Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn – How to Stand Out in Today’s Crowded, Multi-Media World

Hello Everyone,
The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by speaker Patrick O'Connor. The facilitator for this week will be Bill Wilson. We will devote the first hour to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Important Note: Please make a serious, concerted effort to arrive before 10:00 AM. We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM.

In the second hour, Patrick will talk about "Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn – How to Stand Out in Today’s Crowded, Multi-Media World."

Getting the Most Out of LinkedIn – How to Stand Out in Today’s Crowded, Multi-Media World

According to the latest metrics, LinkedIn has over 400 million members in over 200 countries and territories. How is anyone going to find you? You have to be creative and do more today to get noticed!

In this session we will:
* Define LinkedIn account types and the reasons to upgrade from a basic account
* Break out the main functions of your LinkedIn profile
* Cover tips and tricks to get the most impact out of your LinkedIn profile
* Discuss keyword placements tips to increase your "findability"
* Review the social media aspects of LinkedIn's service and how to best utilize these features
* Learn how to maintain your LinkedIn "brand" and keep its influence growing

Patrick O'Connor -- Social Media Strategist & PMI Central Mass Board Member

Patrick O’Connor is the Assistant Director of Marketing and Communications for PMI Central Mass and currently mobilized with the Massachusetts Air National Guard. On the civilian side, Patrick recently worked for IBM, where he led an award-winning, global marketing team for IBM Electronic Support specializing in social media campaigns & customer education programs. His high-tech and military careers span over three decades. As a trained analyst and social media strategist, Patrick brings a unique combination of technology experience, military expertise and global team leadership success to bear on his many current endeavors.

Recap of HNG Meeting of July 8, 2016

Our 170th meeting had 25 people, this is 2 less than the previous meeting; three signed the New Member list. Vincent Rocheleau was our facilitator. There were four introduction speeches.

We had a speaker, Eric Ross, who talked about "Power Networking."
The presentation will give all attendees a thorough overview of the total person-to-person networking process.

Key Benefits of Attending – Attendees:
• Gained an understanding of the true purpose and value of networking
• Became exposed to key tools to be used in the process
• Learned how to start the “power” networking practice
• Understood how to effectively leverage existing contacts
• Learned key things never to do when networking
• Understood the different kinds of potential contacts
• Learned effective ways to outreach to networking referrals
• Learned ways to truly differentiate oneself
• Understood how to conduct a meeting with a networking contact
• Learned how to optimize the results of a networking meeting
• Understood how power networking can continue to generate new contacts

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

August 5, 2016 Bonnie Petrovich TBD

General Information

The networking group meets in Hopkinton, at St. John the Evangelist Church parish hall. The meeting occurs, from 10 to 12 noon, and will meet the first and third Friday of the month. The parish hall has a capacity for 250 people and there is plenty of parking spaces in the parking lot and on the street. Around the perimeter of the parish hall are rooms to allow us to have focused network groups or for any other purpose we need. We chose the first and third Friday to allow everyone to attend the Acton Networking Group or any other networking group, if they wanted, on the Friday we do not meet.

We will maintain our close affiliation with Acton Networkers by using the same list-server to share information between the groups. Any e-mails specific to the Hopkinton Networking Group (HNG) will be indicated in the subject line either by "Hopkinton Networking Group" or "HNG"; this way anyone attending these meetings will know the e-mail is intended for them.

We will follow the following agenda items:
* Welcome
* Landings (with doughnuts)
* Announcements
* New member introductions
* Needs and Leads
* Speaker(s), Workshop, or Focus Group
* Cleanup

For those new members who give their introductions, this is what we would like to know:
* Name
* Skills and Value Statement
* Where have you been?
* Where are you going?
* Your title
* Your target companies
* Geography of search
* Name and e-mail address

If anyone wants to join our team, please let one of us know; we could always use the extra help and input for ideas.

Directions:
Take Rt. 495 North/South and get off Exit 21A. Go through three traffic lights. CVS is on the right at the third traffic light. The first street after the third traffic light is Church Street, take a right turn. The church is on the right. Go around to the left of the parking lot and go into the side entrance of the parish hall.

