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Helpful hints in using Twitter!

2009-05-14T12:26:00.002-04:00

I came across this article today regarding TWITTER - are you following yet? USER ID: LeapPharma

DON'T BE FOOLED BY IT'S SIMPLICITY Let's start by addressing the "Why would I want to know what people are doing every minute?" question. The answer is you don't have to. Twitter is a stream of information that you choose to dip your toes into when you feel like it. Pick and choose what you want to respond to and when.Tim Andren, The Small Business Marketing Guide - Tim Andren, May 2009

You should read the whole article.

Resume Meet Technology

2009-05-04T14:08:00.002-04:00

View article written for TheLadders.com

Article regarding how your resume is tracked electronically to improve your job search results. Are you using the right "key words" in your resume to be found in subscription databases or even within your prospective employers' own Applicant Tracking Database system? See article for ideas. https://cdn.theladders.net/static/images/editorial/resumeATSprocess0513.pdf

Bringing New Opportunity to your In-Box through Expanded Networking!

2009-04-27T14:17:00.000-04:00

So, you finally have a LinkedIn account. You connected with a few colleagues, figured out how to post your profile picture, and update your “status” once in a while! You are job searching and you may have even received calls from recruiters, good for you! Your effort is just beginning to pay off!

Well, LinkedIn isn’t perfect, but it can provide for opportunities, many of them untapped. It takes a little effort and time, but you can leverage even more opportunities by minding your on-line presence in many different ways via LinkedIn and beyond. Just think of how many people you can reach with a click of a button. LinkedIn promotes up to 35 million users, well maybe less, as there are a lot of people out there with duplicate profiles by mistake-make sure that you are not one of them!

Some tips on building a profile and utilizing different utilities to expand your network and show up in more “people searches”

Start with your regular network

Start by inviting those you already email or socialize with regularly. Caution: don’t send invitations willy-nilly via LinkedIn as spamming is a huge issue and you can get locked out early in the game. Use the tool that searches your MS Outlook or other major email address book (i.e. gmail, yahoo, etc) for direct email addresses and send personal invitations to folks that you would like to link to your profile. Bonus, by syncing your address book from some of the online address books that you have, you will be able to see who already may have a profile that matches that email address.

As your network grows, note the new people added to your extended network. A small list of 125 connections has the power to connect you to 4 million others encompassing a range of careers, employers, job titles, specialties, etc. You may even come across names of folks that you haven’t thought about in years by clicking into a new person’s connections. Visit your home page regularly or choose to have updates sent to you for “weekly” changes to keep track of your network’s activities.

Sending the invitation

Many folks are new to LinkedIn, others may not remember you immediately, while others are really strict about making sure that they REALLY know who you are before accepting an invitation or knowing the person that you have requested an introduction too. Always leverage the option for a personal message if you are sending a message to a fellow LinkedIn user. Be sure to describe how you know them or why you want to connect. In the message, ask them to select “archive” instead of “don’t know this person” so you don’t get locked out of sending invitations. LinkedIn will not return you to a favorable status if you get hit with too many replies of “don’t know this person”-yikes! Alternatively, you can still use the phone to reconnect with someone first and then invite them to your LinkedIn network as a follow up communication. Keep it personal whenever you can!

List the BEST “company name” in your work experience profile

After utilizing all of your email addresses that you have, increase your likelihood of connecting with past colleagues (and students) by adding the past employers utilizing the most popular “company name” within LinkedIn. Caution: because you are dealing with the human element of a social network, individuals from the same company may describe their employer or past employer in several different ways, especially if the company name is known by its initials, listing of partner names, use of “and” or “&” or if the company had a name change since you worked there. First, look for the description that links back to an official “company profile” by searching for the company or within the profile of a known employee. Within the individual profile, if the company name is “highlighted and underlined” in their work experience with a little icon to the right, just run your mouse over the highlighted company name to see if it pops up with corporate details and a website link. When you find that, be sure to use the EXACT name in your profile to be associated with that company profile. You can’t find an official company profile for any listing you’ve looked up via the people search! I recommend doing a ‘People Search’ using each variation you have found to determine which has the highest number of people associated with it!

My employer was acquired and the new company had a name change. Well, if you conduct a ‘People Search’ of your past employer vs. the newly formed company and the new company has MANY, MANY more people associated with it, then list the NEW company in your profile. Be sure to add the past company name within the employer description where you would put your last “job title”. For example, If you worked for XYZ Company and it was acquired by ABC company and is now known as A-Z company, list A-Z company in your work experience and within the job title restate the actual employer “Work Title for XYZ Company”. Remember, this is not your resume; you are trying to find and be found by the largest number of people!

