Brenda's Interview
with Dave Meeker
“For the recent graduate, LinkedIn is important to
develop a network,” says Meeker. He described how students at Butler University
created LinkedIn accounts as part of a marketing class project. “For the
employed LinkedIn is an important tool to create and develop a network while
being open to new opportunities or career advancements." LinkedIn is
mission critical to the job seeker, "it is urgent and important,”
explained Meeker. Job seekers and others benefit from LinkedIn’s mobile
capabilities with up to six mobile Apps by using the ability to quickly seize
opportunities and identify key contacts according to Meeker.
One of the tools Meeker teaches in his workshops is how
to use keywords, otherwise known, as his unique phrase, "the language of
LinkedIn." He describes the language of LinkedIn as a series of keyword
phrases that leads recruiters to their profile. A proprietary algorithm adds to
the profile ranking process. Meeker believes he has figured out this algorithm.
Why is LinkedIn constantly changing?
"What a lot of people don’t understand about
LinkedIn is that it is constantly changing. As the growth of mobile devices and
their Apps increase, it appears new Apps and updates to existing Apps will feed
this exponential growth of the mobile market." As LinkedIn continues to change
and push out rolling updates, Meeker believes he recognizes these patterns
before the documentation appears on line.
How important is a photo on a LinkedIn profile? “Since
there are fake accounts that generate spam and data mine contact's information,
a photo shows you are a real person. The photo is part of your LinkedIn brand
that includes your headline, location, current occupation and industry,” said
Meeker.
Other expert LinkedIn tips from Meeker include the
importance of recommendations from former co-workers. “Recommendations are a
lot more important than endorsements on LinkedIn” according to Meeker.
These recommendations provide opportunity to share a STAR (Situation Task
Action Response) story or other accomplishments.
To realize the value proposition as a LinkedIn user,
Meeker focuses his audience on what he calls, VCR. “Value, Content
and Relevance are what users should consider when creating their 360
degree view of their skill, knowledge and experience. Their overall profile
should answer the answer the question, "what can you do for me?”
says Meeker. The VCR concept is also an imperative part of making posts and
making comments, especially with groups.
Currently LinkedIn boasts more than 300 million users
and according to Bloomberg business, the company will attempt to expand its
user base in China to combat slower growth in the United States. While users
are focused on professional networking, LinkedIn generates revenue from
advertising, upgrading users to premium accounts and fees charged to recruiters
and staffing companies.
While LinkedIn is a space most professionals want to
participate in, beware of spam or fake accounts and learn to manage emails and
notifications by adjusting your settings under Privacy and Settings.. When in
doubt about how to leverage LinkedIn as a resource to grow a business or expand
a career, there are experts like Dave Meeker to the rescue! If you’d like to
connect with Dave Meeker, you can find him easily on LinkedIn, of course!
I think recruiters judge people on their looks using LinkedIn and that works against older workers or overweight job seekers. That's why I think having a photo on my profile will work against me.
ReplyDeleteMy research has shown that the recruiter is looking for the 360 degree view of the candidate to see if they're able to do the work required for the position. The picture is part of the candidate's brand. They need to make sure the profile represents a real person before they move forward with their search.
ReplyDeleteRecruiters are very particular where they spend their time. If they're not convinced that you're a potential candidate with a 5-20 second glance at your profile, they'll move on to the next candidate in their search list.
Please bear in mind that many recruiters have just a basic LinkedIn account and search for candidates based on key words. One sample phrase might be "Seeking Employment" with the geographical locator and 2-3 words for the job description.
The photo is an essential part of your brand. Without it, you're just another profile without an identity.