A lot of networking right now is shifting online as we continue our COVID-19 year but it doesn’t mean we can’t apply one-on-one networking practices in the virtual world.

In fact, how good are your online networking skills?

This isn’t a trick question.

It’s based on an observation I’m making on LinkedIn – the Numero Uno social media platform meant for serious networkers looking to expand their business or professional network for career progression.

It’s the number of non-personalized invitations, the people who don’t respond when you ask them their reasons for wanting to connect or hit you with a CV asking for help with getting a job or a sales pitch for a product or service without considering if you’re the right person.

And I’m not the only one. This morning I saw a post from a Career Coach who openly vented about sales pitches and pick your brain sessions that weren’t useful to either party.

Or another LinkedIn connection of mine who is a highly respected LinkedIn Trainer who received a personalized invitation to connect and then the next message after accepting the connection request was to offer him a service to improve his profile for more business leads.

In the words of Bertie Wooster – Egad.

Guess what?

That’s not networking – it’s repelling a fellow professional who can be helpful if approached the right way.

It’s also not about trying to get 30,000 people to connect with you without knowing anything about them.

If you’re making this mistake because someone told you ‘connect and build a network’, then there is a vital piece of the equation that they might not have mentioned.

Or if they did, you didn’t hear it because you focused on doing 1 click invites to build an enviable 30,000 network.

Networking on LinkedIn isn’t a numbers game…

…it’s about making a meaningful connection with someone you can learn from, who in turn can teach you new things.

On LinkedIn, it’s about being able to communicate with the connection and develop a real contact. That communication could be in writing at first and then even a telephone call or a meeting if you’re in the same city.

In other words, communication is important and if you can do it on the phone, Skype or in person, brownie points!

Unfortunately, this makes networking suddenly seem more intimidating.

This is where time spent learning how to network can be valuable.

• Take time to practice having conversations.
• Start by talking to family and friends.
• Practice your listening skills.

Then once you’ve learned what it means to engage with others, practice again on those people you’ve lost touch with over the years, (and rebuild some great relationships in the process.)

Once you feel confident, take this newfound knowledge into the field, and test it on the people you want most to connect with and meet whether virtually or in person.

Will every encounter come out perfect? Probably not…

If you keep in mind every conversation becomes an opportunity to learn, you will soon be feeling more confident each time you meet someone new.

And if you’re thinking in these days of social distancing you can’t network, then let go of that excuse. It’s a limiting belief giving you permission to avoid conversations.

You can do it on LinkedIn and you can start doing it right now by contacting your contacts and start building meaningful relationships.

Drop them a line and ask how they’ve been? You don’t need an ulterior motive or agenda. Just be human and authentic.

If you’re not sure about how to invite and engage with new connections, I’ve got a post with the 10 rules of engagement you need to keep in mind when networking on LinkedIn including the story of a real Missing Link I met on LinkedIn.

In fact, you can use the same guidance on Facebook if that’s your favorite place to hang out.

5 Professional Tips for One-on-One Networking

Not all networking happens at live events. Some of the most effective networking you can do happens over coffee meetings.

One-on-one catch ups, whether they’re in real life or virtual, give you a chance to really connect without the distractions of being in a big crowd.

More often than not, I’ve noticed professionals ignore their existing or hidden network and reach out to strangers on social media, especially LinkedIn and Facebook when approaching a warm network would be more beneficial than cold networking.

Recently a highly experienced professional approached me for help with his job hunt and the fact that I was not in recruitment or executive search didn’t stop him from asking. That’s alright because I told him to contact the right people for achieving his job hunt goal.

As it turned out, we had 3 common connections and one of them was in talent management services.

There was no excuse for not renewing this contact other than the resistance arising from having been out of touch. According to this professional, he wanted to try out other professionals before turning to his existing network that he had not been in touch with.

Here’s the thing. It’s very easy to fall out of touch with people. It happens with the best of us.

We get busy with our jobs and family life and only remember them when we are in trouble.

Then we feel sheepish about asking for help and go off on a tangent asking strangers who don’t know us from Adam or Eve for help and expect miracles.

There’s  simpler way to have a robust network.

Maintain contact with your current network and all of the people in it is going to help you grow.

Follow up with people – your mentors, colleagues, and other contacts – on a regular basis to see how they’re doing.

Keep them up to date on you as well. Remember, don’t make it all about you; you will want them to know what you’re up to while also finding out what they’ve been up to.

Does that sound like a Herculean task?

Here’s a quick tip – at least send them a greeting on their birthdays and on festivals. You’ll stay top of mind and you never know, it might bring up the chance to actually catch up and make the connection stronger.

As with other professional activities where you are investing time and effort, you need to have a plan and more importantly a method to make it effective.

Here are five tips to make your one-on-one networking even more effective.

Always have a purpose for the networking meeting

Whether your networking meeting is taking place offline like say a coffee meeting or a virtual one over Zoom or Skype, your networking meeting is more likely to be effective if it’s clear why it’s happening.

In other words, what’s the purpose of the meeting?

Are you looking for a mentor, or a new position? Has the person been recommended to you? Maybe you’re new in town and looking to connect with peers.

If it’s a get-to-know-you meeting, it’s okay to talk about common interests like books, movies, or sports.

The other person’s time is valuable too and its important to make sure you’re both meeting for a good reason.

Picking their brains for free advice is not a good purpose!

Be strategic

Do your research and identify leaders that you really want to connect with. Be clear about where you want to be in a year, five years’ time and seek out the people who can help you get there.

Part of the point of networking is not just the people you meet, but the people they know who can help you grow your own network.

If you have changed jobs, sectors, or towns, connecting with the right people can help you hit the ground running.

Make the meeting mutually beneficial

I mentioned earlier that picking someone’s brains for free advice is not a good purpose for a meeting unless of course you have made that intention clear at the time of inviting the person to the meeting and they have agreed.

A good networking meeting isn’t just about what you can get out of the other person – there has to be some benefit for them too. It’s what I call netweaving – an activity that can make you a valuable connection for others.

Think about what you can offer. What are your special skills or connections? Do you have acquaintances or experiences in common?

Pay the other person the respect of doing some background research so you know where they’re from, and what their career path and big projects have been.

Networking is a Two-Way Street.

When someone helps you out and makes a positive connection for you, then you have to be sure that you give back in some way. You simply can’t keep going back and asking for help without giving back in return.

The giving back can take many forms. Maybe a box of chocolates if they’ve helped you get a job or even an introduction to another contact of yours who can be beneficial to their business or work. Sometimes even a sincere letter of thanks or a recommendation on LinkedIn works.

Keep an eye out for their interests and make an introduction at an opportune moment. The choices are not restricted.

Respect your new contact’s time

Remember this person has made time for you in their day. Be respectful of that and keep to the agreed time (don’t be late!).

Don’t hog the conversation, and make sure the meeting doesn’t go over time, unless the other person is keen to keep talking. In an offline setting, you can give them your business card, but don’t hand over your resume or a pitch book for business unless it’s requested.

Likewise, if the meeting is virtual, don’t send the resume or a business proposal unless they have asked you for it.

Remember your manners

Be polite during your meeting and remember to follow up within twenty-four hours with a brief email thanking them for taking time out to talk.

Gratitude goes a long way. When someone helps you in whatever way, being grateful will go a long way.

After having a conversation with someone in person or online, send them a quick thank you note for their time.

It’s a small thing, but letting people know they are appreciated will go a long way and encourage them to want to speak with you again.

If you committed to sending an article or book refence, remember to follow up. You want this first meeting to set the tone for a future meaningful relationship.

Whether you’re building an offline or online network, the basics of professionalism and good manners stay the same.

Treat the other person the way you would wish to be treated and you can’t go wrong.

Happy Networking!

Some time back an alumni of mine and I both noticed a new trend on LinkedIn of people openly asking strangers for help in getting a job without first building a relationship that would provide a basis for a credible referral or introduction.

