While your LinkedIn profile and resume should complement one another, one should never duplicate the other. An alternate approach you can consider is to write the profile in the first person (e.g., I delivered... we managed... etc.). This approach will allow you to infuse personality into your profile while leveraging Linked  as a social media channel. In addition to the attached personalized suggestions, below are general tips we suggest to immediately improve your LinkedIn profile:

Detail: Confirm your LinkedIn profile is completely up-to-date. Be sure to include relevant quantifiable achievements and keywords to demonstrate your unique value and personal brand.

Be compelling: A summary that succinctly tells your story makes you more likely to turn up in a future employer's search.

Visual: Make your profile stand out by adding rich media (videos, slides etc). Just adding a profile photo could result in 14 times more profile views than someone without!

Volunteering: 42% of hiring managers surveyed by LinkedIn said they consider volunteer experience to be equivalent to formal work experience.

Skills: Remember to showcase your skills. Candidates who add skills to their LinkedIn profile get around 13 times more views.

Stay active: Get noticed by routinely publishing meaningful status updates and other strategic content on the site.

Groups: It's important to join and be active in groups. This looks good for potential employers or clients searching for you, you increase your ability to network with individuals outside your network, and your profile is 5 times more likely to be viewed.

LinkedIn is a critical component of your career management strategy so we enourage you to schedule a complementary discovery session with one of our certified career development practitioners or transition specialists to discuss approaches aligned with your communication style. You may also visit the Help Center, call 866.827.7302, email us, or use the "Feedback & Support" link located on bottom right side of the page. We also invite you to continue the conversation by sharing your suggestions for advancing in the selection process by adding a comment below.

When writing the “Summary” section of your LinkedIn profile, it is important to note this section sets the audience’s expectations for the remainder of your presentation. You have 2,000 characters to give readers a brief snapshot of who you are. Your LinkedIn summary can set you apart from other job seekers on LinkedIn by demonstrating that you understand what employers want — and what you have to offer that meets that need. It is a vital part of your LinkedIn presence so the first 2-3 sentences should be written to immediately engage your audience to continue reading — or, even better, intrigue them enough to contact you for an interview.

To prepare your summary, first answer the following questions:

• How will your next employer benefit from hiring you? Use specific numbers and facts to build credibility. Quantify the value in terms of numbers, money, and/or percentages.
• What experience do you offer that provides immediate value to your next employer?
• What additional skills do you have that set you apart from other candidates with similar credentials?

While constructing your summary, write naturally and conversationally. Unlike your resume, to differentiate your profile, you should use pronouns. Write as if you’re speaking to the individual reader and make it personal. Be sure to emphasize results — as well as what makes you uniquely qualified for the opportunity. Communicate your personal brand throughout your summary by sharing your success stories to demonstrate your unique value. Your summary can be anywhere from a few sentences up to a few paragraphs. Every word counts— but don’t waste any words. Make the most dramatic, powerful, attention-getting statement you can. However, don’t be overly flowery in your language. The point of the first sentence is to get the prospect to read the next sentence...and the next sentence…and the next.

Be conversational and informal in your tone. Use contractions (“you’re” instead of “you are”) where appropriate to further differentiate your profile and introduce a more personal tone. This is often your first interaction with a potential employer so it is critical that you pay attention to grammar and spelling. Finally, use asterisks, dashes, hyphens, and other keyboard characters to format the summary and make it easier for your audience to read.

Prior to publishing your final draft, proof read it carefully to ensure there are no mistakes, or even consider having a colleague, friend, or spouse read it. Better yet, invest in a career professional experienced in integrating and leveraging social media in an effective job search campaign.

To learn more about DCS's programs and services, schedule a free 15-minute consult with one of our certified career strategists.

Article reprinted by Margi Williams courtesy of Examiner.com

Image Credit: Getty's Images

Establishing an online presence is critical to launching an effective job hunt. One of the easiest ways you can ensure you are quickly found by search engines (i.e. Google, Bing, Yahoo) is by creating a LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn profile can dramatically increase your chances of securing an interview by highlighting your unique value to prospective employers. Best of all, LinkedIn’s basic features are free!

