10 Ways to Create an All-Star Graduate LinkedIn Profile

10 Ways to Create an All-Star Graduate LinkedIn Profile Graduate recruiters are using LinkedIn to find the best candidates in the market. Meanwhile tech savvy job hunters have been using the site for a number of years to network with other professionals in the field or to ‘follow’ companies they wish to work for. As a graduate, its important not only to have an up-to-date CV but also to have an optimised LinkedIn profile to maximise your chances of finding your dream job. Its a powerful tool that can help open doors and alert you to new opportunities if you invest the time and energy on using the site to its full potential.  Here are 10 top tips on creating a killer LinkedIn graduate profile: 1) Write your headline: LinkedIn automatically puts your current position as your profile headline. Change it. Try to stand out by stating what you have to offer and identifying your unique selling point to attract recruiters. DO: Psychology Graduate, Specialising in Survey Design. Interested in Market Research and Analysis DONT: Motivated Graduate Looking to Work in Market Research READ MORE: 10 LinkedIn Headlines that Stand Out from the Crowd 2) Choose an appropriate photo: LinkedIn is not Facebook, so having a photo of you holding a glass of wine is a no-no. Neither should you feel that you have to put your passport photo up. Choose a good headshot with a neutral/inoffensive background. You want to be personable and yet professional. People will make assumptions based on your photos so you might as well make it a good one. READ MORE: Top 7 LinkedIn Profile Pictures You Should NEVER Use 3) Use keywords: Use keywords when describing your work. The more industry-relevant keywords you have in your profile, the higher you are on a recruiter’s search rankings. This increases the chances of your profile getting noticed. Breakout the keywords in the skills section since this will come up in search as well, extra points if you can rack up Endorsements for your skills. Keywords is not just about industry buzzwords. Often graduates forget that the programming languages, or industry specific tools like Google Analytics, Photoshop, etc. are keywords that should be found on their profile rather than just something like “campaign management”. READ MORE: How to Boost Your LinkedIn Endorsements 4) Only include relevant jobs: If you’re applying to be an accountant for one of the Big 4 you probably don’t need to say you served Big Macs at 16! 5) Complete the summary: Treat it like your short personal advertisement/covering letter. Assert your personality and sell yourself. There’s also a lot of scope to be creative here, why not try embedding a short video clip where you talk about yourself? RELATED: Do Yourself a Favor and Spruce Up Your LinkedIn Summary! 6) Highlight what you can do: LinkedIn has introduced a new section where you can add your skills, languages, certifications and publications.   The skills section allows recruiters to search for a particular combination of skills, which you may well have. As above, get endorsements for your skills where you can. Good: Brag about your achievements Not-So-Good: Lie or stretch the truth about the number and extent of your skills You can also make your profile a bit more visual by adding links, Slideshare presentations, videos and images to showcase your work. As in the example below, I have included links to other websites I’ve worked on as well as information about each individual project I’ve been involved in. 7) Get recommendations: If you did an internship and made a great impression on your employers, don’t be afraid to approach them for a recommendation. It lends your profile more credibility. Plus, what’s better than a third-party endorsement? RELATED:  LinkedIn Recommendations: How Many Do You Need and How Do You Get Them? 8) Claim your vanity URL: Personalise the web address for your LinkedIn profile. This helps your results especially if employers search for you on Google as well as making it easy to share the link to your profile. 9) Adjust your public profile settings: Go to the settings and select which sections are visible on your public profile. I would recommend having the summary, your current position, skills and education visible. There’s no point in crafting a killer profile and then hiding it under a bushel. 10) Update regularly: Your profile should evolve with you. It’s been a while since I’ve been a fresh graduate so I’ve made sure to update my own  LinkedIn profile  at appropriate points in my career to reflect the changes. By constantly updating your profile, you’ll have a handy jump-off point whenever you need to update your CV and look for a new challenge. Do you have any other tips? Let us know in the comments below!

