How NOT to Contact Recruiters on LinkedIn

How NOT to Contact Recruiters on LinkedIn Lots of us in the recruiting world are very active on LinkedIn, doing what we can to be accessible to jobseekers. We love networking, meeting new people and finding great candidates to fill our openings. Many of us also like to give back to our networks, helping out in any way we can. While we may not be able to help with every job search request that comes our way, many of us help jobseekers by passing along introduction requests, answering questions, sharing jobsearch tips, giving networking advice, volunteering our time to moderate networking groups, etc. LinkedIn is a great tool for helping others and I love to do my part. That said, there are some requests that cross the line, in my opinion, and I think that jobseekers should be careful to leverage their network without taking advantage of it. Most have the purest intentions in mind and aren’t even aware that their request may not be received in the best light, so this list is written to help jobseekers make the best possible impression when networking with recruiters on LinkedIn. I hope it is helpful to you! 1) Can you help me find a job? This is the most common request in my LinkedIn inbox, but one where I’m least able to help. An agency recruiter or headhunter might be able to “shop” your resume around to a few of their clients, but at the end of the day, a recruiter is someone who finds  candidates  to fill  jobs, not someone who finds  jobs  to employ  candidates. This is a key mistake that many people make. Most recruiters are happy to share their  advice for jobseekers, but a recruiter is not a professional job finder Those really dont exist! 2) Do you have any job openings that fit my profile? Agency recruiters or headhunters might be a bit more open to this type of request, but before approaching an in-house / corporate recruiter with such an open-ended question, be sure to do a little legwork ahead of time. First off, remember that recruiters arent job finders (see #1 above).  Secondly, companies often have dozens or even hundreds of openings at any given time. These openings are spread across a team of recruiters who only have real visibility to the openings they are personally handling. Thirdly, you  are the best one to pinpoint positions that fit your interests, talents and career path. Be sure to first look online, find positions of interest, apply via the careers page and then approach a recruiter at that company with some specific positions of interest in mind. Most will do what they can to put you in touch with the appropriate decision-makers. Having done some homework on your end will not only speed up the process, it will also put less of a burden on the person youre asking for help. 3) Can you review my resume and send me your edits / feedback / suggestions? As much as wed love to help, resume critiques would take up a full 40-hour workweek (or more!) if recruiters complied with every such request. Resume writing is a very time-intensive process that requires two-way discussion, in-depth knowledge of your past experience / career goals, extensive editing / rewriting, etc. Professional Resume Writers often charge big bucks for their services because its no easy task or quick process. Recruiters may be able to recommend a professional to you (or help you network to find a good one), but this type of request is something that recruiters simply dont have the bandwidth to accommodate. 4) Can you please send me John Does email address / phone number? If a LinkedIn member wants their contact information to be public knowledge, theyll be sure to post it on their profile (and many of them do, so be sure to check). If not, then its really not appropriate for their network contacts to give it out to others. (You wouldn’t want your network contacts giving out your email address and phone number, would you?) Instead, use the Introduction Request feature on LinkedIn. It’s a great feature that enables you to message your target contact without revealing either partys email address. Most recruiters will gladly pass along introduction requests on your behalf and then your target contact can decide how he or she would like to follow up with you. (Or, if you prefer to go the direct route, you can do a little Google research, as explained in  this previous blog post, and easily figure out that persons email address.) 5) Do you know anyone at Acme Company? Probably! A well-connected recruiter likely knows multiple contacts at your target company. Rather than asking that person to run a search of their network to find a list of all possible contacts at a company, you should instead run a LinkedIn search yourself and sort through the results. You can easily identify an appropriate target or two (recruiters, hiring managers, peers) and then  send an introduction request. After all, no one knows better than you why you want to reach out, which departments fit your career goals and who the best contacts at that company might be. 6) Im interested in a position at Acme Company and would like to apply for position #1234. Can we set up an interview? Normally this type of direct contact is a great strategy after applying online, but be sure to read the recruiters profile carefully before reaching out. Its shocking how many times Im contacted about positions at my former employers! Oops! Always read the LinkedIn profile carefully before reaching out for help. 7) Can you endorse / recommend me? Lots of recruiters are open networkers, open to meeting new contacts and connecting with them for mutual networking purposes. These recruiters are typically very active on LinkedIn and will often do what they can, but if theyve never met you and have had zero interaction with you thus far, please dont ask them to write a LinkedIn recommendation for you.  Id like to think that an endorsement means a little bit more than that!  Its always best to get a recommendation from actual coworkers, colleagues or clients who know you well and can provide feedback that is authentic, meaningful and specific. 8) Lets chat on the phone, grab coffee sometime, meet up for lunch, etc. While this suggestion sounds all well and good, email communication is generally preferred due to the volume of candidates a recruiter handles in a week. These options might make sense down the road, but its best not to jump the gun. Recruiters are usually booked back-to-back with phone screens, onsite interviews, interview feedback meetings, resume sourcing and gobs of administrative tasks (tracking, metrics, record-keeping, reporting, etc.). Not to mention all of the after-hours calls that recruiters make to accommodate working folks who cant phone interview during the business day! So please dont be offended if the recruiter cant take you up on your offer We would if we could! 9) Hi Tracy / Hi {FirstName} / Hi trusted friend / Hi James: When reaching out to contacts on LinkedIn, please be sure to get their name right. Im not super picky about people misspelling my name “Stacey-with-an-e” (unless its a technical writing, quality assurance or similar detail-oriented profession), but Tracy is pretty far off, “{FirstName}” is clearly some mass email error, Trusted Friend is obviously an impersonal email spam blast and “James”? Well, thats just plain wrong! ?? An incorrect name makes a poor first impression and is the quickest way to turn off your recipient since the mistake appears right at the top of your message. Be sure to personalize the note and get the recruiters name right! 10) Wow, love your picture / What a nice smile / Hello there, Beautiful Last but not least… remember that LinkedIn is a business networking site, not Match.com. Jobseeking or not, always be professional!