Personal Information

Alternative Email Addresses
LinkedIn allows for you to have different email addresses associated with ONE account. If that is the case, think of all the email addresses that you use the most or email addresses you use as part of your profile on “other” social networks (i.e. email address associated with facebook). You don’t have to publicize it, but it allows you to be found with more than one email address that points to only ONE profile instead of creating duplicate profiles by mistake. Did you search for yourself yet to see if you mistakenly have more than one profile? You will need to contact LinkedIn for assistance.

Maiden Name
LinkedIn allows for your maiden name to be utilized, again increasing your likelihood of being found by past colleagues.

Advertise an Email address in the NAME Section
Can you fit your email address after your last name within or your profile. This won't impact first and last name searches specifically for you. Most people searhes are initiated as "free text". If you like this idea but can't fit that email after your last name, try to fit your first and last name into the “first name” box and type in your email address into the last name box? This way when your profile pops up, the searcher can just cut and past or jot down your personal email address.

When you use a free account, you have limited “InMail” and Invitations to other people within LinkedIn. Providing your personal email address in this manner is valuable to someone who wants to connect, as the user can bypass some of the limits associated with connecting to people through LinkedIn. Uncomfortable with this, choose a free email system that you can monitor separately to see if it is a problem (create a short and sweet email address - firstname@me.com so it will fit in the "last name" box).

Headline
How does your headline read when you show up in a search or listed in someone else’s “list of contacts”? List what you do OR who you target! Don’t just have generic “Law Firm name” have something like “Expert Legal Advice for Pharmaceutical Corporations” for instance, if that is what your company does or you do!

Specialties
Have you added a list of specialties? This will definitely help your profile be found when people do “key word” searches. Can your list of specialities be found using more than one descriptor, well consider adding it! Think of this area as web page “tags” or filing folders based on “categories”.

LinkedIn URL
LinkedIn creates a profile URL so that you can send out a badge or a hyperlink to share your profile with folks. I suggest 1) customizing the URL with your name or if self-employed, your company name. 2) Add this URL to all of your “signature” stamps from the various emails that you use. “Ask me to LinkIn with you at http://www.linkedin.com/in/leappharma”.

Open Networking Ideas

Depending on your current situation and comfort level, open networking can build your contact list quickly. You can always go back and drop a connection (without them being alerted) in the future. But the idea is to generate as many 1º connections as quickly as possible. Look for open networking groups such as TopLinked.com. Joining groups is a fast and simple way to quickly expand your contacts and manage them later. When you show up in a people search, it will tell the searcher “how” you are connected, either through an individual or a group.

LinkedIn Groups
Looking for people with similar interests and work experience outside of your 1º network, congregate where they do! Join, join, join a group or two or three! Does your past employer or the holding company of your past employer have a dedicated group? Do you see groups that have an area that matches with your work experience? If your company is defunct but doesn’t have an Alumni group, then create a group. Don’t just stop with joining a group, leverage your new network!

Introduce yourself to the group! Formulate your introduction in a separate word document (no spell check on these message boards) and save it for future postings as you join each new group. Decide what you want to communicate regarding your “personal brand”, what your current goal may be regarding work, etc and don’t forget to ask people to connect with you. If you go this route and people send you invitations, always accept or select “archive” so you don’t negatively impact other people’s use of these increasingly important tools! Using LinkedIn in this manner is a give and take. Archiving a message is a “no fowl” way to take an action and file it for later.

You can also choose to display all the groups you join or only those groups that the person viewing your profile also belongs too. Sometimes this is good if you are concerned that others will think that you are a serial group joiner. I need to create a new word to describe this online behavior!

Lastly, don’t hesitate to make contact outside of LinkedIn. Pick up the phone, go to live mixers, ask others that you are linked to in other social networks (i.e. facebook (200+ million users), Plaxo, Ning, Ryze, Xing) if it is O.K. to send them an invitation to “LinkIn”.

At the end of the day, if you find that you are running of out InMail and invitation requests, then I would say that you are ready for a paid personal account that can run about $200/year! And if you are currently searching for a new job, best of luck to you in your job search! Remember to put your best profile forward figuratively and literally– don’t like how you look in photos, select an icon or photo of a place of interest with special meaning to you that you feel will visually set you apart in “people searches”.

