LinkedIn Endorsements The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

LinkedIn Endorsements The Good, The Bad and The Ugly LinkedIn recently rolled out Endorsements, a way to endorse your connections’ skills with just one click. The feedback has been mixed thus far, but here are my initial thoughts and observations: The Good While Recommendations are a bit labor-intensive and easy to procrastinate, Endorsements are quick, easy and painless. LinkedIn even pops up a handy-dandy reminder box, going so far as to suggest which Skill you should endorse for which friend. Easy is good. While reciprocal Recommendations are pretty universally frowned upon, there really isn’t a negative connotation to reciprocal Endorsements. (This may be because Recommendations are so visible whereas Endorsements are just a tiny face box in a sea of other faces.) Right or wrong, when you endorse someone, you will likely get an endorsement in return. So not only is it quick and easy, the effort-reward ratio is pretty high. It adds a bit of a social component to a social network that isn’t always as social as some of the other ones out there (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). It allows you to interact and engage (albeit on a fairly superficial level) with your network. It gives old friends, colleagues and classmates a reason to reconnect and say hi. It allows you to do something nice and engage others in a positive way. This is all a good thing. Recommendations are lengthy to read and difficult to score while Skills / Endorsements are very easy to categorize, measure and rank. Good for data / SEO, good for recruiters searching for candidates, good for companies who pay a lot of money for a LinkedIn Recruiter account and therefore good for LinkedIn’s investors. Social Talent’s recent blog post calls Endorsements “the greatest thing to happen to LinkedIn since its inception” because it provides additional data for shallow profiles (profiles with just one job title / employer and nothing else â€" about 60% of the LinkedIn network). According to the post, you can’t search for keywords that aren’t there and Endorsements use crowdsourcing to add additional keywords to those profiles. While this is all well and good, I still prefer to see a keyword / skill in the right context (where you used it, for how long and how long ago) so the value is limited to me. Good, but not great, in my opinion. The Bad: The value provided by an Endorsement just seems very limited to me. It feels like “Recommendation Lite”. If you want to recommend someone, go ahead and write a Recommendation. Personally, I’d rather see where you worked with the person, understand what your working relationship actually was and hear what you specifically have to say about them. Recommendations show all of this. Endorsements do not. As with the Klout +K, it feels more like a popularity contest or a system to be gamed rather than a real feedback mechanism. While I appreciate Endorsements and +Ks (especially if I’ve actually worked with you and/or done something to influence/help you), I kinda gave up on handing out +Ks a while ago. It was just too labour intensive and the whole tit-for-tat mentality was exhausting. Wonder how long it will take me to reach the same kind of burnout with Endorsements? I’ve made the decision to only endorse Skills that I’ve personally witnessed firsthand and actually endorse, not just a bunch of blind clicking to endorse everyone and everything. (As with LinkedIn Recommendations, I’d like to think my thumbs-up means a little more than that!) Since not everyone is as discerning with their Endorsements, I think they end up being pretty meaningless. Some people are complaining about the pop-up windows, additional email messages and extra notifications as creating a spammy environment that’s negatively affecting the user experience. Reminds me of the controversy around noisy Twitter feeds (that were ultimately removed from LinkedIn). Of course, I have to wonder if this decision will come back to bite me. Will LinkedIn’s search algorithm soon reflect Endorsements? Will Klout scores go up (or down) based on LinkedIn Endorsements? If I don’t play the game (and/or game the system), will it end up damaging my brand and/or hurting my business? The Ugly: LinkedIn Endorsements are barely a month old and I’ve already been contacted by each of the following… and thus the inspiration to write this blog post. Do any of these describe you? (I hope not!) The Beggar: “Please endorse me. Pretty please? If not, I’ll just send you another message next week with a pretty, PRETTY please.” The Stranger: “You don’t really know me that well and we haven’t actually worked together, but please endorse all of my wonderful skills. It’s only a little white lie, really…” The Open Endorser: The name says it all and there are already a few Open Endorser LinkedIn groups. This new “title” will soon be popping up on profiles, headlines and middle names everywhere… You heard it here first, folks! The Guilt-Tripper: “I just endorsed you, so please endorse me back.” (Note: May turn into The Beggar or The Threatener, see below.) The Threatener: “If you don’t endorse me, I’m gonna remove my Endorsements of you.” (I even had one person deliver on this threat. Some people have WAY too much time on their hands! Haha) The jury’s still out and it will be interesting to see how Endorsements affect LinkedIn’s other features, the search algorithm, the LinkedIn Recruiter platform and the overall user experience on the site. I’m pretty underwhelmed for now, but will do my best to keep an open mind. What’s your vote? Good, Bad or Ugly?

