This summer I've gotten a lot of "Kelly, will you look at my resume and tell me what it needs?"  That question for me is much like this book...it's never just about your resume.  

Yes, I will look at your resume.  And I always preface "Yes I will" with, "put on your big person pants because I'm going to talk with you and not use a filter".  I use a filter most of the time, but when it comes to resumes, it's easier if I just say exactly what I think.  If you are asking anyone to help you with your resume, ask them to be direct and skip the whole "I don't want to hurt your feelings" crap. This is how you present yourself to the rest of the world, you need to know what works and what doesn't.  And keep in mind resumes are subjective. It's okay to have more than one version and certainly okay to run it by more than one "expert". Save every version and figure out what you like and what works best.

Please don't send me, or your friend, your resume as an attachment.  Email and I have a love/hate relationship.  It's a necessary evil but I'm inundated with it.  The better route to go? Create a Google document and share your resume with me.  I can easily post questions to you, make edits, we can "chat" within the document and really get you up and rolling so much faster than passing the .doc back and forth via Outlook.  And you can dowload that Google doc to Word or PDF format very easily.  And if you don't have a Google account, now is the perfect time to get one, don't do a stupid username like HotSoccerMom but one that you can use for your new Gmail account you're going to set up and use for your jobsearch.  And now that we've conquered all of the resume jazz, let's talk about LinkedIn.

If you have not built a LinkedIn profile, do it.  If you just finished your resume, upload it.  That quickly populates your profile and even better, contains a lot of the keywords recruiters will use to find you. If you built a profile and haven't updated it in ages, update it.  Worried about your connections seeing what you're doing? Turn them off for a while.  You can control your activity broadcasts here - and it's something LinkedIn actually suggests.  Link not working for you? Sign in to LinkedIn, visit your settings and you'll find "activity broadcasts" under privacy controls. And make your profile public.  That way if a recruiter is searching for candidates on Google, your profile will appear. And yes, network, connect, join some groups.  Connect to friends, neighbors, co-workers, former co-workers and make sure you get a recruiter or two.  I could probably talk to jobseekers for 8 hours on how to really use the site to their advantage, but that's for another time.  Because now we have to think about Facebook.

Update your Facebook profile.  Include your work information on your info page.  Add your resume to your notes section.  Let your friends know you're looking.  Friends with your boss? Better visit your privacy settings first or be selective in what you share, i.e. don't post "I need a new job" if you're friends with your boss.  Not the way to get a decent reference if you need one.  Make sure you check in on the Marketplace for job postings.  Recruiters post there because they can for free.  Most times when I get to this step with job seekers they are adamant they are not job hunting on Facebook because that's their personal life.  I'm fine with that, just saying it's an option.  Just like Twitter.

Build a Twitter account? That's your call.  I like Twitter. You can definitely search it for job posts and follow companies you're interested in working for.  Will it have the highest return on your time investment? I'm not so sure.  But it's a good place to engage and get referrals.  I pass on many a contract sourcing job through Twitter because the response is so much quicker than when I post on LinkedIn.  You can create lists of your peers, companies you're interested in and really gain a lot of incredible real time information.  And now that you've done all that, it's time to go back to Google.

Back to Google? Yes. Back to Google.  Because you've used Docs to edit and rebuild your resume, and created a Gmail account for your access to all things Google and to use as a hub for your job search emails.  Now you need to build your Google + profile.  This is your hub.  It's a site that's free for recruiters to search.  You'll want to upload all of your pertinent professional information, link to your other social network sites and if you're really savvy, create a link to your resume in .pdf format.  Need an invite because you're new to Google? Let me know and I'll help you out.

Too much? It is a lot.  But once you do it, very easy to maintain.  Got questions? Hit me with them in the comments below...I'm happy to help.

Editor's Note -- Kelly Dingee is a professional stalker/Strategic Recruiting Manager with Staffing Advisors. Prior to joining Staffing Advisors, her experience included developing materials for and training advanced sourcing strategies for AIRS-A Company of The RightThing, sourcing for Thales Communications, Inc., and Internet recruitment for Acterna (now known as JDSU). Follow her on Twitter and get the lowdown on what's going on each day in sourcing - she's a Twitter machine. 

The Apply with Linkedin Button Arrives

Tags: linkedin    Linkedin button

When we last wrote about the new Linkedin button for applying to jobs, it was really just a rumor. Now, it’s here. But even when it was just a rumor, people were busy theorizing and making predictions about Linkedin’s new service.

1. Recruiter: Apply with Linkedin Button: ”Linkedin could become a web standard instead of a website.”
2. Mashable: Linkedin to Launch Job Application Button: “LinkedIn has long dominated the professional corner of social media. Integrating itself further within the jobs space is a smart move.”
3. Fast Company: The “Apply With LinkedIn” Button Will Not Disrupt HR Industry: “Instead, it seems, it’s really just a glorified resume-submission tool.”
4. GigaOM (they broke the story): Exclusive: LinkedIn to Launch Job Application Tool: “Job recruitment is a lucrative but decentralized industry, so it makes sense that LinkedIn is working to become a more deeply ingrained player on both the employer and applicant sides of the space.”
5. Forbes: Linkedin is About to Put Job Boards (and Resumes) Out of Business: “Job boards and traditional resumes are going to fade faster than I even predicted!”