Next blog: Advertising your personal brand through free social network tools and how to link all of this connectivity together!

www.linkedin.com/in/leappharma

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How to Overcome Age-Based Excuses

2009-02-11T09:26:00.000-05:00

Written by Don Straits, CEO and Dragon Slayer of Corporate Warriors written for and posted at TheLadders.com

“Focus on the future – not the past – to overcome the age-based excuses mature job seekers often tell themselves.” Don Straits

Mature job seekers still face challenges that do not usually concern younger job seekers. So what can executives do to turn age into an asset instead of a liability? Well, putting your focus on the future, and off the past, is the first step.

Here are some of the issues that I’ve heard in my years coaching and some suggestions on how to overcome these common age-based excuses job seekers tell themselves:

“I have an MBA from 1989.”

Never stop pursuing knowledge, continued education and professional development. Without some current educational accomplishments, that degree you got 20 years ago, and $1.00 will get you nothing more than a cup of coffee. The changes in business paradigms, technologies and strategies are evolving at warp speed. Go back to school. Take educational seminars. Do independent research. Participate in industry training programs. Do whatever it takes to stay up to date in your profession. Demonstrate that knowledge through a detailed presentation in your resume or portfolio.

“They won’t pay me what I’m worth.”

This is a touchy issue that creates enormous controversy. I wish I had a buck for every time an older executive said to me: “They won’t hire me because of my age and compensation level. They won’t pay me what I am worth.” Instead of a sign of age discrimination, this may be a signal that it’s time to freshen you bona fides. While the executive may have earned significant income in past years, if his experience and education are out of date, and if the market demand has changed, then he must adapt or lose out to other candidates. Keep up-to-date with tactics to overcome the seniority sticking point.

“I’ve been in the business for 25 years and won awards for the turnarounds I’ve had a hand in.”

Many believe that because they did great things in the past, they should continue to be rewarded for those accomplishments now and in the future. Reality check: It doesn’t work that way. You cannot rest on your laurels. When seeking a position, do not focus on the past. Rather, create an extraordinary value proposition for what you can do for a company now. Communicate your vision on emerging trends, opportunities and challenges. Show you can be the solution to a company’s problems.

“[Industry events] are too draining on my time.”

You should be active in industry associations, trade shows and symposiums. Notice I said "active." Simply being a member in name does absolutely nothing for you. Literally as I was writing this article, I got a call from a prospective client. I mentioned I was speaking at an association meeting in his industry. His comment was, “I stopped going to those when I was a young man because they were too draining on my time.” Guaranteed, he will face “age discrimination.” Another way to demonstrate you are contemporary is to give industry presentations. The presentation does not have to be on a nationwide level. It could be to your local association chapter. Getting published is also a winner. An article published online or in a local association newsletter can demonstrate you are active and current within your industry. You go from being an “expert” to being an “authority,” and you will be sought out. Reference these presentations and activities in your resume, and your age will no longer be a factor.

“I’m familiar with Outlook and the Internet.”

The explosion of computer technology and the Internet is part of our life. It is not enough just to be familiar with the programs that meet your day-to-day needs. Rather, show that you are state-of-the-art through your knowledge and application of new technologies and methodologies. Not sure where to start? Here’s a guide to social-networking and job-search etiquette online.
I have to tell you this story. I recently spoke with a self-described “HR guru and change agent.” In our discussion, I asked for his "LinkedIn" address and told him I would send him an invite. He indicated he was not on any social networking sites and thought they were nothing more than a waste of time. I almost had a heart attack. I advised him how social-networking sites are an awesome resource for recruiting talent, networking with colleagues, participating in industry groups, researching trends, consulting with experts and so on. He was dumbfounded and just didn’t get it. Guaranteed he will face “age discrimination.” Some contemporary companies even have executives responsible for encouraging employees to be actively involved in social networking to build brand loyalty and create a contemporary corporate culture. Get connected, or you will be disconnected.

Still NOT connected!? Get started now by visiting our profile at one of the top two business social networks: www.linkedin.com/in/leappharma or http://LEAPPHARMA.myplaxo.com. Need help figuring out how to utilize this, connect with us and we’ll help you get started.

Be contemporary. Too many mature professionals stick with old habits. If you are not contemporary in your appearance, you will be perceived as not being contemporary in your ideas or knowledge. Get rid of the horn-rimmed glasses; ties that are too narrow; too wide or out-of-style; and suits, shirts or blouses that don't fit and are worn and frayed. If you look sharp, you will make a positive, energetic impression in the interview.

