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Career development goals that you should set

Career Development Goals that you Should Set!

Career goals are one of the most necessary things to have for your professional development!

That’s why you’re here trying to learn more about how to make the most out of yourself!

You’re the type of person who wants to be the best that they can be and the same goes for your career development goals.

It’s great that you’re here because I have been exactly where you are. I went through the same thing. I worked through developing career goals for myself that were meant to carry me through my career and professional life. And honestly, it has made all the difference.

Your professional development goals are going to help you to stay on track and keep the big picture in mind no matter what each day brings. That’s why it’s so important to take this time to create these goals for yourself.

Goal setting is not always as easy as it sounds. You don’t always have all of the information that you need to know if you will be able to achieve your goal.

You really have to think about how you are going about choosing your professional, personal, or career goals.

Career development goals are extremely important to have for your sustained success. They are the goals that you will set for yourself to develop a little bit each day into your best self at work.

Professional development is one of the cornerstones of your career. Growing your skillset and knowledge base will be one of the key factors to your success.

Career goals are sometimes abstract and sometimes very clearly defined. You will use short term goals and long term goals together to achieve the highest level of happiness and success that you can.

Career Goals

After laying the foundation for why you are working so hard, and learning about how to best set goals, now we can talk about some actual examples of career goals.

You will be able to take these broad professional goals and define them more clearly to your exact situation.

Improve your communication skills

One of the most important things in any line of work is the ability to communicate effectively. This includes being able to take extremely difficult concepts and break them down into simple precise thoughts.

Having the ability to give clear instructions or summarize a meeting effectively will set you apart from most of the crowd. Simply taking notes during a meeting and summarizing them in an email for the rest of the attendees will make you more valuable than you can imagine.

Communication skills are built through trial and error. As you develop your knowledge of any given subject, you will be able to have a much better understanding of how to effectively communicate that subject’s concepts to people who do not have as thorough of an understanding.

It will make you a “go-to” person in your organization. That’s why having a goal of improving your communication skills can be so vital to your success.

Earn a reputation

You need to decide what type of reputation that you want to have.

It’s extremely hard to change your reputation once you’ve earned it. Not impossible, but hard.

What do you want people to say about you when you leave a room? How do you want people to view you when they’re putting a team together? Will you be the first person they want or the leftover that just rounds out the numbers?

Think about how you act in front of your peers. Is it in line with how you want them to view you? If not, make some changes. If so, keep up the good work.

Just realize that people notice what you do even if you don’t think so.

Lead yourself, and lead others

Before you can lead other people, you have to be able to lead yourself. Are you sleeping in until the last minute before you jump out of bed to run out the door? Are you taking care of your mental and physical health? Is there something that you know you could be doing better, but you just aren’t?

I think we have all been guilty of being bad at leading ourselves at one point or another. We don’t always practice what we know will be the best things for us. But it’s extremely important to make leading ourselves a goal to be able to develop ourselves personally and professionally.

Once you find out what’s most important to you, you can establish a solid code of conduct for yourself. People will fall in line after you.

Be a good follower

There are going to be times where you just need to let someone else lead. Don’t take these times as a challenge to your leadership abilities, take it for exactly what it is: someone else having leadership capabilities as well.

It may or may not be a professional goal for you to become a manager or move up the ladder, but no matter where you are in the chain of command, you will need to know how to follow others at times.

When someone gives you a task to complete, do it with a smile on your face. If someone else is leading your team, be the best damn team member they have ever had.

Understanding how to follow is one of the most important career goals to have.

Surround yourself with great people

Becoming part of a tribe is extremely important to your success. I wish I would’ve understood the power of a strong network much earlier in my working years. I thought I needed to do everything myself. I would try to mask my weaknesses by working extremely hard at completing tasks that I knew I wasn’t a good fit for.

Now I understand that it isn’t necessary to do that. It is so much better for you to have people around you who have strengths that complement your weaknesses. Be honest with yourself about what you’re not great at, and let someone else take the reins for those tasks.

You become the people who you spend the most time around. Make sure you’re surrounding yourself with people who you admire.

Continuously grow your skill set

Something that all employers will admire is a passion for learning. There will most likely be optional training available at your place of work. You should sign up for everyone that you can.