Even though I’m not a recruiter or in the Executive Search industry, it doesn’t prevent professionals for wanting to connect with me on LinkedIn in case I can help them get a job or at least introduce them to someone who could.

Of course I give them guidance and tips and if there is someone within my network who can help, I make introductions and then allow the 2 parties to take it forward but I’m surprised that these professionals chose to contact a stranger on LinkedIn first rather than tap into the power of their Alumni Network.

What surprises me more is that the thought hasn’t occurred to them.

Alumni is not restricted to school or college but includes colleagues from previous jobs.

I remember my father’s robust University Alumni and how the ties were maintained decades after students graduated with annual dinners being held where even family were invited.

My own school Alumni is quite active on Facebook and there are often posts informing us of alumni member achievements or someone asking for a referral and getting a response.

One of the best practitioners of Alumni Networking is a colleague and friend from a firm where I started my accounting internship. He proactively reaches out to alumni and has helped reconnect many of us who have lost touch over the 3 decades since we were all youngsters with stars in our eyes. He is one of the most powerful referral sources I know.

In fact, when I changed career tracks, he was able to provide me with a referral client as well as 2 speaking opportunities at the Rotary Club to help raise my visibility.

I’m not the only one he has helped. This gentleman knows the power of networking with alumni and being a power contact. Likewise, when he needs something, his alumni respond.

Before you can reach out to your network, you need to make sure you yourself will be seen as a valuable contact, whether with your Alumni or to other potential connections.

Here is where my friend’s strategy is worth sharing.

1. Join your University or former employer’s Alumni, whether it is with them or in a social group on Facebook or LinkedIn.
2. Get involved in Alumni activity including volunteering for committees or events. It works to raise your visibility as well as give back through service.
3. Attend at least 2-3 events where alumni are also invited. Choose the ones that work best for you networking goals and be ready to meet people.
4. Reach out to fellow alumni, connect with them on social media and commit to keeping in touch with them in the offline world.
5. Become a valuable connection and referral partner. Networking isn’t adding more people to your network but being able to connect with people for mutual benefit and also introducing them to others for similar purposes. In other words, being a good netweaver.

In this post, I’m going to go deeper into the modern rules of networking because the internet has changed the way alumni networking operates.

Years ago, former schoolmates might be surprised and delighted to hear from anyone who attended the same university.

Today they’re more likely to feel overwhelmed by the number of emails they receive from strangers who found them on LinkedIn or Facebook via an Alumni search and who didn’t attend the university or work for an organization as a contemporary.

Does that mean you have to forget about the potential connections you created during your college years or employment?

No, it just means you need to take a more targeted approach with a 2 step action plan.

Your Simple Success Action Plan for Alumni Networking

Step 1 Identify Contacts in Your Alumni Network

A targeted approach means you don’t go to town inviting anyone and everyone in your alumni to befriend you on Facebook or connect with you on LinkedIn.

It means applying the same rules that you do to make new connections by identifying people who you can provide value to and vice versa.

People change over the years and may not wish to connect with others from their past. Respect their choice.

But first you need a database of potential contacts and then filter them down. Here’s how I would do it.

1. Browse LinkedIn. The world’s largest professional network puts you in touch with fellow graduates. Your alma mater probably has at least one alumni group you can join. Reach out to the group manager, participate in discussions, and send connection requests to other group members. Use the LinkedIn Alumni tool to research what your peers are doing now.
2. Explore university resources. In addition to the standard alumni directory, most schools now have online communities that make it easier to chat. Make sure you’re listed in the directory and keep your details updated.
3. Know your industry. Different fields of study may have their own special offerings. Use a Google search to find social networks related to your field of specialization and then hunt for Alumni who you can connect with.

Once you’ve identified Alumni you’d like to connect with, we move to Step 2 which often frightens people but it shouldn’t if done properly. If you’re going to use LinkedIn for this, then this resource will help you avoid common mistakes.

Step 2 Communicate with Contacts in Your Alumni Network

1. Introduce yourself. Let others know who you are and what kind of assistance you’re seeking. Mention the year you graduated and who referred you.
2. Ask for information and assistance. Even if you urgently need a job, slow down before handing out your resume. Most professionals can share advice and referrals, but will probably be unable to hire you directly, so avoid making them feel uncomfortable.
3. Think positive. Manage stress so you come across as confident and capable rather than desperate. Focus on your strengths and what you can contribute to any organization. (This post will help)
4. Schedule information interviews. Invite your contacts out for coffee dates and after-hour drinks. Be ready to pick up the tab.
5. Attend receptions. You can meet a roomful of alums at networking events. Rehearse your small talk and bring business cards.
6. Follow up. Cultivate the contacts you make by staying in touch. Show an interest in their careers, share interesting news articles, and provide updates when you have exciting news like landing a new job.
7. Express gratitude. Let others know how much you appreciate their kindness and generosity. Send handwritten thank-you notes and email holiday cards. Deliver a batch of chocolate chip cookies or post enthusiastic comments on their professional blog.
8. Return the favor. Networking is most effective when you’re willing to give as well as receive. Think of colleagues who you would like to introduce to each other. Ask a fellow job seeker if they want to join you for a workshop when you have an extra ticket.

Your alumni network is still a powerful resource even if you use it a little differently today.

Do your homework and focus on how you and your former schoolmates can support each other. Plugging into your alumni networks can help you access new positions, valuable information, and helpful mentors and advisers.

Are you tapping into this powerful network?

In How to Convince People You’re An Expert With Integrity, I’ve shared guidance to discover, develop and convey your expert status to others.

The rules apply whether you’re a career professional or have ventured into the world of self-employment and business.

An employee will use Executive Presence as a tool to market themselves within their organization and LinkedIn to showcase their knowledge via group discussions, updates and posts.

The self-employed professional or small business owner will need to market their services not only to establish their expert status but do it like an expert.

I’m sharing some tips based on my own experience of marketing my coaching practice helping me transition from the 9 to 5 workforce to running my own business.

I’ve broken it down to 3 sections which are required in that very order if you want to become proficient at showcasing yourself to the right audience and potential referral partners.

Shift your Mindset to that of a successful business person

Your mindset is your most important weapon for success. Without it, your visibility and credibility efforts will go for a toss.

It’s also an area where many of us fall short. The point to remember is the rules that applied to us as employees change.

For sure we still need to deliver results and services, but we also need to see our business for what it is.

Our business that requires us to create a vision of our end goals.

What we want our new venture to be like and take the risks of applying different approaches to achieve our end objective while staying in integrity and delivering on our promise.

You have to start thinking like a winner

Use whatever technique or modality works for you to keep you going on the journey of entrepreneurship. My favorites include affirmations, creative visualization and tapping.

Make sure you exude confidence. Not the fake it till you make it kind but genuine confidence because when you’re sure of yourself, people are inclined to trust your professionalism more than someone who seems timid and unsure of himself.

This means presenting yourself with poise, professionalism, and ease. Always maintain confidence in the offerings of your business and your ability to succeed as an independent professional.

A friendly word of caution is required here.

Flying solo is not quite as glamorous as it sounds. There are going to be days when one feels alone and disappointed. When the pitches we make don’t get us a project or a prospect decides they ‘can’t afford us’.

We’ll start to wonder where our head space was to venture out into self-employment.

I’ll never forget one incident from my early days that led to my deciding never to offer free coaching again.

It marked my deciding I wanted to run a business from a place of service but without undermining the value I brought to the table.

I had to get my hours for my certification and asked a former colleague if he could get me some prospects to help build my hours. One of the referrals loved my work and a few months later, contacted me because she wanted to speak to me urgently.

By that time Karmic Ally Coaching had come into existence and I was booking paying clients. Our chat turned into an hour of her gushing about how I had inspired her to get out of her comfort zone – so far so good.

