Quality Recommendations on LinkedIn

LinkedIn Recommendations

Recommendations on LinkedIn are an important part of telling your story; but not just any old recommendation. What is needed are quality recommendations that talk about your accomplishments and contributions to your current and previous organizations.

Take the Lead

The best way to get a quality recommendation is to:

• Write a quality recommendation for the person you want to recommend you.


• Submit the recommendation to the individual.


• Ask the person if you have addressed or made all the points they would like included.


• Once you have provided the recommendation ask the individual to reciprocate with a recommendation for you.


• When you receive the recommendation; review it and if you would like changes, you have opened the door with the process you followed writing the initial recommendation.

Give and You Will Receive

Receiving quality recommendations is typical of the Web 2.0 environment. First you give and then you will receive. The consideration and concern that you show in giving a recommendation will be returned many times over. Show those that you have worked with in the past that they are important. This process provides you with quality recommendations and builds or rebuilds your previous relationship.

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Job Search - What Are You Attracting

In August I posted "You Are What You Attract". That concept, the Law of Attraction, was brought home to me recently when I presented a workshop on LinkedIn. One of the attendees talked about some of the inquiries he was receiving regarding employment and how none of those inquiries related to what he wants to do or has done in the past.

He is not the first person to encounter this; I have had many of these emails myself. When you receive them you just sit there in wonderment. You are trying to figure out what this individual is thinking and why they would send this information to you. I still have not figured it out completely, but I believe I am getting closer.

Many times it is just a random process or an automated emailing system that searches resumes. If it is one of those emails; there is not much you can do. If you are really searching for work you have few other choices than to put up with it and use the delete key when they arrive in your in-box.

Review Your On-line Presence

If you are being approached for things that are not of interest and do not apply; you need to step back. It is time to review your resume, your Web 2.0 application profiles, your website, your blog postings, your comments, your posted resumes, and any other "branding" that may exist to find out why you are getting these solicitations.

There is nothing worse than receiving a job posting for something completely unrelated and of no interest. Not just because it is a waste of time, but it is also disconcerting and makes you wonder why someone would even think of you for this type of position. These emails can also cause self doubts which are counter productive and take you off task. Put them aside and keep moving forward.

Granted there will always be some random opportunities presented because those people do not care about what you want and, more than likely, have not read your information. All they know is that you are out there and you are potentially or specifically looking for employment. To them that is an open opportunity to approach you: whether you are interested or not.

If the solicitations or opportunities are more specific or it looks like they have actually done some research; then it is time for the review. You need to look carefully at your information and try to determine what is giving people the incorrect impression. When you locate the confusing information you must clean it up.

Clarify Your Profiles and On-Line Presence

It is important that you create a consistent On-Line presence that clearly presents you and your skills. Each profile tells part of your story or reinforces parts of your story; you want to ensure that the story is consistent and clear.

Part of having a consistent On-Line presence is to distinguish yourself from anyone else that may have the same or a similar name. Having a consistent or at least readily identifiable picture with each posting is one way to accomplish this. Using a middle initial or middle name is another part of creating your brand.

Some of the confusion that could occur with potential employers could be the result of confusion between people of the same or similar name. You must differentiate!

Keep Your Information Relevant

Do not muddy the water with information that is confusing. Read the post "Does Your Resume Pass the So What Test on Wordpress?" This information is as valid for your on-line profiles as it is for your resume. Ensure that you are only posting information that helps to tell your story and clarify who you are.

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Are Your Connections Diversified?

I was just reading email from Keith Ferrazzi from 2008 that talks about the type of connections that we have. The point that Keith is making is that oft times we create our network from people that are in the same industry, same Church, same city, or other similarities.

The problem with that practice is that you all know about the same opportunities and therefore your list of possibilities is limited. You need to connect outside your circle to develop a broad based network.

One of the first things that you need to do to expand your network is to put your prejudices on hold. Our prejudices cause us to jump to conclusions and potentially eliminate our best connections. In the LinkedIn world people identify themselves as LIONs or LinkedIn Open Networkers, meaning that they will connect with anybody.