Not only will these training courses develop your skills in whatever area they are teaching about, it will also open your eyes to other people’s ways of thinking.

The instructor will have a particular worldview and skill set that has shaped them into being a person capable of teaching that course. There is a lot to learn a lot from someone who has a level of mastery in their craft.

Professional goals are vital to your success and set them the right way can maximize your chance of being the best that you can be.

Take some time to sit down and think about the legacy that you want to leave for yourself. What makes you happy? How do you evaluate yourself? Keep these things in mind when you’re creating your goals.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now

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Attracting Your Dream Career Career coaching Career Development Networking Promoting yourself

A GROWTH MINDSET IS THE KEY TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT

A GROWTH MINDSET IS THE KEY TO CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Planning for your career is exciting but tricky. As you continue on this journey, remember that adopting a growth mindset can help you get a job, excel in your new career, and uncover opportunities in your career as you grow. 

In particular, a good mindset allows you to approach your new career with positivity while opening up new possibilities.

Adaptability has always played a key role in workplace success. But it seems like now more than ever, our careers require us to be constantly evolving. The pace of change is accelerating.  To succeed in any industry, and to be ready to take part in the next evolution of it, professionals must grow and develop. 

One challenge to growth and career development in organizations is that many employees assume they are not capable. We tell ourselves, ‘I’m not a leader.’ ‘I’m not very creative.’ ‘Spreadsheets are not my strong suit’. Or worse, managers assume their employees are not capable and don’t have the potential to progress. 

That’s not the case. We can take control of our own development with the right mindset. 

Carol Dweck calls this having a “growth” mindset (vs. a “fixed” one).   She says that it’s not intelligence, talent, or education that sets successful people apart. It’s their mindset or the way that they approach life’s challenges.

In this post, I’ll show you the meaning of Dweck’s idea of mindset, how a “fixed mindset” can hold people back, and how a “growth mindset” can help them progress.

What is Mindset?

Mind-set is the view that you adopt for yourself that determines the way you live your life, see the world and make decisions.  It is essentially your particular perspective or the way you view the world.  In short, it’s the way your perceptions or your beliefs about your abilities and qualities shape the way you operate.

Think about some of your talents or qualities. Are you creative? Do you have musical abilities? Are you intelligent? Wise?

The way you answered those questions says a lot about your mindset and how you view yourself and the world around you. Your mindset is not a small thing. It’s responsible for what shapes your reality, shaping your entire perception of what’s attainable and what’s out of your reach.

The Fixed Mindset

People with a fixed mindset believe they “are who they are” and were born with a set level of talent, intelligence, and even interests. Because of this, they’re more likely to seek out opportunities and situations that affirm these views.  For example, they will do the same job over and over to receive praise and believe that talent alone—not effort—is the source of success. 

They are keenly interested to know whether they have succeeded or failed. But they show no interest when offered help to learn from their mistakes. They don’t believe they can improve so they don’t try.

Because of this people with a fixed mindset may feel an urgency to prove themselves again and again. They tend to avoid challenges, give up easily, and ignore useful constructive feedback.  Striving for success and avoiding failure at all costs become a way of maintaining the sense of being smart or skilled.

The Growth Mind-set

People with a growth mindset believe they can develop their abilities so they invest energy in learning. They’re more likely to seek out situations to experiment and see failure as an opportunity to grow.  They seek input from others, try different strategies and gain insights from their mistakes.  They use feedback and mistakes as opportunities to improve while enjoying the process of learning and becoming more productive.

By seeking opportunities, people with a growth mindset succeed more and achieve great things in their careers. Belief leads to action, which in turn leads to success.  That success reinforces the belief so it creates a virtuous circle of progress.

Implications for Career Development

When it comes to developing their careers, people with different mindsets are likely to respond differently. Let’s say you have two employees on your team, 

The fixed mindset employee will be more likely to resist career conversations. They may say they’re happy in their current role and don’t want to progress. They’ll stick to doing the job they know, working with people and techniques they’re familiar with. And will be averse to trying new things because they want to avoid challenges for fear of failure.

