Branding & Your Job Search – Hands On LinkedIn

1. Welcome to: Branding & Your Job Search – Hands On LinkedIn Scott Raether & Jason Boone

2. Class Administration A&FRC Marketing Bathrooms Breaks Smoking Areas Cell phones SIP

3. Transition Networking  - 68%  Being patient - 66%   Start preparing early - 65%   Have a transition plan - 59%   Translate military skills - 59% According to recent data collected from military veterans*, 5 of the most important elements of the military-to-civilian transition process are: You need a strong network outside of the military to find meaningful work, and your online presence is the key. Gaining employee referrals makes you 11 times more likely to get a specific job, so branding yourself, engaging people with content, and developing a strong network is becoming more and more important.

5. Why Network?

6. Why Social Media?

7. Recruiter Cost • The average cost/hire is $4,425 in ‘16 up from $4,129 in ‘15 • The average time to fill a job is 36 days in ‘16 vs 42 days in ’15 • Quality hires have risen to 28% in’16 compared to 18% in ‘15 According to Society for Human Resource Management's (SHRM's) 2017 report

8. Recruiters Cost • Job Board Costs: • Monster = $18K for 4 recruiters over 1 year • CareerBuilder = $20K for 4 recruiters over 1 year • LinkedIn = $195 for 30 days (Recruiter License) • Job Slots – 15 slots = $28K/year • Indeed = Post for free but pay per click • Glassdoor = $7K for 4 recruiters over 1 year

9. Mid Level Positions Senior Level Positions

10. Who are you? • Tag Line • “Seasoned project manager who excels at identifying and solving problems” • Elevator Pitch • “I am a seasoned project manager with experience enhanced through service in the Air Force. I have been recognized for my unique ability to creatively solve problems. I interested in how we can do business together .” • Branding Statement • “I have a documented track record of business development, operational planning, and leadership. My ability to find solutions that lead to success, foster team cohesion, and work with a high degree of integrity. I have led the Air Force in projects that have saved the government over $15M.”

11. Branding Yourself What is a Brand? • The powerful, clear, positive idea that comes to mind whenever other people think of you. • It is what you stand for – the values, abilities, and actions that others associate with you. • Professional makeup designed for the purpose of influencing how others perceive you , and turning that perception into opportunity.

12. People Brand Themselves Think about the way the following people have branded themselves: Michael Jordan Steve Jobs Jimmy Fallon Miley Cyrus

13. Social Media 1. Social vs. Professional – Friends & Family can help 2. Update your profile 3. Post content relevant to your job search 4. Find and follow companies 5. Define who you are as a person 6. 25% of recruiters vet candidates on Facebook

14. Social Media 1. Use your real name for account (@johndoe) 2. Profile with branding statement and link to LI account 3. Implemented your branding statement 4. Same picture as LI 5. Professional tweets only 6. Follow companies and experts 7. Professional tweets & re-tweets only

18. AND MILITARY SPOUSES!!!! www.veterans.linkedin.com

19. Premium Service Featured Applicant Status - Your name is first when you apply for a job. Job Search Badge – Shows you are looking for a job. Profile Views - Shows everyone that has viewed your profile in the last 90 days. InMail – 5 InMails per month. Can be carried over. Advanced Search – Fine tune your search for people and companies. Open Network – Allow anyone to connect with you. Competition Level – See where you stand with the competition before you apply for a job.

20. Premium Service – LinkedIn Learning Premium includes a library of 10K+ business, technical, and creative courses. Specifically for veterans, LinkedIn has created two learning paths. Transition from Military to Civilian Employment: Navigate your job search, build your professional identity, prepare for interviews, negotiate salary, and get promoted LinkedIn for Veterans: A “LinkedIn 101” tutorial for everything from selecting and uploading the right picture to searching and applying for jobs. Translating Your Military Skills to Civilian Employment: Understand civilian hiring process and empower you to demonstrate your best self to employers. Finding Your Purpose After Active Duty: This course is all about the intangibles of transition – understanding your value, dealing with the uncertainty of transition, and wrestling with some of the challenges inherent in this process. Finally we also have a course specifically dedicated to Learning LinkedIn Premium Career. For those taking advantage of our Premium offer, this course builds on the LinkedIn for Veterans course mentioned above to teach you specifically how to use the Premium features to get ahead.

21. LinkedIn All-Star LinkedIn Profile Users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn than someone with an incomplete profile. Complete profiles rank higher in LinkedIn’s search results. LinkedIn wants to ensure their search results are accurate and so they promote profiles that are completely filled out ahead of profiles that are incomplete.