Linkedin appears to be positioning the tool as a way for employers to get more passive candidates. Their website’s first branding message is that “Now it’s easy for candidates to apply to your jobs using their LinkedIn Profile” and that employers might be able to receive job applications from candidates that don’t have their resume done yet. This is a smart strategy for Linkedin. Instead of emphasizing data portability or the social graph, the message is instead a Nike-esque “Just do it.” They are emphasizing simplicity, ease of use, and positive candidate experience.

With many of the major recruiting software systems already integrating with the new system, the new Apply with Linkedin button may have immediate, dramatic impact. Already SmartRecruiters, Jobvite, Bullhorn, PeopleFluent, and Jobscience clients can implement the new Linkedin application system. Linkedin also shows Taleo, Lumesse, and Kenexa on board for near term integration. These major applicant tracking systems represent a good portion of the employers in the Fortune 1000, so candidates and recruiters can expect to see the new technology feature widely implemented in the very near future.

Employers can hope that the new Linkedin apply button simplifies application and attracts a passive, quality candidate pool to their jobs. However, perhaps more interesting than the employer side is the candidate’s side. The new development offers to centralize the job application process for the candidate. If widely adopted by leading employers and recruitment firms, people will be able to access their applications through one centralized platform. It would offer convenience and consolidation to an often fragmented and disjointed experience.

In a press release, Linkedin’s CEO Jeff Weiner stated, “In this challenging jobs environment, LinkedIn’s ability to connect talent with opportunity at massive scale is more essential than ever. Apply with LinkedIn is the next phase of our open platform effort and we hope an important catalyst in creating economic opportunity for our members.” The Apply with Linkedin button seems to be an important step in Linkedin becoming a web standard for professional profile data. We can hope that this march towards standardization brings with it simplification to the job posting and job application process.

See Also:

LinkedIn cut off access to BranchOut, BeKnown (two recruiting apps that reside in Facebook and enabled

users to pull data directly from their LinkedIn profiles) and several other apps on Friday...see the full deet's in this article from TechCrunch.

Two reasons at play here, one app was apparently intent on creating a premium based enterprise recruiting tool, and the other may have been blatantly promoting their service (and according to the article there were concerns the second app would also get involved with a premium enterprise recruiting search tool).

Good for LinkedIn. They should protect themselves and their data.  They're big business, and guess what? We're all guests at their party.

If anything, it's their time to be playing the Cuba Gooding Jr role from Jerry Maguire:

 

That's right, you want to play with their users? You gotta pay.  Show 'em the money.  Right now, if you're an app and you want their content to make money for you, hell, I think you should face the same thing we recruiters face and have to pay.  I bet LinkedIn has it all figured out, just give 'em a call.  It'll be tiered and I'm betting if your app is the one to really figure out recruiting on Facebook, using the LinkedIn knowledge base, LinkedIn will talk to you.

The BranchOut rebuttal? (changes to the LinkedIn API won't hurt us much since a low percentage of our users actually used it, and btw, we believe users should be able to own their personal data and transfer it where it has the most ultility.  PS - the next generation recruiting product will be built on Facebook)...what can I say...it's perfect.  

As for Monster's rebuttal to LinkedIn? (We are surprised and disappointed by LinkedIn’s decision, which we believe not only goes against the interests of LinkedIn users, but also contradicts what LinkedIn claims to stand for – openness and connectivity) Sweet.  The air of entitlement made me chuckle....literally chuckle.  Like Monster is absolutely entitled to LinkedIn's customer base and offended that LinkedIn would think otherwise...this is the same Monster that has monetized the hell out of the online recruiting process and are indiscriminate, corporate or TPR, you pay to play.  I am sure the people at Monster are smart enough to realize there are other ways for their BeKnown users to access their LinkedIn networks, it's all tied to exporting connections, I found that semi-inferred in their response.  

All these little apps are great, and watching this tech drama play out is fun.  But they'll all be forgotten the day Facebook decides to roll out its own version of LinkedIn. The moment FB decides to conquer the professional networking market and stress the importance of completing the information tab to its users and making it, and only it, either publicly available (i.e. you appear in search results on Google and Bing) or housed within a sub-network created just for your professional connections (and of course not revealing those Last Friday Night pics your friends put up or who you're connected too)...well all apps will be forgotten and it'll provide a total new round of major dollars for Zuckerberg.  

LinkedIn has over 100 million members and huge corporations and individual recruiters pay and pay for access.  The potential to have access to over 600 million international members?  And have Facebook backing the initiative?  Huge.

Editor's Note -- Kelly Dingee is a professional stalker/Strategic Recruiting Manager with Staffing Advisors. Prior to joining Staffing Advisors, her experience included developing materials for and training advanced sourcing strategies for AIRS-A Company of The RightThing, sourcing for Thales Communications, Inc., and Internet recruitment for Acterna (now known as JDSU). Follow her on Twitter and get the lowdown on what's going on each day in sourcing - she's a Twitter machine.