If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably spent way too many hours trying to find out how to make LinkedIn do what you want it to do. It’s a phenomenal tool for job searching and building your brand, but it has its fair share of headache-inducing quirks.
RELATED: 6 Things Recruiters Want To See On Your LinkedIn Profile
But, since so many of us just use the free version of LinkedIn, the “beggars can’t be choosers” cliché applies. Instead of complaining too much about these issues, I like to focus on finding the workaround. Thank goodness LinkedIn does listen to it’s users and has recently made updates that may fix some common problems we’ve had with LinkedIn… as long as you know how to take advantage of them.
Here are three remedies that may cure some of your LinkedIn headaches:
1. Stop Strange Skill Endorsements
LinkedIn has had a nasty habit of asking your connections to endorse skills you may not even have. Talk about counterproductive! Now you have the option of turning off suggested endorsements so that your profile only lists the skills you choose. Here’s the super-simple fix (thanks to Donna Svei at the AvidCareerist and Petra Fisher, LinkedIn Trainer, for cluing me in on this one):
Go to your profile and choose “Edit.”
Choose “Skills and Endorsements” and select “Edit.”
Uncheck the “Include me in endorsement suggestions to my connections” box.
And, just like that, the problem is solved. However, I’d strongly suggest that you review your current skill endorsements to make sure they reflect your real skills. If there are any that you’re not comfortable with, remove them!
2. Rank Your Skills
One thing that has really rankled with LinkedIn users has been its inflexibility with how it displayed your skills. The default way to display your skills is in descending order based on the number of endorsements received for each one. But now you can drag and drop your skills to place them in any order you like! Here’s how:
Go to your profile and choose “Edit.”
Choose “Skills and Endorsements” and select “Edit.”
Reorder your skill list by dragging your skills into the order you’d like them to appear in.
Save your changes and you’re done!
3. Prevent Profile Update Notices
Have you ever gone in and tweaked the wording on one of your past jobs in LinkedIn, only to have congratulations pour in from your contacts on your “new job”? Previously, you could adjust this by turning off your activity broadcasts as part of your privacy controls. Now you can easily select which profile updates you want your contacts to know about (a new certification or award, perhaps) and which ones you don’t while you’re in edit mode… which is way easier to remember.
Go to your profile and choose “Edit.”
Make your changes.
Scroll to the bottom of the list to the white box that says “Notify your network?”. Select “Yes, publish an update to my network about my profile changes.”
Hopefully these solutions will remedy some of your LinkedIn headaches, making it easier for you to use and tailor to your specific skills and needs. Plus, these updates can help you target your communications within your network so that your contacts are only receiving the information and endorsing skills you want them to.
Have you found a workaround for a LinkedIn problem I haven’t covered here? Comment below! I love it when other LinkedIn users share their tricks with the whole community. Learning from each other is way more efficient than struggling for hours to figure something out on our own.
Also, feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn. I’m happy to be a resource if you need individual assistance with your situation LinkedIn. There may be a simple fix you’re unaware of, or coaching might help to present you in the best possible light.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.Photo Credit: Shutterstock
Is your job search turning into a grind with no end in sight? It may be time to take a step back and reevaluate your entire approach.
In cold weather climates, the beginning of spring is a time to clean the house and get organized—a practice known as spring cleaning. Through the years, spring cleaning has taken on a larger meaning with people using the time to organize and declutter things in their lives.
For professionals on the job hunt, a little spring cleaning (metaphorically speaking) could be a great way to reinvigorate your job search. Here are a few strategies your job search spring cleaning should include.
Reevaluate Your Job Search Approach
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Make a list of the last handful of jobs you applied for and see if you can identify any positive or negative trends. Consider things like:
How did I learn about this job?
How did I apply for the job?
Did I earn an interview?
What was the ultimate result?
A lot can be learned about your job search approach just by answering these questions and identifying patterns. For example:
Negative Trends
You discovered five jobs through job boards, applied to all of them via the job boards, and never heard back from any of them.
