LinkedIn Strategy & Tactics: Keys to effectively using this social media tool as either a job seeker or a business development professional

Kevin McDonnell will be speaking at Wazata Community Church.

The details...

http://wayzatacommunitychurch.org/pages/page.asp?page_id=62332

The topic...

There's a buzz these days about LinkedIn and other social media out there. Several opportunities exist to learn how to create a profile and get through the basics. But what is really hard to come by is information that explains how to effectively use LinkedIn as a job seeker tool. My presentation will provide the insight regarding how LinkedIn can give you a true advantage over the competition. Or at least it will serve as a significant upgrade your current job identification and acquisition strategy. My personal trade secrets will be revealed which will result in more face to face meetings, interviews, and subsequently job offers. Use this proven formula for success so that doors will be opened and exciting career moves will present themselves. Learn how to take control over your occupational destiny and brand yourself easily and like never before with this social media tool that's evolving and growing in popularity each and every day.

Failing to develop & retain high performers is far too common

More than half of the CFO’s I talk with don’t have a robust strategy in play to keep and progress the career paths of key finance talent within their departments. Furthermore, the vast majority of finance pro’s I meet that are currently working say that they don’t feel like upper management is doing much to retain them and provide structure and tactics with respect to their career path. Especially gen Y staffers. This is the technology generation. But it’s also a group that likes to stretch themselves and find work challenging in order for it to be rewarding.

So what? Well… financial leaders need to find out how to make the finance roles more interesting. They need to mix collaboration with reconciliation. Perhaps you have them manage a project to improve a process. To find inefficiencies. The key is exercising their brains before some other employer does.

Perhaps you don’t have time to manage this. Perhaps it’s just not your priority right now. Then you have to direct the department heads to frame things better. As I progressed through my career I wasn’t always preoccupied with the tasks I was performing, but rather, what I was learning. This is huge. The bigger picture. The things going on around me. How the business works. If a gen y employee can’t be given a promotion right away, show them the knowledge that they're taking in and how it can prepare them for success. Put together some perspective that will resonate with their worldview. Part of this might be a strong self esteem and a desire to be challenged.

Setting goals and identifying gaps is mission critical for your staff’s career success and their contribution to your organization. How often do you discuss your report’s career? Every six months? If so, that isn’t going to cut it. Uncertainty will result in questioning their career status and in many cases this means looking at opportunities outside your company. Life’s about relationships and business is a big part of life. Make sure that you are coaching often. And that your timing for giving career guidance is impeccable.

You’re still wondering if you should really do this. Well, think about how much fun it is to back fill folks. How thrilling it is to have a new analyst on board when the data shows that it takes at least one year to get up to speed and to become and a strong contributor. Or think about how annoying it is that the young talent will work for one of your competitors and take along some of the best practices you’ve painstakingly developed over the past five years. And here’s the kicker… What if you replace that person with someone who’s nowhere near as sharp as the person who just exited because you failed to challenge them and talk about their career?

My next post will shed some light on the value of creating a strategy to attract and hire "mature workers", the baby boomers who aren't ready to call it quits.

Networking: Not an activity, it’s a mindset.

Often times people say with a sigh, “I have to get out and do some networking.” The reality is that networking can’t be something you do occasionally or feverishly for one month, it has to be the way you operate. Like any successful part of peoples’ lives you have put time and thought into it. For example, social networking tools like LinkedIn are only powerful when you invest a significant amount of effort. Your daily goal should be to make new connections that will drive business and to use the network to learn and to convey how you can help others. People respond in kind. It’s better to give than receive. But if you don’t agree with that, just follow the “seed principle”. You reap what you sow, so… sow frequently. And thoughtfully.

Avoid taking on too many social networking tools at once. Dive into one. And then, live in it. Learn from experts on how to best utilize it. Ask the question, “Who’s benefiting most from this?” And then, “How do they use it?” Then figure out how to use multiple tools and how they complement one another.

Many folks think that networking groups are the way to go. Truly they can be helpful but they can’t be the “end all, be all” of your networking repertoire. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. You need to choose your groups wisely. Shop around. And focus on the quality of the participation instead of numbers of people you’ll meet. After all, you’re not playing the game “whoever collects the most business cards wins”. You’re trying to establish mutually beneficial relationships that will drive personal fulfillment and business success.

When you are doing business (over the phone, or out and about) each person you meet is a potential lead or someone that could be the other member of a win/win business relationship. However, introductions without taking the next steps, forging relationships, won’t get you very far. Ask people questions to learn what they do (remember that people will respond in kind) and be ready to share what you do and how knowing each other will be advantageous. Follow up is paramount and defining the next step and executing it is key. This is your opportunity to start a relationship, to figure out why knowing each other and staying connected makes sense, to begin the most important part of any business partnership, trust.