Why Blockchain Technology Will Improve the Hiring Process

Why Blockchain Technology Will Improve the Hiring Process Blockchain is a developing technology for cryptocurrencies. Without any central authority, it helps maintain an auditable ledger of transaction history on anything purchased. Basically,  theres no middle man anymore, its a transparent market for the transaction of goods and services without the time it takes to log transactions and the cost and labor that comes with this. Youre essentially able to see the transactional history of any product through nodes or blocks, and if one were to attempt to falsify a node, it would be rejected immediately. So what your getting is complete transparency when it comes  to your money. But, what does this have to with recruiting? Were still a year or two away from seeing the mass adoption of blockchain technology in spaces such as the recruitment industry, but its potential cannot be denied. Heres why: Background checks The concept of blockchain can also be applied to individuals. Something along the lines of a digital ID that gets tracked using the concept of the blockchain, where you are able to see a full history of candidates school transcripts all the way to their work experience. A no-bullshit list of a candidates professional and educational history that has been verified by their employers, universities and more. As you might already know, the traditional background check is far too slow and expensive. Its also a burden on candidates who dont want to waste time filling out forms. So through blockchain technology, you will see significantly less time spent on calling employers to verify backgrounds, as well as less money spent on outsourcing background checking services. And more time spent doing your actual job, which is matching the right candidates with the right jobs. CV validation As recruiters, we find ourselves  paying job boards for access to CVs that have been stored in their databases for ages. These CVs might be old and unrepresentative of that candidate. They might even be totally fake, as falsifying what goes into CVs has become too easy to do nowadays. Were constantly seeing people who slip through the cracks, such as Yahoos former CEO, Scott Thompson, who quit the company after less than six months due to accusations that he falsified a computer science degree on his CV. Using the concept of blockchain technology, we would have a real database of resumes, owned by the candidates themselves but where their qualifications and achievements are verified, and accepted, by the companies they had worked for in the past and the schools in which they attended. We will be able to collect  a log of a candidate’s history, and much of the time involved with verifying a candidates’ CVs are eliminated. So theres no falsifying or fakery. Its an authentic display of a candidate  achievements, education, and qualifications. Candidate confidence Candidates will also reap the benefits of blockchain technology, as it allows them to apply to roles knowing they are actually qualified for the role, and more importantly without worrying that other candidates might be applying with fraudulent resumes and qualifications. The transparency within this system ensures a level playing field for all candidates. So its in many ways a win-win for both the recruiter, who is getting the most ideal and qualified candidates, but also the candidate, who is confident that they have the right credentials and skills to excel in the role. The potential of blockchain cannot be ignored, but with any type of technological innovation, we cant know for sure how it will affect our businesses. What we know for sure is that we have to keep up-to-date with emerging technologies  in order to continue the on-going development of the recruitment space. Technologies like blockchain only make our jobs easier and make us as recruitment professionals more efficient, effective and productive. So I implore you to stay up to speed with blockchain technology so when, or should I say if, its use case becomes more widespread, you are prepared to embrace it.

Look like a leader Buy new shoes

Look like a leader Buy new shoes Ever since I bought a pair of MBT shoes I have been waiting for the media to jump all over them. I have been waiting for five months, and finally, there is one little tidbit in People magazine: In Greys Anatomy Ellen Pompeo and Katherine Heigl have been wearing sneakers by MBT whose unusual sole makes wearers mimic the way one walks barefoot on sand, working leg, butt and ab muscles. Not surprisingly, People magazine misses the best part of the shoes: They make you stand up taller. In fact, the shoes make it physically impossible to slouch. I wear the shoes about two hours a day and they have actually trained me to stand and walk differently more upright, better posture. (This is probably why Pilates teachers love the shoes.) Youre probably wondering how I am going to relate this to careers. Hold on. When I was playing professional beach volleyball, one thing I noticed is that all the players had amazing posture. I used to think it was from using our abdominal muscles every time we hit the ball. But when I switched careers and started slouching I did a lot of sit-ups to no avail. Now, after wearing MBT shoes, I realize the great volleyball posture comes from walking in the sand all day. Heres why you need the shoes for your career: Because people who stand up straight look stronger and more confident, and those are traits people want in leaders. The shoes can actually improve your charisma.