Depending upon where you live, perhaps you may want to use Mapquest for a more direct route. The address of the church is:
St. John the Evangelist
20 Church Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748

Regards,
Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) Coordinators:
Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
Ronaldo Lu ronaldo.lu@comcast.net
Vincent Rocheleau vrocheleau@hotmail.com
Bill Wilson bill@williamjwilson.com

Tidbits from the 5th Job Search Jam Sessions

Thank you for participating in the 5th Job Search Jam Sessions.

24 folks came together to learn, network, and share. Sessions were lead by Joanne Dustin, Gil Krispien, Ken Picard, and Steve Sherlock. Judith Herman and one other person (whose name escapes me) stepped up to lead a session. This was a great example of the power held within us brought forth by the unconference format!


Joanne's presentation can be found here:

The financial report will be published here in a couple of days.

Steve Sherlock's "I'm on LinkedIn, now what?" formal presentations can be found here
special shortened version for Rotary Club
http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2011/04/franklin-rotary-club-im-on-linkedin-now.html

Audio version (in two parts) as presented to the Hopkinton Networking Group
http://steves2cents.blogspot.com/2010/07/i-on-linkedin-now-what-audio-p2.html

Looking for a Job? You're in Sales Now

Hello Everyone,

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by speaker John Courtney. The facilitator for this week will be Gil Krispien. We will devote the first hour to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Important Note: Please make a serious, concerted effort to arrive before 10:00 AM. We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM. In the second hour, John will discuss “Looking for a Job? You're in Sales Now”.

Important Note: For the month of July, the Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) will meet on the second and fourth Fridays of the month, namely, July 11th, and July 25th.

Second Important Note: On August 8th at St. Matthews in Acton, there will be a photo session conducted by William Lam, so if you would like a photo taken of yourself for LinkedIn or elsewhere, then stop by.

Looking for a Job? You're in Sales Now

Applying sales management techniques to your job search is an important discipline. The brief workshop will help you identify specific milestones in your job search from networking to accepting an offer. We will review networking techniques and how to transform that activity into a "sales" process. We will discuss ways to enable the job seeker to maintain control of the "buying" cycle.

John "JC" Courtney

JC is a veteran of information technology sales with a focus on indirect selling, or channel sales, and strategic alliances. He initiated channel programs with Intel Corporation, SteelCloud and PKWARE, inventor of the Zip file format, where he generated $5M in east region sales during the first two years of the program. As an early leader at Monster.com, he created the "Powered by Monster" network of co-branded strategic partnerships. JC is trained on CustomerCentric Selling techniques and was selected as an internal trainer at PKWARE and was responsible for mentoring his sales team on implementing the CCS process.

Recap of HNG Meeting of June 20, 2014:

Our 124th meeting had 44 people, this is 10 more than the previous meeting; 8 signed the New Member list. Grace Carcich was our facilitator. There were 8 introduction speeches.

One landing:
Brad Fenn Started Monday, June 23, 2014, at UniBank to be their Electronic Banking Technology Manager

We had a Panel of IT Professionals who have a wide range of diverse experiences and knowledge in the job search and hiring: an HR Director and a Personal Coach, a former Sales and Marketing Executive who has his own business, a Recruiter for (General) Executives, a Program Manager for a software provider and a Personal Coach and a State Career Advisor and Coach.

The Panel consisted of Robert Dandrade, Lyn Baird, Rick Frazier, Angie Grant, Kristin Rode, and Donelle Wright.

The Panel answered many questions from those attending and it was an enlightening experience.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

July 11, 2014 John Courtney "Looking for a Job? You're in Sales Now"
July 25, 2014 Open Forum Workshop

General Information

The networking group meets in Hopkinton, at St. John the Evangelist Church parish hall. The meeting occurs, from 10 to 12 noon, and will meet the first and third Friday of the month. The parish hall has a capacity for 250 people and there is plenty of parking spaces in the parking lot and on the street. Around the perimeter of the parish hall are rooms to allow us to have focused network groups or for any other purpose we need. We chose the first and third Friday to allow everyone to attend the Acton Networking Group or any other networking group, if they wanted, on the Friday we do not meet.