Then she told me about how she had invested in a coach and how wonderful that coach was. Of course there were some problems.

She now wanted to discuss with me for free since I did free sessions!

Stumped as I was, I explained it would not be fair to professionals who were investing in my services or to me. I guided her to my website, offered my services and shared the cost. I left the decision to hire me to her.

After the call, I decided on the spot never to allow my services to be perceived as low value by offering free coaching.

Even though there are coaching gurus who preach otherwise, and it seems to work for some.

The decision was furthered strengthened by an important realization.  Many of my coaching calls that followed this ‘free, give them a taste to whet their appetite’ model never brought me any business.

Even if they agreed to a coaching engagement, my emails went unanswered. In other words, I was ghosted.

I know of others who’ve had the same experience and while it is comforting to know I’m not alone, it is not acceptable.

Learn to own your worth!

I can laugh about it now and in a recent challenge, was brave enough to load a video about it to my Facebook Business Page which was well received (you can watch it below).

It was a major mindset shift for me.

Taking ownership of my value made a difference in how I approached my business and the quality of clients who came to me after that.

This is all part of the journey to becoming an authentic business owner who offers their expert services to people who need and want it.

It is temporary and to complete the shift from an employee to a business owner. With time you will hit your stride and find you have more work than you bargained for.

Need inspiration? Think of Disney, Ford and read up on successful business people who faced challenges before getting it right.

5 Basic Marketing Strategies to show you know your stuff on the back of your hand

Once you’ve got the mindset piece sorted out, it’s time to claim your sacred space under the sun. This requires taking strategic decisions so your actions and tactics are not a waste of time or random acts of marketing.

Strategy 1 – Create a 1 sentence introduction that gives the listener a clear message about what you do

It’s called an Elevator Speech or Pitch.

This precious 30 second introduction should answer the essential questions of who you serve, what you do and how you achieve the results or goals for your client.

You’re going to need this in every bit of marketing you do to demonstrate you’re an expert in your craft. You’ll need it in your networking, social media marketing, your website and in fact anywhere you intend to share your services.

Before someone can decide if they may need your product or service, they must first understand what you’re saying. It’s so important I wrote an entire post with a template to help develop your elevator pitch. 

Tip: Nobody gets it perfect the first time round so don’t be hard on yourself. Instead, run it past a trusted friend or colleague and ask them for an honest evaluation of your description. If it doesn’t, work on this as a priority before you work on any marketing activity.

Strategy 2 – Create a Vision and Mission Statement that is authentic and from your heart, not a cut and paste from someone else’s website or LinkedIn Profile to guide your Marketing Message

It has to be your vision and what you want to achieve through your business that matters. All the fluffy words and good copy writing will come later when you know the message you want to convey.

Getting the Mission Statement right is important because once you know the message you want to convey to your right audience, you’ll find there is a whole universe of marketing tactics that you can use to achieve your goals.

Some of those tactics won’t work for your business or might not appeal to your intended audience.

For example, if you want to work with mid-career women professionals returning to work after a career break, your marketing message must appeal to this intended audience and repel those who are not the right fit.

The marketing tactics and tools you would use will be ones that will help you reach your intended audience where they hang out instead of spreading your message all over the place and not getting heard.

For example, they might be more comfortable in a Facebook Group at the moment than on LinkedIn or other platform.

Strategy 3 – Zero in on your Unique Selling Proposition and share it with consistency

Let me be honest, there are lots of other professionals doing the same work that you do and just like in the job market we are advised to stand out from the noise, you need to do it as a business person.

You know you are the expert on your subject and can get your client the results they crave for but before that, your client has to find you and feel you are the go to person for their problem.

This requires you to use your unique selling proposition (USP) to make your business memorable and take consistent action that establishes your own brand.

It means conveying your USP in your marketing material, whether your website, tagline, logo, lead magnet, blog, social media activity and offline activities with consistency.

For example, if your website name, tagline and content convey you are a website developer extraordinaire, use that theme in your business cards and social media profiles too.

When people Google your name, they should see a consistent image and brand being portrayed across all channels for a unique website developer, not a tarot reader (even if you do possess that skill).

Have you ever done a self-google to see what shows up for you?

Strategy 4 – Create one solid marketing plan and stick to it

If all you do is dream up marketing schemes, you’ll miss the opportunities to implement them. Instead, create one solid marketing plan and stick to it. Tweak your tactics according to your results.

 A marketing plan generally includes several marketing techniques, so choose several of your best ideas and start implementing them today. The faster you get out there and start peddling your business, the sooner you’ll begin to increase your revenue.

Test different techniques. Spread your marketing efforts across a number of different strategies. If one or two tactics are less successful, the success of other marketing efforts will keep your business afloat while you determine what gives you the best results.

Strategy 5 – Network like a pro

Jump at the opportunity to attend networking events related to your industry. It’s one of the best ways to find clients and make industry contacts that may hire you at a later date or recommend you to their colleagues.

You may have to pay a fee to attend conventions or events, but they are often well worth the price. You’re paying to chat with a roomful of your target clientele.

Before I started my coaching business, I worked as an independent consultant for an area of finance where I was a specialist.

A wise friend told me to go to events and set up meetings. In his experience, 10 meetings could result in 1 of them giving me a project. That’s a solid 10% conversion rate which could be improved with practice!

Remember Even one new customer may enable you to earn back the cost and then some.

Always bring a large stack of business cards and prepare an elevator speech. Sometimes, you’ll only get a few minutes to chat with potential big-budget clients. So leave a lasting impression by displaying professionalism and confidence.

Tip: Use the back of your business card to give a link to a free offer that demonstrates your expert status. This 1 action has added numerous new connections to my mailing list.

Post the networking event, invite your new contact to connect with you on LinkedIn and engage further.

I’ve often discovered mutual connections that have acted as good referrals for confirming the expert status of my new contact or even my expertise!

Do a bit of legwork to find out the proper dress code. Obviously, it’s best to be overdressed than under-dressed. Be careful. You’ll feel silly sitting in a room full of people in cardigans and khakis while you’re in a black Armani business suit.

Tactics to establish yourself as an expert in your field

Once you have your mindset and marketing plan worked out, we get to the really fun part of trying new tactic to achieve our marketing and business goals as well as establish ourselves as an expert in our field.

There are different mediums and the ones you choose should play to your strengths and not follow the latest fad.

I remember when Blab and Periscope were suddenly declared the next best thing since sliced bread. They disappeared shortly thereafter.

Google Plus appeared around the same time but didn’t quite catch on for the intended purpose and is now being closed in the coming weeks.

Then Facebook Live was touted as the only marketing tool you needed until Social Media Examiner and others realized that the return on investment of doing live videos on Facebook wasn’t quite what it was cranked out to be.

The latest advice is to head back to YouTube and get some Google love in the process.

Call me conservative but we are trying to establish our credentials as experts in our subject matter. Not earn doctorates in marketing and communications.

Marketing is our tool to get the message out that we are here to serve.

Avoid following the herd for the latest fad and take actions that are aligned with your goals, values and skills. Rest assured, you will be seen as an expert.

My pick of tactics to follow consistently to establish expert credentials as part of your marketing plan

Create a website as home base to invite visitors to learn about your work and engage with you. Your website must show the visitor within 10 seconds what you have to offer and if it is relevant to them.

Add a few bells and whistles like videos, live chats and downloads in exchange for their email address to share more information about the problem you solve.

Start a blog with weekly posts on your subject.

Blogging will not only keep your website active but also help you get found via search engines. Blogging has the power to showcase your expert status provided you write relevant content on topics that are of interest to your audience.

Blogs are a form of content marketing and this can be expanded to include creating content such white papers, e-books, free reports, tutorials or social media to educate new and existing clients in your area of expertise. Creating content also gives you an opportunity to mention the services you offer to meet those needs.