Your Personal Marketing Plan - Part 3 of 5 - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Your Personal Marketing Plan - Part 3 of 5 - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Your Personal Marketing Plan Post Series Section 1: Situational Analysis A detailed description of exactly where you are in your life, as well as your mission, vision and life cycle. Section 2: Audience Analysis Researching what the market is for your brand, with both primary and secondary research and quantitative and qualitative measurements. _____________ Section 3 is focused on your competition. After recognizing who your audience is, their needs and what you can deliver, you need to assess who else is there to provide a similar or relevant service. For instance, when it comes to technology, you have Robert Scoble, Om Malik and Mike Arrington fighting it out over who owns the greatest share of the technology geek audience. If youre a doctor, lawyer or dentist, you will be most likely be competing based on location, reputation and word-of-mouth referrals. If youre a high school student, you will be competing for college placement and if youre in college, you will be competing for entry-level positions. Competition is a group of people who are looking for the exactly same thing you are and are going through a similar process to gain an opportunity and strip you of one (rarely intentionally). Organizations and colleges are competitive boot camps, as they prepare you for your next opportunity, while the path to entry can be ruthless. There is a major difference between a competitive analysis businesses use versus individuals. When performing a competitive analysis for a business, you would examine the top 5-10 competitors in your niche and write down their product names, prices, differentiation and features. When combating individuals, things are quite different. You cant Google your competition before a job interview or while you go through the college admissions process. Its nearly impossible to know exactly who youre competing with for a job or when applying for colleges. Before applying to colleges, high school advisers or career centers will share with you average SAT scores, as well as the average GPA and genetic makeup of the previous freshman class per each college youre interested in. Its a way to prepare you and narrow down your search. Instead of applying to 20 schools, youre applying to a safety, reach and a few ones in your ballpark. There is no guarantee of acceptance, but if you have a 1100 on your SAT and a 3.2 GPA, you probably wont get into Harvard (unless you buy a building or your dad is on the board of directors). Some corporations have high expectations for candidates and lay down the law. They may expect 3.0 GPAs, but tend to be more focused on the quality of a person from a best-fit standpoint. When interviewing, you are never revealed your competition. Its like a game of Poker, where the employer isnt showing you his hand. Personal branding is important when applying for a job because you dont know exactly who youre up against and if youre differentiated and networked from the start, it wont matter! Competition becomes more tangible when youre blogging. There are hundreds of websites that monitor and rank blogs according to Technorati authority, Google PageRank, subscriber count, number of hits per day and user ratings. When you see blogs that are rated higher than yours, you may analyze their site to see why they are so successful and either evolve your branding strategy or take notes on best practices that you can implement. When youre an entrepreneur or working for a business, its far easier to grasp who your competition is and when you do, you can pull that information and view the similarities and differences between them and your operation. The Perceptual Map When I do marketing plans, I like to arrange my clients business, as well as the top competitors on a perceptual map. The map works like graph, with a Y and X axis. You pick two attributes, such as price and features and put them at opposite ends, such that youre using high and low price, as well as many and fewfeatures. Now you want to position where you are relative to competitors in your space along these attributes. For instance, if youre personal brand has great communication skills but poor analytical skills, youre competition might have either the reverse, neither or both great skills. I blogged about this last December if youre interested in learning more. Closing Statement: By branding yourself you make the competition irrelevant!