The common pattern here is applying through job boards. This isn't to say that job boards don't serve a purpose in the job search process, but they have their limitations, and you can't run your job search entirely off of them. When you apply through a job board, there's a good chance that your materials will never get past the applicant tracking system (ATS) and never be seen by an actual person.
One simple fix is to research who the hiring manager or recruiter is that posted the position and email your materials to them directly.
The more efficient fix would be to take a proactive approach by putting together a bucket list of companies that you want to work for and start making connections on LinkedIn with people who work at those companies. You may already know some people who work there or have connections that can refer you to some individuals.
This is a great way to network your way onto a company's radar.
Positive Trends
You applied to three jobs via referral, were invited to two job interviews, and made it through multiple rounds of interviews for one of the jobs before being passed over for someone with a little more experience.
The pattern here is that getting referred to a job by a professional acquaintance is a great way to land a job interview. This indicates that you're leveraging your network well and you should continue to focus on your networking efforts.
The next step is to review the interview process and determine what went well and what needs to be improved. Sometimes the interviewer will provide feedback, and that feedback can be valuable. However, not everyone is comfortable with giving feedback.
Chances are you probably have a good idea about areas of improvement and the skills you need to gain. Put together a plan for addressing those shortfalls.
The good news in making it deep into any interview process is that it indicates that the company likes you as a potential employee (even if the timing just wasn't right) and the experience could be a roadmap to a job with that company at a later date, or another similar opportunity elsewhere.
Give Your Resume & Cover Letter Some Much-Needed Attention
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Are you continuously sending similar resumes and cover letters to each job opening with only minor adjustments? If so, your strategy needs some serious spring cleaning.
The reason why it's so important to tailor your resume is that throughout your career, you acquire numerous skills, but the job you're applying for may only be focusing on 6-8 of those skills. In that case, those skills must rise to the top of the resume with quantifiable examples of how you successfully used those skills at previous jobs.
Remember, recruiters go through hundreds of resumes. They need to be able to tell from a quick glance whether or not you're a potential candidate for the position.
While updating your resume, you could also spruce up your LinkedIn profile by highlighting the skill sets that you want to be noticed for by recruiters.
As for writing a good cover letter, the key to success is writing a disruptive cover letter. When you write a disruptive cover letter, you're basically telling a story. The story should focus on how you connect with the particular company and job position. The story could also focus on your personal journey, and how you got to where you currently are in your career.
If your resumes and cover letters aren't unique, now is the time to clean things up and get on track.
Build Your Personal Brand
Just because you're looking for work doesn't mean that you don't have anything to offer. Use previous career experiences and passions to build your personal brand.
Ask yourself, "How do I want other professionals to view me?"
Pick an area of expertise and start sharing your knowledge and experience with your professional network by pushing out content on your LinkedIn and social media accounts. Good content can include blogs, social media posts, and videos.
By sharing content about your experiences and passions, you slowly build your personal brand, and others will start to notice. The content could lead to good discussions with others in your network. It could also lead to reconnecting with connections that you haven't spoken to in years, or making new connections.
You never know when one of these connections could turn into a job lead or referral. The trick is to get on people's radars. So, when you're cleaning up your job search, be sure to build a plan for personal branding.
Maintain Healthy Habits During Your Job Search
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Your job search is important, but it's even more important to know when to pull back and focus on personal health and spending time with family and friends.
There are actually things that you can do for your own enjoyment that could help your job search in the long run, such as:
Grab coffee with a friend - It's good to engage in light conversation with friends during challenging times. And if your job search does come up, remember that most people have been through it themselves and you never know when a friend may provide you with a good idea or lead on a job.
Volunteer - Volunteering is a great way to get involved in the community and help others. In addition, if you develop a little bit of a career gap while looking for a job, you can always talk about how you filled that time volunteering, if you're asked about it during a job interview.
Continue to focus on other passions - Are you a fitness nut? Blogger? Crafter? Continue to do the things that bring you happiness. And if you're in a position to profit from your passion through a freelance job or side hustle, even better!
Spring is the perfect time to clean up and improve your job search so you can land the job you want. If you're struggling to find a job, follow the tips above to reinvigorate your job search—and watch your career blossom!
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This article was originally published at an earlier date.
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