Whats in a Name and Why it Matters in the Workplace

Whats in a Name and Why it Matters in the Workplace Unless youve changed it by deed poll your name is the one given to you by your parents at birth, so how important is it to get it right? My name Ushma is a traditional Hindu name which my parents gave me.   It means warmth, but Im always cold, so slightly ironic! My dad wanted a simple, modern name which is easy to say and hoped people would only use Ushma to address me. In fact, he would get really offended if people did get it wrong or shortened it to Ush or Ushie. I think its fairly easy to say, you just say it as its spelled Ush- ma. There are no silent letters or hidden pronunciations  but youd be surprised how many people still get it wrong. So how important is your name in the workplace? Well to me its extremely important. I use it all the time in a professional capacity and so I expect people to get it right, I dont even mind if you ask me how to say it. In fact, I would rather you do that, then got it wrong. So how do you deal with someone getting your name wrong? In my early days as a newspaper reporter, in my mainly-white office, I got really upset that my work colleagues would often get my name wrong but then wouldnt make any attempt to correct themselves or ask me how to say it. This prompted me to fire off an email with the subject Correct pronunciation of my name to the entire newsroom staff. Thankfully it worked! Nobody was offended and my name was pronounced correctly (mostly). But should we be getting upset at work colleagues getting our names wrong?  Darain Faraz, LinkedIn Careers Expert, says: Your name acts as a unique identifier, differentiating you from most other people,  and is ultimately the label to your ‘professional brand’ in the workplace. Get that wrong and you may already be on the backfoot. At best a mangled name pronunciation can come across a bit lazy â€" at worst, a tad rude. For me, having a slightly “exotic” name means you constantly have to deal with it being botched  (I recently wrote a  LinkedIn post  about it here), I’d suggest trying to get your head around the pronunciation before meeting people.  I’m mightily impressed when people get my name right in the first instance. And first impressions last â€" particularly in a work context. Here at the Undercover Recruiter/Link Humans headquarters, we are a very multi-international bunch.  I asked our  team to tell me some of the wrong names theyve been called. Take our boss Jorgen, who is Swedish. His name is pronounced Yur-gunn and youd be forgiven for getting this wrong if you didnt know that in Swedish the letter J is pronounced as a Y. But with that in mind, surely being called Jaw-gun is probably the worst hes been called, right? Wrong! Jorgen Sundberg says: Jordan, Goran, Jorge, George, Nigel (yep) I usually let it go unless were doing a podcast recording and Id hate for them to call me the wrong thing for 30 mins. And its not just his name that people get wrong, it seems Undercover Recruiters sister company Link Humans trips people up too. Jorgen told me its been called  Humanlinks, Links Human, Think Human, and even LinkedIn! So far all these names havent been English so there is room for error when it comes pronouncing them. So youd think Andy Partridge, who is Head of People, probably hasnt experienced anyone getting his name wrong. Well, not according to Andy: Ive been called Alan Partridge a few times, and had people email me. I tend to let it go as people are horrified if i point it out and super embarrassed. Quite rightly too! (Non-British readers may want to Google him!) Our Advertising Guru Chris Kedwell was given an unlikely promotion: My old Polish next door neighbour in Toronto used to call me Christ. Jon Gregory, who is a career trainer and writer of Win-that-job.com has these useful tips to correct your colleagues: If someones name is hard to spell, or indeed to pronounce, always make the effort to get it right. It shows professionalism, theyll be forever grateful, youll stand out from many of your peers, your relationship will strengthen and who knows where that may ultimately lead you? Getting someones name wrong the first time may be just unlucky, especially if youre rushed and the dreaded auto-correct kicks in. As soon as you realize, go back to them,  apologize and resolve never to make the same mistake again. Never risk leaving a potentially open wound to quietly fester in the background. Repeatedly getting someones name wrong never bodes well for the future of your relationship. At the subconscious level, youre repeatedly demonstrating you couldnt care less about them. As a Jon I suffer from this hugely. Even months and years after relentlessly signing off as Jon, some people still address emails and messages to John and spell my name incorrectly in programmes, on agendas, and in online articles. How hard can it be? I presume theyre either, dim, lazy or just disrespectful. Theyre always the second choice in my book. Oh and if you want to know the names Ive been called, here are just some of them: Kufma Usha Osama Usma Usharmar Manisha!! (yes really) Ishmael

