Why You Should Reject LinkedIn Connection Requests

Why You Should Reject LinkedIn Connection Requests 322 Do you accept every LinkedIn connection requests that comes your way? This is a guest post by Mildred Talabi. For the past eight months or so I have been getting LinkedIn connection requests on almost a daily basis â€" some from people I know, but the majority from loosely connected or total strangers. Recently, this one-a-day average shot up dramatically to around five or six requests a day (I still haven’t figured out why) and just as I did with all the others, I accepted, accepted, and accepted, and now my LinkedIn account has so many connections that even LinkedIn can’t be bothered to count them and just simply tells me there are “over 500”. Networking is all about meeting new people…eval Now in this day and age of connectivity you might think having such a large network is a great thing â€" I mean, networking is all about meeting new people, right, and who you know could be the thing that lands you your next job opportunity and so on and so forth… Well, up until last week I would have agreed with you wholeheartedly. You see, big time networking was my goal and my reason for signing up to LinkedIn four years ago. I wanted to connect with people on a professional level, in a way I couldn’t do on Facebook with all that ‘poking’ and wall posting going on.eval Initially I adhered to LinkedIn’s strict warnings to only connect with people I knew personally in some shape or form and rejected all invitations that didn’t fall into the colleague, classmate, friend or “we’ve done business together” categories. This method served me well for the first few years and allowed me to build up a healthy network of over 300 quality connections. And then my boundaries started to slip. I let in one or two oddballs here and there (after all, if I was going to extend my chances of networking effectively, wouldn’t it make more sense to network with people I didn’t already know?). The one or two later turned to four or five and then gradually I found myself blindly accepting every request that came through â€" desperate job seeker hoping for a lucky employment break through my connections…yes; random technical engineer from some remote part of the world I’ve never even heard of…yes; African Masters PhD university student looking for a British wife…huh, what? Yes, go on then. This vicious circle would probably have carried on had the wise words of David McQueen not re-entered my living room and slapped me on both cheeks while I sat facing yet another LinkedIn request on my computer screen last week. Networking is about building mutually beneficial relationshipsClick To Tweet At the beginning of the year I received a message in my LinkedIn inbox from David McQueen, a former TV presenter turned business speaker/coach, who also happens to be a real life connection (well, we’ve met in passing and spoken briefly a few times). In this message, David explained how he was spring-cleaning his networks in order to get the most out of them, and the second stop after purging his Twitter account was to prune his LinkedIn contacts. He said: “I took a big look at my contacts and got rid of half of my contacts on here I hadn’t communicated with for ages. I believe networking is about building mutually beneficial relationships and so it is important to review that often.” At the time I thought, that’s very brave and focused of you David, but I totally dig having an overly large network â€" I mean, you never know when you’re going to need to call on the services of that hairdresser in Texas you’ve just connected with, or that acupuncturist looking to expand his practice in your local area. But I was wrong. I now understand what David meant by “mutually beneficial relationships” and of late, my LinkedIn account hasn’t been contributing to any kind of quality relationships, let alone mutually beneficial ones! Everything has advantages and disadvantages… Like everything, having a large network on LinkedIn has its advantages and disadvantages. Previously I only saw the advantages (from a job search perspective): You’re more visible to potential employers and recruiters because of your wider reach; There’s greater potential to find people in your network who currently work or have previously worked for a company you are interested in; Each connection you make has the potential to be a future stepping stone to your choice career; the more connections you have, the greater the probability of this coming to pass. But now my eyes have been opened to the disadvantages too, mostly from firsthand experience: It’s more difficult to keep track of the activities of your connections and build quality relationships from there; It takes ages to find a relevant contact in a specific field in the time of need (it’s enough to make a person want to give up the will to live); You open yourself up to spammers who flood your inbox with generic marketing messages and invites to events you have not the slightest bit of interest in attending (“annoying” does not even begin to describe this). Ultimately I’ve found that LinkedIn is at its most powerful for job search purposes when your connections reflect your real life relationships â€" the more meaningful your connections, the better the chance that those people will vouch for you when you're looking to connect with potential employers in their network. They are also far more likely to pass on job leads to you than people you don’t know at all but have connected with on LinkedIn anyway. So with all that said, as of this day I’m making a commitment to no longer accept random LinkedIn requests from strangers and if you’re job-hunting at the moment, I would recommend that you too make the same commitment because then, and only then, will you be able to truly experience the great benefits of online networking via LinkedIn. About the Author Mildred Talabi is the founder of CV Makeover Expert.com and the author of 7 Keys to a Winning CV: How to create a CV that gets results. Mildred trained as a journalist and worked for various publications, including The Guardian newspaper, before “accidentally” embarking on a career in CV and career advice. Today she spends most of her time delivering career talks, seminars and workshops to students and graduates, and writing a weekly blog on career issues and job hunting tips and techniques which you can find on her website www.mildredtalabi.com. This article is part of the Over $6000 in Prizes: It’s The 6th Annual JobMob Guest Blogging Contest, which was made possible thanks in large part to our sponsors: WebHostingBuzz is a reliable web hosting company with the servers hosted at multiple US and Europe locations and over 30,000 happy customers worldwide. If you want Mildred Talabi to win, share this article with your friends. READ NOW: Why LinkedIn Recommendations Really Are Valuable.