The growth mindset employee, on the other hand, believes that they can develop their talents and abilities. They’ll be more likely to engage in career conversations and search out opportunities.  They will try new challenges and responsibilities even though they may not be good at it right away. It will take work and it might not be the right choice.  But they’ll learn from it anyway and progress in the long run.

The marriage of a growth mindset with a commitment to learning is a powerful combination for career development. Most people operate with both fixed and growth mindsets.  The key is to understand when a fixed mindset is holding someone back and to help them become more growth-minded.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!  Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now!

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Attracting Your Dream Career Career coaching Career Development Marketing Networking Productivity and Priority Promoting yourself Social Media Marketing

8 Career Development Tips Everyone Should know

8 Career Development Tips Everyone Should know

In today’s post, I am writing all about career development tips for working women-especially those of you who are just venturing out into the corporate world.

Now, I don’t want to seem like I know it all. Believe me, I don’t. However, I do think that I have some advice for all you working women who want to be the best version of themselves at work.

When you’re thinking about the goals that you are creating, make sure to keep the big picture in mind. Start with finding your why. Learning what drives you is the first step to having any kind of success with achieving your career development and professional goals.

Another thing to keep in mind is that you want to create well thought out career goals that you have confidence in achieving. It’s OK to fail sometimes, but eventually you want to reach the goals that you set for yourself!

If you’ve been looking for friendly advice on what to expect in the workplace, read on.

Be friendly but assertive

I chose this as my first piece of advice because I often see a lot of working women either being too nice or too firm.

To put it simply, if you’re too nice you’ll be seen as a pushover and people will expect things of you that are not part of your job, and if you’re too firm then you will be labeled a bitch.

I love the saying “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it” because you can absolutely say “no” to something but remain professional and tactful. Balance is key.

Build strong professional relationships

This one has been a lifesaver for me whenever I wanted to advance in my career or even change jobs.

Networking is one of the most important things you can do as a working woman. Not only will you learn a lot from your colleagues but you will also build relationships that can help you get what you want at your current job.

For instance, to get a promotion you need to go through your management. If you’ve built a good relationship with them, they will already know about your work ethic and how deserving you are of the position.

If you’re not respected by them, getting that promotion will be much harder, even if you’re qualified for it. Help them help you with getting what you deserve.

Learn from your seniors

We are constantly learning at work because the world is constantly evolving.

You need to be comfortable with learning from others, especially from your managers if you’re looking for a promotion in the next few years. It’s perfectly okay to ask for help when you need it and don’t be afraid to ask for professional advice from your management, or from people who have been at the job longer than you have.

They are there to help you, and if they won’t, then you don’t want to turn out to be like them anyway.

Be confident

If you’re not a confident person, act like you are. A good trick to boost self-confidence is listening to motivational talks on youtube or podcasts.

Low confidence can really harm your overall wellbeing and stress levels, so it’s important to remember that you are enough, you are deserving of great things in life, and that you are damn good at your job.

Don’t be afraid to ask for what you deserve

Do you think you deserve a raise? A promotion? Great, now tell yourself why you deserve it.

What have you brought to the company that bettered it? By how much have sales increased since you got there? Once you calculate all of the things that you have done to make your workplace better than what it was before you got there, set up a meeting with your supervisors and explain it all to them.

Invest in yourself

Read more books, meditate, listen to podcasts, take online courses, work out a few times a week. Do whatever you feel helps elevate you and better your life emotionally and physically.

Surround yourself with positive people

The company you keep is very important at work. You need to surround yourself with people who inspire you and people who challenge you to aim higher.

Don’t waste your time on negative Nancys who do not add to your growth, or who do not believe in your vision.

You don’t need to be perfect

Remember, you are not going to be perfect at everything you do. Nobody is. There is no need to beat yourself up about something that you’re not amazing at.

With practice, though, you can definitely work on bettering your skills. So don’t be so hard on yourself when you don’t become a master at something right away.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog post on Career Development Goals! It’s never too late to work on yourself and your future. 

Don’t forget to share this with your friends and comment below if you found this useful or what other Career Tips you’ll recommend!

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now!

