Awesome People, Here’s Why You NEED to Fill Out Your LinkedIn Profile

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, there are 27.9 million small businesses and 18,500 firms with more than 500 employees. Due to such a large number of employers, there is sure to be overlap in the meaning of job titles causing the titles to be completely ambiguous. They lack clarity, true meaning and concrete value.

Essentially, your job title does not matter. Sure, some titles are universally recognized, but that does not mean that each person with that title does the same thing. As an example, let us examine the title “sales manager.”

Just looking at three different LinkedIn profiles of people with the current title “sales manager,” you can find three very different jobs. The first profile has no direct reports and manages a sales territory including only two cities. The next profile manages four to six sales associates in a territory covering three states. The last profile manages a sales force of 21 and is in charge of all their training. These three people have very different backgrounds, but they all have the same title. Each person has an excellent profile with details of each of their past positions, so you can tell what each of them really did.

When a recruiter or hiring manager is looking to fill a position, it is crucial that they be able to easily view past history in order to find you. You are awesome. Companies will want to hire you, but if you are not giving them the right information, they cannot even find you. Do yourself a huge favor, and complete as much of your LinkedIn profile as possible. Your dream job could be out there just waiting for you to fill in the details.

If you have questions about how to best fill out your LinkedIn profile, contact us at info@connorcaitlin.com.

Don’t just Think it; Speak it. (Appropriately)

As time prevails, social media is becoming more than just a form of advertisement and source of information. Social media can actually be a smart way to voice your opinion about certain issues or topics. However, speaking up does not mean being vulgar about the matter, but simply expressing your thoughts in an appropriate way. When a popular subject comes up, especially in the business world, many people tend to keep their thoughts to themselves and agree with the majority.  Instead, speak up.

Recently in the news, Taylor Swift voiced her outlook about Apple’s new streaming service on Tumblr. She claimed that she spoke up about the issue not for herself, but for other fellow musicians who were not getting paid by Apple. Taylor Swift’s post was seen by Apple and it did make a difference. Apple replied to her post and agreed to pay the artists for streaming even during the free trial period. Even though Taylor Swift is a celebrity, this is still a good example of just how influential social media can be.

Use social media to your advantage, but always make sure your posts don’t personally offend anyone. If you have a personal issue with a colleague or your boss at work, this would be the type of problem to solve in person. There are certain situations when it’s appropriate to use social media, and other situations when it’s not. Social media can be a very powerful tool; know how to use it, don’t abuse it.

Please contact Connor | Caitlin at www.connorcaitlin.com for more information

Is professionalism dying?

As I was going through LinkedIn Pulse recently reading various articles, I came across this 

little gem. If you do not have time to read the whole thing, the gist is that a gentleman (we’ll call him Fred) was basically trying to make a sale via direct message on Twitter. I was pretty shocked to say the least.

Most of the time I think millennials get a bad rap for no reason. This though, this guy… even I said to myself, “stupid millennial.” (Disclaimer: I am a millennial.) As millennials, we are trying to convince employers that we are all that and a box of chocolates. We need employers to know that we are the best things to ever happen to them! Hey Fred, news flash, you’re not helping! We don’t like you! 

Twitter is an excellent tool for business and when used correctly, it can significantly help build your online presence and increase brand recognition. However, it should not be used for selling. Selling is an art. It is not something to be tossed around like a tattered old baseball in the backyard. It should be prepared for and done professionally.

People are possibly busier than they have ever been and Fred barely even acknowledges that fact, let alone respects it. Sales is all about treating the customer the way they want to be treated. It is all about solving a problem for your customer, not creating another for them to deal with.

Remember to always maintain professionalism on social media and everywhere! You never know when your conversation might become the inspiration for an online post.

Contact Connor | Caitlin at info@connorcaitlin.com

Expansion With The Help of Social Media

Social media is rapidly changing the ways we do business. It is a great way to expand your business and increase name recognition. A study by the Internet Advertising Bureau UK found that 80% of consumers are more likely to buy from a brand that has a big social media presence.

The key to using social media as a means of expansion is to understand your target audience and what social media sites they use. For example, if your audience is younger, you might consider using Twitter, while you might use Facebook if they are older.

Remember that it takes time to build up a large follower base that will make a difference in your business. Don’t expect instant results and stay with it! Also, respond to feedback. No one wants to follow a page that doesn’t interact with them. This will help you keep your existing followers as you try to gain more.

Most importantly, remember that social media is simply a tool to increase exposure and to connect with your customers, so don’t spend too much time focusing on it! You still need develop products, grow your mailing list and sell your products. Social media shouldn’t replace marketing activities, it should complement them.

If you want more information, please contact Connor|Caitlin Talent Solutions.

Living in a Fish Bowl

Today if you want to know something about a person, or a company, you simply grab your smartphone and open the web browser along with various social networking sites. Nearly everyone has instant access to information when they want it, how they want it. It really is like being the goldfish inside of the fish bowl.

When I chose this topic to write on I decided to Google myself. While nothing unprofessional came up, there were definitely quite a few embarrassing high school photos with glasses and braces. It is amazing how everything that is put out on the Internet is accessible. EVERYTHING you put out there can be accessed!

What happens when you Google yourself, or your company? Do you like what you see? When people Google your company, is it easy for them to find what they are looking for and what you really want them to see? Can you make improvements to your personal social networking profiles?

When individuals and business live with integrity, they do not have to worry about living in the fish bowl. With everything being transparent, it is nearly impossible to hide anything. Maybe the answer to this is to stop trying to hide things. As an individual or company, if you live beyond reproach then you create for yourself the ability to be constantly transparent.

Anybody can see right into your fish bowl whenever they want to, so ask yourself, what is in my fishbowl?

Contact Connor | Caitlin with any questions about integrity or transparency.

www.connorcaitlin.com

The Power of Social Media

Social media is becoming one of the most popular advertising tactics worldwide. Our society seems to rely on technology and social media more and more by the day. Businesses are now calling the use of social media their “digital intelligence”. The benefits of social media allow companies to identify trending topics discussed by consumers and which contents has more influence.

For example, Twitter is an insightful way to keep up with what’s trending in your profession by following certain accounts or using hash tags. Hash tags are used to find related topics that you are interested in; they are used in several types of social media. Following different companies or influencers on social media is also a smart way to connect with potential business partners and consumers. On the contrary, social media could also allow you to see competitors’ activities and react quicker with counter strategies.

However, social media has its drawbacks as well.  For instance, spam is an ongoing problem with the Internet in general, which of course affects social media sites. Luckily, it’s easy to report spam and you can always change your password if needed. Many people find that social media can be distracting at times and throw them off topic. The internet is full of interesting distractions and sometimes you just have to focus the best you can and try narrowing your search to avoid unrelated matters.

 As many of you know, being personal with your customers is a vital marketing strategy, but unfortunately it’s difficult to be personal over social media. Companies should use social media for advertisement and providing general information to their consumers, and then use other forms of communication for subjective relations.

             Social media definitely has its pros and cons, but with that being said it’s more important that businesses keep up with society. Technology is taking over this generation as we know it, so might as well take advantage of it.

For more information on marketing strategies please contact Connor | Caitlin Talent Solutions at www.connorcaitlin.com.