Most of us know that it is important to join Groups on LinkedIn. Whether you are interested in the topic of the Group, or it is related to your profession or industry, it's important to get involved in something about which you have a genuine interest. Here are some tips on how you can add value to the LinkedIn Groups to which you belong.
1. Join groups that are directly connected to the work you do, the work you want to be doing, and causes that light you up and spark a passion.
LinkedIn Groups provide individuals with similar interests to post, share, and even converse on topics and issues in which they are interested and about which they want to share information. A good rule of thumb is to strive to participate in LinkedIn Groups about once a week. Find great content and share it appropriately. (Make sure you have read the content, so you know what it says.)
One source of great content is LinkedIn’s very own Pulse, which is helpful because LinkedIn “knows” your interests. When you click on Pulse, you will see the various articles that LinkedIn thinks you might find of interest. When you find something that warrants being shared, feel free to like the article, comment on the article, and share it with one or more of your groups.
2. Engage members of your Group by asking a question.
Sometimes individuals will post provocative questions to spur a debate or discussion. Be careful not to be too provocative…you could get yourself in trouble…but asking if members of the group have been successful pursuing a particular strategy or program might spark some conversation that could benefit the entire group--not just you. If your question or post is relevant to more than one Group to which you belong, then post to all of them. Be mindful, however, if you belong to a lot of Groups. You don’t want to be flooded with responses all at once.
3. Be conscious of the fact that you are building a personal and professional brand when participating in Group discussions.
Be courteous, be thoughtful, and contribute in a positive way in every post and every interaction. LinkedIn isn’t like Facebook where individuals sometimes let their emotions get the better of them as they engage in political or philosophical debates or discussions. LinkedIn is a professional venue, and the tone should always be respectful and professional. Keep your snarky remarks to yourself. (I wouldn’t recommend posting snarky remarks on Facebook, either, but we have seen that in abundance along with hastily posted and sometimes hastily withdrawn Tweets that were formulated in the heat of the moment. LinkedIn is definitely not the place for snarkiness.)
4. Avoid the temptation to be self-promotional.
Your Groups are places where you exhibit thought leadership. It is a place where you participate as part of a larger professional community. If you use it to promote yourself or a product or service, you will tarnish the brand you are so carefully building. Even LinkedIn offers that “LinkedIn Groups are not the venue for self-promotion—it is a forum for discussion…” (LinkedIn 101: How to Build an Engaged Community on LinkedIn.) I recently read a post by a regular contributor. While the information was useful, it was also filled with hints of holding back the best value in order to drive readers to his business page. At the end of the post, someone commented, “This wasn’t a post, it was an advertisement.” Ouch. Don’t make that mistake.
Even if you are using your participation in LinkedIn Groups to drive up your online visibility and presence in hopes of creating more traffic and the possibility of business, avoid the obvious self-promotional post. Your potential client or customer wants great content—not to be sold to! Share valuable content, and as people come to know, like and trust you, they will gravitate toward you and may become your next client or customer naturally. You have to let them come to you, however, so guard against the overly promotional post or self-promotional discussion in your next Group post.
LinkedIn is a great resource for professionals and it provides a powerful way for entrepreneurs to find leads, prospects, and clients. It is also a great place for sharing valuable information, however, that advances contemplative discussion, thoughtful sharing, and even collaboration. Nurture your LinkedIn network and build an online reputation (brand) as someone who brings value to every conversation in which you participate. Understanding LinkedIn and using it to your advantage will be well worth the time and effort you put into building your relationships within your Groups.
This post was originally published at an earlier date.Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a Work It Daily-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.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.