We will maintain our close affiliation with Acton Networkers by using the same list-server to share information between the groups. Any e-mails specific to the Hopkinton Networking Group (HNG) will be indicated in the subject line either by "Hopkinton Networking Group" or "HNG"; this way anyone attending these meetings will know the e-mail is intended for them.

We will follow the following agenda items:
* Welcome
* Landings (with doughnuts)
* Announcements
* New member introductions
* Needs and Leads
* Speaker(s), Workshop, or Focus Group
* Cleanup

For those new members who give their introductions, this is what we would like to know:
* Name
* Skills and Value Statement
* Where have you been?
* Where are you going?
* Your title
* Your target companies
* Geography of search
* Name and e-mail address

If anyone wants to join our team, please let one of us know; we could always use the extra help and input for ideas.

Directions:
Take Rt. 495 North/South and get off Exit 21A. Go through three traffic lights. Colella's Supermarket is on the right at the third traffic light. The first street after the third traffic light is Church Street, take a right turn. The church is on the right. Go around to the left of the parking lot and go into the side entrance of the parish hall.

Depending upon where you live, perhaps you may want to use Mapquest for a more direct route. The address of the church is:
St. John the Evangelist
20 Church Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748

Regards,
Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) Coordinators:
Sheri Ablaza sheriablaza@gmail.com
Grace Carcich gracec814@gmail.com
Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
William Lam wmlam508@yahoo.com
Laura Startzenbach laura.startzenbach@gmail.com

"The Social Media: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (with emphasis on LinkedIn) and the Career Center."

Hello Everyone,

Twitter

The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by speaker Jaclyn Jarmulowicz from the Framingham Workforce Central Career Center. The facilitator for this week will be Emilia Gordon. We will devote the first 45 minutes, from 10 to 10:45 AM to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Important Note: Please make a serious, concerted effort to arrive before 10:00 AM. We are going to start the meeting on time at 10:00 AM. In the second hour and 15 minutes, Jaclyn will talk about "The Social Media: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn (with emphasis on LinkedIn) and the Career Center."

The Social Media: Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn

LinkedIn

She will be presenting on how to use social media communications (Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn) as it pertains to the job search with an emphasis on LinkedIn. She will also review the advantages and disadvantages for each site and what medium is best for certain positions and industries.


Workforce Central Career Center

She will present the resources and tools Massachusetts’ One-Stop Career Centers offer including free workshops, education and training options and special workforce grants from the State and Federal government.

Jaclyn Jarmulowicz
Jaclyn Jarmulowicz is a program coordinator and workshop facilitator at Employment and Training Resources. Employment and Training Resources is the local one-stop career center for the Metro South/West region of Massachusetts. Employment and Training Resources is a joint venture of Metro South/West employment and training administration and Massachusetts Department of Labor and
Workforce Development. ETR provides a wide array of services for job seekers and businesses alike. Jaclyn is a former Division 1 scholarship Javelin thrower and has her Bachelors in communication and media studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University. She is a certified professional résumé writer, facilitates seminars and workshops, and works with recently dislocated professionals under the REA program.

Recap of HNG Meeting of May 16, 2014:

Our 122nd meeting had 33 people, this is 7 more than the previous meeting; 5 signed the New Member list. Laura Startzenbach was our facilitator. There were no introduction speeches to allow maximum time for the recruiters.

We had a Panel of Recruiters that consisted of:
Mark Carlson of The Suburban Group
Jeffrey Long of Adecco
Paul Rojee of Micro Tech Staffing
Luis Bedoya of Micro Tech Staffing

We did not follow the regular agenda, but instead focused the entire meeting on the Panel of Recruiters addressing the following agenda schedule:

* Welcome and Panel Introductions
* Recruiting 101 - the basics
a. Types of recruiters
b. How recruiters work with hiring companies and with job seekers
c. How recruiters are compensated (high level, not details)
* Market trends in hiring
* Top 10 things recruiters look for in a candidate
* Q and A from the HNG members
* Closing remarks

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

June 6, 2014 Jaclyn Jarmulowicz Social Media and Workforce Central Career Center
June 20, 2014 Robert Dandrade and Panel Job Search Advice for People Over 50

General Information

The networking group meets in Hopkinton, at St. John the Evangelist Church parish hall. The meeting occurs, from 10 to 12 noon, and will meet the first and third Friday of the month. The parish hall has a capacity for 250 people and there is plenty of parking spaces in the parking lot and on the street. Around the perimeter of the parish hall are rooms to allow us to have focused network groups or for any other purpose we need. We chose the first and third Friday to allow everyone to attend the Acton Networking Group or any other networking group, if they wanted, on the Friday we do not meet.

