Author: Taylor Simmons

  • 5 LinkedIn Tips for Job Seekers

    5 LinkedIn Tips for Job Seekers

    Now more than ever, companies are utilizing LinkedIn to seek out job candidates. They aren’t looking at the ones who have “job seeker” in their profile. Organizations are seeking passive candidates that have desired skills, endorsements and connections to reputable individuals and organizations.

    Here are 5 tips for getting the best out of your LinkedIn profile:

    • Tell your story. Your summary should include a brief history of your career emphasizing your key skills and accomplishments. I often recommend using the “summary of qualifications” from your current resume.
    • Include all key skills that a potential employer might be looking for. Do your research here. For example, if your dream job is to be a CFO for a large company, search for job announcements and make sure you include the “required skills” (those that you have) in your list of skills.
    • Endorsements are important. Remember, you often “get what you give”. If you endorse others, they will often return the favor.
    • Get a new profile pic, already! A professional photo is must for your LinkedIn profile. If you are unable to use a professional photographer, no worries. A good camera will work as long as you have a solid background and are dressed in what you would wear to an interview.
    • Recommendations are a bonus. This is one area where I think it’s okay to ask previous employers or coworkers to provide a recommendation. And, you can offer to do the same for them.

    You can let recruiters know that you are in the market for a new career while keeping it confidential. Check out How to Find a Job Using LinkedIn for more details on this along with other tips.

  • Millennials – Seekers of a Professional Development Fix

    Millennials – Seekers of a Professional Development Fix

    As a member of the Gen-X population, all the hype regarding how different millennials are is intriguing to me – especially considering the work I do in career development. I did a quick search on millennials and career development and was enlightened to find that for the most part, they love to grow in their field and crave professional development.

    According to Gallup:

    Millennials fundamentally think about jobs as opportunities to learn and grow. Their strong desire for development is, perhaps, the greatest differentiator between them and all other generations in the workplace.

    Gallup’s latest report, How Millennials Want to Work and Live, reveals that 59% of millennials say opportunities to learn and grow are extremely important to them when applying for a job. Comparatively, 44% of Gen Xers and 41% of baby boomers say the same about these types of opportunities. Millennials assign the most importance to this job attribute, representing the greatest difference between what this generation values in a new job and what other generations value.

    And although they want to learn and grow, the report also found that only 29% are engaged at work. My personal thought regarding this is that millennials need to find companies that are forward thinking. For instance, we recently worked on a proposal for a client company who is actively working to engage employees by incorporating a mentoring program for high achievers. I foresee an increase in engagement for their millennial employees and an incline in millennial applicants for this forward-thinking organization.

    So, in the world of career development, how do we help millennials connect with companies that engage them and allow for professional development opportunities? One activity I do with most clients, regardless of generation, is to put together a list of target companies. While working to do this, they are encouraged to research companies to find organizations with values that closely match their own.

    Is your company in need of improvement regarding engaging employees and offering professional development to millennials and others in your organization? We can help! Check out the What We Do section of our website.

    Do you need a personalized career development plan? We do that too!

    Millennials represent a large percentage of our workforce. Let’s work to engage them and provide profession development opportunities! To exit on a positive note, check out this feel good article regarding a town revived by efforts led by millennials: Meet the Mayor Who Used Millennials to Revive Her Small Town.

    Like this post? You may also like:

    Millennials Don’t Feel Entitled to Your Job, They Want You to Help Them Chart Their Career

    How Millennials Like to Work and Run