"You're probably looking for someone younger, but I know I can do the job."

Nothing beats enthusiasm. Don't talk about your grandchildren. Talk about mountaineering, or the marathon you ran, or the tennis tournament you entered, or the college courses you are taking, or the article you just wrote for your industry trade journal. Avoid age issues. For example, don't make the following statements:

"I'm looking for one more challenge before I retire."
"Back when I was your age…"
"I'm 57 years old, but a young 57."

Rather than bringing up age issues, you should focus on the needs of the organization and how you can produce results. Further, if an organization discriminates based on age, it will likely discriminate for a multitude of other reasons. You do not want to go to work for that kind of organization.

The job seeker who can demonstrate state-of-the-art expertise with energy, enthusiasm and a zest for living will have many, many years of a productive career. Age discrimination should not be a factor.

Unexpected staff reduction...don't get caught off guard

2008-11-06T15:28:00.001-05:00

Layoff, downsizing, staff reduction...it all means unemployment. Of course we all know that unemployment occurs when a person is available to work and currently seeking work, but the person is without work.[1] The prevalence of unemployment is usually measured using the unemployment rate, which is defined as the percentage of those in the labor force who are unemployed. The unemployment rate is also used in economic studies and economic indexes such as the United States' Conference Board's Index of Leading Indicators as a measure of the state of the macroeconomics. But, don't be fooled by the numbers, unemployment in the USA just counts peole who are actively searching for a job, not those that may have been out of work for more than a year or have given up on finding that next opportunity.

Today, I heard on CBS News this morning that unemployment rates haven't looked this bad in 22 years! So, be prepared for that unexpected staff reduction and not only do the usual - update your resume and leverage your network - but think of other ways that you can prepare for such an event to stay on top of industry news and to ensure people can locate you when your employer email address is no longer valid.

--Know your worth before you need to search for a job: check out salary survey sites that utilize your education, years of experience and zip code for current work location to really understand the salary range for your field. Use industry resources for their annual salary reviews, such as Medical Marketing & Media

--Maintain access to your industry publications on or off the job: Do you have industry publications and eNewsletters that you rely upon to keep you up-to-date. Be sure to send in a request to change the mailing address to your home or non-work email address. Many of these publications are free to readers with the right industry job title. Have it sent to your home and don't update anything else regarding name of employer or title change until you have a new position, otherwise, you risk the publication dropping you from their free circulation!

--Online Social Networks: Go back and revisit your profile, did you use your work address to receive communications and alerts? For some, you don't need to change it, you can simply add a personal email address to the account (i.e. LinkedIn.com allows up to three different email addresses).

--Interview Executive Search consultants while you are NOT actively looking for a new opportunity! Look for the differences that you can get from folks who truly understand your work experience and background and other headhunters who just focus in your industry. Try to find someone you connect with and understands and who you feel is trustworthy and proactive!

--Using executive search - from the beginning, if you think that you will utilize more than one executive search firm to get your career back on track, be sure to keep a file of all the recruiters and what firms you have been submitted to and ask for an acknowledgement of your resume submission status at each employer.

What else do you suggest people can do to prepare for the unexpected staff reduction?

How to Prevent a Wall Street Meltdown in Your Career

2008-10-03T15:50:00.000-04:00

This was distributed via an eNewsletter by Weddles' that I found to be an interesting read for all our candidates!

Distributed October 2, 2008 via http://www.weddles.com/

The past couple of weeks have been hideous for investors. Forget about the risk takers on Wall Street-they deserve what they're getting-I'm talking about the working men and women who have watched their 401(k) and mutual fund investments shrink before their very eyes. For many of us, the financial foundation for an invigorating retirement or even for a stable career that draws on an enduring passion is gone, and all we can see ahead is the long, hard slog back to some sense of security and well being.

Not surprisingly, many of us are using this pivotal moment to think more carefully about where and how we invest for the future. As natural and appropriate as that effort is, however, it can have a negative as well as a positive effect. In the worst of circumstances, this review is a hurtful experience in which we ask ourselves why we made such bad choices or why we weren't smarter and more insightful. In the best of circumstances, in contrast, we use this time of reflection to look for lessons we can learn from our experience and to reinforce behaviors that can help us advance ourselves in the future.

It's in the latter spirit-the positive perspective of leveraging this difficult time to our benefit in the future-that I offer the following guidelines. Not surprisingly, they focus on investments, but these strategies are not meant for the financial sector. Think of them, instead, as my 5 Golden Rules of Career Investment. They encapsulate what we can learn from the Wall Street meltdown that will:

Help us direct our careers more wisely going forward, and
Achieve a greater return on that investment in terms of the paycheck and the satisfaction we bring home from our work.

