Category: Linkedin

If you read the news, you might find some articles saying that Canada needs people to work. And trust me, some people get excited with the news as a trigger to start their plans to come to study and work here.

Indeed, Canada has more job opportunities than other countries. Just as an example, before the pandemic, the unemployment rate in Canada was around 5% compared to Brazil, with 12%. It’s a big difference.

The problem is that Canada needs qualified professionals. People with skills in alignment with its labour market needs.

The big surprise comes when you realize that some of the most important skills required are not the ones you are thinking about. Nor are they related to a certification or a diploma.

After applying for some jobs and in numerous interactions with International students, I’ve identified the most critical requirements to make you succeed. 

Here’s is what you must-have in your experience for the Canadian job market:

• Working with others 
• Oral communication
• Administrative and organizational skills

Let’s dive into each one in more detail.

Working with others 

Your capacity to work in teams is crucial to succeeding in Canada. In several recruitment processes, you will be asked to show examples in your career that indicate your collaboration in projects involving teams.

Listening skills, your capacity to communicating to different audiences, and giving and receiving criticism more effectively are some of the factors analyzed.

Other habilities are important too, such as your capacity to setting up and running groups, building rapport with others, and resilience are expected.

Oral communication

Your oral communication is more important than you can imagine succeeding in Canada. But English fluency is not the only factor you should pay attention to it. 

As immigrants, along the time, speaking fluency is developed. It comes from the daily practice down the road in every single interaction you have.

Oral communication includes other essential components, such as your presentation skills, indicating your capacity to communicate with others and express your ideas. 

Pro tip:

1. 1. 1. Before any presentation or meeting, organize your ideas into topics.
   2. Get prepared ahead about what you will say and share with others.
   3. If you are going to a meeting and you know the topic, prepare one or two questions in advance to position yourself in the discussion.

Even without the best English speaking in the world, showing up with active participation is very appreciated.

Administrative and organizational skills

Who likes to work with someone disorganized? Nobody, right?

Showing up on time and being proactive on top of the daily priorities will separate you from ordinary colleagues.

Your capacity to plan, organize schedules, identify future roadblocks, risks, and alternative solutions are required in every kind of position as an implicit expectation.

Invest extra time to map out the next steps of the project you’re involved with, even though you aren’t directly responsible for it. Your attitude dealing with what is about to come will be observed, helping you build your reputation and credibility as a professional.

Pro tip: Visually demonstrate that you are organized. Resources such as planners and checklists are great to guide your day and show that you control your initiatives. Companies are looking for people that know how to prioritize and make decisions when required.

One more thing…

Stay tuned to the top soft skills for 2021

According to Mckinsey & Company the top areas of missing soft skills in-demand for current candidates include:

1. Problem solving
2. Critical thinking
3. Innovation
4. Creativity
5. Ability to deal with complexity and ambiguity
6. Communication

These skills seem to be connected to LinkedIn’s annual launch of the Global Talent Trend 2019 report. More than that, as great references in the human resources market such as The Ladders, say the soft skills you need for 2021 include:

1. Active listening
2. Adaptability
3. Communication
4. Emotional intelligence
5. Innovation
6. Teamwork
7. Work ethic

Finally, I would highlight the two main ones from my point of view:

1. Creativity
2. Adaptability

As I mentioned, these are two extremely important skills that companies want in post-pandemic candidates.

But that’s a subject for an upcoming article. See you soon. 😉

To get your dream job, among the initiatives you may consider, unquestionably, your LinkedIn profile plays a critical role in making you succeed.

LinkedIn has become the hub for job search and recruiters. Place where you must position yourself strategically, increasing the chances of being seen.

However, in touch with several international students and professionals in Canada, I’ve heard about the difficulties to thrive, which caught my attention and motivated me to write this article.

Among the efforts to get more job interviews on LinkedIn, there are some alternatives you may consider, but the foundations are crucial. I’m talking about the basics, the key pieces that some candidates are not paying attention to and unfortunately struggling with.