Writing a Reference Page For Resume

Writing a Reference Page For ResumeBefore even attempting to write a reference page for resume, the first thing that you should do is to read and understand the requirements of the job. This will save you from wasting your time and effort writing a resume that is not at all suitable for the job.Once you have a general idea of what the requirements are, it is time to formulate the various parts of a reference page for resume. The first part is to provide your name, the name of the organization where you work, email address, and the contact number of the company where you will be interviewing. You may also include a work history, including dates of employment, names of previous employers, and any other information that is needed to gain a thorough understanding of the requirements of the job.You can also provide an objective statement, a resume summary, and a job description of the requirements of the job where you are applying. These three things will be very helpful when the intervie wers conduct a review of your resume.If the company requires you to submit a letter of reference, the next step would be to draft a letter of reference for the employer. In this letter, you should clearly outline why you feel the employer should hire you and include specific details that support your description of the work experience.The letter must not only tell the employer why you should be hired, but also describe the quality of work you have done and how your work has helped others. A reference page for resume should always include the name of the employer and the contact number of the person who will be in charge of receiving your letter. In addition, the reference page for resume should also contain a copy of your resume along with any additional relevant information that will be helpful to the employer.If your work experience includes training, then you should also include a summary of your training as a teaching assistant, professional counselor, and field service speciali st. In the case of field service, this should also include the name of the company and the name of the person that is responsible for providing support to the field service agent.If your work experience is in the customer service area, then the next section that should be included in a reference page for resume is your feedback from customers. The purpose of a reference page for resume is to provide a job description that is very specific about the work experience that is requested by the employer.Finally, if you know that your references are willing to write a letter to a potential employer, then it is time to contact them and arrange a meeting. You should be prepared to meet with an interviewer, so make sure that you carry everything you need when you go to the interview.

