If you think that HAVING a photo on your LinkedIn profile (and elsewhere online) may red-flag you for discrimination – age, weight, ethnic background, etc. – think about this.

NOT having a photo can be a red flag, too.

Discussions persist over whether including your photo can cause people to discriminate against you. My c-level executive clients – typically over 50 years of age – are understandably worried that they’ll suffer from age discrimination. You can minimize the age issue by not including earlier career history in the “Experience” section, but a photo could well show age.

Your reasoning for not including a photo may be that you hesitate “putting yourself out there” so visibly. Although you know that for executive job search and networking, you have to be on LinkedIn, you resisted putting up a profile in the first place.

You didn’t really want to have an online presence at all, but you slapped up a LinkedIn profile because you felt you had no choice. But you feel that adding a photo will make you way too visible online.

You may have good reason not to include a photo, but I encourage you to include one. The benefits far outweigh the pitfalls.

Think about the recruiters and hiring decision makers at your target companies who click through to your LinkedIn profile. The first thing they’ll notice is your photo . . . or lack of one. If you have no photo, their initial thought will likely be “What is this person trying to hide?”

One of the strategies you should be using with your LinkedIn profile is branding yourself to differentiate the qualifications and qualities you possess from your competitors. Branding is also about creating emotional connections.

People connect easier and believe content more when it’s accompanied by the author’s photo. They’re more likely to reach out to someone when they can “see” the person. Your photo helps to personalize and humanize your brand-driven content.

Why NOT having a LinkedIn photo is NOT a good idea:

• You can be perceived as not understanding how to use LinkedIn. It can make you seem out-of-touch with current technology and trends. You can appear to be technically incapable of loading on a photo.
• “Fake” LinkedIn profiles do exist. Those without photos may be perceived as not belonging to real people.
• Lack of a photo keeps your profile from being 100% complete, according to LinkedIn’s criteria. Profiles that ARE 100% complete are more likely to show up higher in search results, giving them an advantage over “incomplete” profiles.
• LinkedIn research indicates that profiles with pictures are seven times as likely to be viewed as those without.

Choose your LinkedIn photo wisely. This is the first thing people are likely to see when they open your LinkedIn profile. Select an appealing photo that strikes the right image and professional tone for your industry and niche.

Remember that your LinkedIn photo isn’t only visible when people click through to your profile. It also shows up with all of your status updates, group discussion comments, contributions to LinkedIn Answers — any of your activity on the site — so make it be a positive reflection of you.

Related posts:

LinkedIn Guide for Executive Branding and Job Search

My free e-book: Executive Branding and Your LinkedIn Profile: How to Transform Your Executive Brand, Resume, and Career Biography Into a Winning LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn: Best Tactic for Undercover Executive Job Search

29 Biggest LinkedIn Mistakes

photo by nan palmero

In my continuing series of posts focusing on job search bloggers you should know about, I turned to my friend and colleague Jason Alba.

He has been on the scene since 2006 offering help through JibberJobber, a job search and career management tool, and several blogsites.

Catch up with my 3 other posts spotlighting blogging job search experts and their advice:

→ The Career Sherpa: Job Search Navigation Expert – Hannah Morgan (@careersherpa on Twitter)

→ Happy Fourth Birthday to the Job Mob blog! – Jacob Share (@jacobshare on Twitter)

→ Personal Marketing for Job Search – Tim Tyrell Smith (@TimsStrategy on Twitter)

A little background on Jason . . .

He designed JibberJobber during his first real job search early in 2006, a so-called “job seekers market”, when he discovered there was no practical tool to help job seekers manage and organize their job search. No longer a tool just to be used during one job search, Jason transformed JibberJobber into a tool to be used to manage job transitions during your entire career.

Jason is the author of I’m On LinkedIn – Now What??? and the LinkedIn for Job Seekers DVD.

As with the other experts, I asked Jason for his best job search advice:

“Stop wasting time. I wasted time in my job search, as do many people. Time wasting is masked by ‘I’m busy doing a job search,’ but really all we did was put a lot of time and effort into the easy stuff, which was not as effective as the hard stuff (like networking). You can’t hide behind job boards and LinkedIn and call it a job search, when you really don’t reach out to people. Do the hard stuff.

Also, consider other options. When I speak to executives in transition, I look out at the white hair and wrinkles and know they are scared to death about age discrimination. They should be. It’s real, and it’s rampant. It’s a shame, but it’s there.

Some of my audience will never, ever find a traditional job again. That really sucks, because it’s based on bias and stereotype, but what that means is you need to figure out a Plan B, or Plan C, or Plan Z. It might not seem as exciting or lucrative as your Plan A (corporate job), but it might end up being much more exciting and lucrative. And, you might end up with more ‘security’ than what a corporate job could ever offer you.”

Visit Jason’s I’m On LinkedIn – Now What??? blogsite for the latest LinkedIn information and advice.