Once you’ve created your content, you need to make sure you distribute this content at the places that you had identified while doing the strategy work to showcase yourself as the expert.

Speaking engagements, publication articles and volunteer leadership roles will help label you as an expert in your field.

Marketing your business is an ongoing task that should be addressed regularly throughout the year. The more you market your business, the more you increase your exposure, make a name for yourself in the local community, and meet your financial goals.

Whichever tactics you decide to apply, remember you have to do it consistently with a focus on the target market where you want to be seen as an expert. It takes time but the results are worth it.

Marketing is to your business what food is to the human body; without it, it’s impossible to survive. Begin implementing these tips today to find success in your marketing and increase your revenue to new heights.

How are you creating visibility and credibility as an expert?

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Establishing contact with recruiters, HR personnel and potential rainmakers for job hunting has become easier through LinkedIn because you can connect with the target professional through your 2^nd degree connections, Groups and even boiler template invites via the People You May Know section with 3^rd degree connections.

The latter are often accepted if the other person’s agenda is to build a wider network or they see merit in your profile.

But (and I mean a really big but), if the invitation isn’t done properly, it also raises the possibility and danger of inadvertently insulting those very professionals who you need to be in your corner to achieve your end goal – an introduction and a chance to get your resume on the right desk and  job interview invite.

I’ve written tons of posts about LinkedIn etiquette, as well as a free downloadable ebook 5 Mistakes Professionals Make on LinkedIn that addresses professional conduct when connecting with people whom you don’t know in real life. The same etiquette and good manners that you demonstrate in the offline world is required in online networks.

I’m observing a break in code of conduct especially among the millennial generation. I wish someone would tell them that just because a professional is on LinkedIn doesn’t mean they are open to accepting your invitation or giving you access to their network unless they feel the connection is mutually beneficial.

There’s a Haitian proverb

Don’t insult the alligator until you’ve crossed the river.

I think this proverb applies to the situation.

You don’t behave obnoxiously with people who can be rainmakers or help further your career aspiration.

Here’s a real life example.

Way back in 2009 when I first joined LinkedIn, I received an invite from a young professional whose profile was incomplete, no profile photo and who didn’t respond to my inquiry about how we knew each other. It was a polite request on my part because I meet a lot of people and simply wanted to be reminded. I had no reason to remember him until he resurfaced in a shocking manner.

He started trolling me in an IFRS Group where I had numerous 1^st degree connections from the offline professional world.

This person started abusing me instead of providing value to the technical questions that were the topics of discussion.

Then he made the mistake of mentioning my former employer and something very nasty which wasn’t true and  provided grounds for defamation and slander against the Troll as well as my former employer for their staff’s conduct.

I did 2 things – reported him to the LinkedIn Group Manager who blocked him and issued a warning to the Group to maintain propriety and secondly, contacted the HR Manager at my previous employers to discuss this person and his so-called connect at the firm.

Imagine my surprise when the Manager told me that there was no such manager in the firm (I had left in 2007 and attrition is high in that company). He took it seriously though and asked me for details of this young professional.

A few months later, the Manager called me to tell me that the person had applied for a job at the company and he had issued a notice that the person was blacklisted and wasn’t to be interviewed because ‘he wasn’t fit to be employed’.

A couple of Group Members including my connections wrote to me personally about how they admired my handling the situation and their own sense of disgust.  I emerged a stronger and respected member of the Group.

The difference between Troll and the others is the former didn’t recognize the alligator while the others did.

He made another mistake which can be summed in this Creole Proverb:

Don’t call the alligator “big-mouth” till you have crossed the river

Had the Troll played his cards right, the story would have been different. 1 phone call from me or my forwarding the resume would have helped him at least get noticed in a pile resumes because I had left on good terms to follow my dream.

Troll had caught my eye for all the wrong reasons. A Google search indicated that the same conduct had led him to be debarred by the professional body whose qualification was important for him.

This shouldn’t put you off from making introductions when you can or request introductions but be aware that when you make a request, the other person may do more research on you and an uncomplimentary Google search might mean a dead end to your request.

This brings me to the second tip for effective job hunting.

6 Degrees of Separation: networking with influential alligators

Six degrees of separation is the theory that everyone on Earth is 6 or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person on Earth, so that a chain of “a friend of a friend” statements can be made to connect any two people in a maximum of six steps.

In fact, it’s the same concept behind the parlor game Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon where a group of players to try to connect any such individual to Kevin Bacon as quickly as possible and in as few links as possible. (Kevin Bacon Trivia: In 2007, Bacon started a charitable organization named SixDegrees.org).

The concept is well explained in this video by Veritasium and I encourage you to watch it in full.

The point is, it can work in your favor or even against you like it did for the Troll where there was a second degree of connection which went terribly wrong in his job search.

5 ways to stay in the Alligator’s good books

The adage “it’s not what you know; it’s who you know” applies to both job hunters and   self-employed professionals.

Having the right connections that are able and willing to recommend you is as important as a resume that makes you stand out above the crowd. Make sure you are adhering to the following 5 pointers to make your network viable:

Courtesy is not old fashioned – Manners still Matter

Assume everyone you meet whether in the offline or online world is either an alligator or has the potential to be one for you and needs to be treated with courtesy & respect. You don’t know who they know who might be someone you need to know (remember The Troll).

Even when you are leaving a job that you hated, make sure you part on an amiable note. Potential employers often do reference and background checks or if it is a closed industry, they know each other. You certainly don’t want to be given a verbal reference that is in conflict with a written one.

On the alligator note, here’s another Haitian proverb worth remembering

Only when you have crossed the river, can you say the crocodile has a lump on his snout.

Build your Network before you need it

Make networking a part of your regular professional activity and not something you do when you suddenly need a job. Start building your network of professionals with whom you share common interests, industry and professional backgrounds.

This will not only keep you abreast of industry developments but quite often provide you with an inside tip-off for a potential job.

Many companies offer incentives to their staff for recruitment referrals. You want to top of mind if your contact is in a position to recommend you.

Know Like Trust Factor

Make sure your network really knows you. People like to help out those whom they know, like and trust. If you make a new connection, whether it is offline or on social media, cultivate that connection with useful information and generally get to know them better. That way, if you need help the alligator who is in a position to recommend you would be able to do it with confidence and you’ll avoid the disappointment of a no response.

Exercise your Gratitude Muscle

Remember to always thank your connection for leads whether they work out or not. Acknowledgement of their stepping out to help you ensures they will do it again if required.

Become the Alligator!

Networking is a 2 way street. Just as you may need an alligator to help you achieve your goals, avail every opportunity to be a rainmaker alligator to someone who needs your assistance or recommendation.

It demonstrates your prowess as a well-connected professional. Helping others often results in help when we need it. The Universe always makes sure that assistance given is returned even if it isn’t by the same person.

Have you ever experienced the 6 degrees of separation in your job hunt or in setting up your business?  What about the alligators? Ever experienced the wrath of an angry alligator?

PS.  Do you understand the dynamics and purpose of this professional networking platform?

I invite you to check out 5 Mistakes Professionals make on LinkedIn. In this short guide, I’m sharing 5 key mistakes and potential areas where you need to be careful. If you’re making any of these mistakes, you’ll find doable tips to course correct.

Click on the image of the ebook to get download directions and start creating meaningful connections with alligators on LinkedIn.

Honestly speaking, I joined Tumblr quite late – February 2014. I was a contestant in Firepole Online Marketing Scavenger Hunt. Tumblr was the platform for posting evidence of task completion.

As a non-online coach, I had a steep learning curve while I figured out how to make videos, memes and tons of other stuff. Well worth the effort because I was a winner – 3^rd place after 5 of us tied for 1^st place and went through the death rounds.

The more important fact is that I was hooked on Tumblr. You can read about the contest and results at Mirasee’s (formerly Firepole Marketing) website – The Great Online Marketing Scavenger Hunt.

