Monthly Archives: May 2013

2 ways to ensure you receive a timely, quality LinkedIn recommendation

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RecommendationMany jobseekers and employers think LinkedIn recommendations are worth gold. Recommendations espouse jobseekers’ performance, describing valuable skills and accomplishments, and are visible on their LinkedIn profile for potential employers to see. What a great LinkedIn feature.*

However, as valuable they are, requesting a recommendation can be frustrating for two reasons, timeliness or the quality of a recommendation…or both.

So after waiting for months and receiving something that doesn’t describe you the way you’d like, what do you do? Do you send the recommendation back to your reference, or do you post it on your profile as is? You send it back and you risk waiting even longer for a revised recommendation.

Let me suggest two ways to ensure a shorter wait, as well receiving a recommendation with which you’ll be happy.

1) First, offer some guidance to the person who’s writing your recommendation in terms of the types of skills, accomplishments, and experience you’d like to be included in the recommendation. Having written recommendations for others, I know how difficult it is to determine what to write about the recipient.

So eliminate any guesswork and tell your reference you’d like her to hit upon your leadership, customer service, team-building, technical expertise, or other strong skills. Also remind her about any accomplishments, e.g., you increased productivity 55% by taking the initiative to develop a better process to track and store electronic parts; just in case she has forgotten.

2) The second alternative is one that will require more work on your part; writing your own recommendation. This is a last-ditch effort but one your reference will greatly appreciate. You may remember doing this where you worked, when your manager told you to write your own for her to sign. Same idea.

This takes considerable work on your part because it takes stepping outside yourself to evaluate your performance. In other words, how would the person writing your recommendation see your current or past performance? You’ll be promoting yourself, which is not always the easiest thing to do. But this is not hard to do as long as you are as objective as possible. Refrain from using adjective like “excellent,” “outstanding,” “perfect,” etc. Stick to the facts. Also expect your professional reference to edit what you write, perhaps revise it significantly.

Recommendations are still valued by employers who visit your profile. It gives them an idea of your talents and promise for the future; so why drive yourself crazy waiting for them to arrive, and why guess what you’ll receive from the well-intentioned reference.

*Recommendations have been replaced by Endorsements as one requirement to reach 100% completion for a profile. This implies endorsements hold real value, which many LinkedIn members dispute. These naysayers think it’s a lot easier to click on someone’s skill/s than it is to write a thoughtful recommendation. I agree.

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How Twitter Twesumes can help you find a job

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twitterIf, like me, your writing is verbose and you struggle expressing yourself in 140 characters; forty-thousand characters would suit you more. (That was 140 characters, by the way.)

But as I gradually accept certain technology, Twitter now seems to be a pretty good idea. It keeps words to a minimum, forcing me to be brief. The idea that shorter is better starts to sink in.

Newsflash: there’s a very real possibility that the job search is heading, in part, in the direction of Twitter. In a world of busy recruiters, hiring managers, and HR professionals, where shorter is better, Twitter provides a great vehicle for sourcing talent.

But how can jobseekers present their experience, valuable skills, and accomplishments in 140 characters? Obviously they can’t. They can, however, use Twitter as a vehicle to achieve this in the form of a Twesume. The Twesume is not a new concept; I read about it in December, 2011, in a Mashable.com post, How a 140-Character Twitter Resume Could Land Your Next Job.

I have to admit I question the success of the Twesume, but I’m open-minded and willing to consider any advantage jobseekers can use to get themselves in front of employers. The Twesume usually comprises of two important components; a compelling value proposition and a link to either a LinkedIn profile or online résumé.

Here is an example of a value proposition (mine) with a link to a LinkedIn profile (mine).

Delivering trending job-search advice for your job-search success/LinkedIn training for business’ advantage. http://tinyurl.com/7gd4kqu #twesume. (137 characters.)

In order for your Twesume to work, you must be engaged in ongoing discussions on Twitter, follow potential employers, and let people know you’re looking for work.

To make companies aware that you’re looking for work, send your well-crafted Twesume to companies via a tweet to @company, or through a DM. Send your Twesume to companies who announce their positions on Twitter, or who will potentially be hiring in the future.

How real is the need for you to create a Twesume?  A CNN article writes, “Earlier this year, the chief marketing officer of U.S. technology company Enterasys, Vala Afshar, announced that he would only consider Twitter applications for a senior social media strategist position with a six-figure salary.”

As I think about the Twesume, I wonder if it will actually take hold and perhaps replace the résumé in some industries. A busy world of hiring authorities says it will.

An example of my Twesume:

sample twesume

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