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….Ok it wasn’t CNN but it will do!
If you are a job seeker or hopeful job changer at this moment in history I am sure you are tired of hearing how you just HAVE to be on LinkedIn. I am afraid this is the truth. This is now the equivalent of someone never having had cable or who doesn’t use text messaging. You can resist the future but it will always come back to bite you in the end.
While I am considered a “digital immigrant” (i.e. somehow I survived high school and college without the internet and lived to tell) I have combined my unique use of all things 21st century with my tried and true notebooks and paper calendars. That being said as I began to take my own business to the next level and applied for different employment opportunities I found that my personal and professional networks were goldmines hiding far more value than random job boards or hoping for a miracle.
I began to grow my network with once secret weapon: The LinkedIn endorse feature on the phone application.
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Here’s how it works:
FIRST – No, I am not sitting going to a million people’s profiles everyday. Once you start the endorsement cycle it works for you!- When someone endorses me for a skill, I get a notification on LinkedIN in the ap.
- If I click on it, it invited me to a list of my connections I can endorse for specific skills WITHOUT going to their profile.
- Keep endorsing and watch the endorsements and conversations start flowing. This is networking. This is how we do it in 2014(almost 15!)
- Now I actually do think about it. I rarely endorse total strangers for things I haven’t a clue they are competent at. But I do trust my gut to know when to tap!
- What is there for you to do now? Start tapping. Don’t think about it – just do it!
I’m ready for my closeup now!
A few months ago I came across the opportunity to endorse Laurie Lawson, a fellow member of the International Coaching Federation. I’d been working on a contract basis with the New York City ICF Chapter’s executive board and Laurie had been a past president. I’d recognized her name from communications and known the enormous amount of work it took to lead this organization. Having been through similar training and sharing a profession that truly requires practice, I could tell Laurie was a pro!
Besides being a seasoned life and business coach and HR professional, Laurie is the executive producer of “The Coaching Game” A television show that explores and expands everyday concepts using the fantastic Points of You and other innovative coaching tools. This show appears on a local cable networks in Manhattan.
After endorsing Laurie a few times we struck up a conversation and Voila! I was invited to be a guest on the Coaching game. The rest as they say….is (pretty cool) history. I was able to share my experience, my expertise, and really explore the art of coaching individuals, career changers, and organizations to be effective in life and work. Not only was the experience pleasurable, but it left me with a priceless media asset of my skills and knowledge captured on video that I can use for professional advancement at anytime. Laurie was a true professional in every sense of the word, and I am grateful to have connected with another dedicated, trained, and friendly coach who is making a difference in the world!
Hear more about the art and science of coaching and what it means to be authentically professionally self expressed!
Is job searching driving you crazy? Get my NEW 26-page resource: 6 Steps to Job Search Success: A Job Seeker’s Guide! Click here for more information!
The mission of Sound Change is to dramatically increase the number of professionally self-expressed people on the planet.