Everything You Need to Know About Hiring a Resume Writer - CareerMetis.com

Everything You Need to Know About Hiring a Resume Writer The Pros and Cons of Hiring a Professional Resume Writer Also popularly known as a Curriculum Vitae or more popularly known by the abbreviation ‘CV’, a resume is a brief account of your work experience. Resumeis your professional introduction that precedes your physical presence, for a probable consequent outcome such as a personal interview, or a distant conversation such as a voice call.For this, primarily a resume contains your work experience. Secondarily it covers everything about you amounting to the relevance of the situation, such as hobbies, demographic details, marital status to name a few.Resume WritingevalevalHistorically, most people wrote their own resumes but with the advent of the internet, resume writing services blossomed into a full-fledged industry.Today, you are just a click away to get your resume written by a professional resume writer to overcome a considerable problem of how to make, write or create a resume.Why You Need a Resume Writer?In a competitive world like today’s, more than anything, making a mark is imperative. Getting selected for an interview, appearing for an interview and finally getting chosen is far-off, the very first thing is getting an impressive, crisp and a professional resume to make a kill.For this, a resume writer comes into the picture. A resume writer is a professional who understands thoroughly the prerequisite and nuances of a professional resume. The following are the benefits of getting your resume written by a professionalresume writer:An appealing cover letterA structured formatProfessional language They Know What is TrendingevalResumewriting services have been in business for years and track industry trends. Their writers are trained in how to respond to the demands of HR professionals and hiring managers, this gives them an edge over you.Cons:Assembly Line-like Resume ServicesMany resume writing services just churn out resume, which can be the same except a few changes. This means they work on an assembly line-like process like a pre-drafted format for writing resumes.CostIf you’re out of work, the cost of a getting a resume written by a professional resume service might burn a hole in your pocket.How much do professional resume writers cost?As discussed above, the cost comes as one of the major cons of getting your resume written by a professional resume service. Well, is that cost worth it? First, we would have a look at the how much does a professional resume cost?evalAt each level, the cost of writing a resume differs. At the entry level, i.e. a fresh graduate, a student or a professional with an experience of up to 3 years would be charged around $295. As it moves further the cost surges. Beyond an experience of 3 years, it costs you roughly $395.Beyond this, a professional resume service would charge you on the basis of seniority, i.e. mid-management and senior management. Mid-career resumes are around $450 and beyond that $550 for the positions such as directors, VP-level, CXOs.Now, the answer to the question- is it worth ?According to a survey a person seeking for a job with an annual salary of $40,000 spends about $154 every day and this cost increases with the subsequent increase in the salary you are seeking.It perfectly makes sense to make a one-time expense, (although you might not be out of a job at the time you are seeking a new job, it is just a comparison with the worst case scenario) for a resume which would be professional and place you better.How to choose the right professional resume service?Well, the buck doesn’t stop here. Doing a cost analysis is not enough, you may get ripped off by a quick buck artist. It is very important to pick the right professional resume service which would be worth your money.Here are 3 factors which you should keep in mind while selecting a professional resume service.ResumeAssociation Membership. The leading professional resume writing associations all have codes of ethics; provide education through annual conventions and ongoing professional accreditat ion programs.Always ask for professional credentialsâ€" Professional credentials are the best way to gauge if the service provider or the person is fit for the job. Only those who belong to professional associations and are committed to professional development earn professional credentials.Credentials to ask for- There are certifications issued by different agencies such as CPRW (Certified Professional ResumeWriter) by Professional Association of ResumeWriters Career Coaches, NCRW (National Certified ResumeWriter) by National ResumeWriters Association, CRW (Certified ResumeWriter), CERW (Certified Expert ResumeWriter), CMRW (Certified Master ResumeWriter) by Career Directors Institute.