Branding By Association - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

Branding By Association - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career There is an old saying, You are only as good as the company you keep.”  So what does that have to do with helping you develop your brand reputation? More than you might think. Who you associate with at work could help or hurt your image. If you are always seen with individuals who underperform, complain, cause problems for management, etc. there is a good chance your colleagues negative associations are affecting how you are perceived at work. It is important that you associate with people who make positive contributions and add value to the organization.  This is not to suggest that you should choose your friends by who can advance your career â€" but you may need to distance yourself from someone who could drag you down. A number of years ago,  a friend worked with an IT individual (let’s call him Tim)  who was seen as a valuable cog in his organization’s work.  Tim was excellent at his job and was grabbing the attention of some senior-level managers. While Tim was not perfect (he could be gruff, sometimes late with projects), the pros far outweighed the cons. Then a shift happened in the leadership levels and the organization decided to go in a different direction concerning technology than the one Tim had hoped for. While Tim was still integral to the future plans of the organization, he was not satisfied with the new direction and began to voice his displeasure among staff. My friend and Tim spoke about the new direction, how it was out of their control, and how one needed to accept it or move on.  Still, Tim continued to grow more negative and voiced how the new direction was a mistake. The negativity reached a point where my friend needed to begin to distance himself from Tim. Tim was beginning to damage his brand (despite my friend’s attempts to help) and my friend did not want to be associated with someone who was earning within the company the reputation of being a problem employee.  He was concerned, and rightfully so, that others within the company would  assume my friend was of the same mindset as Tim and an  emerging problem employee. My friend tried to help Tim, but since Tim could not accept management’s change nor move to another job, Tim became a person who you did not want to be associated with around the office. Instead of the Tims of the world, associate yourself with those whom the boss (and the entire office) respects. The antithesis of Tim is Allison, a former co-worker of mine. Everyone in the office loved Allison â€" she had great ideas, was a top-rated employee, friendly to everyone, she could offer criticism and you thanked her for it, she did not gossip(!) â€" she was the person you would want to be associated with as she could help others be more positive and an overall better person at work. I would recommend grabbing    a cup of coffee and get to know the Allisons in your office â€" learn from them on how you can approach your work so that you are seen as a positive force within the office. When you are associated with the Allisons of the world, your brand will be positively affected.  This is Branding By Association. If perception is reality and you are only as good as the company you keep â€" look around and be honest with yourself â€" are you in good company? Author: Kevin Monahan  is the Associate Director of the Notre Dame Career Center.  In this role, he leads the center’s  employer relations efforts in addition to coaching  young professionals in career management and career change capacities. He combines career consulting services with employer outreach to help find opportunities for both constituencies.  He is the author of the  Career Seeker’s Guide  blog.

6 Ways to Prep Generation Z for an Interview

6 Ways to Prep Generation Z for an Interview It is not doubted that with the influx of Generation Z entering the job market currently, were seeing the most technologically advanced group of professionals  applying to jobs that have all these amazing dreams and ambitions about what they can do in the working world. Where a lot of Generation Zers are failing though is within the interview process and this is because they simply dont get the basics right. So as a recruiter, employer and HR professional you should be educating young candidates on the formalities of an interview process and here are 6 ways to help you do so: 1. Dress respectably Addeco report that 75% of hiring managers believe the top mistake millennials make is wearing inappropriate  attire. Imagine what this figure would be now with Generation Z who is believed to be far more laidback about dress code than the generations that preceded them. So while strict dress codes are no longer as strict as they used to be, it is your job as a recruiter to make sure that your candidates first and foremost go to their interviews looking as professional and respectable as possible. 2. Research, research, research A job interview staple. Do. Your. Research. Give your candidates a low-down on the company, and make sure they are doing their own homework. Tell them not to waste time asking questions that anybody who spent 5 minutes on the company website could answer. Get your candidates to draw out 4 to 5 meaningful and personal questions that will help them gain genuine insight into the company. 3. Have an open mind As we move on from every generation to generation, it seems like were getting more and more ambitious because of the advances we are making as a society. So were getting teenagers and college grads wanting to become entrepreneurs right out of college. They are ready to make a difference right now, but we should be telling Generation Zers  that very few people start off in their dream position. Educate them on the value of trying different things and testing themselves in multiple working environments. Having ambition and dreams are great, but they arent always achieved in the short-term. Most dreams take a lot of time, experience and hard work to achieve, and thats what Gen Z need to understand. 4. Remind them they are fresh Tell your candidate to sell their youth. Companies want to hear that the candidate recognizes they still have a lot to learn. Moreover,  57% of Gen Z admit to feeling nervous before for an interview, so just let them know that as long as they have got a few good internships under their belt, they dont need to have a wealth of experience to get a job coming straight out of college. 5. Social media clean up Generation Z are  social media natives. They are on everything; Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and other platforms youve probably never heard of. So companies understand that these are places where they can find out a bit about the young professionals coming in for an interview that week. Based on an article we previously featured on our blog, here are the 8 Steps to Your Pre-Interview Social Media Clean Up: Delete your own questionable posts Delete your own questionable pictures Untag yourself in undesirable photos Choose a professional profile picture Dont talk about work on social media Update your info on Facebook Update your LinkedIn Keep your Twitter feed interesting 6. Print your CV Sure we live in a digital world, something that is especially true to Generation Z, but we should always be reminding them that they should be printing out CVs for interviews.  Never show up empty-handed. Its an old sign of respect. And not just one, print out a few just in case you being interviewed by a group of people. Sure this may be one of the oldest tricks in the book, but its a part of the interview process that shows the candidate took the time to think about the people he or she is getting interviewed by. Companies all around the world are clapping at their feet trying to figure out how they can hire new and upcoming professionals, so a Generation Zer that knows his or her way around an interview can go an extremely long way.