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Consistency LinkedIn profile Networking Promoting yourself

6 Best Linkedin Profile Strength Tips To Make Your Profile Standout

6 Easy Ways on How To Make Your Linkedin Profile Standout

Here is your ultimate guide to take your LinkedIn profile strength to the next level. Follow these 6 easy tips and tricks and you can create a more and interesting profile.

If you’re looking for some LinkedIn profile tips, you’re most likely in one of these situations:

You’re not landing the clients, job, or employees you want.
Your profile lacks views or popularity.
You don’t know what to write for your LinkedIn profile
If you answered, “that’s me!” to any one of these above points, I completely understand!

I want to share with you my 15 best LinkedIn profile tips so you can:

  • Find great work
  • Make more money
  • Get more profile views
  • Build an incredible network

LinkedIn boasts over 660 million users in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. With that kind of reach, you can’t afford not to take your LinkedIn profile seriously.

1. Be A Strategic Linkedin User

Building a strong network is about making and maintaining connections. Connecting with someone after a networking event is just half the battle, after all. 

How do you maintain better LinkedIn connections? One word: Engage. 

Here are 2 things you should avoid, and how to use your likes to your advantage.

Don’t be a LinkedIn crawler. You know, those people who just scroll through their feed and aimlessly browse without liking anything. 

Instead, try this: Every time you go on LinkedIn, take a few moments to like a few recent posts in your newsfeed. Whenever you’re liking a post, you’re also showing your connection some appreciation!

Don’t treat your likes like gold. Unlike gold, likes are free. 

Instead, try this: My rule of thumb is, if the post I read provided just an ounce of value, I give it a like! But it’s important to be purposeful about this—don’t just go around liking any and all posts. 

Likes are the easiest way to produce rapport.

Look at the bigger picture. I used to be a serial judger, but liking creates deeper connections. It’s great conversation fodder next time you see them. If you liked an article they posted—even if the post wasn’t excellent—you then can talk about that article next time you see them. Bingo! Conversation starter and liker. 

2. Focus on the Top Sections

Recruiters are busy and so are most professionals. There are a lot of technical advantages to having a very full profile, but you can’t expect everyone who arrives at your page to read every word.

You have to hook them from the start. Include your most important skills, experiences, and qualities high up in your profile. This means your cover photo, profile picture, headline, summary, and recent experience.

So if you won a huge award or have a key certification, don’t wait until the “Accomplishments” or “Licenses & certifications” sections to mention them. Add them to one of your top sections—as high up as is appropriate. The same goes for your most important keywords. Don’t let your most marketable skill get buried in your “Skills & endorsements” section.

3. Attract Recruiters Like a Pro

From the 2017 Jobvite Recruiter Nation Report, below are the top three positive factors that impact a recruiter’s decision to move forward with a candidate.

In case you weren’t aware already, recruiters use LinkedIn to find, qualify, and engage with for open positions. I can’t confirm an actual statistic, but one study reported in 2016 84% of recruiters use LinkedIn to recruit while another study from March 2018 reported that 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to vet candidates. I believe them both.

  1. Examples of written or design work (65%)
  2. Engagement in volunteering, mentoring, or non-profits (63%)
  3. Mutual connections (35%)

So, if you want to be visible and desirable to recruiters as part (not all) of your job search plan, below are four things you can do to increase your chances.

4. Use Your Summary Wisely

Your summary or “About” section is where you can really show your personality and share your story, Hallow says. And it doesn’t need to be complicated.

Here’s how you might structure it:

  • Introduce yourself. Who are you as a professional and what do you do? What value do you bring to the organizations you work for?
  • Highlight your key skills, experiences, and achievements in paragraph form or a bulleted list.
  • Talk about who you are outside of work. This is optional, but you never know which of your interests might resonate with a recruiter, future employer, or professional connection.
  • Call the reader to action by asking them to connect with you to discuss growth marketing, contact you about job or speaking opportunities, or do whatever you’re currently looking to get from your LinkedIn profile.

Even if you follow this structure, there are infinite ways to write your summary. “The ‘About’ section is very personal,” Wasserman says. Use the first person, and don’t be afraid to talk about what really matters to you in your career.

5. Credibility In Telling Your Story

Credibility is essential to telling your story on LinkedIn. Because what’s a story if no one can back up its claims?