We will maintain our close affiliation with Acton Networkers by using the same list-server to share information between the groups. Any e-mails specific to the Hopkinton Networking Group (HNG) will be indicated in the subject line either by "Hopkinton Networking Group" or "HNG"; this way anyone attending these meetings will know the e-mail is intended for them.

We will follow the following agenda items:
* Welcome
* Landings (with doughnuts)
* Announcements
* New member introductions
* Needs and Leads
* Speaker(s), Workshop, or Focus Group
* Cleanup


For those new members who give their introductions, this is what we would like to know:
* Name
* Skills and Value Statement
* Where have you been?
* Where are you going?
* Your title
* Your target companies
* Geography of search
* Name and e-mail address

If anyone wants to join our team, please let one of us know; we could always use the extra help and input for ideas.

Directions:
Take Rt. 495 North/South and get off Exit 21A. Go through three traffic lights. Colella's Supermarket is on the right at the third traffic light. The first street after the third traffic light is Church Street, take a right turn. The church is on the right. Go around to the left of the parking lot and go into the side entrance of the parish hall.


Depending upon where you live, perhaps you may want to use Mapquest for a more direct route. The address of the church is:
St. John the Evangelist
20 Church Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748


Regards,
Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) Coordinators:

Sheri Ablaza sheriablaza@gmail.com
Grace Carcich gracec814@gmail.com
Emilia Gordon emiliagne@gmail.com
Gil Krispien g.krispien@verizon.net
William Lam wmlam508@yahoo.com
Laura Startzenbach laura.startzenbach@gmail.com

Job Change Notifier is shutting down

Job Change Notifier is shutting down :(

Over the past two years, Job Change Notifier has helped LinkedIn users collectively track over 20 million connections, notifying users whenever any of their connections changed jobs. Unfortunately, LinkedIn is about to make a change to its API policy that will make it much harder to continue offering this service. As a result, I'll be shutting down Job Change Notifier as of July 15, 2013.

Thank you so much for signing up for Job Change Notifier and supporting my side project. I love creating cool things, and there will be plenty more to come. Please follow @roger_lee on Twitter to hear about my future projects.

Until then, here's a final summary of what Job Change Notifier achieved during its two-year life:

• 22 million LinkedIn connections tracked (almost 10% of LinkedIn's user base!)
• 14 million job changes recorded
• 7 million notification emails sent

Thanks,
Roger Lee
Creator of Job Change Notifier

Even AARP says you need to go social to find work!

Using one or more of the social media tools to find work these days is becoming more and more of a requirement. The recent AARP Bulletin, (yes, I am that old (although young at heart!) has the cover article titled "Why you need social media to find your dream job"

AARP article on going social to look for work

If you are 40+ and looking for work today, you need to be using LinkedIn, Facebook, and other social media tools. Why? The recruiters are using those tools to check you out. If you don't have a good presence there, they will simply skip by you.

There are naysayers who claim you don't need to use these tools. I would agree it is not absolutely required for every industry or skilled position but it is becoming more so.

One item in the recent and local Franklin news makes this point. Brittany MacLeod just graduated from Marist College in NY. She was a Franklin High School grad and served as the student representative to the School Committee for two years. This spring her mother heard about Australia running a campaign for #bestjob. Brittany found out and started her campaign. This young lady from little Franklin, MA rose to the top 3 in the world out of 600,000 candidates!

On Wednesday Jun 5th, she was hosted at the MA State House and presented a proclamation wishing her the best of luck. In the evening, she received similar treatment from the Franklin Town Council. Do you think something like that might help your job application?

As this is posted, she is in Australia courtesy of the Australian Board of Tourism running the job search to prove herself as one of the three finalist for "Chief Funster". She'll find out June 20th if she'll be moving down under to start her career.