Writing a Resume For a Waiter Or Waitress

Writing a Resume For a Waiter Or WaitressIf you are searching for writing a resume for a Waiter or Waitress then this article can be extremely helpful to you. We all know that finding employment is probably the most important part of our lives. Having a job is a basic need, even in these times of bad economy.Finding a job is the first step to getting employed, but getting a job and getting hired is the second step. In order to get a job you must present yourself in the best possible way. Here are a few tips on how to write a resume for a Waiter or Waitress.The first thing you must do before you start is to make sure you're 100% prepared. You need to have your most recent resume, cover letter, interview questions, and examples of work experience. This will help make your resume professional and neat. Make sure you have it all ready for the day of the interview.After you have everything ready, you should do an interview with the person who will be interviewing you. You should let them know what you will be doing for them and why they should hire you. You want to make sure you're not leaving anything out. If you leave something out, you may not come across as professional and this could cause them to dismiss you. You need to show them that you are professional and trustworthy by all means.When writing your resume, always use a specific job description. You don't want your resume to say something different than what the position requires. You also want to avoid using any contact information that they may see on their resume. Use a business name or any other relevant business name.Keep your paper work to a minimum. Don't even have a hard copy of your resume because if they come to your interview and see the same thing over them may feel you are not professional enough to apply for the job. You should send them a resume online to save time.Make sure you answer all their questions honestly and directly. Be prepared to have a lot of questions but do your best to answer them. Most importantly, be sure you are being professional. This means that you're not being evasive, just honest.Keep in mind that no matter how professional you think you are, the person you are talking to may be able to tell you are less than that. This is OK, as long as you can prove that you are the best candidate for the job. If they feel you aren't that way they will probably pass you by.

What Skills to Put on a Resume

What Skills to Put on a Resume Are you a proud owner of killer accounting skills?Or maybe you consider yourself a unique B2B marketing talent?The thing is, if you’ve got some pretty cool skills up your sleeve, there’s no point in hiding them.evalRecruiters take as little as 6 seconds to look at a resume to decide whether it’s worth reading or not.That’s why knowing what skills to put on a resume is critical if you want to grab their attention and boost your chances of landing your dream job.But how do you know what skills recruiters want? Just take a close look at the post that advertises the position. Chances are that it mentions communication skills â€" they’re valued by over two-thirds of recruiters hiring for all industries.If you’re a recent grad, it’s likely that recruiters will search for skills like teamwork and leadership as well. Analytical thinking or planning are also at the top of every recruiter’s list.But all this is just the tip of the iceberg.What counts even more is how you includ e these key skills on your resume.You probably know that recruiters use automatized Applicant Tracking Systems to sift quickly through resumes. By adding relevant keyword skills, you’ll beat these bots at their own game.Another smart strategy is checking out people who already have your dream job. Take a look at their LinkedIn profiles to see which skills and accomplishments they highlight â€" if you’re a proud owner of similar skills, just add them to your resume. They’re guaranteed to make an impression because you’re following an industry standard that worked for others!evalAdd a nice selection of transferable skills as well. Sure, they might not be mentioned in the job post, but they add extra value to your resume. Mind that they relate to the position â€" otherwise, you’ll be just wasting precious resume space.For more critical tips on what skills to put on your resume and how to grab the attention of recruiters, check out this insightful infographic below.Original So urce â€" Zety