Enter the LinkedIn Recommendations section. A recommendation is how your community can validate your professional story by writing about their experience working with you.

Request recommendations from a diverse group of people you’ve collaborated with across different roles, and who can speak to your specific work experience, skills, and major achievements. 

When asking executives or senior leaders for a recommendation, consider writing a first draft of  the recommendation for them as a starting point and let them edit to fit their voice and tone. By giving them a starting point, you’ll help them narrow their focus on what you would like them to say and save them time.

6. Show Off Your Expertise or Best Work in the Features Section

Just below the “About” section is the “Featured” sections, which allows you to showcase media, links, and LinkedIn articles and posts at the top of your profile. Sharing the work or mentions that are most relevant to your personal brand and LinkedIn goals is a great opportunity to show your skills in action, Wasserman says.

If you have an online portfolio, the “Featured” section is a great, highly visible spot to link to it.

Summary: Your LinkedIn Tips To-Do List

Here is a quick to do list from this article that you can do with your LinkedIn profile strength right now:

  • Be a strateguc Linkedin User
  • Focus on the top sections
  • Attract recruited like a pro
  • Use your summary wisely
  • Credibility in telling your story
  • Show off your expertise or best work in the features section

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now

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Consistency LinkedIn profile Networking Promoting yourself

5 Easy Ways on How To Make Your Linkedin Profile Standout

5 Easy Ways on How To Make Your Linkedin Profile Standout

No matter what stage of the job-search process you’re in, you’ll always need a LinkedIn profile that stands out.

With more than 600 million users worldwide, LinkedIn is easily the largest professional network on the planet.  Your LinkedIn profile communicates who you are. It’s a way to tell your story, get heard, and be discovered.

But what makes a great profile? How do you break through the crowd to get noticed by recruiters, peers, and others who will connect you to the opportunities you want?  A compelling profile starts with better expressing the amazing individual you are: who you are and why you are unique. 

1. Speak To Your Target Audience

The first step is to define who your key audience is. Then craft a story focused on your contributions, your career journey, and the values that are important to you—all tailored to the right audience. For example, are your audience industry peers, customers, or executives? Think about how you’d tailor your content differently for each and customize. 

Use the headline (the domain immediately below your name at the top of your LinkedIn profile) as an opportunity to describe yourself.

Offer the reader a glimpse of your background and skills. Use the headline to bridge the gap and tell the reader where you currently are and where you want to go.

2. Write An Eye Catching Headline

By default, your current job title will show as your headline. That is not what you want. This heavily searched section should focus on what you do. State the work title you qualify for, do now, or want. Be specific using standard titles that are typically found on a job search site. You can highlight the field you are interested in, plus any specialties or key certifications that you possess.

3. Lean Into Your Story With A Strong “Summary”

Some of my clients ask me where they should invest their time when it comes to improving their LinkedIn profiles. My answer is always to focus on the “Summary” section. This is the first section everyone will see, and you want it to catch people’s attention. Use this space to make a bold first impression and draw others into your story.

Explain how you’re different by showcasing your key skills, and how you want to impact, contribute, and add value. Focus not only on what you do, but also why it matters and your “superpowers” (i.e. key strengths that differentiate you.) To really stand out, consider adding a personal mission statement or leadership purpose statement. This will help others get to know the compass that guides you in your life and career.

4. Turn on “Open to new job opportunities”

If you are open to new roles, your manager doesn’t have to know but recruiters can! When a relevant opportunity pops up recruiters can now get in touch with you.

Click on the ‘Me’ tab > click on ‘Add profile section’

Underneath the ‘Intro’ tab, it says ‘Looking for a new job’. Click here, and fill out your desired job titles and job location. You can also select whether you’re open to remote work, add your start dates and job types (full-time, contract or part-time).

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, you can now choose who sees that you’re open to hearing about new roles. You can either select ‘Just recruiters’ (so no one from your company will know you’re job searching) or you can select ‘All LinkedIn members’, which will add a green ‘Open for work’ badge on your profile picture.

5. Credibility In Telling Your Story

Credibility is essential to telling your story on LinkedIn. Because what’s a story if no one can back up its claims?