Networking is an art really. And it’s a skill. That you shape and tweak. Examine how well the things you do work. When they work, repeat them. Write down whom you’d like to meet. Think outside the proverbial box. Consider how important it would be to meet people other than you’re next customer. For instance, referral sources have to be diverse and abundant. Perhaps you want to meet people like; potential mentors, competitors, business development contacts in a non-competing industry (that you can share contacts with), professionals for informational interviews (to guide you on your career path), potential clients (to conduct market research)… the list goes on. Networking isn’t something for the “to do” list. But rather, it should be on your “you do” list.

Looking for jobs that pay what you're worth: Pitfalls of doing otherwise

Working as a manager for a professional division of a global, best-in-class, leader in the staffing and HR solutions business I meet a lot of candidates that are getting so desperate that they are willing to make a whole lot less than they did in their last position. There are some potential negative consequences to that. Let's take a look a them...

First of all, you have a much lower chance of landing a position where the pay grade is a notch or two lower. Think of it this way. Managers don't want to hire you and then get a knock on the door two months later to learn that you're quitting for a better opportunity now that the economy has improved. You have to realize that managers are often looking for long term fits to their organizations and departments. When I managed over a dozen people training and ramp up was something that I initially enjoyed but eventually began to dread. Stability is so important. Intellectual capital is hard to replace. And training and development time and dollars end up a waste. So, think twice when applying for that job 20k to 30k less than your last salary.

Another thing to consider is how do you recover? Can you simply explain to your next prospective employer that you "just had to take something"? You might find yourself fighting to get something slightly under that job you loved and retained for five years. Watch out for this too... if you take a job at a lower pay rate how long are you going to stay there? Short assignments could mean you receive the stigma of being a job hopper. Are you able to spin it in an interview to make sure the impression is favorable? Think about it. Especially if you don't have a poker face.

Consider this. Riding it out. If you have the financial wherewithal you can come off as someone who's looking for the right opportunity. Wanting to use joblessness as an opportunity to improve your career path and status. This can be a pitfall too. You must be mindful of how it looks to have gaps in your resume. Once again, it's all about how you spin it. How you explain the course you took is crucial. And how that choice has prepared you to forge ahead, on a career path you determined, that you planned ahead for!

Here are some helpful options to consider when jobless for an extended period of time and the stress levels and frustration levels are rising...

• Contemplate working for yourself. Working as an independent consultant. You might find that you can solve a business problem that's not being addressed and love it. You could learn that the lifestyle of being your own boss is gratifying and liberating. And the challenge is what motivates you each day to do better than before.
• Use social networking tools to stay connected with the people that care about you and to meet new people who can help you in a unique and irreplaceable way. Ask for informational interviews with the people who work for the ideal companies to land that next position. Learn who you know knows someone at those companies (people that you think highly of and vice versa) and drop their name. You can't underestimate how powerful this can be.
• Connect yourselves with good, quality recruiters. If you need help spotting what the good ones look like, contact me. Or reconnect with the recruiters you are working with. Express a sense of urgency. A candidate did that with me lately and it drove me to act in his behalf!
• Find someone to talk about career options. Alternatives that you maybe never thought of. You need to find the anti-environmentalists. These are not people who are against renewable energy sources... it is the kind of person that can step outside of something in order to see it objectively in order to notice what is otherwise unnoticeable.
• Give up salary but get something else that's justifies the decision! Many folks will take a lower salary for a more flexible work schedule. Or more vacation, down time. Or perhaps a five minute commute at twenty-five miles an hour. You decide. You don't put salary on your resume but if the subject comes up with a future employer you can spin it by saying that you "successfully and purposefully negotiated benefits-in-lieu of a higher paying salary."
• Take out a piece of paper. Draw a bulls-eye. Think of the jobs that are in the center of the bulls-eye. And all the things make them the essence of what you're searching for. Fifty points! Figure out what positions you are willing to take that are not perfect but will meet most of your needs and will advance your career somewhat. Twenty-five points. Lastly, define what you are willing to do if the above two situations don't pan out. Ten points (sigh). Place a time-line on when you look for jobs in each section of the target. Know what these jobs or careers are. And whatever you do... don't settle for something that outside of that circle.

Consult the right recruiting organization early - be careful & proactive!

The mistake I see a lot managers making is not setting aside time in their busy schedules to recruit or strategize proactively regarding staffing their accounting and finance departments. "A" talent is becoming increasingly tough to find with baby boomers changing their lifestyles and altogether exiting the workforce. Ask yourself these tough questions...