We may not need to be that open, but it is a good example.

Last night I sat with my family and we watched the movie "Yes Man" with Jim Carey. As the movie starts Carey's character always says "No" when asked to do something. As a result his life is on a dead end course; no friends, same job forever, no relationships, people look past him, and basically he is a loser.

Eventually one of his few friends invites him to a "Yes" seminar, where he is challenged to answer "Yes" when asked to do something or a question is posed to him.

When he starts responding with "Yes" his life starts to change dramatically. The changes are a little questionable at first, but even those that appear to be questionable work out to be positives. By the time the movie ends Carey's character is friends with countless people and his life has totally changed.

When it comes to networking we need to say "Yes". I hear countless excuses for not having a network, but we need to take a page from "Yes Man" and break some new ground for ourselves. We must set aside our prejudices and judge people based upon their merits. You never know which contact is going to be your important connection.

Expand your circle of contacts; the reality is that your important connections will come from someone who knows someone who knows someone else. That's why when you are networking it is so important to ask the question of your connections, "Do you know someone that might know someone". It may seem hokey, but it actually works.

Happy Networking

Tom is a Career and Accountability Coach helping with career management, resumes, and networking. Sign up for his 7 Tips Series of Articles.

Care and Feeding of Your Network

Your network can be an tremendous resource for you; if you give it proper care and feeding.

Many people simply look at their network as a place to "get" something. If that is your attitude your network will soon die on you. To be a successful networker you need to be providing value to those within your network. You must provide help individually and collectively whenever possible.

This isn't a situation where you are looking to do huge favors. That doesn't mean you turn a big opportunity down when it arises; it just means that simple help is also valuable.

1. Your help can take the form of sending a congratulatory note on a new job or promotion.

2. It can be forwarding an article that you feel they may find of interest.

3. Maybe you can facilitate a connection between two of your contacts that would be beneficial to both.

4. It may be notifying someone of a business opportunity or job.

5. There may be a special event taking place that would benefit one of your contacts.

These are just a few simple ideas. If you do these types of activities regularly; your network will be there when you need it.

If you have other ideas chime in and add your contribution to this list.

Happy Networking

You are what you attract!

Wallace Wattles wrote it in the early 1900s and it is still true today. The things we think about, positive or negative, are the things that we attract. With this being the case, we have a choice in how our lives will proceed and that choice is made through our thought processes.

What are your thoughts are they about the future and your upcoming successes or about the the things of the past that have happened to you? Only one of these thought processes is something that you can take action on. Think the positive thoughts of how your life will be, rather than the thoughts of how your life has been.

The past is the past and that cannot change, the future, your future, is yet to be written!

Twittering can be beneficial to your branding

After posting my last comments on Twitter, I received email stating that it made more sense to spend time on LinkedIn and FaceBook versus the 140 characters you can post with a Twitter comment. I saw other comments expressing the same sentiment on LinkedIn and elsewhere.

At that time I could see the point that was being made but then I started receiving Tweets from Brian Tracy and all of a sudden I could see the value of Twitter.

Twitter isn't the means of communicating a message, it's the means of communicating about a message. Did you post something new on your blog? Then let everyone know by sending out a Tweet with a link to your blog post. Is there something new on your web page? Then Tweet away.

Make connections on Twitter by following others and encouraging them to follow you. The more followers you have the more people that will be notified about your updates.

What is the impression you leave with your networking contacts?

When we are networking we have several opportunities to make an impression on our new contact and how they will remember us. What impressions are you leaving?

The first impression we leave is visual. What are you saying by the way you dress; the way you walk; your facial expression? It should go without saying that you must be neat and clean both personally and with your clothing. When you walk are you upright and confident or slouched and meek? Are you smiling or frowning? It is amazing how many people do not take these basics into consideration and then can't understand why they receive a less than enthusiastic reception.