When building your LinkedIn profile, remember:

1. Your social media communications should complement your resume without duplicating it. Along with your professionally written resume and biography, a well-crafted LinkedIn profile is a critical component of your job search toolkit. It’s not designed to cover your entire professional history. Your profile should provide enough information to compel people to connect with you — and possibly request a job interview!
2. To have a strong online presence, you must be clear about who you are and who you are not. An unfocused LinkedIn profile may be worse than no profile at all. A successful LinkedIn profile gives readers a snapshot of your unique value and how you can contribute to their organization’s success.
3. Your LinkedIn profile offers you considerable room to showcase projects, publications, and experience. Strategically leverage it to fully illustrate your personal brand parallel to your other career marketing communications.
4. You want an online profile you can control— independent of any employer —that demonstrates what kind of job candidate you are (and what you do).
5. Because it is a marketing piece, you should develop a headline that instantly attracts the attention of your reader. You have approximately 20 seconds to catch a visitor’s attention. Consequently, you must find a way to stand out in a crowd. If your profile is like every other profile on LinkedIn, you won’t stand out and you won’t be found.
6. Stand out with your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the strongest qualifications you have for an employer in your LinkedIn headline, backing up those qualifications with accomplishments throughout your profile summary, and using strategies that will help you become found by the people who most need someone like you.

Remember, don’t try to be all things to all people. Although you can create different targeted versions of your résumé to target different types of positions, you’re limited to one LinkedIn profile. Make it count! By investing the time to concisely express what makes you unique and valuable, your LinkedIn profile WILL attract attention from prospective employers. A purposefully crafted LinkedIn profile will lead to increased visibility that produces meaningful networking opportunities and job leads.

To learn more about DCS's programs and services, schedule a free 15-minute consult with one of our certified career strategists.

Image credit: Stephen Lam/Getty Images

Article written by Margi Williams and reprinted with permission of Examiner.com

Career experts estimate 75% of employment opportunities are never formally announced to the general public. Of the remaining 25%, employers can receive literally thousands of inquiries depending on the position’s industry, job function, and specialty area. Because this job search strategy yields low ROI, I recommend that jobseekers spend no more than 15% of the time they allot to their search responding to job ads. Instead, use the rest of your time to tap into the hidden job market through networking and direct contact. This approach is most effective for uncovering new job openings within a challenged economy.

The following five action steps are strategies candidates can use to immediately design and activate a targeted company list that yields lucrative informational interviews and job leads.

First, define company requirements using the following criteria:

• Size of company based on revenue, # of employees, where they are in the product development stage (if applicable), or if they’re public or private Industry
• Job function; will this be a management or direct contributor position
• Environment: company culture
• Management-style: highly structured or not
• Location: geography, will you relocate, will you travel
• Other parameters you determine based on your particular job search criteria
  

Second, confirm what companies and positions you are not interested in.

• When doing so, be sure to consider previous positions you didn’t enjoy because of culture or job fit.

Third, begin to create your company target list:

• Identify select companies using various research methods (i.e. LinkedIn, Hoover, GlassDoor, etc.).
• Obtain applicable hiring managers and other key contacts via referrals, LinkedIn, Plaxo, Facebook, company websites).

Fourth, conduct preliminary research on company and industry to prepare for initial contact.

Finally, make initial contact to schedule an information interview. During the interview, only ask for advice, ideas, leads, and referrals. DO NOT ask for employment.

By carefully executing the above strategies, you will be that much closer to securing the job of your dreams. Good luck and happy hunting!

Article reprinted with the permission of Examiner.com and author, Margi Williams

Have you ever wondered what you need to do to conduct a successful telephone interview? The following are 10 tips you can use to outperform your competitors and move that much closer to receiving your dream offer.

1. Choose a location that provides minimal noise disturbance. In situations where this is not possible, reduce negative fallout by mentioning potential interruptions at the onset of the appointment.

2. Carefully review the job posting and for each performance requirement, identify one achievement you accomplished for a previous employer and present it during the interview using the STAR method (i.e. situation, task, action, and result).

3. Identify two or three questions you can ask the interviewer that demonstrates your understanding of the industry as well as your competency.

4. Research the company and their industry and be prepared to strategically reinforce your interview responses with information you gleaned during your research. Further, if possible discover who will conduct your interview ahead of time and learn as much about them as you can. Great sources of information are company blogs, Twitter feeds, and even LinkedIn profiles!

5. Draft your thank you letter in advance and plan to send it immediately after the interview concludes. Be sure to insert a sentence or two regarding a topic you discussed during the call.