22. LinkedIn How to Obtain an All-Star LinkedIn Profile What does it take to achieve a perfect LinkedIn profile that ranks All-Star profile strength? Your industry and location An up-to-date current position (with a description) Two past positions Your education Your skills (minimum of 3) A profile photo At least 50 connections

23. LinkedIn The LinkedIn Banner…. “A picture is worth a thousand words.” • It represents your brand, personality, and cultural fit. It’s a Billboard. • Keep it simple; easy to read; fit properly; and proper sizing. • It shows you are ‘serious’ about LinkedIn and your brand. To create your own customised banner, there are several free online programs you can use: Canva - https://www.canva.com/create/banners/linkedin/ PicMonkey - https://www.picmonkey.com/  Adobe Spark - https://spark.adobe.com/

24. Social Media LinkedIn Profile Picture….which one?

25. LinkedIn Privacy & Settings • Profile Updates – on/off • Accounts • Privacy • Communication • Customized URL • Groups

26. LinkedIn Your Name • Within your last name you get 40 characters. (#1 for SEO - LinkedIn looks for keywords is in your name field) • Don’t add too many • keywords

27. LinkedIn The Header The Headline gets 120 characters. (#2 SEO) A. Mary SmithTransitioning Military Member ----- or ----- B. Mary SmithExperienced Marketing Professional ----- or ----- C. Mary SmithTransitioning Military Member ⋆ Logistics Manager ⋆ Supply Chain Transportation Supervisor ⋆ Fleet Coordination LinkedIn Symbols LinkedIn Character Count

28. LinkedIn The Header • Hack # 1: My current search for LinkedIn, that I learned at a Recruiting Conference that had upwards of 1000 recruiters in attendance: • (seeking OR seeker OR "looking for" OR "in search of" OR "open to" OR "new job" OR "actively pursuing" OR "pursuing new" OR "searching for" OR "new opportunity" OR "new opportunities" OR "available for" OR "transition" OR "transitioning" OR "separating" OR "unemployed") • ..And then I put in the terms that I am looking for • Seeking Human Resources • Bottom line: Recruiters ARE looking to make long-term connections? But when positions need filled, we need to know that who we are reaching out to are available soon, if not immediately.

29. LinkedIn The Summary • Gets 2000 characters. • The digital first impression • Does it have spice? • Is it authentic? • Where is the value? • How is it formatted? • Are there keywords? • Ready/Set/Action

30. LinkedIn The Experience • Job Title – 100 characters (#3 in SEO) • Description: 2-3 sentence overview (paragraph) with 2-3 accomplishments (bullets). • Front load achievements • Use action verbs • Use keywords • Demilitarize • Less is more • Proper grammar and spelling

31. LinkedIn Skills & Endorsements • Extra weighting in search algorithm • 50 skills to be endorsed, make them count! • Allows connections to quickly affirm your skills and expertise • Keep skills relevant and up to date

32. LinkedIn Recommendations • They solidify you as a person, employee, and talent. Very important to your profile. • You can ask your connections to write a recommendation of your work that you can display on your profile: • Go to your profile and click the down arrow to the right of the button near your profile picture. • Click Ask to be recommended from the dropdown. • Follow the prompts to request the recommendation. • Click Send.

33. LinkedIn Recommendations • Hi [first name], • I hope all is well with you. I am preparing to depart from the military and pursue a civilian career. • I have been reflecting on my past accomplishments and I really enjoyed working with you on/at [project/company], and I was wondering if you would write a brief LinkedIn recommendation of my work. • I'd love it if you could touch on Y initiative and our collaboration on Z. Just three to five sentences is all I'm after. • I know a recommendation from you will significantly elevate my profile. I greatly appreciate your time, and hope to hear from you soon. • Thank you, • [your name]

34. LinkedIn Connections • 50 connections for a complete profile and 500 connections to be taken serious. • Always add to the connection request. • Connect to 2nd degrees (co-workers, peers, recruiters, decision makers). • Participate, Post, Participate. • Save connection templates for future use.

35. Build Your Network With Peers, Recruiters, Advocates

36. LinkedIn Build Your Network • Kymberli Tucker - BJC • Corey Williams – Combined Insurance • Ann Heinly – Enterprise • Patrick Christie – Aegion Corp. • Christine Wojda – Flying Colours Corp. • Jay Miller – Edgewell Personal Care • Chris Anderson – Aegion Corp. • John Hansley – Monsanto • Brian Dillard – NGA • Lewis Collins – NGA • Jonas Patterson – NJVC • Linda Hoffman – PNC Bank • Anna Carr – Ameren • Michelle Isenberg – Ameren • Nya Grimes – Ameren • Jessica Barattini – A&FRC • Sarah Lynch – A&FRC • Jennifer Welch – A&FRC • Richard Wegner – UPS • Duane Butler – Chenega • Garrett Doerr – SSM Healthcare • Emilie Hoffman – Hire Level • Ola Ayeni – Claim Academy • Scott Raether – AFRC • Jason Boone – Spectrum • Donna Baylor – TAP • Daniel Savage – LinkedIn • Michael Quinn – LinkedIn Pro • Beth Brueggemann – MiTek Industries • Brian Scott – Adaptive Solutions • Matt Miller – Leidos • Jessica Fritz – SAIC • Dean Espenschied – Archer Daniels • Ashley Maetas – Ascent, LLC • Katelyn Blair – BJC • Brandi Smith – Scull Construction • Chris Coughlin – AIC • John Wesley – BNSF Railway • Samantha Graham – Bunge • DeAnn Mooney – C5T • Sanford Artman – Averitt Express • Brian Draper – Centene • Sean Sawyers – Chameleon Integrated