Related posts:

How To Land an Executive Job in 2011

The Two Biggest Executive Job Search Mistakes

LinkedIn Guide for Executive Branding and Job Search

16 Ways to Stay Motivated in Executive Job Search

So much has been written and said about whether social media brings enough return on time invested.

The key to getting value is choosing a few platforms and leveraging them well. We can easily get consumed and overwhelmed by dabbling in too much social media , and making an impact with none.

Running my business is similar to running an executive job search campaign. I tell my c-suite clients that, just as I do, they need to think of themselves as a company of one – Brand You – and determine what differentiates them from their competition, then promote that unique value they offer.

Using social networks and social media helps you (and me) uncover opportunities, build community and brand evangelism, make connections with potential employers’ hiring decision makers, and demonstrate your thought leadership and subject matter expertise.

In my opinion (and that of just about any career professional), executive job seekers MUST get involved with LinkedIn, at a bare minimum, just to keep pace with their competitors in today’s job market. But is that one channel enough? How many are too many? And how much time should you spend on each?

It’s all about creating a realistic strategic plan, and understanding that social media has a cumulative impact. It takes time for your efforts to gain traction. Don’t expect too much to happen until after several months or more, depending upon how active you are and how quickly you build connections, followers, visitors, etc.

Blogging, LinkedIn and Twitter are my social media of choice – the biggest pieces in my online brand communications plan. Here’s a taste of the ROI value of each for me:

BLOGGING

No question, most of my business comes through my blogsites. They are the single best tool for marketing my brand and the services I offer.

I write a total of 2-3 new posts each week on my two active blogsites, Executive Career Brand and Executive Resume Branding.

By concentrating on SEO (search engine optimization) – using enough relevant keywords in the right ways and places, frequency, and building back links from sites with good Google juice – I’ve been able to maintain strong search results for the keyword phrases that prospective clients use to find careers industry professionals like me.

LINKEDIN

Because my LinkedIn profile lands at the #2 or #3 spot in Google search results for my name, many click through to my LinkedIn profile and assess whether to do business with me based on what they read in my profile.

And, many of my clients are LinkedIn members who find me through a LinkedIn search of relevant keywords.

I keep LinkedIn working for me by:

• Making my professional headline SEO-friendly – it contains the keywords my target potential clients use to find people like me.
• Integrating my blog posts with LinkedIn, so that new ones are automatically posted to my profile.
• Staying active with the LinkedIn Groups my potential clients are active in.
• Growing my number of good quality connections, so that I have that many more second and third degree connections.
• Keeping my connections updated on my latest activities.

TWITTER

Twitter does require diligence and an active presence, but I happen to really enjoy keeping up with it.

Good networking on Twitter, just as in real-life or on any social media channel, is all about “giving to get”. I’ve built professional friendships with all kinds of people (other career professionals, executive job seekers, social media experts, entrepreneurs, etc.) with whom I’ve formed alliances. We help each other promote our brands and businesses.

I’ve supported my Twitter friends by retweeting them, tweeting their blog posts, spreading the word about them and referring them to good-fit clients. They’ve reciprocated by referring potential clients to me and referring me to their contacts in the media who are looking for career experts to interview and/or to contribute to their publications.

About 10-15% of visitors to my blogsite come from Twitter. Those are people who probably otherwise wouldn’t visit my site. Every visitor is a potential client or may know someone who is.

Here’s some of my Twitter strategy:

• Tweeting several times a day (except Sundays, and sometimes Saturdays).
• Making sure that the 4 most recent tweets in the Twitter stream shown on my blogsites are no more than a day old.
• Integrating my blogging with Twitter, driving more visitors to my blogsites.

You can see that my choice of social media channels and strategy have great value in building my business. Similarly, as an executive job seeker, your own well-planned strategy can help you get the word out about your unique promise of value to the companies you’re targeting and those who have first and second degree connections to hiring decision makers at those companies.

You may not choose the same mix of channels I did. Find what works for you, create a realistic strategy and stay with it until things start to stick. Another benefit to your efforts is that you will be positioned as up to date and social media savvy — qualifications more and more companies are seeking.

You’re probably wondering why Facebook isn’t in my mix. I tried. I just couldn’t realistically manage it, with the others. And I was never a big fan. But many job seekers are having success with Facebook, connecting and networking, so it might be right for you.

And now Google+ is in front of all of us. Like many, I’m still waiting to determine whether it’s worth it to carve out some of my limited time for that.

Related posts:

LinkedIn Guide for Executive Branding and Job Search

You’re a C-level Executive Job Seeker and You’re NOT Blogging?

Twitter Turbocharges Executive Job Search and Personal Brand Visibility

Twitter Executive Branding Strategy: The Beauty of a Retweet

photo by John-Morgan

For about a year I’ve been managing the Personal Branding subgroup of the Job-Hunt Help Group.

Along with job seekers at all professional levels, membership includes many Reach Certified Personal Branding Strategists besides myself, and other esteemed careers industry professionals.

Come join us. It’s your opportunity to start, contribute to, and learn from the experts in discussions about branding to accelerate job search and healthy career management.