Navigating Workers Compensation Claims After an Injury

Navigating Workers Compensation Claims After an Injury Not so long ago, in the land of Ms. Career Girl, we talked about the importance of protecting yourself from the perils of dangerous work environments. Constant vigilance, unfortunately, can only take you so far. No matter how careful you are, there is always a small chance that you will be injured at work. While you should do what you can to avoid injury, it would be in your best interest to know about the workers compensation process before the injury occurs. Take Timely Action. Inform your HR department of a work related injury or illness as soon as possible. If you are physically and mentally able to, it’s best if you file the report the day of the injury. The sooner you file, the sooner you will receive your workers compensation benefits. You should also be aware that many states have strict deadlines for how long employees have to file a claim. How much time you have to report an injury or file a claim is based on state law. South Carolina for example, gives employees 90 days to report an injury and 2 years to file a claim. File the Workers Compensation Claim In most cases, the company will file the claim for you. All you need to do is fill out the paperwork and hand it into the individual appointed to handling workers compensation claims. That individual within the company will than submit the claim to the agency that handles workers compensation in your state and notify their worker comp insurer about the claim. In South Carolina that organization is the Workers’ Compensation Commission In rare cases, the company might not be willing to file the claim due to the fact they don’t believe an incident occurred that requires an employee receive workers compensation. In this case, you can file a notice of claim or a complaint form yourself (depending on the state). If you don’t want to go down this path yourself, you might consider at least consulting a local attorney that offers free consultation. Claim Investigation No workers compensation is ever awarded without some type of investigation. The investigation is meant to determine the validity of the claim. Insurance companies are a businesses who (reasonably) don’t want to pay employees for false or over exaggerated claims (AKA workers compensation fraud). And to be realistic, they are also businesses who it is within their best interest to investigate every other avenue that might reduce the amount they must pay out to individuals who file claims. Typical investigations (conducted by the employer) can involve a post-accident drug and alcohol test. Insurance investigators typically require you to see a workers compensation approved doctor. If you feel like the doctor is being biased, you can request to see a second-opinion doctor. The investigation might also involve the insurance company hiring private investigators to catch you doing anything that will prove you aren’t as injured as you claim. They might call you, talk to your neighbors, observe your house, or follow you on errands. The modern technology has opened up new avenues for workers compensation investigations: social media platforms. Investigators will comb through your social media platforms for any incriminating photos or posts. Don’t post any ‘funny’ or ‘joking’ status updates about you doing physically strenuous activities while injured. Injuries can and do happen at work (even to the most cautious and safety conscious individuals.) It will be in your best interest to know what you need to do when the accident occurs. It will be up to you to ensure that you receive the amount in workers compensation you deserve. Images: Safety First JK Keller Calendar  studio curve Investigator  Quinn Dombrowski