How to Increase Social Media Engagement - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career

How to Increase Social Media Engagement - Personal Branding Blog - Stand Out In Your Career Think about the social media content you’re most likely to like, share, comment or click on. What posts catch your eye? Humorous comments? Inspirational photos? Instructional videos? A sales pitch? Odds are you’re most drawn to posts that aren’t a solicitation to buy, but offer something informative or entertaining. The next question is, what type of content are you posting? Is it informative or entertaining or pitches? Too often, entrepreneurs focus on themselves when posting to social media. But doing that is like attending a dinner party and only talking about you. If you did that, most other guests would give you a wide berth. Social media is social, which means there is a back-and-forth conversation and the content should be compelling to everyone involved. Here are some tips to increase social media engagement with your market. 1. Give ‘em what they want. Your market doesn’t want to be sold. It wants information and resources to solve a problem. Instead of promoting your widget, post information on how widgets will make your market’s life better. For example, you can post a video tutorial on how your widget reduces time or saves money. 2. Make it interesting. Images and video catch people’s eye more than text. If you’re using text, make them compelling, using attention-grabbing headlines. 3. Get ‘em involved. Ask questions or seek feedback. “Coke or Pepsi?” “Boxers or Briefs?” You can take it even further by asking your market to post content for you such as sharing a testimonial, image or video of them using your product or service. 4. Be approachable. Every time I Tweet about Starbucks using its Twitter name, I never hear anything. But if I Tweet Comcast, CenturyLink or HP, I get a response. In fact, I fixed a printer problem by tweeting with someone at HP. Remember, social media is social. If you’re not going to respond to people who contact you through social media, why bother doing it? Not responding is the same as ignoring. People don’t like to be ignored. 5.   Reach out to others. While you want to post compelling, interesting content, don’t forget that you’re not the only one at the party. Comment on and share other people’s posts, as well. In fact, a great way to get yourself on someone else’s radar is to engage with him first by responding to his posts. It would be nice to post on social media and have it go viral all on its own. But the reality is that if you want people to engage with you, you need to give them something of value and you need to engage with them.

Lessons And Inspiration 8 Female Entrepreneurs Rocking Markets

Lessons And Inspiration 8 Female Entrepreneurs Rocking Markets Despite decades of feminist activism and hard work by women across countless industries, breaking into the business world as a woman is still an uphill battle. That’s why we all need role models to prove that what we dream is possible. One of the things that’s really changed about women in business, recently, in stark contrast to past generations, is that those at the top of the heap are more diverse, showing just how many ways women are breaking the mold. So look to the women who have come before you â€" from old school leaders like Oprah Winfrey who have been on the scene for decades to new startup developers like Hayley Barna of Birchbox â€" women are proving our status as professional powerhouses. Study Up One of the most evident lessons from the most recent generation of women startup founders is that intellectual women rule the day. For example, Jenny Griffiths, the CEO of Snap Tech, came up with the original idea for her business while studying computer science at the University of Bristol, while Saasha Celestial-One pursued an MBA at Stanford before launching Olio, a food sharing startup. You can certainly turn to a less traditional knowledge base for your startup inspiration; as a woman, you need to be the smartest, most determined person in the room all the time or no one will listen. Men will talk over you and funders will reject you, but smart women bounce back because, as Barna observes, even if you fail you’ll learn a lot. Continuing to learn is absolutely vital to success, even if that success is a long way down the road. Look To Your Roots Some of the best business ideas stem from personal experiences that are then transformed into brands because this inextricably links a company to its founder. That’s exactly what Lisa Storie, founder of Ikaria Resort Wear did when she took her lifelong obsession with the Pacific Ocean and turned it into a lifestyle brand and aesthetic foundation. Ikaria is a brand meant for island hoppers and yacht owners, people who are part of or aspire to join the jet set. Storie herself stakes a claim to trans-Pacific roots, making her home in Santa Monica and tracing her maternal ancestry to Japan. The company blossomed forth from there. Defy Discrimination Discrimination is a persistent problem for women determined to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams. In fact, it’s so pervasive that Penelope Gazin and Kate Dwyer, founders of Witschy, created a fake male co-founder to help them sidestep investor bias. This was after repeat attempts to develop the business with no male names attached â€" during which time they were harassed and demeaned. Gazin and Dwyer’s story is a familiar one, especially to women in tech who report high rates of sexual harassment as minorities within their industry. It’s only as women have begun networking amongst ourselves and sharing our stories that we realized just how common these problems are â€" that we aren’t alone. Rest And Reflect Standing in the minority as a female startup founder is hard, which makes it important to take time away to rest, recharge, and reflect on your work. When Net-A-Porter founder Natalie Massanet found herself on the verge of her 50th birthday, she went on vacation and spent some time deciding what her next steps were. Realizing she was at a turning point in her career, she opted to take 18 months away from new ventures, ultimately joining the fashion e-commerce firm and former competitor Farfetch. Whether you’re at the top of your game or struggling to make it, media groundbreaker and billionaire Oprah Winfrey leaves us with the most important wisdom â€" to be thankful for everything you have. If all you can think about is whats next, what more you could do or get, you’ll always feel like you’re behind. But when you’re thankful for every step along this road, for the simple chance to try your hand at the crazy world of entrepreneurship, you’ll be more joyful in your work.