So, I was surprised when researching one of my programs on job hunting using social media that none of the responses to my survey included Tumblr as a brand building or job-hunting resource.

LinkedIn ranked first and I wondered whether it was because my sample audience had not quite understood the power of this platform.

Whether you are a businessperson or a career professional, I don’t think Tumblr can be ignored although choosing to use or not to use it as a job search or marketing tool is a personal or professional decision.

The accountant in me says – give them numbers to munch on.

So here are some facts – I’ve updated them to reflect the latest information as at April 2024

• Tumblr was founded in New York City in February 2007
• Yahoo purchased Tumblr for USD 1.1 billion in 2013
• Yahoo sold Tumblr to Automattic, the company behind WordPress in 2019 for USD 3 million
• 437 million monthly users (2019)
• 536 million blogs (October 2021)
• 11.7 million daily posts (July 2021)
• 69% of Tumblr users are Millennials
• 48% of active users are Gen Z
• This platform is available in 18 languages

Source: Tumblr Statistics and User Count for 2024  and Tumblr’s Press Information Page

An even more interesting fact I found about Tumblr 

Although Tumblr doesn’t feature in the top 3 in job surveys, young professionals straight out of college are using Tumblr in their job searches. There are also businesses out there who also maintain a presence to connect with their customers.

Tumblr, like Pinterest and Twitter is a microblogging site that allows the user to share images, posts, videos, links and short text posts.

If you want an alternative to Blogger, WordPress and Wix, then this service can be customized as a professional blogging platform complete with choice of theme and visuals.

Although you can get your Tumblr posts indexed by Google, there is one caveat

Unlike traditional blogging platforms, Tumblr doesn’t have an option to leave comments.

So having a discussion can be difficult but your posts can be liked, reblogged (similar to a retweet or share) and you can engage in messaging.

There is a workaround the comments challenge by adding apps like Discus.

Guess what? Google Analytics: can be added into the code section of your Tumblr page to study website traffic and marketing initiatives.

You can also link your account to Twitter and share your content with your audience there. Use hashtags to enable extra visibility for you and your posts.

If you want a quick look at this site and its options, here’s a Slideshare presentation I had created for one of the challenges in the contest which is still relevant.

The Career Professional and Tumblr

Career professionals can use this site in many ways.

Professional job-hunting site blogs and The Experts often recommend having your own website or blog and talk about WordPress.com, WordPress.org and even Blogger.

This requires investing on outlay which can be avoided by setting up your blog on Tumblr to showcase your professional skills and talents.

Describe and highlight your career accomplishments. Position yourself as a thought leader through your posts if LinkedIn Publisher scares you or you want a different audience.

Even if you are not in the job search space, you can use this site to create and showcase your portfolio and professional views.

Share your images and curate articles that are of relevance to your industry with your own comments like you do on LinkedIn. Use the media options to create an awesome portfolio.

The last time I checked, quite a few recruiters and career coaches were present on this platform and if you use hashtags related to job hunts like ‘hiring’ or ‘jobs’ you might just find something worth following up. Tumblr lists its own jobs too on its site: https://www.tumblr.com/jobs

Since this site is Google optimized and indexed, if you manage your account properly, your profile can appear in the top searches for your name. Who knows, a potential employer might just stumble upon you and reach out.

7 Tips to Get the most out of your Tumblr Experience

As with other social media sites, there are some rules and etiquette to follow.

When you decide to use this site for professional purposes, visit their Terms and Conditions and rules and acquaint yourself with them.

If you read my other posts in the social media category of my blog, you’ll get the general idea but there are a few that need a special mention.

Keep it professional – just like for Facebook you may decide to keep a personal and a professional profile, here too, maintain a professional account. You can always link the two. Make sure there’s nothing embarrassing in your personal account or create the wrong impression on a recruiter or potential employer.

100% complete profile – complete your profile the way you would on LinkedIn. In other words, a professional profile photo, a suitable cover and if possible, claim your vanity url.

Be active – don’t let your blog stagnate. Keep it active and share your professional passion as if it were your own website. You never know who is watching even if they don’t press the Love button or reblog it.

Follow and interact – Follow professionals, thought leaders, brands and companies of interest to you and do interact.

Make sure you have an alternative email address or contact available in case someone wants to discuss a job with you outside of the platform.

Be respectful and courteous when sending or answering messages. Did I really have to say that? Well, if you see some of what goes on back at LinkedIn, you’ll understand.

Oh, and don’t spam!

WIFM for a small business owner or sole proprietor?

If the big brands are there, then why shouldn’t you? The way I see it, a business can never get enough visibility and we never know where we will get noticed.

For me the big eye opener was to learn from Sprout Social that in 2015 Nescafe became the first global brand to move all of its international and local sites to the Tumblr platform. The new global Nescafé Tumblr platform allows fans to share images, videos, GIFs and other coffee-related content.

You can find out more about how businesses are using this platform in their post Do People Still Use Tumblr for Business?

Back at Tumblr, it’s like getting Pinterest and Twitter all rolled into one. Visuals are always popular and you can tell your brand story, share links to your own website blog posts and generally reach out to a new audience.

Much of what I wrote for the career professional applies here as well.

Engage with visual content by with posts that are short but full of images.

You can connect with customers privately using the Messages option. Enable the “Ask” feature to allow customers to ask your business questions. The choice of responding publicly or privately is at your discretion.

Just like Mirasee (formerly Firepole Marketing) ran their competition, you can use the “Submit” feature to run contests and get content from your followers and customers. You can approve content before it is published to your blog so the issue of spam is mitigated.

Use the right hashtags. Post content specific to your target market and your audience and potential clients will find you.

For time managing multi-tasking business owners, what is better than being able to repurpose content to share and link with Facebook and Twitter so that your posts are seen on these platforms too?

So there in a nutshell, we have it! If your objective is to reach a younger demographic audience and the platform aligns with your marketing objective, have a shot at considering it as one more marketing tool for your business.

The only other thing you need to do is make sure that Google and the search engines can find you and index your blog. In the Settings section, make sure you check the box that says “Allow search engines to index your blog”. It doesn’t get simpler.

Your turn. Have you tried Tumblr? Do you have a presence there? If yes, do post a link to it in the comments box below. In the meantime, follow me at Tumblr by clicking on the image below. I go by the name of karmicallyours .I created it for the competition and kept it because I loved it.

Additional Job Searching Resource

Here’s a resource if you are in presently in the process of job searching and need more than Tumblr. On February 28th, 2016, I released my 5th Kindle book, 5 Reasons your job hunt isn’t giving desired results and 10 Strategies to strengthen your game plan.

Check it out – there may be a strategy that can tweak your game. Did I tell you there are 2 free gifts in the Kindle book too?

LinkedIn is an important professional networking platform whether it is for business or career professionals. I’ve written 3 blog posts about this networking platform over the years and honestly thought I had covered my bases after my last post on LinkedIn Etiquette in the Social Media Etiquette series.

The one exception was touching the topic of LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index that was rolled out after my etiquette series which I covered in my January coaching teleclass. (This is now a bonus when you engage me for the Building Your Brand on LinkedIn service)

I guess I was wrong.

My LinkedIn Experience last week

Last week, I received a connection invitation from a stranger – the kind I wrote about in my post Networking Alert: How to connect on LinkedIn without Trusting Strangers, but worse.

The chap had not bothered to personalize the invitation, had an incomplete profile with an Andy Warhol type of profile picture, no connections or groups in common with me.

I’m guessing he was the anonymous profile viewer that week who hadn’t taken the time to read my profile till the end and literally went off the other end when I asked how we knew each other.

I was accused of needing an email address to connect when in fact there is no such restriction but yes, just so that you know, LinkedIn automatically activates this control if you receive ‘I don’t know this person’ alerts 5 times and can even restrict your account if there are too many complaints..

Given the fact that there are lots of fake profiles, scammers and spammers out there, my question was perfectly legitimate as I will explain later.

