Inaugural Issue of Paula Brand’s Career Management Monthly Tip Sheet – September 2016

Brand Career Management Monthly Tip Sheet

As an avid reader of things related to career management and LinkedIn, I wanted to share useful information I discovered and also a way to regularly communicate with others. In 2015, I set a goal to start a monthly newsletter in 2016 but this is what happened . . . As I was getting ready to create the newsletter, I thought I should first ask what people want. After surveying a group of past clients, I discovered that a short tip sheet would be better than a newsletter (which makes perfect sense in this world of information overload). So that’s what I did (and was happy for the instructive direction)!

Based on that survey feedback, I will be sending out a Monthly Tip Sheet that includes a career related Tip of the Month, along with links to curated information (such as advice on LinkedIn and useful articles from trusted resources on other career management topics) and info about my upcoming events. I hope you enjoy it. Please share any feedback you have, so I may adjust things as I go along.

As always, best wishes to you on your career journey!

Paula

You should always personalize your LinkedIn invitation! You have 300 characters to do so. There are two ways to do it. From the person’s profile page (help center instructions):

1. On the website, click on the CONNECT icon (if you only see Send InMail, try the dropdown arrow next to those words to find CONNECT). In any other place besides the profile page, the CONNECT button will automatically send the invitation with the generic text without allowing you to customize it.
2. Now you can also personalize the invite using the mobile app.  Click on the three dots icon (…) or “More…” near the top under your profile picture. Give it a try.

LINKEDIN – A MUCH IMPROVED APP
This article in the Wall Street Journal is lengthy but provides some excellent advice and actionable tips about LinkedIn, especially ways to make the most of their new app (it shows you how to personalize an invite from your mobile device).

NETWORKING
This article talks about building your social capital. In my mind, this is the same as networking if you are doing it right, but the author has a funny take on it.

USING LINKEDIN TO LAND A JOB
This is a two-part series but both posts are short and easy to read (with fun pictures for entertainment value). Part One shares 5 general tips for making the most of LinkedIn. Part Two goes into more details on how she landed her job in two weeks, only using LinkedIn.

LINKEDIN GROUPS
This post explains why LinkedIn groups are not what they used to be. I agree with a lot of what he says, but I still think that LinkedIn Groups are a great way to access the hidden job market. Next time you are in a group, look at the jobs tab to see if any group members have shared a job posting. (When jobs are shared in groups this way, they are not paid postings but informal announcements that many people miss.)

My colleague, Shahrzad Arasteh and I will be offering a workshop on Saturday, October 1st in Annapolis. For more information, click here.

Also, I will be hosting a FREE virtual online seminar on Friday, September 9, 2016 from 12 noon to 12:40 pm EST. This Lunch-n-Learn will cover the five most common questions I am asked about LinkedIn. Click here for more information.