Don’t forget that a tall building requires a strong foundation. The same analogy applies to your LinkedIn profile to capture the attention of recruiters.

Here are the must-haves in your LinkedIn profile to get more job interviews on LinkedIn:

• Update your headline
• Tailor-made your profile for the position you’re looking for
• Build your network

Let’s dive into each one of them in more detail.

Update your headline

Consider your headline as your tagline composed of the set of words that best represents the position you are looking to get more interviews.

If you have a specific position you’re looking for, don’t waste your time; include it in your headline. 

On the other hand, if you’re willing to get an interview for different positions, try to include the most relevant keywords related to those positions in your headline.

The bottom line is, make you headline something clear enough for someone who doesn’t know you, to understand the role you have familiarity with. To do so, don’t stretch it, including several words; otherwise, your headline may look confusing. 

Pro tip: my recommendation is a maximum of three keywords. Nobody will read and process more than three words reading your headline.

Tailor-made your profile for the position you’re looking for

My second recommendation will require you some time, but worth it. Shape your profile, always looking with skeptical eyes, removing everything unrelated to the position you’re aiming for. 

Some recruiters may consider you overqualified for a position in some situations. This is a very contradictory topic, and probably some people will say that it won’t make any difference. 

My recommendation is to keep only content aligned with your position to avoid any possible risk of diluting the recruiter’s attention by reading your profile and paying attention to parts unrelated to the job you are looking for.

Build your network

Today and ever. Never stop your efforts building your network. Probably this is where most of the professionals I know drop the ball.

And it happens for different reasons.

One of the causes is the false belief that this is a kind of thing that I can look at later. Different from anything else you can do on LinkedIn, networking is the process that requires the most of the time from you.

To build a solid network, you should deliver value to your peers. You may need time to introduce yourself and interact with others by booking Chats, Zoom calls and invites for a coffee. Every single interaction won’t happen overnight.

Another reason false belief relies on the underestimation of networking. Only with great connections will you move forward getting the interviews you want. 

My pro tip: Don’t postpone. Incorporate in your daily routine interaction with different people on LinkedIn to turn this pillar the most solid in your strategy. You won’t regret it.

I’ve been sharing on this blog many examples to illustrate how you can overcome all the challenges to become a successful international student. And they are many for sure, trust me.

Some are quite obvious, such as the fact you are starting from scratch in a new place, for instance. Others are related to cultural aspects that you may need to adapt to. In my opinion, the most difficult to overcome.

But there is one that you should pay special attention to, with a big potential to impact your performance. We are talking about impostor syndrome.

The big problem with impostor syndrome is the fact that it comes from your thoughts, or in other words, your mind. Your mindset could be your enemy sometimes if you don’t have control over it.

But it’s ok. We are humans, and it’s hard to keep our heads up all the time. To minimize the chances of occurring, I would like to share some tips with you today, helping you in your journey.

Here they are:

• Don’t let your thoughts take you down.
• Put on paper your achievements.
• Think about the outcome, not on the output.

Don’t let your thoughts take you down

Yes, as I just mentioned, your mind has the ability to be your friend or your enemy sometimes.

A good way to turn around the ups and downs is to exercise thinking about your purpose, I mean, the why you are doing what you are doing.

Stick your thoughts towards your objectives every time you think about giving up. Repetition is key here to exercise your mindset on what matters and not about the roadblocks.

Of course, it’s important to assess your journey looking for habits or approaches that possibly are not going well, adapting or changing them. It’s part of the game.

But when you are aware of the steps you are taking in your journey, don’t let your thoughts take you down as an emotional response to frustration or difficulty. You are bigger than this.

Put on paper your achievements

I can’t explain to you how, but there is some kind of magic when we write down our thoughts. Diary or planners are just some of the examples some people use to reflect on their tasks, goals and objectives.