Just because you send an invite to someone to connect on LinkedIn or befriend on Facebook doesn’t mean that they are obliged to connect or make friends. Since I don’t like abusive people and wanted to put a stop to such behavior in future, I’ve become as blunt as a few of my other connections and like them, now clearly state in my advice to connect or contact section that I will ask questions with the request to be professional and not get abusive via LinkedIn Message. I’ve also marked that specific invite saying that I don’t know this person.

Maybe I should have asked ‘So What?’ and put him on the hot seat instead of being polite. I certainly don’t want to connect with a fellow who is rude, obnoxious, and disrespectful.

When we connect with professionals on LinkedIn, whether known or unknown to us, we give an implied endorsement within our network that we know the inviter and that it is okay for our known actively engaged connections to believe that this person is trustworthy and they can also connect with them.

But then I would have been out of integrity and not me. Instead, this chap is the Muse for my blog post about why I or anyone who takes their network seriously may not accept your LinkedIn connection request if you make any or all of the 9 mistakes that I am sharing in this post.

In many ways, this post is a continuation of the one I wrote in July 2014, Networking Alert: How to connect on LinkedIn without Trusting Strangers.

I’ve seen a lot of posts in LinkedIn publisher on this subject by LinkedIn experts and gurus so I guess I am not the only irritated person out there but have joined the growing majority who don’t want to be part of an online rolodex of people on the planet. We want to connect with real humans.

9 Reasons why your invitation to connect may not get accepted

In previous blog posts, I’ve given suggestions from your perspective on how to be a good networker on LinkedIn. Here are my top 9 from the perspective of the invitation receiver. It is understood that personalizing your connection request is a must and the tips that I gave in Are You the Missing Link on LinkedIn are essential.

Reason 1 – I don’t recognize your name

Maybe we have met in the past but memories do fade with time unless you did something so wonderful or so disgraceful that I have a solid reason to remember you. So if I ask you to jog my memory, don’t be offended. Just offer an explanation even if it means that we haven’t met but you want to connect having read my profile.

Reason 2 – There has been no interaction in the past

Maybe our paths haven’t crossed yet and now, the time is right for both of us to connect. There has to be a reason. The suggestion for 1 holds here too.

Reason 3 – Your LinkedIn Profile is a company name with a company logo

Or your profile is a company name with a person’s picture but there is no way that I can determine who you are because there is no other information. So what if you have 500+ connections? LIONs specialize in having thousands. You are leaving me clueless!

In fact I once wrote to one of these invitees to and the response was with a human name who I then asked to connect via the professional individual profile. I never got the human face invite so I guess that was that. If I want to connect with a company, I’ll follow them on their company page.

Reason 4 – Your profile is incomplete and key sections that should be completed aren’t

If you are a stranger, I will look at your profile to find some common ground to connect and if I can’t find anything, I will write to ask a few questions and if you don’t respond, I will decline the invitation.  So please complete at least the portions that I have mentioned in my Missing Link post.

Reason 5 – You don’t have a profile photo and if you do, it is a small one with your car or dog or cat being more prominent and I can’t see your face

Or like I mentioned earlier you have the logo of your business. I agree that some people love their privacy and don’t post their profile photo. Quite a few of my former colleagues are guilty of that but then their professional reputations are such that we would know it is them. It is their conscious decision and they are not very active on LinkedIn anyway.

Make sure that your profile is complete enough for the other person to either recognize you or make them want to reach out and accept your connection request.

There is another reason why one has to proceed with caution in accepting faceless invites. It might be a fake profile with the intent to harvest information about you. More about this in the next reason- so keep reading!

Reason 6 – You’ve used a fake photo

I’ve seen this on Facebook as well and using the photograph of a celebrity will result in an immediate decline, especially if the rest of the profile is incomplete or inconsistent.

The best way to find out if a photo is fake is Google the name to see what images turn up. I’ve actually declined invites on this ground because it was clear that it was a fake or a potential spammer.

If you want to learn more about finding fake profiles, then these 2 articles that were published in December 2015 are a good starting point. They also share information about the technique of reverse image search on Google to determine if a profile is a fake.

BBC: Fake LinkedIn profiles used by hackers

Or the one in Indian Express Cybercriminals using fake LinkedIn accounts to scam users: report

Reason 7 – We have no common connections – not even 3^rd degree or a group

This is a real red flag. It doesn’t mean I won’t connect with you, just that I will be more careful because there are lots of scammers and fake profiles out there whose sole purpose is to get connected with you to gain access to your email address and to your network.

My suggestion to anyone who genuinely wants to connect with someone outside of their network is to personalize their invitation. You won’t be able to do this from the People you may know section and perhaps not from your mobile. So better to do it from a desk top computer and directly from the profile of the person you want to connect with.

Reason 8 – Your first interaction with me is a Sales Pitch

That is a big no-no. Connecting with someone who may be a good target for your business or career progression is a first step. Nurturing the connection is the second step and then once you have built your credibility and trust factor, should you even consider pitching about your agenda.

Also refrain from sending mass sales emails where everyone can see everyone else. That is not professional.

This has happened twice with me on LinkedIn where junior Alumni requested to connect. The next email was a sales pitch to buy an Accounting Technician’s course that would help me get a job in USA. The brush down was immediate with a suggestion to look at my profile to see that firstly, I was holding a qualification that was at the top of the accounting education echelon and secondly, I had a new business.

One lady apologized, the other was thrown off my list but not before she had connected with 20 of my colleagues who had accepted her invitation via my profile.

This is what I mean by a tacit endorsement and yes, I’m more careful now. You can learn more about savvy networking on LinkedIn here.

The way I see it, if I don’t ask, I won’t get information and if someone really wants to connect then they shouldn’t mind a few questions.

Reason 9 – You lie about how you know me

Okay, so you want to justify a reason for connecting but remember, the other person is intelligent and may not realize it immediately, especially if their career is over a decade old but what happens when they do find out? Did it ever strike you that they will disconnect and maybe report you as Spam or worse?

Social media networking is all about transparency. If you build the right professional network, the doors can open for mutual benefit. But it means starting off on the right foot and your first step is to appear professional enough for the other person to want to accept your invitation.

Your turn – any LinkedIn connection peeves that have stopped you from accepting an invitation or are you happy to connect with people who are just a part of an online directory?

Need more help? Karmic Ally Coaching’s ebook on the 5 Mistakes Professionals Make on LinkedIn is a must read. Download it by clicking the preceding bold link or the image below. A new window will open giving you the details of the ebook and the download procedure.

You will also be added to my subscriber list and given access to tips and resources that every professional needs for career and life balance. Be assured your email is safe with me.

As a newbie to LinkedIn back in 2008, I learned something from a L.I.O.N in disguise.

I promised myself, I was not going to be a chimp and decided to set up my first LinkedIn policy long before I knew that there was something called a social media policy.

This week, I’m taking out another real story from my life on social media and sharing precious lessons learned.

The story about connecting with the Missing Link

A few years back, when I was still deeply into my IFRS consulting practice, a trusted friend introduced me to a gentleman whom he knew through his family. Since the gentleman and I had a similar profile, his intention was that perhaps we could work together on projects. Preliminaries went well.

It was decided that we would get in touch when the right opportunities arose, and I happily accepted an invitation to connect on LinkedIn.  At that point, the new contact had about 25 connections.

A month later, I saw his name on my news feed bouncing with contacts, many of whom were personally known to me. These were not the ones you see in the People You May Know section and blindly click to connect with, but people who I had actually worked with.

So out of curiosity I checked his LinkedIn Profile.

In 2 weeks, he had jumped to over 250 out of which at least 12 were former colleagues of mine.

I thought to myself, this is great; I can get more references about his professional style from my colleagues.  What happened next left me gob smacked.

My colleagues said they did not know him from Adam and connected for 1 reason – they saw my name and that was good enough for them.