Will the YouTube videos, blog posts, tweets, Instagram pictures, that she used to help create the buzz around her campaign work for you?  Maybe all of them won't but one or more of them just might give you the edge you need to rise out of the pack.

The Job Search Jam Sessions being held this Friday, Jun 14 will feature one or more sessions on these social media tools. You'll be able to update your LinkedIn profile picture (photographer on site).

So what are you waiting for?

Get to the Job Search Jam Sessions webpage to find out what else is happening.
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/

While there check out the results of the three prior JSJS events (2 in 2012, and one in 2011). For $8 you can afford to find out how to use these social media tools to get your next position.

Register here  http://jobsearchjamsessions4.eventbrite.com/



Note: The nature of the AARP Bulletin website prevents a direct link to the article (you need to be registered to view the content).

related posts

Franklin Town Council proclamation  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/06/franklin-town-council-sends-bmac-down.html

Brittany's 30 second video  http://www.franklinmatters.org/2013/05/send-bmac-down-under.html

Read more on BMAC's webpage  http://sendbmacdownunder.wordpress.com/

Follow her on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/Send.BMAC.Down.Under

Check out her videos on YouTube  http://www.youtube.com/user/SendBMacDownUnder

Job Search Jam Sessions - Photo sign up list

William Lam will set up in one of the session rooms to take a professional photo so you can update your LinkedIn profile. If you would like to schedule time for your photo please use the form below. Note the schedule will be confirmed on Friday, Jun 14th.

Dress professionally for the photo
Please bring a flash drive or memory stick to take the photos home with you




If you have not registered, please consider doing so. Your registration will help the food and snack planning.
http://jobsearchjamsessions4.eventbrite.com/

Do you want to get a better LinkedIn photo?

William Lam will set up his camera and equipment in one of the rooms at the Job Search Jam Sessions June 14. Attendees who want their photo taken should wear professional attire, and a flash drive or some media that can accept images.

Most importantly, you'll need to bring your positive attitude with a glowing facial expression!

William will take about 4 to 6 photos and allow you to view them on his laptop. The file size will be around 2 meg, rather large but these files can be adjusted to fit LinkedIn and other social media sites if you choose.

For more information and to register for this event visit
http://jobsearchjamsessions.blogspot.com/p/tickets.html

Battered Career Syndrome – two great resources

LinkedIn Suzanne Gray has sent you a message. Date: 11/09/2012 Subject: Battered Career Syndrome – two great resources Hi - I hope all is well on your end and that fall has been treating you well. I am running into quite a few folks who have had their career de-railed, postponed or taken out of their control. Yet, we are brought up believing that having a job is something that we do as a responsible adult. So, when one job isn't working out, we jump to another…only to get the same results. People typically take one of two paths to approaching this career dilemma: Focus in on a job that fits A good resource for this is the Advanced Career Transition on-line program. This is a series of 12 workshops designed to help people be more creative in their job search. Check out the list of topics here: www.advancedcareertransition.com Explore business ownership We are hosting a virtual expo Nov 15-17, which is a free on-line event for people considering business ownership. Click here: www.startabusinessweekend.com/?sgray for more details. Feel free to share these resources or give me a call. Take care, Suzanne (603)-585 3110 Don't want to receive e-mail notifications?

LinkedIn for Your Job Search: Building Quality Business Relationships Online

Hello Everyone,
The agenda for this Friday's Hopkinton Networkers Group (HNG) meeting will be featured by our speaker, Jen Vondenbrink. The facilitator for this week will be William Lam. We will devote the first hour, from 10 to 11 AM to the following agenda: Welcome, Landings, Announcements, New Member Intros, and Needs & Leads. Please arrive early, so we can make every effort to start on time. In the second hour, Jen will talk about "LinkedIn for Your Job Search: Building Quality Business Relationships Online."

LinkedIn for Your Job Search: Building Quality Business Relationships Online

Jen goes beyond teaching you how to collect numbers of connections and helps you understand how to use LinkedIn as a tool through your job search and beyond to build long lasting relationships.