• Do I have a pipeline of talent in the wings, a slate of people, ready to approach when your department grows quickly or when the team's star performer decides to vacate for an offer you can't match?
• Being totally honest, does my team consist of "A's" and "B"'s whom I am mentoring and molding or do I have personnel on my team that are barely pulling their weight?
• Are their folks on my staff that don't fit in with the corporate culture and with the majority of those they work with?
• Have I hired people that don't quite have the critical skill sets they need (and now I am paying for it)?
• Am I or my corporate recruiters (HR departments in many cases) networked well enough to bring in talent for positions we don't even have right now? (for instance: Your company is in serious growth mode.)
• Do I have the expertise to recruit successfully or do I even have the time to do it right?

If you answered "no" to any of the questions it's time to get proactive. Enough introspection... I'll share with you what you have to look for when selecting a firm to assist you with your staffing needs...

1. You need a source that's going to communicate effectively; that's going to be responsive to your requests, questions, and concerns. What are the signs to look for before you commit to much into a relationship with a company? How soon do they call you back when you call them? Are they on-time/early when you schedule a meeting? When you write them an email do you get a reply promptly with thoughtfully composed message? Did they take the time to thank you (email, note, etc) and are they able to repeat to you what's important to you?
2. Here's a must... how do the staffing agencies find the talent? Job fairs? If so ask how they operate them and how successful they are. Do they use job boards? (monster, careerbuilder, etc) How effective is this? They are looking at the same talent as everyone else in the biz. Are they networking? This is key because they will meet people who are working (passive candidates) and build relationships so that they hear when great talent starts to look elsewhere before anyone else.
3. Are they stable? Dependable? There are several small local companies that do an excellent job. But be careful. It's best to partner with a company that has a history. That has a track record of success. And that has the financial resources and wherewithal to be there over time for you. Not just there for your needs today, but also for around the corner. I don't like having to retell my story to a fly-by-night outfit over, and over, and over, and over and then learn that they're out of business or their time is being monopolized by a single "larger" account. Consistency and continuity is so valuable.
4. Quality of the recruiters. This might be the hugest factor. Recruiting isn't a science. It's an art. If you don't get a vibe after talking to one of the agency's recruiters that they've "been there, done that" and can't wait to do it again... keep looking. Look for energy... enthusiasm... attention to detail... a strong desire to please/get results... and people are really doing things wrong if they don't ask you lots of questions. If you haven't spilled your guts as to what you're looking for guess what? You ain't gonna get it. If they can't repeat back off the tip of their tongues to you what you told them is important and you aren't seeing it in the first wave of candidates then... "Houston, we have a problem."
5. You've heard of "dine & dash"? Well what you don't want to see is "place & dash". This is when companies place a temp employee or direct hire with your organization and it becomes harder to get them on the phone than getting G.W. Bush on the horn. A question or concern arises and they better be as accessible as a Starbucks at O'Hare airport (there were actually sixty-one of them last time I checked).
6. A guarantee. If something doesn't work out with the staffer the agency got you what's next? Do they replace the person? What does it cost you? Do you have some awfully few number of days or hours to get back to them before you're stuck with someone? Is there a track record of making things right with customers? Any doubts stick a fork in them because they're done.
7. Skills assessment/skills training. If you are in the interview and the candidate tells you that a pivot table has something to do with college basketball then you've just experienced surgery on a Disney cartoon character (a Mickey Mouse operation). Time to upgrade. Ask this question on the front end (How do you assess hard skills?).
8. Quality, quality, quality. I don't know about you, but I sure appreciate when stores, restaurants, or any business for that matter, does things the right way each and every time. Look for companies, for instance, that are ISO 9001:2000 certified. And always enlist help from companies that have a clearly defined quality policy.
9. Build a partnership with a company that truly values your business. If a staffing company doesn't treat you like you matter or convey that they are thankful for the fact that they earned your business... that's a problem. When things get tough and you need to find talent that's not so easy to identify, attract, and secure would someone who's a little flaky from the get-go be a good option. Not so much.
10. Breadth of service. The last on the list (for this blog entry) but not the least important! Can the company you're going to work with do it all? Can they help you with payroll servicing? Can they help you retain part time talent? Can they help you with temp-to-hire and direct hire scenarios? Can they help your organization outside accounting and finance so that the volume of business you do can help you leverage better pricing? And most importantly, do they have answers to the things that concern you? Notice how quick they respond to you when you ask for help with something they don't "charge you for".

Another thing to look out for is turnover. If recruiters are burnt out or perennially dissatisfied they can't do a top notch job for you.