37. Groups Join up to 100 Groups on LinkedIn • Your Industry • Your Job Function • Your Geographical Location • Bonus!!! – Both Job Function & Location Now what??? Engage – Add value to a comment; share your expertise Ask Questions; Seek Advice; Share Content – Remember “Branding” Check for Jobs – Yes, it is a job board also Connect with Fellow Members – You all share a common interest or bond.

38. 10 Best Job Search Groups 1. A Job Needed – A Job Posted Most productive group in career and recruitment segment. About 9k members. 2. Career Change Central Job changers and people in career transition; meet with hiring managers, and career coaches. 3. CareerLink Network Holistic approach to your career and life, helping you with spiritual and personal growth. 4. Corporate Recruiters Corporate, in-house if you will, recruiters. This will get you in direct contact with companies. 5. Executive Suite A massive group connecting executives and recruiters mainly in the US. 6. Job Openings, Job Leads and Job Connections A self explanatory title and also the biggest LinkedIn group of them all. 7. Jobs Alert Career opportunities at middle and senior level of management. 8. Linked:HR A group for managers, corporate recruiters, and now you. Biggest HR group on LI. 9. Personal Branding Network A group about using your brand for your job search and career in general. 10. Undercover Recruiter Ask questions about careers and recruiting.

39. LinkedIn Groups to Join • Job Postings Group • Veterans Hired • G.I. Jobs • Scott Air Force Base • Military Veteran Recruiters • Hiring Our Heroes • Veteran Mentor Network • Social Media for Job Search • Scott AFB Transition Recourses • Connected STL – Networking Group • Veteran Job Opportunities • Military Transition Assistance • SAFB IT Professionals • St. Louis Talent Acquisitions Network • We Hire Heroes – Veterans Employment • Scott AFB – Community Job Board • St. Louis Networking Event • St. Louis Employment Network • LinkedIn Working St. Louis • AFCEA Scott – St. Louis Chapter • Metro East St. Louis Network • St. Louis Recruiter Professionals • US Air Force • Full Scope Poly Recruiters • Scott AFB Cleared Professionals • Military Spouse Employers • The Recruiter.com Network • St. Louis Job Angels • Military Spouse Professionals • Top Secret Careers

40. ACTIVE or ENGAGED? • “Liking” what others write • Active – Hitting the “like” button and moving on…. • Engaged – Actually reading, commenting, and sharing • “Sharing” Posts • Active – Sharing everything and anything • Engaged – Quality vs. Quantity….share relevant information to your network. • “Share” an article vs. “Writing” an article • Active – You hit share and move on • Engaged – Actually writing an article related to your profession. Know your audience • “Wallflower” Effect • Active – You say the generic congratulations and move on • Engaged – Make a unique comment the makes you stand out

41. The Job Search!!

42. Dedicated Jobs on LinkedIn Scrapped Jobs on LinkedIn • Takes you to company website to apply. They pay LI to take from their site. • Application process is different. “Easier”

43. 1. After you see a position on LinkedIn, Indeed, Simply Hired, Glassdoor, Monster, etc. go to LinkedIn and search for the company

44. 3. Filter Employee Profiles on LinkedIn 2. Search Employee Profiles on LinkedIn Location of the job All Filters Search past companies you worked for to find people that used to work for the same organization. Air Force, Army, Navy, Marines, CG Industries: Staffing & Recruiting, Human Resources, industry of the job you are pursuing, a peer in your industry. “Recruiter” or “Talent”

45. Results Based On Search: Location: Greater St. Louis Industry: Human Resources Based On Search: Location: Greater St. Louis Past Companies: United States Air Force

46. 4. Contact them about the job opportunity Options: • 1. Connect • Send Connection Request with message • 2. InMail • For Premium Accounts. Allows for longer messages • 3. Referral • Ask someone in your network to refer you to him/her. 2. 3. 1.

47. Connection Approach Pros: It is quick, short, and less disrupting. You don’t need premium. Cons: Only allow 300 characters. Sometimes it is overlooked. No attachments

48. InMail Approach Pros: It is seen as an email and stands out. Longer character limit. Serves as a cover letter to show qualifications. Attach your resume. Cons: It is not a connection request. You do both You must have Premium.

49. Referral Approach Pros: Referral is #1 approach to job application. Recruiters prefer referrals. Cons: You have to have a relationship with referral. No guarantee the referral will do it. Becomes out of your hands.

50. What the Employer See When You “Easy” Apply The Candidates Name The Headline beneath their name Current Job Title Past Employment Job Title Education Recommendations Connections Contact Information