Keeping Your Fleet On A Leash

Keeping Your Fleet On A Leash In the modern world, convenience is quickly becoming one of the most important features for a business to offer. Even when it comes to going out, a lot of customers are only willing to use the companies which do the most for them, and this has lead to a steep rise in professional drivers on the road. Whether you’re a retail company or you sell computer repairs, having a team which can travel freely is a powerful thing. Of course, though, it can also be present some challenges which you wouldn’t usually have to face. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the easiest ways to keep your fleet on a leash, enabling you to monitor them and control their work. Location Monitoring: Over the last few years, GPS systems have become a lot more sophisticated, and most people have a very powerful example sitting in their pocket. Most mobile phones have the power to send this sort of information with very little cost. Using a simple system which can be built by a web developer, you can track the movements of your employees to make sure that they are always on the right path. Of course, you will have to get in contact with them if they seem to be heading in the wrong direction, bringing this post onto the next section. The Law: The rules of the road are very easy to understand in most places, and there is never an excuse for a professional driver to be breaking them. A big part of your role in this comes with the training you give to the people working for you. Driving skills can be covered, giving you the chance to stress the importance of speed limits, seat belts, and other legal concerns on the road. Mobile phones can be very dangerous while driving. To help your employees to overcome with, wireless headsets can give them the power to talk without being distracted or causing hazards for other drivers. Fueling Them Up: Keeping a fleet of vehicles on the road can be an expensive and complicated ordeal. Having employees in charge of filling their own transport is a great way to handle it, but will be hard to work out if you’re using receipts to pay your employees back at the end. To solve this issue, companies like watchcard.com can provide a payment card which your company is in complete control of. You will see how much money is being spent, where it is happening, and each purchase will be limited to fuel only, keeping money from going on other things. Maintaining The Motors: Like any piece of machinery, the more a car is driven, the quicker it will need to have parts replaced and repaired. This become very apparent when they are being used for business, as you will have to cover loads of distance in this sort of role. To make this cheaper and easier, working out a partnership with a garage or mechanic when you are first starting out can be a great approach to take. You will always be able to find professionals like this, even if you live somewhere very remote. Documentation: There are very few places in the world which will allow drivers to use their car without insurance. As a business vehicle, the sort of cover you have to get for your car will be different to the personal options available, and you have to think about this when you’re buying it. Along with this, some places will also expect you to pay road tax for company cars. To help you with this part of the job, companies like justlanded.co.uk can give you an insight into these sorts of costs. There may be other documentation which needs to be acquired in this situation, and you will have to make sure you have it covered. Security: As an employer, you have a responsibility to keep your employees safe, while also being in charge of keeping the fleet nin good condition. Dash cams can be a great way to achieve a goal like this. Capturing their driving in real time, this sort of device will make it hard for your workers to drive badly. Along with this, though, a lot of companies have also started to use black boxes in their cars, giving them the power to monitor things like breaking, speed, and the other aspects which impact car safety. Hopefully, this post will give you everything you need to get started in the world of business transport. Even when you only have a couple of drivers, it will be important to make sure that you have them under control. Driving can be dangerous, and will need to be handled correctly, or you could find yourself in a lot of trouble.

Body Language for Your Job Search -

Body Language for Your Job Search - I once wrote a term paper about the importance of body language. The quote I remember from it, Dont underestimate the power of body language, from The Little Mermaid, is no less true today! (Yes, I really quoted a Disney movie in my paper. It worked.) Did you know that people who are positive and confident outperform their peers in their job searches? Research shows that persistence and a postive attitude pay off in the job hunt. You can always pick out a pessimist by his or her body language slumped shoulders, eyes down, expressionless (or frowning). No one wants to hire someone who seems sad or pessimistic. Straighten up, smile and make eye contact. Your body language speaks louder than your words. In fact, research also shows that body language makes up more than half of how our communication is perceived. That means that you may be describing your greatest business accomplishment, but if your posture isnt good and you dont make effective eye contact, you might as well tell the interviewer about the time you lost your portfolio on the way to a presentation. Another telling body language tool is the handshake. How many times do we have to tell you strong and firm gets the job done! BusinessWeek recently wrote about several different types of handshakes to use and some to avoid. Eye contact along with a firm handshake can make a world of difference to how you are being perceived. Remember the little things matter. In fact, the little things may actually be the BIG things! Focus on every aspect of your presentation to ensure that you put your best foot forward with your job search. Keppie Careers will help you with every aspect of your job hunt. We will write your resume and teach you how to find a job. www.keppiecareers.com.