Your second impression is your handshake and greeting. This basic courtesy conveys an important message and you want this to be the correct message. When you meet someone what does your handshake say about you and what is your verbal greeting? Are they strong and convey strength or are they meek and convey weakness? Depending upon who you are talking to; one may work better than the other, but overall a strong handshake and voice will serve you best.

Your third impression is the way you talk and express yourself. How you present yourself in the way you speak and what you say is critical. You need to be clear and confident because people are attracted and respond to individuals that exude confidence. In general we like leaders as long as they are not overbearing and demeaning. Do you present as a leader or as a follower?

In today's economy people are looking for people with confidence and leadership. There is a tremendous amount of concern and uncertainty and people are looking for people that are willing to lead and not caving in to the predominant mentality.

So let’s review three steps to a good impression:

1. Present a great visual by the way you dress, walk, and your facial expression.
2. Have a strong handshake and friendly greeting.
3. Speak clearly and confidently. Demonstrate that you are leader and someone people can follow.

Happy Networking!

The Power of 150

In his book "The Tipping Point", Malcolm Gladwell discusses the power of 150. What he refers to is the maximum size group for effective communications. He uses examples from ages past as well as from today in describing how communications break down once any organization: religious, social, and even work exceed this size.



One of the major examples is the company WR Grace and Company: long believed one of the great success stories in business. WR Grace follows the power of 150 rule in the sizing of all their operations. Their plants have a maximum of 150 employees. That's not just 150 in manufacturing, the front office, or some department. It is the maximum for that particular business unit. Why would that be? In his research Gladwell learned that keeping this as a maximum allows engineering to communicate with marketing, production, sales, research, and what ever other groups more effectively and responsively to problems, customer requests, market changes, or anything else that arises.

Gladwell also talks about the size of groups back to prehistoric days and their ability to support each other becoming problematic when the groups grew too large. When that happened there were food shortages and other problems to the extent that the groups would automatically splinter off to a more manageable size. But enough of that.

How can we apply this to our network? When you follow the Pareto or 80/20 rule you should limit your "A" group to 150. This is your critical group, the one that is the most important, and therefore requires and deserves the most attention. Keep the size manageable so you can communicate with enough effectiveness and timeliness that you maintain a great relationship.

Find other ways to communicate with the rest of your contacts using email newsletters, blogs, discussion groups, and web sites to keep them relatively current on your activities. If you are doing the right things you will have people in this category continuing to reach out to you but your efforts are will be more appropriately directed.

Remember:

1. Keep your "A" list focused and no larger than 150.
2. Communicate on a regular basis and look for things that you can send to your "A" group.
3. Communicate to those that are not on your "A" list through email newsletters, blogs, discussion groups, and websites.

Happy networking!

Do You Follow the Leader?

Okay, I know that sounds a little crazy, but I was just read something on LinkedIn and it made me think about this.

If we choose our leaders wisely, it's a great idea to do what they do, because that can lead you to what they have.

If you want to be the best salesperson in your company, you need to know who holds that position today, learn what that person did to achieve the lead position, and then follow they path they followed. I don't know that I have followed this advice very well myself, but I heard it long ago on a Zig Ziglar tape.

At the time Zig was not doing well as a salesperson in his company and one day the best salesman happened by and said "Zig, I have never seen so much wasted talent as I do in you!" Can you imagine your hero, the person you look up to making such a statement? How depressing would that be? It would definitely be an eye opener.

We frequently make the mistake of spending time and following the lead of the wrong people. If we want to have success, we need to talk to those that are achieving success, not those that are lamenting being unsuccessful. The unsuccessful person associates success with luck; successful people may say the same, but upon further investigation we find that it wasn't luck, it was hard, specific work that allowed them to achieve their success.

To achieve the same success you need to emulate the actions and do the things successful people do.

So here are the steps:

1. Identify the person that has or is what you want to be.
2. Find out what that person did and copy, copy, copy, and copy some more.
3. Don't waste your time with negative people that do not share or encourage your goal.

Happy Networking!

Networking is about connecting, but ...