I went back to my friend and told him what was happening.  Seems the same had happened with him and he was angry. I remember him saying something to the effect that if street dogs had LinkedIn profiles, this guy would connect there too!

In subsequent chats he was jokingly referred to as the Missing Link.

We both disconnected from him as did many others.

The last I heard of him, he had managed to get himself featured as a LinkedIn Power Profile for the 5 most viewed profiles in his niche that same year and he actually has that as an accomplishment on his profile.

My friend and I know how he did it and I admire him for his strategy. No harm in giving the Devil his due, but even now, I cannot help but wonder – does he have a strong connection with his contacts or is it a numbers game for him?

How do you ensure you don’t end up being called a Missing Link? Or much worse by people behind your back when you try to connect?

Here are 10 pointers:

1. Understand that LinkedIn is a professional social media platform. People want to connect to further professional or business interests, not win popularity contests. They want to know you professionally and not learn about your private life. Keep it professional.

2. If you are trying to connect with someone who is outside of your circle, find a reason to connect. Make it worthwhile for the other person to accept your invitation. Is it an author whose books influenced you years ago? Mention it. Is it someone who posted on a Group Page and caught your attention? Mention it. Do you think that connecting would be beneficial to the other person? In that case, why not mention it? People like to know that there is a common thread that ties you together. Not just an open networker playing a numbers game.

3. Following from the above point, when you send out your invitation to connect, don’t use the generic

“I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.”

Instead, introduce yourself telling them how you found them and why you would like to connect.

4. Alternatively, if they are a Group Member, send them a mail asking to connect. Let them take the call. Some of my best and most meaningful connections to date have started that way.

5. If you are inviting someone to connect whom you have met at a networking event or at a seminar, mention it in your invitation. The same applies if you are connecting with someone after many years. Remind them of who you are. Not everyone uses LinkedIn like Outlook Express. Some log on once or twice a week. Unless they are able to remember you, they might just put you in Spam or report that they do not know you, which is embarrassing.

5 important tips once you’ve created the LinkedIn network connection 

6. Once your invitation is accepted, send an acknowledgement. If you have not already mentioned how you could benefit the new contact at the invitation stage, now is a good time to bring it up. (Refer to my blog post Do You Network or Netweave?)

7. By this point, you are ready to start creating a meaningful and mutually beneficial network connection. You need to nurture it and the best way is to pay attention to them. By this, I mean, look at your activity feed. Have they shared a post? Have they had a promotion? Communicate and connect. Hit the Like button or write a few words. Maybe send them a private message?

8. Keep your interactions professional and do not spam them. Refrain from getting personal in front of everyone. If they share a post make sure your comments lead to further professional interactions which enable others to join in and keeps the conversation flowing.

9. Don’t assume that if the other person has accepted your LinkedIn invitation, he will also accept your Facebook request. It can give the impression that you are trying to stalk them or worse.

10. Mind your manners at all times. If the new contact can accept your invitation to connect they can easily disconnect and even block you without your knowledge which I feel can be quite embarrassing.

There are so many other rules of engagement – don’t make these mistakes

What’s your experience of networking on LinkedIn? I’d love to read them. Share your LinkedIn experiences with me in the comments box below! 

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Written By: Vatsala Shukla originally in February 2013 and updated for content.

Update 29th April 2020: When I first wrote this blog post in 2013, the recessionary times referred to in the post that we were dealing with were normal economic ups and downs.

7 years later, we’re stepping into another recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are going to be job losses and yet, there will also be hiring of the right people for the right jobs as well as some stepping into self-employment and business.

While the strategy for job hunting during COVID-19 times will require skills and activities that might be outside of your comfort zone, these tips are a good starting point if you are facing the specter of layoffs and redundancy and want to get an early start in getting job interviews.

How to land an interview and get an opportunity to prove one’s capabilities during recessionary times

Sometime back, there was much discussion in one of my LinkedIn Groups on the topic of experienced unemployed professionals trying to land interviews.

The discussion took an interesting turn when a young, soon to be qualified professional joined the debate with the same problem.

Early in the discussion, I had suggested looking at one’s contacts that could at least get the resume through the door and onto the right desk and improve the chances of getting the much desired interview.

One’s credibility goes up as the introducer is also a reference. Worst case scenario, you may not get the interview or get interviewed but still not get the job.

You can learn more about it in my post Career Networking Tip: Keep alligator happy if you want success

We all go through tough times at some point in our lives and the best thing to remember is that this too shall pass.

Think you might need more help? Check out Karmic Ally Coaching’s Fast Track Career Success Action Plan here.

Additional Information on Job Hunting especially when unemployed

Since the time this blog post was written in 2013, I have added additional guidance and tips and recommend the following for additional help.

5 Reasons your job hunt isn’t giving desired results (Kindle ebook)

5 honest job loss truths that need to be shared

Dealing with the Gremlin called Unemployment Stress

Unemployment is not the end,  it is a new beginning

Written By: Vatsala Shukla

Sending a cold email with your CV takes courage – plenty of it, because the move can boomerang.

However, you can also hit pay dirt with this tactic. You may discover a rainmaker who might either help you to find a job or at least point you in the right direction.

Would your CV make the right impression on a stranger with 10 seconds to peruse it? 

A Tale of 2 Cold Call Resumes

A few years back, I received an application seeking employment.

The covering email and the Curriculum Vitae would have been appropriate except for one thing – it was sent to the wrong person. It was not my field and I was not hiring.

Yet I was impressed enough to pick up the phone and make an inter-city phone call to the job seeker who I didn’t know. I gave a few leads that I was aware of and tips on doing a focused job search. The candidate went on to send me a thank you email and all was well.

On the other hand, around the same time, I also received an email that inspired me to pen this blog post – for ALL the wrong reasons.

Impression?

Yes

Impressed?

NO!

For starters, the cover email was too generic quoting LinkedIn and social networking sites as reference sources that did not match on checking.

When you are cold-calling and claim references, be aware that your target recipient might actually do a few checks.

There was no career objective other than wanting to change jobs and a short description of the various processes handled.

The recipients (undisclosed and bulk email) were being asked to forward the CV to friends and peers. It felt like a chain mail except for the dire consequence part.

The CV in question was a 1 MB pdf file, 4 pages long and full of images from free sites.

Critical information was strewn all over the document and at the end of it, I was wondering if the sender was joking or serious? If you’re looking for a picture book, then it did the job.

Sadly, it wasn’t a document one would forward to one’s network and put one’s credibility at stake.

It was apparent that the individual, who was ironically looking for a Human Resources position, had worked hard to create the document.

It did not achieve the goal – using a stranger’s network to circulate the CV.

Did you know 85% of CVs get binned; they never get read or even looked at?

Most employers don’t spend more than 2-3 minutes reading the CV, so getting your covering letter and CV right is crucial. Especially if you are cold emailing and expecting that the recipient will forward the entire cover email and CV.

Update: Surveys show that perhaps this time is now down to 6 seconds max unless you stand out.

Pick up 19 of my simple tips that will improve your chances to appear viable here.

Both your covering letter and your CV are the first impression a prospective referrer gets of you – Make it last for all the right reasons!

Many executive search firms have tips and techniques for candidates for not only formulating their CVs but also for covering letters and interview preparation.

10 pointers if you decide to send cold-call job hunting emails

• Do your research and select target prospects that would be able to help further your interests, not wonder why you are sending a general email. If you are a specialist in industrial relations and send your CV to a sole proprietor, your specialist skills in managing flash strikes will have no relevance!

• Personalize your covering letter/email – Unless you are writing to a company and do not know whom to address it to, write the name of the person; particularly if you are claiming to have received the reference from LinkedIn. If you are members of a Group, mention it.

• Consider putting in a link to your LinkedIn Profile so that the receiver has a place to check your references and endorsements.