Membership is growing steadily, but we’re always up for new voices jumping in with questions and advice on best practices on all things personal branding.

I only ask that you keep your contributions free of self-promotional materials. We just want to stick to the topic – and not be bothered by pitches.

Related posts:

LinkedIn Guide for Executive Branding and Job Search

Power Your Executive Brand with LinkedIn Groups

29 Biggest LinkedIn Mistakes

How Recruiters and Employers Find Candidates on LinkedIn

LinkedIn Groups is one of the big benefits of LinkedIn membership, but many members don’t seem to know that. They’re missing out on plenty of opportunities to accelerate their job search.

Joining the right Groups can lead you to people who can help you achieve your job search goals.

But how do you find the right Groups for you to join?

If you’re at the point in your search where you’re actively networking into that next job, I’m assuming you will have already researched and identified several target companies, and determined who you need to connect with at those companies.

I’m also assuming you already have an on-brand, keyword rich, 100% complete Linked profile.

Here’s one way to find the right LinkedIn Groups, in 3 steps:

1. Working from your list of key people at your target companies, go to each one’s LinkedIn profile.

2. Look for the Groups they belong to and, if those Groups are a good fit for you, join them yourself.

3. Spend a little time getting a feel for the way that particular Group works, and slowly start contributing to existing discussions and starting your own. The idea is to position yourself, and become known, as a subject matter expert and thought leader.

It’s that easy! This is one way to begin rubbing elbows with key hiring decision makers at, or connected to, the companies you’re interested in working for.

Then, you can get busy building your executive brand with LinkedIn Groups.

Related posts:

LinkedIn Guide for Executive Branding and Job Search

How To Write a LinkedIn Invitation to Connect

29 Biggest LinkedIn Mistakes

Surprise Someone with a LinkedIn Recommendation

How Recruiters and Employers Find Candidates on LinkedIn

photo by Coletivo Mambembe

You’ve got a good handle on today’s executive job search.

You know what you need to do to land your next job, and you’ve set about doing it.

You’ve already done the following:

• Compiled a list of 15-20 target companies that are a mutual good fit.
• Researched each company’s current needs and challenges, and how you can help them solve their problems.
• Identified a few key decision makers within each company.
• Started connecting with these key people through cold contact, introductions, LinkedIn and/or other networking methods.

Take your social networking beyond LinkedIn and at least dabble with Twitter. Here are 2 easy ways to use it to accelerate your job search. Of course, you’ll first have to join Twitter and post a relevant key word-rich bio:

1. Search Twitter for your same target list of companies and key decision makers.

• Follow them if they’re there. Listen in on their conversations to get a feel for the corporate culture and for job opportunities, market intelligence and due diligence.
• Follow the people they follow.
• Retweet (RT) them regularly (to get on their radar and stay top of mind).
• Send them an @reply or @mention from time to time, but don’t overwhelm them. Both include that person’s @username, so will show up in the @Mention tab of their home pages. They’ll notice you.
• Direct message (DM) them to make contact, if they’ve followed you back and when/if you’re comfortable reaching out to them.

2. Use LinkedIn’s Tweets Application.

You can choose to display your most recent tweets on your LinkedIn profile. I suggest you be careful with this. I find that not all tweets are LinkedIn-worthy.

Another important feature of this app is that it gives you instant access to the updates of people you are following on Twitter and the power to tweet, reply, and re-tweet — all from your LinkedIn home page.

Related posts:

Twitter Turbocharges Executive Job Search and Personal Brand Visibility

Twitter Executive Branding Strategy: The Beauty of a Retweet

14 Reasons I Won’t Follow You On Twitter

Are Your Target Employers on Twitter?

55 Top Job Search Experts To Follow On Twitter

10 Ways I Use Twitter to Build My Personal Brand

Does Your Twitter Bio Pack an Executive Brand Punch?

Photo by Meg Guiseppi

Many people look forward to catching up on reading over the summer. Light novels and other diversions are popular.

But if you’re in a job search, or think you’re headed there, summer is a great time to strategize your search, do some career planning, and actually get a foothold and gain some traction.

Your target companies may be hiring this summer . . . and they may be looking for candidates like you.

To entice you to buy and read my ebook this summer — and learn some basics on how to navigate the complex world of today’s executive job search — I’ve reduced the price.  Read about and purchase my ebook here.

The ebook will help you pull together all the pieces:

• Targeting
• Branding
• Career Communications — executive resume, biography, and other career documents
• Storytelling
• Online Identity
• Online Reputation Management
• LinkedIn
• Twitter
• Blogging
• Social Networking
• Social Media
• Networking
• Interviewing

Along with taking a little time to recharge from your job search efforts, devote some of your reading time this summer to accelerating your search by learning how to better manage it.

Happy reading! Happy summer!

Related posts:

Chapter 1 of My Ebook: 23 Ways You Sabotage Your Executive Job Search

Why I Wrote My Executive Branding and Job Search Ebook

10 Things I Learned Writing My Ebook