About Jen Vondenbrink

Jen Vondenbrink is a professional speaker, consultant and educator bridging the gap between business and new media for business owners and job seekers. Her Fortune 500 process integrates entrepreneurial and corporate experience with today's every changing business environment.

Recap of HNG Meeting of October 19, 2012:

Our 86th meeting of HNG had 16 people, this is 17 less than the previous meeting and 2 signed the New Member list. Barb McKee was our facilitator. There were three introduction speeches.

We had an Introduction Workshop whereby those attending filled out New Member and How to Write a 30 Second Elevator Speech forms then volunteered to give their talks. This was very good; however, the intent was for everyone to give his and her introduction speech, and not everyone did so.

Schedule for HNG Meetings:

November 16, 2012 Cheryl Landes "Working with Contract Agencies"
December 7, 2012 TBD
December 21, 2012 Anne Crawford "Elevator Speech"

General Information:

The networking group meets in Hopkinton, at St. John the Evangelist Church parish hall. The meeting occurs, from 10 to 12 noon, and will meet the first and third Friday of the month. The parish hall has a capacity for 250 people and there is plenty of parking spaces in the parking lot and on the street. Around the perimeter of the parish hall are rooms to allow us to have focused network groups or for any other purpose we need. We chose the first and third Friday to allow everyone to attend the Acton Networking Group or any other networking group, if they wanted, on the Friday we do not meet.

We will maintain our close affiliation with Acton Networkers by using the same list-server to share information between the groups. Any e-mails specific to the Hopkinton Networking Group (HNG) will be indicated in the subject line either by "Hopkinton Networking Group" or "HNG"; this way anyone attending these meetings will know the e-mail is intended for them.

We will follow the following agenda items:
* Welcome
* Landings (with doughnuts)
* Announcements
* New member introductions
* Needs and Leads
* Speaker(s), Workshop, or Focus Group
* Cleanup

For those new members who give their introductions, this is what we would like to know:
* Name
* Skills and Value Statement
* Where have you been?
* Where are you going?
* Your title
* Your target companies
* Geography of search
* Name and e-mail address

If anyone wants to join our team, please let one of us know; we could always use the extra help and input for ideas.

Directions:
Take Rt. 495 North/South and get off Exit 21A. Go through three traffic lights. Colella's Supermarket is on the right at the third traffic light. The first street after the third traffic light is Church Street, take a right turn. The church is on the right. Go around to the left of the parking lot and go into the side entrance of the parish hall.

Depending upon where you live, perhaps you may want to use Mapquest for a more direct route. The address of the church is:
St. John the Evangelist
20 Church Street
Hopkinton, MA 01748

Event for those considering business ownership

Suzanne Gray has conducted successful session at prior Job Search Jam Session events and is continuing to help those looking to get into business for themselves.

LinkedIn Suzanne Gray has sent you a message. Date: 7/22/2012 Subject: Upcoming (FREE) Event! Hi, I hope you are well. I wanted to let you know about our "Start a Business Weekend" July 26-28, which is a free virtual expo for people that are considering business ownership. Like a regular expo there will be booths in addition to informational seminars that people attend. If you know someone who may be interested, they can register here (www.startabusinessweekend.com/?sgray) or give me a call. Thanks for letting them know, keep in touch. - Suzanne View/reply to this message Don't want to receive e-mail notifications? Adjust your message settings. This email was intended for Steve Sherlock. Learn why we included this. © 2012, LinkedIn Corporation. 2029 Stierlin Ct. Mountain View, CA 94043, USA

Info on business funding

LinkedIn Suzanne Gray has sent you a message. Date: 3/24/2012 Subject: Info on business funding I wanted to let you know that I will be co-facilitating a live Q&A regarding various business funding methods. We will be joined by our guest speaker (Derrick Skogsberg), a business funding expert and business owner whose company provides working capital and alternative financing options for small businesses, including start-up, growth and distressed situations. If you or someone you know would like to participate, click on the links below to register. Space is limited so early registration is encouraged! Tues 3/27 at 7pm EST go to http://linkd.in/ybfLT3 OR Thurs 3/29 at 12pm EST go to http://linkd.in/zDdK8D © 2012, LinkedIn Corporation

Session: I'm on LinkedIn - now what?