• Make sure your contact details are available both in the covering letter email and at the beginning of the CV.

• Put your career objectives or a career statement after your name and contact details. Your career objectives/statement should reflect what you intend to do with your career now and in the future, your career aspirations and level of ambition.

• Focus on what will get you that prized introduction for an opening. Consider whether the CV format should be a Reversed Chronological CV or a Functional CV.

• Format it in the manner that prospective employers would be interested in looking at it. If you are targeting multiple strangers – make a Master CV and customize it to make it relevant for the recipient to send it forward.

Don’t ignore these last 3 pointers!

• Make sure your document is no more than 3 pages. If you are a new entrant to the job market, make it 1 page.

• Check and double check for formatting, spelling errors, typos & poor grammar.

• Make your CV readable – remember the other person does not know you from Adam (or Eve) and is doing you a favor by even opening your email, leave alone reading your CV. Bullet points and indents work better than long paragraphs. Try the 10 second test by asking a friend or family to read your CV for just 10 seconds. Did the key points come across? If it did not for them, then they certainly will not for the stranger.

If you get the elements right, then you might just land an introduction for the opening you want.

In any case, if the recipient writes back to acknowledge and regrets they cannot help, do make sure that you write back to appreciate the time they took to read your CV. That way, they will remember you when the right opportunity comes along.

Think Professionalism.

A new job-hunting trend you need to avoid

There is a new trend that I’ve observed on the social media/networking platform LinkedIn. This involves connecting with a senior professional and then immediately sending them a resume asking for help in getting a job.

Please note, this isn’t how professionals operate. Just because someone accepts your invite doesn’t give you a permission slip to badger them without first introducing yourself properly.

You shouldn’t include them in a bulk email with a demand to share your resume within their network.

It doesn’t mean you can expect anything of them. By accepting your invitation to connect, they are already tacitly endorsing you to their network.

Build the relationship first and ask politely. Do your research and if a connection can get you an introduction, then ask for it with politeness and professionalism.

Would your CV make the right impression on a stranger with 10 seconds to peruse it? I’d love to read your answer in the comments box below.

Additional Resources for Job Hunters:

In the years since I first wrote this blog post, I’ve compiled different resources to help job hunters. I invite you to check them out as they supplement the 10 points I’ve shared in this post.

Job Search Success – Find your hidden professional opportunities 

Are you successfully positioning yourself for a job interview invite with your resume?

Are You Successfully Alienating People in 10 seconds over the phone?

Your social media profile job search jeopardy

Getting your CV past the online gatekeeper

Online Job Applications Guide

5 Reasons Your Job Hunt is Failing

This post was originally published in March 2013 and has been updated in June 2024 to improve its relevance for serious job seekers.

If I were a bard of Shakespeare’s stature, I’d most probably have written a sonnet for good old Twitter or X by now.

It’s my go to platform to reach out to the social media teams of various services I use to get help when I experience a service glitch. Help is provided quickly.

Online eCommerce majors as well as those in banking and telecommunication services are aware of the power of this social media platform to trouble shoot for their customers.

It doesn’t surprise me that even Delhi Police uses it to let us know of traffic issues or alerts.

In recent times, during the second wave of COVID-19 in India, Twitter played a major role in getting medical assistance and help for those who needed it.

Until one knows of firsthand experiences, one would have dismissed the Reuters article Twitter becomes platform of hope amid the despair of India’s COVID crisis as another quick read.

But when one knows the names of people who have reached out on this platform for help, it becomes personal.

For me personally, it was upsetting to read that the son of the late sitarist, among India’s best known, Debu Chaudhuri, a Padma Vibhushan, Padma Shri and a family friend had to reach out on Twitter with an SOS message about his critical condition for an oxygen cylinder and then for an ICU bed but his condition worsened.

The story ended badly because the maestro succumbed to COVID-19. Less than a week later, his son Prateek, himself a musician who had yet to achieve his full potential succumbed to a cardiac arrest while recovering from COVID-19.

This story is personal, and I grieve. Yet there are other stories that are much happier with people getting timely help. Somebody saw the tweet and tapped into their network and arrange help.

During the pandemic, Twitter was no longer just a social media platform to hang out and write tweets or follow celebrities. It took on a wider communication role even if only in a few characters.

How I discovered the power of Twitter, now X

Believe it or not, I didn’t fully realize the power of Twitter until I entered the Best Coaching Blogs Competition in 2012.

I realized soon enough that simply getting friends and clients to vote was not going to be enough. I had to declare my existence to the world with the request to vote for me.

It was a challenge as my blog was barely a year old and I was a newbie compared to the other competitors.

My please vote and please RT requests did wonders.

The votes started coming in.  My vote requests were re-tweeted. Followers’ tweeted messages to me to keep the faith, things would work out for me!

I made it into the semi-finals and from there to the finals where my co-finalists crowned my blog Numero Uno and sent congratulatory tweets.

I felt connected.

A regular tweeter, I have discovered a whole new world out there.

So many wonderful twitter friends who write great content and share great news. I even get a chance to read opinions from other tweeters on issues of social and political importance. I love the Twitter experience.

How does one ensure a great personal Twitter experience?

The first and most important point to remember is that Twitter is public. Your tweets will be visible across the internet.

Locking your profile or pre-approving the follower limits your interactions.  Instead, I suggest that you abstain from tweeting confidential or very private matters.

Some things should not be aired in the public arena; whether it is your tweet or a response to a tweet you can easily send a direct message.

In the same vein, resist tweeting banal or superfluous tweets.

Do a self-check by asking, if I were a follower, would I like to read the tweet?

Also don’t spam your followers by tweeting too often. They might decide to un-follow you to avoid the ‘noise’ that you are creating in order to read more interesting tweets.

Always tweet a thank you if someone has re-tweeted you or mentioned you on Follow Friday. It is a simple but great way to acknowledge the other person and nurture the twitter relationship.

Sharing is caring.

If you see a great tweet or one that has a link to an article or item that you think your followers would find interesting, re-tweet it.

If you read a great story on the internet, share it with a tweet. It also helps to build your image as someone who knows good content when they read it.

If you want people to engage with you, put a nice, clear picture of yourself. People like to know who they are interacting with. If you intend to use Twitter for your business, use a professional picture and not a cutesy one.

Make full use of the bio section – write something interesting that captures your essence within the allotted characters. Think of it as a mini-elevator speech that would interest people to follow you and engage with you.

When publishing your tweets, be yourself.

Think of what you would say if you were meeting someone in person. One great tweet that gets my attention each time is from a fellow tweep who asks “Good morning, who’s awake?’” If I am online or see her tweet, I certainly wish her a great day – even though I am 10 hours ahead of her on the globe.

Want to get new followers or engage more? Participate in a Follow Friday by using #FF or #FollowFriday and mention some of the folks you follow. It is a great way to show appreciation and prove you are not a machine. I believe the word is ‘bot’.

If you start a conversation on Twitter with someone, make sure that you respond to them in a timely manner. One of the best responses I got was a thank you from a lady I endorsed on Follow Friday with an acknowledgement the following week and an apology for the late reply – she had a cold. No guessing who tweeted back a get well soon message!

In my early days of Twitter use, I noticed that there were those who followed me and then un-followed me once I followed back or un-followed me if I did not follow back immediately.

Twitter is not a popularity contest but a powerful social media tool and needs to be acknowledged as such without abuse.

My tip – be authentic, follow those you wish to and don’t get upset if they do not follow you back.

As you continue to use Twitter, you would see new people following you.

Some social media experts say you should do an automatic follow and then remove later on. Unless you have oodles of time on your hand, it is simpler to check out the profiles and tweets of those who follow you and take your own decision whether to follow back.

There is no written rule that you have to follow everyone who follows you. It all depends upon the type of experience you want to have on Twitter. One way would be to follow @karmically!

This post was originally written in February 2013 and has been updated for relevance.