Discover The Very Best of Barcelona

Discover The Very Best of Barcelona If youre considering a summer trip to Europe, then discover the very best of Barcelona, as this is one area that should be high on your list.  From endless cultural and historic offerings to exquisite dining and leisure options, Barcelona stands out as an alluring Mediterranean  jewel. The United Nations has identified 1031 sites around the world that are considered  a legacy from the past, what we live with today, and what we pass on to future generations.  These are considered to be irreplaceable resources of life and inspiration.  The country of Spain has the third highest number of sites, with a total of 44.  And Barcelona alone has nine.    Heres a quick summary of what makes them so special. 1.Palau de La Musica Catalana Built in the early 1900s  by the renowned  architect Lluis Domènech i Montaner, the Palau de la Música Catalana is a stunning architectural showcase.  Still in use today, this is a top priority whether or not you are a music lover. 2. Hospital de La Santa Creu i de Sant Pau In use until 2009, this magnificent combination of gardens and Moorish style pavilions is now a grand museum. 3. Church at the Colonia Guell The Church at Colònia Güell  was intended  as a place of worship for the working people in the  suburb in Santa Coloma de Cervelló, near Barcelona (Spain).  Financial limitations kept the project from being finished, but for the crypt of Gaudi, whose architectural genius is evident at every turn. 4. Casa Batllo Known by locals as the house of bones, as you tour this present-day museum youll find it incredible that it was a creation of architect Gaudi over 110 years ago.  Flowing shapes reminiscent of a dragons back, skeletons, and the traditional Gaudi designs will amaze every step of the way. 5. La Sagrada Familia This Roman Catholic church can be summed up in only single words:  Inspiring.  Awesome.  Reverent.  And of course, beautiful. 6. Casa Vicens Casa Vicens was the first house designed by Gaudí. The building is  currently undergoing restoration and conversion to a museum.  Its scheduled to open in 2016.  Check your tour guide, and be sure to include this in your itinerary if possible. 7. Casa Mila Well let this beautiful yet eerie video entice you to seek out the experience of Casa Mila 8. Palau Guell The Palau Güell in Barcelona is one of the early works of Antoni Gaudí  situated in the district of Raval. Parts of the façade of the Palau Güell will remind you of a Venetian palace.  The Palau Güell underwent 7 years of reconstruction and reopened in 2011. 9. Park Guell Park Gruell is a public park system that consists of  Mosaic-covered buildings, steps sculptures  in a lush  park  setting with the  Gaudi museum and stunning panoramic views. Barcelona Memories Are Awaiting You With the allure of culture, natural, and architectural beauty, youll want to discover the very best of Barcelona.    This is one destination that is sure to remain a vivid and pleasurable memory for many years to come.

Smart Networking Tips from Job Search and Career Experts - Executive Career Brandâ„¢

Smart Networking Tips from Job Search and Career Experts

3 Unusual Ways The Social Job Seeker Can Find Work - CareerEnlightenment.com

There are numerous ways social job seekers can use videos in their search. You can transform your work history into a video resume. You can film a story about success stories. You can even get others to do the talking for you by way of recommendations. Whatever you decide, be sure to create a video which not only shows what sort of candidate you are, but also one that can easily be viewed and shared through your social sites. After all, if you took the time to create a video, you should also spread the word during your job search.Tip: Make sure your audio, lighting, and sounds are up-to-date and fully functional. Watch the content on multiple browsers and computers, while also getting a friend or colleague to view your content before your video beforehand. This way, you will avoid any technical difficulties.The backwards approachWhy not make the employer come to you? Social networking can do more than just show your accomplishments. It can show your accomplishments in a way which mak es you a desirable candidate in your job search without even trying.For example, posting a blog every day in regards to your industry makes you look knowledgeable. Inputting keywords into your LinkedIn profile helps you to show up in searches. Creating a website which makes employers audition for you, instead of the other way around, puts you in charge of your professional future. So, although these approaches may seem backwards, they are effective if they are done correctly. You just have to find what works for you and run with it.Tip: The more places your name shows up, the greater your chances at getting noticed in your job search with minimal work on your end. Try to comment on blogs, get quoted, do some social networking, participate in Twitter chats, and even post your story on other websites. The more present you are online, the greater the chance you’ll have at being noticed.There you have it: Three out-of-the-box ways the social job seeker can find work. Campaigning, vide os, and attracting employers to you as a candidate are all great approaches at finding work in our digital world. So, get out there and do some social job seeking! More often than not, the results will likely be in your favor.What do you think? What are some other unusual ways the social job seeker can find work?

What Exactly is Pretentious Resume Writing?

What Exactly is Pretentious Resume Writing?If you are applying for a job or even thinking about doing so, then professional resume writing is an absolute must! Writing an excellent job resume should be easy, but writing one that reflects your true talents and abilities is far from easy.While there are certainly many ways to market yourself, many people fail to realize the importance of a good job resume. A good job resume will help you land the interview as well as letting others know exactly what it is that you have to offer them. The best part about a good resume is that it can be revised at any time.There are many people who will tell you that your resume is just an exercise in socializing. And yes, this is indeed true, but it is not the only purpose of a resume. You should think of the purpose for writing one before you begin, and also as you go along.Think of what it is that you want to show in your job. Will it be an income, an educational background, or some other profession?I f it is a job, you need to think of the type of job, and make sure that it is in line with your expectations. If you are applying for a job in an organization, it might be very hard to find out if they need someone who is good at writing, for example. This is why it is so important to write a brief description of what you have to offer them in the position, including the skills you have for the job.Once you have written out your experience, qualifications, and skills in a job, then you can move on to outlining your job related skills. The job description should include what you bring to the table that will make your skills and experience relevant and useful to the position. For example, if your skills are sales, then your job description may include the details of how you are great at building relationships and selling products.Describe your work history and how you went about making the most of it. For example, were you working as a salesperson, do you handle all the meetings, or a re you a very involved advisor? All of these questions will help you determine if you can really put your skills to use in the field that you are looking to work in.