Rule #1:

Invest for the Long Haul. Set aside the time and make it a priority to advance your skills in your profession, craft or trade. Whether you're refreshing capabilities that you already have or adding new capabilities to your toolkit, make sure you are at the state-of-the-art in the field (and that it shows on your resume). That kind of long term perspective won't give you job security (nothing can do that in today's world), but it will ensure that you have career security-the ability to stay employed in career enhancing positions with career enhancing employers.

Rule #2:

Spread Your Investments Around. In addition to continuously reinforcing your expertise in your field, also invest the time and effort to add skills that will enable you to apply that expertise more effectively or in a broader array of situations (e.g., knowledge of a hardware or software system that will enable you to work more productively, the ability to speak a language other than English so you can serve in ethnically diverse and/or overseas facilities). That expanded range of capability gives you a flexibility and adaptability that enhance your potential as well as real contribution to your employer.

Rule #3:

Move Out of High Risk Areas. Candidly assess the current strength and future prospects of both your boss and the project and/or business unit where you are working. Make your own observations, but also collect the views of others in and outside the organization. Then, as difficult as it may be on a personal level, act as if you were an employer: terminate your involvement with those that are not highly regarded or high performing. They are not only a risk to themselves, particularly in this environment, but they threaten your security and well being (and that of your family), as well.

Rule #4:

Listen to the Right Expert. The cheerleaders for the behaviors that created our current economic mess were the pundits of academia and the talking heads in the media. Their sound bite analysis and opining did much to oversimplify and sugarcoat the realities of real estate and financial investments. The best way to protect yourself from such wrongheadedness in your career is to expand your own knowledge of what's required for success. The skills of career self-management aren't rocket science, but they are competencies that must be acquired and continuously honed in order to serve you well.

Rule #5:

Stay Alert and Adjust as Appropriate.The instability that we've seen in the broader economy over the past year or so will likely continue for at least awhile. As a consequence, there simply is no guaranteed security in any one job or employer. The successful organization today can face an unexpected downturn tomorrow and, in the process, slow or even derail your career momentum. The only safety net, therefore, is a commitment to constant vigilance and preparation. Be loyal to your current employer by doing the best possible work you can, but be loyal to yourself, as well, by staying alert and acting at the first sign of trouble.

Historically, financial investments were thought to be the critical element in ensuring our future well being and success. While they remain very important, it is now just as vital that you invest in your career. In fact, in the 21st Century, a carefully managed career provides every bit as great a return as any 401(k) program or mutual fund, at least if the metrics of success are your personal fulfillment and happiness.

advertising your resume on a job board or not

2008-06-04T13:40:00.000-04:00

Did you know...excerpt from Cynthia Shapiro, Arthor...you may find of interest reasons not to post your resume at Monster, YahooHotJobs, CareerBuilder, or any site that sells your resumes to HR personnel or recruiting & staffing companies whether you are gainfully employed...

"Yes, there are those few individuals who claim to have been offered a job after posting a resume, but in most cases it works against you - not for you."

"Doing a blanket posting of your resume can be seen as a desperate move by hiring managers. In this tight job market, no hiring manager will look on those job boards for candidates, but they will take a look if you end up in their top three for a position, and if they see that you've had a posted resume up on one of the boards for a while, they will assume you are undesirable or unemployable and cut you from their list. It is much better to do a targeted submission process for qualified open positions so that you look like a conscientious and sought-after candidate.
Hiring managers know that if you had lots of companies interested in you, or had a few job offers pending, you'd never post your resume out in the open, you'd be much more selective. Posting on job boards makes you look like you'll take 'any job' and that's not what will get you the top offers. Those postings won't do much for you in your job search, but they can work against you."

" I recommend pulling them all down and doing your own targeted submission process, you'll have much better luck. "
-Cynthia Shapiro, Author "Corporate Confidential" posted at http://www.cynthiashapiro.com/MessageBoard/index.php4

At Leap Pharma we agree, the job market is tight and opportunities come and go very quickly. We pride ourselves on discretion and individual attention to each candidate that applies for a client posted position. We have "direct industry experience" vs. just recruiters or head hunters who have an industry focus. We understand the business because we have held positions in the types of companies who are now our clients. Experience a unique approach to managing your career, where it is our goal to formulate lifelong business relationships with all of our qualified candidates.