Ignite your meetings with efficiency...not with frustration

A meeting can be a great opportunity to collaborate. The nature of how we meet has changed thanks to modern day technology (see Slack, Trello, and other great tools). Embracing technology doesn't always replace good ol' fashioned real-life discussion (aka the robots haven't taken over...yet).

If you do feel like an in person meeting or conference call is necessary, we encourage you to think about how you run meetings. You don't want your attendees to consider lighting the room on fire just to make.it.stop. (not that we've EVER had those thoughts ourselves). Send an agenda ahead of time (and stick to it), leave individualized questions/concerns for private discussion, and always keep your goals in mind. 

When you were little I bet you all dreamed of playing this game, right?

#TuesdayThoughts: Know Your Worth. Show Your Worth. Shine on.

On #TuesDayThoughts we deliver a friendly reminder that you must let your light shine. It doesn't matter what stage you are at in your career. You should always shine a light on yourself. Keeping track of the impact of your work (Hint: that means quantifiable data in terms of growth, money saved, etc.) goes a long way.

How can keeping track of boring numbers help your career? Here are a few ways:

1) Get yourself that raise. Some people are TERRIFIED to ask for more money. Whenever clients come to me with this fear, I ask them what they've done to earn it. Make a list. Show them why they need you. Numbers are hard to argue with so use them to your advantage!

2) Kick butt in your performance review. Reviews are a great way to highlight some of the amazing work you've done that went unnoticed. Keeping a running tab of the unglamorous, but impactful work you accomplished can help to wow your supervisor and gain additional visibility on your team.  

3) Make it the silver bullet in your resume. A  strong bullet point that stands out has something like a number, a percent, or a dollar amount that shows you did something that actually made a difference, and wasn't just copied and pasted from your original job description. 

It doesn't matter if you set aside a email folder for "awesome things I've done, keep a section in a notebook (what??? paper and pen?? the horror), or send yourself voice memos. Just make sure you're doing something that documents the awesome things you do. It's easy to forget the difference our work makes. Know your worth. Show your worth. Shine on!

Style your virtual professional outfit: Tips to optimize LinkedIn and get noticed

Don’t get left out of the party. 50 million people are on LinkedIn. Are you?

Why LinkedIn

Think of LinkedIn as the nice virtual equivalent to the nice outfit you wear for an interview or the rolodex of contacts people kept back in the day.

                                     FYI this is a rolodex

Quick Tips:

1)    Complete your profile. Do you show up shirtless to an interview? Nope. Make sure your profile is fully dressed, too.

       What's your snack policy?

Profiles that are 100% complete get the most exposure. Make sure you completed your summary, added relevant experiences, asked individuals for recommendations, and included a picture.

2)    Make personalized connection requests. You wouldn't randomly knock on someone's door. The same etiquette applies when reaching out to potential LinkedIn connections. Include a brief message on how you know a person and why you want to connect with them.  Many people indicate their connection preferences in their profiles. Begin by asking people you know to join your network and expand from there.

3)    Keywords are Key.  Understand and use the language of your audience. Use the “Skills & Expertise” tool, located in the “More” menu and on your profile. This will help you identify keywords to populate your profile which can help you demonstrate your expertise, use of relevant jargon for a particular career path and potentially be found in a search.

4)    Join Groups.  Groups are a great way to build your network within your industry and community.  Consider your career/professional school interests. Join university alumni groups. Identify groups based on professional associations and common interests.

5)    Summarize Yourself. Creating a summary for yourself on LinkedIn is extremely individualized based on your experience and your goals.  If you need inspiration, take a look at what like-minded professionals write about themselves. Highlight key achievements, list specialties and skills you have, and explicitly state any goals you want to pursue.

LinkedIn Profile Guides and Resources

Contact Schtick We take the time to get to know you and optimize your LinkedIn profile. Connect with us and get noticed.

LinkedIn Help Center provides  support for whatever stage you are at in the profile building process.