The presentation copy I used for one of the two LinkedIn sessions I lead at the recent Job Search Jam Sessions

I'm On LinkedIn: Now What?

For the second session, I brought up LinkedIn and we went page to page to answer the questions being asked.

a great way to promote your company or YOU!

Sean Nelson at Social Media Sonar writes:

Social Media/Networking has expanded the opportunity to have conversations with your prospects, increased the availability of information on companies and individuals, and provided new opportunities to deliver your message to tens of thousands of individuals and companies. 

When I work with a client on developing a social media/networking strategy we focus on three of the available networking sites: Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Out of the three LinkedIn is still the one that provides the most opportunity for small businesses.

LinkedIn can be very valuable for some one in the job search but if you are staring your own company or operating your small business, it becomes even more valuable.

Read Sean's full posting here:
http://socialmediasonar.com/why-linkedin-is-important-to-small-businesses

What makes you YOU?

From the Jobfully blog I find:

These days it’s almost certain that people will look you up on LinkedIn after networking with you, before a face-to-face meeting, and throughout the job application process. 

Since LinkedIn is playing an increasingly active role in every step of a job search, it’s important to make sure your profile is accurate and complete, looks good to hiring managers, and can even get you found by recruiters. But what can you do to make the most of your LinkedIn profile?

Advice is easy to give. Almost everyone I meet has a different piece of advice on LinkedIn. So what do you do? How do you make the most of your profile?

Make your profile reflect what you can do. Use good key words. Don't be afraid to change them and see what happens. You may recall I changed from 'experienced' to 'savvy' and that one word made a significant difference. What one word will work for you? Maybe there isn't one. Try to find one. Be distinct.

What have you done to help your LinkedIn profile?
Please share!

LinkedIn's 'Send a Message'

If you noticed that LinkedIn seems to have removed the "send a message" button, Matt Youngquist has figured out how to find it:

After a little bit of detective work, what I discovered is that LinkedIn killed this feature for the “stated” reason of cutting down on fraud, scams, and abuse. I personally still suspect it had more to do for profitability reasons. But regardless, I figured out that you actually CAN still send a free message to fellow Group members, if you happen to know where to look! They’ve now hidden this feature several layers deep. Here are the steps involved: 

1) Click the “Groups” button on the top LinkedIn menu bar
2) Open up the Group page in question you share with the person
3) Scroll through the “Members” tab until you find the target individual
4) Hover your mouse over their name and a “Send a Message” link will appear on the far right side of the screen
5) Click on this button, compose your message, and fire it off!

You can read Matt's full posting here:
http://careerhorizons.wordpress.com/2011/05/13/linkedin-tip-what-happened-to-send-a-message/

Thanks Matt!

QR code for your business card

Donna Svei writes about using Pingtags to generate a QR code for your business card:

Pingtags signs you in via LinkedIn in seconds and then creates a QR code for you. The code gives those who scan it the ability to:

1. See your LinkedIn photo without entering your LinkedIn URL.
2. Read your LinkedIn summary without entering your LinkedIn URL.
3. Ping you via email with their LinkedIn URL so you can see their profile and connect with them.
4. Email you without entering your email address.
5. Call you without entering your phone number.
6. View your blog and other LinkedIn web links without entering any URLs.

My QR Code using this Pingtag service is as follows:

Have you used a QR code?

How did it work for you?

creating your online presence

A job seeker asks “What is online presence and why do I need it to find a job?” In today’s job search, you can have great qualifications and excellent connections, but without online presence, you may be overlooked. Online presence is your value displayed and expressed online. It’s what people find when they search on your name. It’s how recruiters and hiring managers notice your expertise and how you show your value to others in your industry.

Carrie Krueger writes more about how to create an online presence for your job search here

Remember - if you are in the RI area, Community Camp is scheduled for Apr 23 at RISD and there are four free passes available for job searchers. One of the sessions planned is to answer your questions about LinkedIn. The session is titled - "I'm on LinkedIn, now what?" I'll facilitate the session to answer your questions on how to get the most out of LinkedIn for your job search.

