Job Search? Try This!

THE JOB SEARCH IS A PAIN IN THE NECK
Trying to find a job: working with recruiters, contacting hiring managers, responding to job postings. It is painful, it is tedious and it is discouraging. But it doesn't have to be that way. Wouldn't you like to cut through the red tape and actually talk to someone? Wouldn't you like to talk to your new boss first? Let's walk through this.

START WITH A COMPANY SEARCH ON LINKEDIN
You found a job you like. Now, find that company on LinkedIn and follow their company page. Next search the employees of that company to find your new boss. There is an 80% chance they have a profile and they are active.

FIGURE OUT YOUR CONNECTION
Do you have a mutual connection? Ask for an introduction and give a specific reason for the intro. Did you attend the same school? Do you attend the same church? Are you part of the same club? Do you share a LinkedIn group?

MAKE YOUR OFFER
Tell your new boss you would like to meet them for coffee or lunch. You want to share your ideas on the position and what you bring to the table.

NOW IT'S UP TO YOU
Come prepared. Your boss will have questions they want to ask. Tell them you will be glad to answer any question they have, but first you would like to share what you are passionate about and how that translates to your new job.

GOOD LUCK!
I want to hear from you. Share your success stories. Tell everyone something unique you did to get a job. Did my article help? Share that story too.

Thank you for reading, please share with others.

LinkedIn Is NOT Facebook

I will start by saying I am a big fan of both Facebook and LinkedIn. I am a fan of them for many different reasons. Many of my "friends" on Facebook, I have met through work. But it is important to understand some of the etiquette and differences between the two.

BUSINESS VERSUS CONSUMER
LinkedIn, is an essential tool for the business professional. Largely, that relates to the "Business to Business" professional. It is where sales people go to engage potential clients and the general public will us it to find a job. The business community will use it to fill job openings and to gather intelligence about their competition (at least, they should). Facebook, certainly has a business component (what are they worth? A billion dollars or something like that?). But you don't search for recruiters on there. But here is a good point, recruiters will certainly look for you. Specifically, they will look to see what you post, what language you use, and how your present yourself. If you think you can avoid detection by changing your last name or using a false name, you are fooling yourself. For both platforms, don't say or do anything that you are not willing to say in other environments.

PLAYGROUND VERSUS CLASSROOM
Facebook is my playground. I talk about comic books, baseball, swap funny pictures and jokes with friends and family and I share opinions on things that have almost nothing to do with work. LinkedIn is my classroom. That is where work gets done. I find contacts, I create relationships and I prepare for client meetings with extensive research.

RULE ONE: PROFILE PICTURE
On Facebook, it is perfectly fine to have a picture of you with your spouse or your kids or your pet or your car... You get the idea. On LinkedIn, you really should have a professional head shot that is updated about every five years. If you cannot afford one, make sure the photo is you in professional attire and is a clear close up of your face, so that may people can readily recognize you.

RULE TWO: POSTING CONTENT
On Facebook, you can post just about anything you like. But again, it is important to be smart. Topics like religion and politics are always open for heated debate, some inspiring, others not. Be aware of the consequences of your posts. On LinkedIn your posts should be relevant content to your purpose. If you are looking for a job, share content that shows you to be a subject matter expert in your field. If you are looking to engage potential customers, share information relevant to your field that can be of benefit to those clients.

RULE THREE: CONNECTING
On Facebook you can "friend" anyone you like and they choose to accept or not. On LinkedIn, if you attempt to connect with too many people that you don't already know, LinkedIn will shut down your profile.If you don't know someone and want to connect with them, ask a friend to introduce you. If you don't have a friend already connected, start with an email. There are many great websites like www.data.com that can give you access to professional emails to engage with other business professionals and start that next key relationship.

WHAT ARE YOUR BEST PRACTICES?
I wanted to keep it to three points today. What are some best practices you have for using both platforms? Please share your big wins and if you know of horror stories share them (just don't name names, we want to protect the innocent). Let the conversation begin! I look forward to hearing from you all.

Please check out my website www.mikeshelah.com

What My Birthday Taught Me About LinkedIn

May 19th is my birthday. If you have any experience with social media, you know that a flurry of people will write "Happy Birthday" on your timeline or send you a private message. With this passing birthday I gleaned some interesting information that I want to share.
FIRST: I READ A LOT
This may seem a little off topic, but I promise to get to the point shortly. Recently I read a book called "80/20 Sales and Marketing" by Perry Marshall
You should check it out, it is a real winner. The principal is not foreign to most people. In short it means, 80% of your results come from 20% of your effort. If you focus more on the 20% that is successful you can drastically improve your results.
HERE IS WHAT I OBSERVED
As of the writing of this post I have just over 2,400 connections on LinkedIn. Of those connections, 55 personally contacted me and wished me a happy birthday. by comparison, I have 630 "friends" on Facebook and 130 of them wished me a happy birthday.
SO WHAT IS YOUR POINT?
My point is, in another book I am reading  "The Power in a Link" by David Gowel David makes a great point that too many people think of LinkedIn as Social Media, and it really is not. LinkedIn is a powerful business tool. Because people think of LinkedIn as a SM version of their resume, the majority (or 80%) don't engage it until they need something.
HERE MY SUGGESTION
Instead of thinking about LinkedIn as a "Business Social Tool" think of it as a critical component of your business success. Take the time to engage and grow your network on a daily basis. When you make that change in your philosophy you will begin to see how truly powerful and beneficial, LinkedIn can be for your business.
TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK
Share this with your network and give me your opinion. What is working for you? What isn't? What are some of the best practices your see from your connections? Share this and let me know how it goes. More Importantly, make a commitment to spend 10 minutes a day on LinkedIn to make your network more beneficial. That Ten minutes will make a huge difference, thank you!

You are welcome to contact me at mike@mikeshelah.com or 443-808-1670. I will answer any and all questions.