Salary Negotiation - Tips and Advice - CareerAlley

Salary Negotiation - Tips and Advice - CareerAlley We may receive compensation when you click on links to products from our partners. Are you underpaid? Do you think you are paid what you are worth, given your experience and compared to others you work with? If you are like most of us, the answer is probably that you think you are underpaid. Taking that to the next level (and being realistic), how much do you really think youre worth? Most of us get raises, bonuses, and promotions from time to time, but the best opportunity to increase your compensation is when you are moving from one company to the next. Even then, there is a limit as to what a new company will pay you above and beyond what you currently earn. But when that big day comes, and you get that job offer, how do you know they are offering you what you are worth? Are you underpaid? Do you think you are paid what you are worth? If you are like most of us, the answer is probably that you think you are underpaid. Taking that to the next level (and being realistic), how much do you really think you're worth? Tweet This Salary Guides and Sites Robert Half Salary Guide This guide will help answer most of your salary and compensation questions if you are in the accounting and finance fields. There is also a salary calculator on the page. While you are on this site, take advantage of the job seekers section. Salary.com Stands to reason that this is a good place to start. This site has two views, one for employers and one for personal use. You can register on the site or just use their tools without registering. Add your job title and location and then click on What am I worth. Narrow your search on the next page and even compare other job titles. Indeed.com Salary Search This is a great little search tool for salaries. You can get personalized information on job titles and locations. Glassdoor Salary Calculator Glassdoor also has a salary calculator to help you figure out how much you are worth. There are also tools to help you explore ways to increase your compensation. Negotiate Your Job Offer While your salary isnt everything, it is important. But other parts of a job offer can be just as important. You can also negotiate your job offer, including such things as vacation and title. Knowing what you and the job are worth from the section above is key before attempting to negotiate your job offer. Remember, you can negotiate most aspects of your job offer (not just your salary). Another consideration is whether or not you are employed when negotiating a new job offer. If you are unemployed and you have a cushion of money from severance, maybe you can be more selective. But, if you are like most of us, your ability to absorb long term unemployment is minimal (or less). Job Offer Negotiation Skills You successfully answered the questions in a phone interview, a live interview (or several) and the company just called to make you a job offer! Now what? Getting an offer is exciting so how do you know if its a good offer? Negotiating Your Salary: How To Make $1000 a Minute Negotiating Your Salary: How to Make $1000 a Minute has sold more than 250,000 copies. The latest edition makes it easier than ever to put thousands of extra dollars into ones pocket because of the many key concepts that have been added to the bible of salary negotiations. Five Minutes to a Higher Salary Price: $17.00 Easily get higher salary outcomes by using the book’s scripted email and phone templates for over 60 negotiation scenarios. Unlike other negotiation books, you will never be left guessing how to apply a negotiation theory or principle. Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 How to Negotiate A Killer Job Offer If you want to learn the job offer negotiation secrets that top executives know and use to power your own career and financial future-forward, then this is the book for you. Try to gain an understanding of the potential for advancement. This should have been one of the questions you asked during the interview process. The size of the company, your role, your performance and the size of your department all play a key part when evaluating future growth (both in career and compensation). Understanding Your Job Offer It sounds basic, but make sure you fully understand your offer, including your benefits. While not directly compensation, the value of benefits provided (or any shortfalls to what you currently have) can have a huge impact on your overall net gain over your current role/company. Medical and dental Vacation, sick days and personal days Pensions, 401k plans, matching savings plans (see below) Other Job Offer Items to Consider Profit-Sharing and 401k 401k plans (and matching) can significantly increase the overall value of the job offer. Make sure you understand what the company offers and how you can participate. Day-care or child-care reimbursement Even if you dont yet have a family, its important to understand if there is on-site day-care or if there is some reimbursement for day-care. Flexible work hours and work from home benefits Another important benefit that could make all the difference for you depending on your personal circumstances. The Right Company and Job for You: Getting an offer is wonderful, getting the compensation you want is even better. Most important is not making a mistake in the company you chose (and sometimes the hardest to achieve). Remember, the interview is not just about getting the job, it is also about you getting the right company (as in, is this a place where you would like to work). Seven Points To Evaluate In Your Next Job Interview What about your questions on an interview? Are you asking the right questions and are you getting the right answers? So often we forget that we are interviewing the company as well. This article can be found on Glassdoor.com and offers some advice on evaluating companies where you are interviewing. How to Negotiate A Killer Job Offer Price: $9.99 If you want to learn the job offer negotiation secrets that top executives know and use to power your own career and financial future-forward, then this is the book for you. Buy Now from Amazon We earn a commission if you click this link and make a purchase at no additional cost to you. Last Updated: March 2, 2020 What's next? Ready to take action? Choose the right tools to help you build your career. Looking for related topics? Find out how to find the opportunities that help you grow your best career. Subscribe and make meaningful progress on your career. It’s about time you focused on your career. Get Educated Contact Us Advertise Copyright 2020 CareerAlley. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy + Disclosure home popular resources subscribe search

Writing a Resume For a Condo Board Candidate

Writing a Resume For a Condo Board CandidateWriting a resume for condo board candidate is never an easy task. If you have never had the privilege of being on a condo board then you should consider yourself lucky because without the power of the local government to act as a proxy, you may never have the opportunity to be considered for a position on the board.When you are compiling a resume for a prospective condo board candidate, the first thing you should do is begin with the board's charter. Since every condo board has their own constitution and by-laws, it is a good idea to go over the charter prior to writing a resume for this type of candidate. Of course, the constitution and by-laws are only guidelines to begin with but in the event that you don't understand them, then I suggest you begin searching for a better understanding of the language involved.The charter should be examined in depth so as to see exactly what it contains. It should clearly define the qualifications of boar d members and what duties are expected of them, and the purpose of the board. It should also address what financial resources the board has, how the board is organized, and the manner in which the board operates. These basic elements of the charter should be understood by any prospective condo board candidate.Another part of the charter should be discussed with potential board candidates. It should lay out a detailed description of any problems, the board has had with running successfully and also a thorough list of board activity during the last two years.Anytime the board candidate has been involved in a major controversy such as when the board had to remove the previous board president due to legal disputes; this information should be included in the charter. A list of any accomplishments or awards that the board member has received should also be included in the charter. Any potential board candidate must be able to give a detailed account of any achievements.Of course, any boar d member is going to want to know why their appointment was not approved by the entire board. When creating a resume for this type of candidate, it is best to mention the reasons why the decision was made to recommend the board member over other candidates, such as the skills the board member can bring to the table, his ability to make decisions and the overall level of effectiveness.As the only person who is responsible for implementing the mission and vision of the board, the executive director must be given the opportunity to explain to the board members why he believes he possesses these skills. Additionally, the board should be given an opportunity to discuss how the executive director plans to implement his plan.As you can see, there are many elements to this type of resume that needs to be included. Always be cautious to not overdo it and that you do not make the resume too long.