6. Dress for the interview as if it is being done in person. This will mentally prepare you to conduct yourself professionally and position you to advance to the next stage of the process.

7. Do not consume any food, candy, or gum during your phone interview. This is extremely unprofessional as well as distracting.

8. If it can be avoided, try not to conduct the interview when you are ill as you only have one opportunity to present a good first impression.

9. Do not schedule the phone interview to occur during your commute time. If possible, schedule it when you have access to a landline phone. Otherwise, be sure to be stationary and somewhere where your cell phone has optimal coverage.

10. Consider investing in an interview coaching session to fully prepare for your phone interview. Recruiters and hiring managers frequently use these to whittle down the applicant pile to a more manageable number.

11. Bonus Tip: Offer to conduct your interview via Skype. Even if the interviewer declines, you will quickly differentiate yourself from your competitors by emphasizing your willingness to utilize video conferencing capabilities.

What other suggestions do you have? What differences have you experienced when preparing for a traditional interview versus a telephone interview? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section.

Article originally printed on Examiner.com by Margi Williams

Image credit: Gettys Photo on Examiner.com

Seven reasons you should be on the most popular social networking site for professionals:

1.  Because That’s Where The People Are. LinkedIn is the number one social network for professionals with more than 150 million members worldwide. Not only are people you know already on the site, but so are people you should get to know — recruiters, hiring managers, and your future co-workers.

2.  To “Dig Your Well Before You’re Thirsty.” In his book of the same name, author Harvey Mackay advocates building your network before you need it — and joining LinkedIn gives you a formal tool to build your network of connections.

3.   To Strengthen Your Offline Network. LinkedIn helps keep track of people you know “in real life” — what they are doing, where they work now, and who they know.

4.   To Reconnect With Former Co-Workers. Sometimes it’s hard to stay in touch with the people you used to work with — making it difficult to find them when you need them (say, to use as a reference in your job search). LinkedIn allows you to search contacts by employer, so anyone who listed that company in their profile will be found in the search.

5.   Because You Can Establish Yourself as an Expert. To build your credibility, career professionals encourage you to increase your visibility. For example, you can actively participate in Groups on LinkedIn related to your job as well as respond to questions on LinkedIn’s “Answers” forums. Anytime you post in Groups or answer questions, these updates can be added to your profile, so people looking for you can see that you are actively engaged in this powerful online community.

6.   To Be Found as a Passive Candidate. Having a robust LinkedIn profile, filled with your professional experience, accomplishments, and strong keywords, will lead prospective employers to you—even if you are not actively looking for a job. For instance, most recruiters regularly search LinkedIn to locate candidates that match their search assignments.

7.   Because Your Presence on LinkedIn Can Help You Be Found Elsewhere Online. It’s common practice for hiring managers and recruiters to “Google” job candidates, and your LinkedIn profile will likely appear high up in their Google search results. A strong LinkedIn profile can enhance your candidacy, especially if you have a solid network of contacts, at least a few recommendations, and you’ve supplemented the basic profile information with your certifications, languages you speak, SlideShare presentations, honors and awards, and your professional portfolio.

How has LinkedIn improved your job search efforts? Are there any specific search techniques you can recommend when searching for an employer?

Information interviews are one of the best kept secrets at a career seeker's disposal when conducting a competitive job search. The reasons they prove themselves useful are two-fold. First, information interviews offer serious career explorers an inside track regarding hidden job opportunities in a extremely volatile job market. It is a proven fact that a large percentage of employers elect to hire employee referrals before even considering applicants without an employee sponsor.

In fact, Payscale reports, "employers seem to prefer referred candidates over traditional applicants in terms of their fit with company culture and overall cost." The belief is that referred candidates are usually fully vetted. Because existing employees understand company culture, position requirements and ideal experience criteria, they are in the best position to refer quality candidates. Consequently, these individuals are immediately positioned to rapidly advance through the selection process.

Second, information interviews provide job seekers the opportunity to explore new career paths under the tutelage of industry veterans. It offers individuals a strategic outlet to either explore employment opportunities or simply learn more about a potential career path.

Further, information interviews produce an additional benefit in that they create a unique and compelling opportunity to cultivate new relationships and in doing so, build and leverage a powerful professional network.

What are some alternate ways informational interviews can be used to position you for career advancement? What examples do you have that demonstrate how industry leaders can be approached to schedule information interviews?

Article originally printed on Examiner.com by Margi Williams and approved for reprint.