Are you spending a lot of time trying to connect and build your contact's list? That's been an approach of mine in the past, but it's a lot of work; worthwhile, but still a lot of work.

The other day I received an e-mail from a recruiter saying that she had seen my name cross her desk a couple of times and felt that SHE needed to connect with me. It turns out we were both members of the same group and what she saw was a posting of mine in the discussion group.

This started me wondering how can I do this even more? What can I do to entice people to want to connect with me, so that they are doing the work, and all I am doing is assessing whether the contact is one that I want?

It's called branding! It's called making me so valuable to others to the extent that they want to connect with me. It's called driving people to me. It's called having others tell people that they should connect with me because I am a valuable connection.

This is not about self-aggrandizing; it's about my providing so much value that others are compelled to seek what I have to offer.

Do you ever learn or hear about products, food, movies, or assorted other things that you must have and will do whatever it takes to obtain that item? Of course you do, because you have associated a value with the item that drives you to do whatever it takes to obtain it.

That is what you want to do for yourself. You want to make yourself valuable to the point that people will take the necessary steps to locate and connect.

There are two major benefits to this approach to networking 1) your time is spent creating value for others so that they want to connect and 2) you don't have to spend your time making connections, instead the connections come to you.

Here are the steps:

1. Create value that others want.
2. Do things that drive others to you rather than your having to constantly be seeking others.
3. Create value that cause referrals to you.

Happy Networking!

Are You Giving Those that Want to Connect Every Chance to Connect

It amazes me when I see someone send an e-mail or hear a voice mail that does a poor job of leaving information for the contacted person to follow up. Just because you sent e-mail doesn't guarantee that the other person wants to reply by e-mail. And likewise, just because you called doesn't necessarily mean that they want to follow up with a call.

Here are some connection ideas:

1. If you leave a voice mail identify whether it is your office or cell number (they may need to text a response because they are not in a position to call).
2. Identify yourself and provide your phone number both at the beginning and the end of your call and at the end speak slowly, repeat your name, and repeat your phone number twice. There is nothing more frustrating than having to listen to an entire message multiple times to get the information correct.
3. In your e-mails provide contact information for e-mail and phone responses. You may even provide your mailing address (discretionary, if it is your home address).

What you don't want to do is miss a response because you didn't provide the necessary options. Phone and e-mail etiquette are critical to good communications.

Happy networking!

Make and Receive Quality Recommendations

One of the key features of LinkedIn is the ability to give and receive recommendations.

You need to make the recommendations you give and receive count. Here is the criteria.

1. You should have at least one recommendation from an immediate manager.
2. You should have at least one recommendation from a co-worker.
3. You should have at least one recommendation from someone who worked for you.
4. You should have at least one recommendation from a vendor or supplier, if possible.
5. You should have at least one recommendation from a manager that you did not report to directly.
6. Recommendations should tell a story. What was the problem you identified, what were the actions you took, and what was the result.
7. If your recommendations are simply "Tom was a great guy to work with, I would recommend him to anyone." Send it back, you can even suggest content as long as it is true. Some people simply cannot write a recommendation.
8. This is my own biased idea of a great recommendation. "Shortly after Tom started he recognized that we were over paying on our vendor maintenance agreements by 20 to 30%. Tom identified that we were paying monthly support charges for computer racks, cabinets, and shelves. Tom identified all of the overages and contacted the vendor; his efforts are saving the company over $2500 per month." The recommendation tells a story and allows a recruiter to interpolate what Tom might do for the new company.
9. Write great recommendations about others first, then if what they write isn't exactly what you want you can feel comfortable asking for a revision.

Great recommendations will help get you noticed by recruiters and hiring managers. Happy networking!

Are you using LinkedIn?

I'm an avid networker on many different social networks. My main focus, however, is LinkedIn for professional networking. Currently I have 275 LinkedIn connections that result in over 3,000,000 total connections or roughly 10% of LinkedIn. If you are not on LinkedIn send me a request and let's get you started. You can find me at http://www.linkedin.com/in/tomstaskiewicz.

