The New Face of LinkedIn

If you are new to LinkedIn, you may not have noticed, but if you’re a LinkedIn veteran, you’ve definitely experienced LinkedIn’s recent facelift. The interface has been given a complete overhaul. LinkedIn’s goal is to simplify the user’s experience. 

Here’s a summary of some of the recent changes:

Search bar: LinkedIn’s main search bar has been moved to the top center of the screen. This makes searching for People, Companies, Groups and whatever else you may search a bit easier to navigate. In the past, the search bar has been hidden among the other great features of the site and easily overlooked.

Menu: The menu choices have been rebranded. Among other changes, you’ve probably noticed that “Groups” and “News” are no longer designated menu options. LinkedIn has a new set of tabs at the top of the screen (just under the search bar). The five main tabs are as follows: Home, Profile, Network, Jobs, and Interests. Watch this short video highlighting the new navigation menu bar.
LinkedIn posted an article on its official blog addressing other changes that have been made to the top navigation links on the home page. Click here to check out the blog post. 

Messages & Notifications: Your messages (indicated by an envelope icon), notifications (indicated by a flag icon), privacy menu and help menu are more notably displayed at the top right side of the screen.

Contacts: These features aren’t as new as some of the above mentioned, but they are still worth noting. LinkedIn has given you the ability to track conversations, meetings, and notes on your contact’s profile. I’ve found this to be hugely beneficial when trying to recall specifics about when/where/or how I may have met or corresponded with my contacts. Take a look at this Contacts SlideShare for more details. 

The folks at LinkedIn are constantly coming up with new ways to enrich the user’s experience. Expect more changes in the future and keep an eye out on the Official LinkedIn Blog for updates: http://blog.linkedin.com/. LinkedIn is still the No. 1 professional social networking site. If you do not already have a LinkedIn account, I recommend that you create one. Over 93 percent of employers and recruiters use social media when sourcing candidates, more specifically, LinkedIn. 

If you’re looking for ways to boost your professional brand on LinkedIn, you may enjoy this infographic. 

Posted by Kelly Allgeier

Ace Your Next Interview

If you adequately prepare for an interview, the process will undoubtedly flow more smoothly. Employers often initiate contact with job candidates through a preliminary phone screen.  After you advance past the phone interview, you are typically faced with a series of one-on-one in person interviews, a panel interview, or a combination of the two. Before an interview, ask the employer about the format of your upcoming interview and the name(s) of your interviewers. This will help you know what to expect and mentally prepare for the interview road ahead.

Before the interview, be sure to do your homework!

Know yourself – Be able to confidently convey your value proposition. What sets you apart from other candidates?

Know the company and interview team – Research the company and your interviewers prior to your interview. Visit the company website, study their products and services, research current news and trends, look at the company LinkedIn page and profiles of your interviewers.

Know the position – Compare the job description with your resume. What does the position involve? Why is the position vacant? What is the typical career path for the position?

What to bring – Arrive to the interview with several copies of your resume, copies of your references, a list of questions to ask in the interview, and your business portfolio. (Possible items to include in your portfolio: samples of your work, sales charts/statistics, testimonials or thank you letters from former clients or vendors, CEU certificates, performance evaluations, writing samples.) Be prepared to do an on-the-spot exercise or activity or demonstrate a skill.

Practice, practice, practice – Review common interview questions and practice your response. Participate in mock interviews and master the art of answering behavior-based interview questions. Think about how to respond to tough interview questions (e.g.  Tell me about yourself? Why did you leave your last job? What is your greatest weakness?).

As your interview is coming to a close, ask permission to make a closing statement. This will give you an opportunity to thank your interviewers for their time and consideration, and summarize a few of your most relevant strengths for the position. Be sure to get each interviewers name and email in order to follow up with a thank-you note within 24 hours of your interview.

Interview advice from UK alumna, Alyse Caraccio, Sales Recruiter for Total Quality Logistics:

“Follow up! You can never be too assertive when pursuing a position. Staying in frequent contact with the recruiter or hiring manager shows initiative and interest, and will keep your name fresh in everyone's mind.”

LinkedIn Profile Checklist

A complete LinkedIn profile is more likely to get noticed by other professionals. You want to make sure that all of the sections on your LinkedIn profile are filled in and accurately describe your professional capabilities. According to Jobvite's 2012 Social Recruiting Survey, LinkedIn remains the dominant recruiting network, used by 93% of respondents. The majority of employers and recruiters undoubtedly have a presence on LinkedIn. When they view your profile, what will they learn about you? - See more at: http://recruiting.jobvite.com/company/press-releases/2012/jobvite-social-recruiting-survey-2012/#sthash.f460zCqQ.dpuf

LinkedIn Profile Checklist

  □    Photo

  Upload a professional photo. People like to hire people. Put a face to your name.

  □    Headline

  Include a professional tagline or subtitle that will be associated with your name. Use industry

  keywords and branding statements. What is your target profession or industry?

  □    Connections

  Build your professional networking database. More connections lead to more profile views and

  more ways to get your “foot in the door.”

  □    Websites, Twitter, Web Address

  Include on-brand personal/company websites and blogs. If you tweet relevant items, add your

  handle. Customize your public profile address on your LinkedIn profile and add it to your resume.

  □    Summary

  Similar to a professional profile on a resume, highlight your value. What are your main

  achievements? Plug in industry keywords and phrases.

  □    Skills & Expertise

  Add industry-specific skills and competencies. Note areas of expertise, program/system

  competencies (for example, C++.) Be conscious of hot industry skill sets and what recruiters and

  employers are seeking in job candidates. 

  □    Experience

  Mirror your resume. Include employer, title, dates, skills/accomplishments. (Do not simply list job

  duties.) Use quantifiable information whenever possible (#,$,%). Utilize bullet points, as paragraphs

  often get overlooked. Clearly and concisely demonstrate your capabilities and value. Include

  internships, volunteer, and part-time work if they are on-brand. Any experience is good experience,

  paid or not.

  □    Education

  Include institution, degree, date (if less than 10 years ago) and activities/honors/societies if relevant.

  □    Groups & Associations

  Join groups related to your industry, company, school, and career-related interests. Group

  membership allows you to easily contact fellow group members, and engage in on-bran

  discussions. Include professional associations. Network and keep up-to-date with industry

  news/happenings. (Join the “Official University of Kentucky Alumni” LinkedIn Group.)

  □    Recommendations & Skill Endorsements

  Allow others to get an idea of your work ethic and capabilities based on fellow professionals, co-

  workers, and classmates point of view. 

Be ACTIVE on your LinkedIn account. Do your detective work and market yourself professionally. A new “Job Search Checklist” was recently released by LinkedIn. For additional tips on how to maximize your LinkedIn profile, click here.

Members of the UK Alumni Association are eligible for a free LinkedIn profile critique. Please email your LinkedIn URL to alumni career counselor, Kelly Allgeier (kelly.allgeier@uky.edu), if you would like your profile critiqued.

If you are not a member of the UK Alumni Association and would like to join, visit www.ukalumni.net/membership to learn more about association membership.