Funding your creative project a creative approach!

Funding your creative project â€" a creative approach! You have the idea, you have the talent, you have the commitment â€" but you don’t have the money. A familiar cry in the creative industries. Everyone needs financial support to get projects off the ground, whether they be short films, small craft products, art works or the written word. How do you get started when there’s not enough cash to get published, put on your exhibition, hire a production team or distribute your wares? Power to the people using crowdfunding Maybe one big sponsor is not the answer .  Perhaps more could be raised for your project by encouraging small amounts from a large number of individual sponsors â€" if it all adds up you could make your target in no time. Maybe it’s time to start thinking about crowdfunding, a phenomena which has grown by over 300% in the last two years. Crowdcube, the UKs first investment crowdfunding site, has raised over £230 million for over 500 business since its inception. There are a variety of platforms to research potential sources of crowdfunding â€" although there are a plethora of smaller ones which may serve your particular purpose more objectively. You need to research the most appropriate one for you. The main platforms have increased vastly in terms of participation over the last few years and many sponsors of the creative industries prefer this approach as they are able to support several projects simultaneously Getting Started The key is to plan your project a good while in advance. Think about how much you will need to complete your project effectively and remember to count in your percentage costs as these will be taken directly from the total raised. Before you set up the page, think about supporters you could approach in advance, suggesting they may wish to fund you; friends and family, for example, may not have the whole amount to give you, but collectively the small amounts they can afford will add up. Use Facebook and Linked In where possible to flag up the fact that you are looking for funding for a great project with links to how to participate. The main reason for projects not reaching their target is due to a lake of awareness by prospective sponsors â€" so marketing your idea is key. Thinking about rewards The next step is to consider those people who are likely to sponsor and think about how you could make it a valuable experience for them. If you are planning an exhibition of your work and wish to raise money for a venue, refreshments and maybe a printed catalogue, consider offering free admission to the event for your sponsors. The breakdown of rewards needs to be relative to the amount given, as in the following example: £5 will ensure sponsors get a name check on your website or in your catalogue £10 will ensure a name check and free entry into the event £20 will reward a sponsor with a name check, free entry into the event and a 20% discount on any of your work they purchase. There are many variations on the above â€" if you are planning to produce a short film, you could name check on the film and maybe offer free admission to a showing, or a wine reception for larger amounts….. Presenting your case Your page needs to be effective in encouraging sponsorship â€" even friends and family will think twice if the event or film, or art work is not to their taste, so this must be taken into account. Presenting a short film of your project plan on the platform will help and some short examples of previous work would support your case as well. Remember that people will only support creative projects if they see the relevance and like the product! You need to have a viable objective. Plan your attack! 1. Prepare by writing your project description what do you want to do and why? 2. Explain how much funding you need and what that funding will be used for 3. Add a short video and links to previous work 4. Ask for readers to pledge an amount towards the total project sum The Platforms Different platforms operate differently. In some cases you have to reach the target you have set before you are allocated the funding; in which case the sponsors are notified and their pledge is cancelled. If you are allocated the funding, the project must take place within the timeframe set and the rewards offered must be actioned. If this does not happen then sponsors will be refunded and your reputation tarnished â€" so you must be responsible in your approach and reasonable in your plans in terms of time and costs. Check out some of the funded projects on the platforms, including for example  Crowdfunder ,  Kickstarter  and  Just Giving  and consider how you could utilise these resource to support your own creative idea! Good luck!