A little further investigation of LinkedIn shows that I have 5800 different companies in my first and second level contacts. The fact that not only do I have these companies but I can find out who has the contact is awesome. Granted some of these contacts will be stale, but it is far better than anything I had previously and it's always a great starting point and opportunity to learn about the culture.

I am amazed as I look at the LinkedIn page for some of the people that I know are currently seeking a new job and I find them with 20, 50, maybe 100 connections. What is with that? You're telling me that you only know 20 people that are on LinkedIn? Either no one likes you and you don't like anyone else, you live in a hole, or you're really not interested in finding a new opportunity. To have less than 150 contacts is ridiculous and shows me someone that is not making any networking effort.

Things to do:

1. Find at least 100 people on LinkedIn to add to your network.
2. Commit to adding 5 to 10 people per week.
3. Join at least 5 groups in your areas of interest.
4. Obtain at least 5 quality recommendations. I will define a quality recommendation in another post.
5. Build a profile that tells a story about you and what you have to offer.
6. Monitor the statistcs that tell you how many people have viewed your profile and how many times you have appeared in a search.

How is your networking attitude?

I received a link today to a friend's blog. She was feeling pretty down about the current job market and that's understandable. This isn't an exciting job market and as we continue to hear the news reports, it's hard to find anything encouraging. With that being said we can't afford to let the economy get us down. I know it's much easier to say than to do, but we need to maintain an upbeat attitude.

We need to find whatever positives we can to maintain our own positive attitude. We can't afford to convey anything but a positive attitude because we never know when we will encounter that person that possesses our next opportunity. I also believe that at this time people want to find positive individuals.

In her blog my friend wrote about a contest, she didn't call it that, but that's exactly what it was. The contest is whose life is worse. It's a game often called one-ups-man-ship. My take on that is if someone wants to point out how much worse they have it, let them have at it. Don't compete with these people let them be worse off, because if they are then you have something to be thankful for, even if it's only a better attitude.

Thoughts for the day:

1. If someone wants to feel more sorry for their situation than you do for yours, let them and be happy that you are not that way.
2. We need to remind ourselves that we are great people and it's the situation around us that is bad.
3. Keep a positive attitude, you never know when the right person will be impressed that you are smiling.
4. Look for people that continue to be successful and start doing the things that they are doing.

This is a great day and live it to your fullest. Happy networking.

Why I Stopped Avoiding Social Networks

I watched my teenagers become involved in these social phenomena and I was very critical. I felt that they were wasting their time and efforts, when they should be studying. I'm not sure I have changed my mind regarding where their efforts are best spent, but I have changed my mind on the social networking phenomena.

The reality is that it's all about branding. You know establishing an identity for yourself. I've finally figured it out, no one is going to sell me like I can sell myself. No one is going to look out for my family and me, like I will. No one is going to care as much about my success or even failure for that matter as I will. So why not call it like it is and start marketing yourself in the same way that any organization promotes and sells their products.

To some of you that may sound pretty commercial but the reality is that we are a product that we attempt to sell to the highest bidder, as long as everything is legal and ethical there really is nothing wrong with that philosophy.

So why am I in so many places. That's a great question and the answer is because there are so many networking places. If you are truly concerned about networking and branding you need to cover all of the bases. There are many people with the same name as yours and one, some, or many of them will be in all the different networking places on the Internet. It is important to your networking and branding process that you establish yourself in all of those different locations so no one confuses you with someone that may not share your same values and ethics.

Managing your Social Networks:

1. Create a consistent brand - use identifying verbiage and pictures.
2. Create a strong profile, don't simply put place holders out there. Tell people something of value.
   
3. Establish a presence in all the right places, but don't try to keep up with all of them - focus your energy.
4. Make sure that your comments and discussions are uplifting and supportive. Don't be known as a negative contributor.
5. Participate in and start discussions, especially in those areas where you have a passion.
6. Join relevant groups to establish and promote yourself.
7. Add valuable comments and contributions that help others and in-turn raise your value.

