

Finally, if you spend a lot of time on a network that has yielded no opportunities, it is time to rethink that and reassess where you spend your energies.

Job searching is an act of putting yourself out there for external approval.   It takes its toll.   By valuing your time and how you spend it, you are showing yourself a kindness. 

Why Adults need Career Guidance Too

It’s funny how an idea has taken hold in society that career guidance happens in school and that once you are an adult, you are on your own.

This is so strange when you think about it. The idea that at 18, before you have ever taken a step into the labour market, you have finished receiving career guidance. You were expected to come up with an answer then, and if you didn’t you missed your chance.

If you were lucky enough to go to college, you may have received some career guidance there. Or perhaps you were aware of a college career guidance service which may have reminded you that questions like ‘what do I want?’ were important ones to ask yourself. If you saw a college guidance counsellor, the chances are that you saw them once.

Now as an adult, you’re wondering about career guidance. Is it something you should have sorted when you are young. You’re wondering if it is OK to be thinking about going for career guidance now?

But times have changed. We are getting more used to the idea of asking for help. We are getting more used to the idea that it’s OK to not feel OK.

Understanding is everything

Career guidance is the act of admitting that everything is not OK in your career. There is a feeling of unhappiness or a lack of purpose permeating your everyday experiences.

When you come to see me, it means you have a career-related problem that you can’t seem to solve on your own.

You have decided to make time and space in your life to sit down with a person who is listening to you, who is fully present for you. Someone who is ready to hear your problem and how it is impacting on you, and how that impact is happening in a negative and harmful way, and preventing you from living the life you want.

As a career counsellor, I can’t take responsibility for your problem or promise you that we can fix it. What I can promise you is that I will hold a mirror up to you and help you to find the belief that you can fix this for yourself.

My hope is that you will feel clarity; after our sessions, you will feel clear about what you want and how you are going to get there.

You can build the life you want

The key word here is ‘build’. Building requires a little bit of work and patience and self-awareness. You cannot build until you know what you want.

Our sessions follow a simple format.

We will work through key questions during our sessions.

• What is going on for you?

• What do you want?

• What is it within your control to change?

• Are the things you are doing now bringing you closer to (or further from) what you want?

• What can you do differently to get what you want?

• How are you going to do it?

• How are you going to know it when you get there?

Small Changes Can Make a Big Difference

Change happens slowly. It is not easy to change. It is not easy to look at an old problem alone and come up with new solutions. I am here for you.

You can do it. You can make time for you. One session at a time.