JobAngels is moving! - Call To Action Instructions

LinkedIn Groups

Group: JobAngels Subject: JobAngels is moving! - Call To Action Instructions TO: All Hiring for Hope LinkedIn JobAngels members FROM: Tegan Acree, President & Founder of Hiring for Hope DATE: March 10, 2011 SUBJECT: CALL TO ACTION - JobAngels is moving! ________________________________________ Dear JobAngels members, By now, I hope you have had an opportunity to begin taking advantage of the FREE career management services available to you as a member of Hiring for Hope at www.hiringforhope.org. Please be aware that over the next several weeks we will be combining all of the JobAngels and Hiring for Hope social media communities in an effort to unite us in one virtual location, and begin the full integration of all of you into the Hiring for Hope community. The first step in our "social media merger process" is to relocate our JobAngels program to our FREE Voices of Hope online networking and support community EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY. Voices of Hope is specifically designed to accommodate and maximize the results of our JobAngels Program. Once you are a member, you will find it has a robust selection of easy-to-use technology tools that also link with many of the popular social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. All of this will make it easier and faster for you to expand your network, collaborate with others, find inspiration and moral support, and share HOPE and job leads. Becoming a member of Voices of Hope is extremely easy and will only take a minute of your time. We have created a new Getting Started Tips Sheet to help you begin. Just follow the short steps outlined below in the order in which they appear to become a member: 1.Maintain your current membership status on this JobAngels LinkedIn page. It will soon become the future "official" Hiring for Hope LinkedIn home page. 2.View our new JobAngels Getting Started Tips Sheet by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/63q8kg5 . 3.Become a member of Voices of Hope by clicking here: http://tinyurl.com/4gnetew . 4.Once you are a member of Voices of Hope, consider inviting your friends to join you by using the email tool found on the "Invite Tab." 5.Consider creating and providing HOPE to others by spreading the word about our JobAngels program. By adding our JobAngels logo to your email signatures, blogs and other appropriate mainstream social media pages, you can acknowledge your commitment to helping those in need find gainful employment. Click this link to begin downloading this image. http://tinyurl.com/4u3bpbx . Links to additional helpful resources: A.Voices of Hope Community Guidelines: http://tinyurl.com/4l7xy2h B.E-tutorial/demonstration of Voices of Hope: http://tinyurl.com/4vuof5n C.Take advantage of our other free career management services: http://tinyurl.com/4lko23a D.Review and apply for current HFH career opportunities: http://tinyurl.com/4knq3jl E.Sign up to be considered and contacted for future career opportunities: http://tinyurl.com/4mva2fx F.Register for our free e-newsletter: http://tinyurl.com/4vvea5l We hope you find this information useful. Our new community is a work in progress, so please feel free to offer us any suggestions. Remember - one person can make a difference! All my best, Tegan Acree President & Founder, Hiring for Hope Posted By Tegan Acree

View or add comments »

Don't want to hear from the manager? Unsubscribe here LinkedIn values your privacy. At no time has LinkedIn made your email address available to any other LinkedIn user without your permission. ©2011, LinkedIn Corporation.

Dr Seuss, the first nerd!

Dr Seuss, a nerd?

Well, he is actually credited with being the first one to write the word "nerd"

"And then, just to show them, I'll sail to Ka-Troo

And Bring Back an It-Kutch a Preep and a Proo

A Nerkle a Nerd and a Seersucker, too!"

cover image If I Ran the Zoo - wikipedia

Do you have any firsts?
Are the firsts something you could put on your resume or your LinkedIn profile?
If the firsts are, did you?

"It's a pretty good zoo,"

said young Gerald McGrew,

"and the fellow who runs it

seems proud of it, too!"

And even, if the first you accomplished isn't something for the resume, it was a first.
Being first, good or bad, is something that can't be taken away from you.

Focus on the positive. Where would you like to go?
Is it a place where you can be THE first?

"But if I ran the zoo,"

said young Gerald McGrew, 

"I'd make a few changes

that's just what I'd do."

If so, don't hesitate. Summon the courage. Do not stop to collect, go!

Note: the quotes are from If I Ran the Zoo by Dr Seuss published in 1950

This was originally posted on Steve's 2 Cents during 2010