Networking will work for you, when you do it correctly. Happy Networking!

My Networking Library Recommendations

Your Networking Library is not complete without these books. I haver read all of these books and I recommend them wholeheartedly. Understanding Networking and being great at it is a skill: learn from some of the best.










I have to admit that I haven't read this one by Keith Ferrazzi, because it doesn't release until May, 2009.




This networking book has been released and it is on my "To Read" list. Smart Networking has received consistent excellent reviews.

Networking While Traveling

I've always been one to sit by the window or on the aisle when I travel. I'm the one with the noise reducing headphones and have a book or magazine as a constant companion.

What's wrong with that picture? If you consider yourself to be a networker looking for opportunities to expand your network you couldn't be doing anything more to dissuade conversation. You have done everything within your power to make yourself unapproachable.

As a networker you need to be looking for networking opportunities to get to know people and for job seekers more importantly get people to know you. Starting those first networking conversations while in a plane, train, or bus can be an uncomfortable experience for many people, but this is where you start stepping out of your comfort zone.

Begin by asking the simple questions:

1. Is the departing or destination city their home?
2. No, then where do you live?
3. Are you traveling for business or pleasure?
4. What is your final destination?
5. If for business; what type of business are you in?
6. What is your position?
7. If for pleasure; do you go there often?
8. When was the last time you were there?
9. Are you visiting family?

This should create a give and take networking session that will last for much of your flight. If these questions can't get something started, because you are in the middle seat, turn to the person on the other side of you.

Don't forget to get a business card and follow up with at least an "It was nice chatting with you during our flight to (wherever)."

Happy traveling and happy networking!

When Should You Build Your Network?

The truth is that you are building your network every time you meet someone, the question is whether you are recording the information or simply letting the opportunity pass.

Networks are a resource to be managed and nurtured. Your network is not something that you should think of only when you have a need. When you read a thoughtful article or a good book you should be thinking about who in your network would benefit from the information. If you hear of a job opportunity you should be thinking about who you could refer or recommend. Not that you want to be mercenary, but your network will appreciate you more when they know that you care about them.

If someone in your network is promoted or takes a new job, congratulate them, let them know that you are happy or excited for them.

Take care of your network.

1. Send congratulatory notes on promotions, new positions, or honors received.
2. Follow up with new contacts or referrals immediately, try to send them a relevant piece of information.
   
3. Immediately thank anyone that helps you in building your network.
4. Set a personal goal to add five to ten contacts each week.
   

Networking for fun, opportunity, and employment

Are you a networker? Or ... does the idea of networking scare you?

If you're unemployed one of the constant things that you have or should be hearing is that 70% - 90% of jobs are found through networking. It's a fact, there is a comfort level in hiring people that you know or have been referred to you.

Our lives are driven by the referral process, whether it is the movies we watch, the books we read, the places we eat, the vacations we take, or whatever; referrals play an important part in the choices we make. Why should we expect hiring to be any different?

You need to reach out and constantly be networking.

Networking will take most people outside their comfort zones. To be a successful networker, however, that move outside your comfort zone is critical. Most people think that networking is talking to the people that they are always talking to, but nothing could be further from the truth. You need to extend your networking efforts beyond those you already know.

If your current contacts cannot move you beyond people you already know, you are not moving forward in your networking.

Steps to take:

1. Identify your purpose for networking: i.e. a new career, new contacts, learning opportunities, reading recommendations, etc. You need to understand your purpose to make your networking purposeful.
2. Talk to each of your contacts and ask for two or three names that could help you achieve your networking purpose. See if they will arrange an introduction or if you can reference their name.
3. Follow up with the new individuals and explain your purpose, let these individuals get to know you. Don't ask for a job, again explain who you are and what you have done and ask if they may know of someone that could use your talents. As with your initial contacts, the idea is to get more contacts and follow up again.
4. With each contact you make look for some way within the next day to e-mail them a thank you and provide them with some information that will be beneficial to their business or situation.

Networking is a skill to be developed. Happy networking!