What type of Jobs Does Wall Street Offer CareerMetis.com

What type of Jobs Does Wall Street Offer We all know that Wall Street has a bit of mystery behind it.What are the types of jobs you can get there?How much money can you make?What do you have to do to get a job on wall street?Often you’ll find the highest paying finance jobsall trace back to Wall Street.evalThis infographic is designed to show you the most lucrative jobs in finance and the steps you need to go through actually land some of them.1) Top Tier Jobs â€" The Buy-SideevalLet’s start at the top. Up here we have pretty much every finance student’s long-term dream job which the buy side is. If you’ve watched the show billions or ever wondered which Wall Street jobs pay the most, this is it.Essentially the buy side is where you are working for a fund that manages clients’ money and investing it, while at the same time taking a good amount fees. There are three main categories on the buy side: Hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital.To land a buy-side role, you’re usually required to have a year or two of experience in the jobs on the middle tier of the pyramid.Once you do so, you’ll be making anywhere from $125k to $250k. Nowyou see why these roles are so coveted, right?Example Roles at Tier 3a) KKRUsually, at a top firm like KKR, you most definitely will need a few years of investment banking experience.evalOnce you have the experience, you’ll probably come in as a first-year associate, with starting salary averaging around $115k, with a bonus around $141k, getting you to about $256k in total compensation.Now don’t forget, the bonus is completely dependent on activity in the industry, but right now private equity is pretty hot; so bonuses will be on the higher sideb) GPB Capital HoldingThis firm is smaller, so the compensation will be as well.Starting salaries average around $96k for first-year associates, with bonuses coming in around $36k, giving you about $132k in total compensation.2) Middle Tier â€" Banking / Pre-Buy-Side JobsevalMoving onto the middle-tier here, which is the “Banking / “Pre Buy-side” jobs. Buy-Side jobs on Wall Street break down into two main categories; Bank Asset Managers.Starting with the banks, this is where the majority of finance students target to get that experience they need for the buy side The bank sector Last up we have Tier 1 stepping stone jobs. Unless you have a 4.0 GPA and an extraordinarily strong recruiting program at your school, you’ll likely have to start here. As you might expect, the jobs in the second-tier are quite competitive to get with no experience.Therefore, in most cases, students need stepping stone analytical jobs that they can use to build the experience and hiring credibility needed to get a job in the middle tier.These stepping stone jobs break down into four categories:CreditThe Big FourLower-Tier Asset ManagersCorporate DevelopmentStarting with credit, you’ll essentially be working for places like the ratings agencies, credit risk at a big bank, or Commercial Banking. evalMos t of the middle tier jobs at the big four, often like recruiting students who have credit experience. You should consider a place like Citi or Bank of America on the private banking side to impress the big four. At this level, you’ll be making anywhere from 75k to 90kNext up, we have the big four accounting firms. Now when I say accounting I’m not referring to tax and audit, but instead, the more finance-related consulting jobs which are valuation and corporate advisory. Both can be a great way to get the experience you need for some of those middle-tier jobs. At the same time, you’ll be starting anywhere from 75k to 85k. Moving on, we have our lower-tier asset managers. Essentially these are smaller firms which still provide students with great experience needed for some of those middle-tier rolls. These jobs consist of things like working a search fund, maybe a small asset manager, or working in Investment Management for an Insurance Company. At this level, you’ll be start ing anywhere from 60k to 80k.Lastly, we have corporate development, which is where you’re involved in mergers and Acquisitions, working within a Fortune 500 company or a roll up. Working for a non-financial fortune 500 is a very valuable experience to have because you can jump directly into related to things with experience in a niche. At this level, you’re starting around 75k to 110k.Example Roles at Tier 1a) Moody’sAt a firm like Moody’s, your job will be primarily around analyzing a company’s creditworthiness, while at the same time getting really good exposure to different deals such as mergers acquisitions, IPOs, debt financings, etc.At the same time, you’ll be working far fewer hours. But of course, with fewer hours, comes less compensation. A first-year associate analyst can expect to make a starting salary of around $75k, with maybe a $2 â€" $3k bonus, bringing total compensation to just under $80k. As I’m sure you notice, you don’t see crazy bonuses outside of the buy side and the investment banks, but this experience will be invaluable down the road.Corporate Development (Surgical Care Affiliates)Like I mentioned before, Corporate Development is basically mergers and acquisition work. The only difference is you’re doing it for a company to help with their internal growth. At a firm like Surgical Care Affiliates, you can expect a starting salary of around $70k, with a bonus of around $10k, bringing your total compensation to just about $80k.Whatever career path you take, there are very rewarding and lucrative jobs on wall street. Be prepared to work extremely hard, set yourself apart, and you’ll undoubtedly have a successful career in finance.

Focus

Focus If you go shopping, dont you need to know what you are looking for in order to find it? So how can you find a job if you dont know what kind of job you are looking for or where to look? Here are 3 ways to be more focused in your search: 1) Dont try and be all things to all people. It is not a good strategy. Be what the company is looking for. 2) Be a solution to the companies goals, period. Each one of us comes with a history andexperiences, most of them are not important to your next employer. 3) Know your strengths and know where they fit in the marketplace. This will require talking with people and educating yourself (using Onet). Try to develop a list of 40+ companies that you would want to work for and that have a need for what you do. (These companies are not necessarily hiring at the moment and that doesnt matter). Now you have 40 specific targets. This will provide you with focus. Rather than blindly networking or asking about jobs, you can seek information about these companies. This will also help your network focus better as well.

Professional Resume Writing Services Groupon

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