Enter the LinkedIn Recommendations section. A recommendation is how your community can validate your professional story by writing about their experience working with you.

Request recommendations from a diverse group of people you’ve collaborated with across different roles, and who can speak to your specific work experience, skills, and major achievements. 

When asking executives or senior leaders for a recommendation, consider writing a first draft of  the recommendation for them as a starting point and let them edit to fit their voice and tone. By giving them a starting point, you’ll help them narrow their focus on what you would like them to say and save them time.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now

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Consistency LinkedIn profile Networking Promoting yourself

5 Common Mistakes When Improving Your Linkedin Profile Strength

5 Common Mistakes When Improving Your Linkedin Profile

On the hunt for a new job? Well, you’re probably going to need to work on your LinkedIn profile strengths. 

First impressions are critical to your success in building business relationships, which just happens to be one of the primary functions of LinkedIn.

Yet, even as it’s more important than ever to have a high-impact LinkedIn profile strengths, there are some common mistakes that one of my clients never realized that they are doing which is pretty easy to avoid.

I often get the question, “What are the Common Mistakes on How to avoid getting bad impressions from your Linkedin Profile Stenths?”

1. Boring and Undescriptive Headline

One of the gravest LinkedIn mistakes you can make is to create a boring or undescriptive LinkedIn headline. Your LinkedIn headline is the MOST critical part of your profile because, along with your name and profile photo, it is the first thing anyone will see when they find you in the search results or land on your profile.

Your headline will determine whether a viewer will choose to click on your profile or click away.

Your headline should also include keywords you would like to be found for. These could consist of your position or the services you offer. You can also include a client-focused statement that will capture a viewer’s attention and entice them to click to learn more.

To ensure your headline creates a great first impression and helps you stand out, check out this guide on creating the perfect LinkedIn headline.

2. Unprofessional Profile Picture

LinkedIn is not Facebook, Instagram or any other social media platform. While it can be amusing to have a profile image featuring fun locations or your friends, family or pets, such a profile image is inappropriate on a professional platform such as LinkedIn.

To create the best first impression, add a professional profile picture, where you are recognizable, professionally dressed, smiling and looking straight at the camera against a neutral background.

3. Grammatical Mistakes and Typos

Surely, it’s no surprise that candidates demonstrating a strong grasp of the English language are more desirable. People assume they’ll be better written and verbal communicators and leaders on the job. Even with the spelling and grammar checks built into our word processors, it can be easy to make an error when putting together your LinkedIn profile, especially in the Summary or Experience section.

Proofread each section of your LinkedIn profile before you post it, and ask your friends to look it over as well. The worst way to make a first impression with recruiters or hiring managers is to have them find a simple mistake and doubt your job skills going forward.

4. Blank Summary or Current Experience

Your summary section is the perfect place for you to make a first great impression on the viewer. Leaving it blank will rob you of the opportunity to tell your readers about yourself, your expertise and your clientele. When writing your summary, speak to your audience directly, be it your ideal clients, strategic partners or employers.

If you don’t grab their attention, they will click away, and the opportunity to create a business relationship with them will be lost.

Your current experience should describe what you’re doing right now in your current position or in your business.

A compelling current work experience section should:

  • describe the company you work for (or own),
  • share the most inspiring information about the company (such as a USP and mission or vision statement),
  • describe the products or services you offer, the benefits they provide, and the types of clients you serve.

5. Profile Is Written Like a Resume

Unless you are a job seeker, your Linkedin profile should not be written like a resume. This impersonal way of talking about yourself can turn off potential clients, partners or other people you’d like to connect with.

Write your profile in the first person, and speak directly to the people you want to connect with. Explain whom you help and how you help so the readers can imagine the benefits of receiving your service or using your product.

Avoid LinkedIn Mistakes that Damage Credibility

Everybody makes mistakes, but some errors, like the 10 LinkedIn mistakes discussed in this article, can cost you potential business opportunities and even damage your credibility within the business community.

LinkedIn is a professional network and can be much less forgiving than Facebook or Twitter. Familiarize yourself with the LinkedIn etiquette, and act accordingly, especially if you use (or hope to use) LinkedIn for professional purposes.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now

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Consistency LinkedIn profile Networking Promoting yourself

7 Ways to Improve your LinkedIn Profile Strength

How to Improve your LinkedIn Profile Strength

It happens very often that we wonder “What’s the LinkedIn profile strength status after All-Star? What do I have to do to get it? How do I attain the next one?”

Well, I am here to explain it to you, my friend.

I will share a case with you from one of my clients. Erica needed to improve her LinkedIn profile and learn how to expose her current skills, education, and over 15 years of experience in Marketing. She asks me to help her and we worked on her LinkedIn profile. After that, she got focused on her career strategy by getting interviews quickly in the marketing field of her desires. Within the week, she had an interview with a hiring manager!

But What is a LinkedIn’s Profile Strength? This is LinkedIn’s way of showing you how “robust” or POWERFUL your profile is. The more CONTENT you add, the more the STRENGTH of your profile will increase.

LinkedIn has several ways to assess how well you are using some of the features available to maximize the opportunity to be found online via your LinkedIn Profile. One of these features is ranking your profile and how well you have filled in, or optimized, all of the elements of your LinkedIn Profile.

To view the Profile Strength meter:

  1. Click the Me icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage (if on the desktop) or the photo of you on the top LH side of your phone screen.
  2. Select View profile.
  3. Below your top card information, move your cursor over the meter to see which steps you’ve completed. If you’re an ALL STAR – well done!

Step 1: Upload a professional-looking profile picture and background image

Having a quality profile picture is vital on Linkedin and many users who fail to have one end up being ignored. To make sure your profile picture fits properly, the picture should be square (250 x 250 pixels is the perfect dimension). Cropped pictures, dark pictures, or pictures that are blurry or have a busy background should be avoided. In addition, upload a background photo which is 1400 x 425 pixels. Your background photo should showcase the result of your product or service. For example, if you’re a career coach for men over 40, then show a successful and fulfilled man in his forties in a career environment.

Additional elements to add on a background image could be your business logo and website URL if you have any. The more customized your account is and the more visually attractive it is, the more likely you are to stand out from anyone else and is what makes a good Linkedin profile.

Step 2: Write a compelling headline

Your headline that appears below your name and profile picture should describe your main strengths and include keywords you wish to rank for. In my case we have: Graduate to Executive | Career Source| Expert Interview & Resume Writing | HRIS | HR Talent Development Consultant| Branding|Speaker

Step 3: Complete the summary section

When completing your summary, it should underline who you are and what you specialize in and explain your unique selling proposition in detail. The summary section allows you to write up to 2,000 words so make sure you take full advantage of this space to market yourself. In addition, remember to add a call-to-action inviting people to check your website, get in touch by email or endorse your skills.

Step 4: Describe your current position and add at least 2 past positions

By providing details about your current position and at least 2 past positions, will make your profile 12 times more likely to be found. If you don’t have at least 2 past positions, break down your different responsibilities and roles into separate positions.

Step 5: List your education

When filling the “education” section on Linkedin, if you didn’t go through higher education, you can simply list the courses or seminars you attended and any certificates you may have.

Step 6: List your top 10 skills

In terms of skills, Linkedin allows you to list a total of 50 skills. However, listing just 10 skills is enough as most people are unlikely to read all 50. Once you have listed your 10 most important skills for which you want to be known for, you can re-shuffle them in order of importance.

Step 7: Grow your connections

Finally, make sure you have a minimum of 50 connections if you want your profile strength to be “expert” or “all-star”. Start connecting with people by sending personalized connection requests or emailing your database inviting them to join you on Linkedin. Alternatively, you can promote your Linkedin profile by adding the link on your business cards and in your email signature.

Having a big Linkedin network is also what makes a good Linkedin profile.

Extra Step: Customize your Linkedin profile URL

Just like other social networks, your default Linkedin profile link contains random characters which read: https://www.linkedin.com/in/your-name-769a78246. To customize your Linkedin profile URL, go to “edit profile” and click on the settings tab next to your current URL.

Next, click on the edit tab next to your URL.

Is all this necessary?

Let me tell you that IT IS! Users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn than someone with an incomplete profile. This means you will connect with more people and truly experience the benefits of LinkedIn.

Plus, I have found that complete profiles rank higher in LinkedIn’s search results. LinkedIn wants to ensure their search results are accurate and so it makes sense that they promote profiles that are filled out ahead of incomplete profiles.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog post on the top 8 ways to improve your Linkedin profile strength! It’s never too late to work on yourself and your future. 

Don’t forget to share this with your friends and comment below if you found this useful or what other steps have you done to improve your LinkedIn.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now

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Why you should Improve your LinkedIn Profile Strengths

Why is it important to improve your LinkedIn Profile Strengths?

LinkedIn is the most popular tool for job search, therefore knowing how to use LinkedIn to get a job should be your number 1 priority.

Although most people know how to use LinkedIn, there are certain things that many are not aware of, hurting their chances of finding a new job, and that is how they portray their profile.

You may have been in a position where you are struggling to make connections or to get job interviews, it’s normal if you don’t really know all the features that LinkedIn provides.

I always remark to my clients how crucial and important it’s for them to keep their LinkedIn profile updated and keep improving in their profile strength!

And here I’m going to give you some tips to improve your LinkedIn profile and make it stand out from the others!

Stand Out:

Make sure you fill in all the areas in your LinkedIn profile, starting with your profile picture.

Avoid selfies and keep it professional. Remember, this is the first thing that recruiters will see when they will open your job application.

The About section on LinkedIn should include an elevator pitch, which is a short overview of your background and experience, along with your goals.

You don’t need to be too specific about your goals, however, do mention what you are looking for.

Don’t be afraid to show your personality as well! such as how you are spending your free time, as recruiters will get a better understanding of how could you fit in their team.

The About section allows you to also include links or upload files. This is very useful if you have an online portfolio or work that you would like to showcase, such as presentations, files, pictures, etc.

LinkedIn Headline:

The LinkedIn headline is one of the most, if not THE MOST important part of your LinkedIn profile.

The headline is what follows your name every time you interact on LinkedIn. If you post something on LinkedIn, this action will appear in your network’s feed and the headline will show right under your name.

When recruiters are looking to fill in job openings, they are looking for keywords. That is why it is crucial to use proper keywords when writing your LinkedIn headline

Job history on LinkedIn:

Include the most relevant positions you held and make sure that the information displayed on your LinkedIn profile matches the information that you have included in your resume.

Exclude any positions that are not relevant to the job you are aiming to get and also remove any very short-term positions, as they might get in the way of finding a new job, instead of helping. Recruiters might think that you are a job-hopper and just skip your job application altogether.

Same as with the Above section, LinkedIn allows you to include links or files for any position on your profile. Use this to include any relevant work you have done.

When writing down the description of the job it’s best to structure it with bullet points and ensure you include achievements, not just the job description. 

Other details:

You want to make sure you include the most relevant skills that you have, as this will help recruiters find you as well. If you want to be endorsed for the skills that you have, the best practice is for you to endorse people in your network and hope they will return the favor.

Research on LinkedIn:

Once your profile is set, it’s time to research. Knowing how to use LinkedIn for research can potentially land you a job by using a referral.

Using the search bar, you can conduct different types of research:

  • Target companies
  • HR managers and recruiters
  • Job Title

Network on LinkedIn:

Once the research is done, it is time to increase your network.

Send connect invites to anyone you think will be able to help you in your job search and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Be active and interact on LinkedIn even though your network is small.

Share other people’s content, post articles, and engage by liking and commenting on everything you find useful.

Remember!

When using LinkedIn to get a job, it’s important to have a clear vision of the type of companies and roles that you are targeting!

It might be tempting to send as many job applications as possible, but do yourself a favor and don’t do that. Make sure that you meet at least 80% of the job requirements before submitting your application.

And don’t forget to let recruiters know that you’re open! Below About, in your dashboard, the career interests button is off by default.

You want to make sure that you turn this button on, to signal that you are looking for new opportunities and enable recruiters to find you easily.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this blog post on Why you should improve your Linkedin profile strength! It’s never too late to work on yourself and your future. 

Don’t forget to share this with your friends and comment below if you found this useful or what other steps have you done to improve your LinkedIn.

If you want to learn more Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now!