The same applies here. When you stop for a moment and write down all the achievements you have accomplished, your self-awareness about your potential increases.

Why? Because we simply forget about the incredible things we did in the past. Instead, sometimes we tend to stick to other people’s comments or opinions, not recognizing that what we did it’s bigger than third-party opinions.

Experiment conducting this exercise periodically, let’s say every week, for instance, recapping all the achievements you have made over the past seven days. Be aware of your potential will give you an extra level of confidence to beat the imposter syndrome and any negative thoughts that may come towards you.

Think about the outcome, not on the output

Big wins don’t happen overnight.

Repetition is crucial to achieving what you want on a daily basis.

But sometimes things don’t work out so well, putting us down because “X” didn’t happen.

Reframe the situation thinking about the outcome and not the output. Some battles you may lose, which is fine. What matters is the outcome you are fighting for. Always remember that.

What is more important? A day when everything went differently than you originally planned? Or the failure of the project as a whole?

Each of them has a different cost. We can’t win every day, the reason why you should have a laser focus on your big intentions instead.

Many factors may determine how successful you will be in your job search journey. Many of them we regularly cover here on our blog, such as resumes, networking, among others.

However, today I would like to help you by providing one additional insight from the strategic point of view.

For every single initiative in this trajectory is expected some level of return from the efforts we dedicate. But there is one that provided me with a higher level of return in my job search: Specialization.

Canada is different in this matter. Probably North America in general, I would say. Overall, it is expected clear evidence of skills and experience in alignment with the job description responsibilities.

Careful when writing your resume or during interviews. The situation gets complicated when we mention additional things that we did in our career not necessarily related to that particular job position. The result: You may be qualified as overqualified or not in alignment with the job expectations.

Although it sounds weird, this is the way how, in general, a hiring process is conducted. I say in general because there are exceptions but in a lower number.

It is critical from the candidate’s perspective to understand this cultural approach when recruiters are analyzing your application. With that said, I have some tips for you to be successful in your job search with specialization.

Industry analysis

When it comes to positioning yourself as a specialized professional in the Canadian market, start searching for job titles in your industry. Normally the names of them are different when compared with the same kind of position in other countries. The difference includes the hierarchy of the position as well. My recommendation is to research all the job titles related to your industry and, from there, make a list with the ones you understand are more in alignment with the skills and experience you have.

Try to position yourself only and exclusively according to the expectations. It will increase your chances of being considered in a hiring process with many applicants. If the current job description is not requesting, do not include it.

Example? Does not make sense to include in your resume that you have photoshop skills if it is not requested in the job description. Avoid positioning yourself as a generalist unless when required and specified in the job description.

Tools and certifications

Pay attention to the required tools for the position you are looking for. Normally they are emphasized along with the job description. Proficiency in the tools required in a particular role is very appreciate because they work as an indicator from the recruiter’s point of view that you have the knowledge to execute what is expected for that position.

If the tools have some element that could prove your proficiency, like a software certification, for instance, I highly recommend investing in them. Certifications work as a piece of strong evidence to support your skills.

In addition, what can positively transform your experience ‘and have a powerful portfolio where you demonstrate your full delivery potential.

I already wrote about it in a previous article 5 tips on how to compose your portfolio

Deliverables

When reframing yourself as a specialized in a particular area or position, I recommend mentioning only related deliverables to help you apply as a strong candidate.

Even though you may have relevant past achievements, if they are not related to the position you are looking for, put them aside in your application, giving more visibility for the things you did in alignment with the job description.

My takeaways

It’s all about alignment and how you show up as a strong candidate for a particular position. Try to understand that the recruiter is responsible for finding candidates as close as possible to the job expectations.

Even though in the future you may be required to execute tasks requiring a broader set of skills, during the hiring process it is critical to align yourself only with what is required to increase your chances of success.

If you need to improve, update, or get more skills, use Linkedin learning as a fast track to getting them.

When it comes to elaborate your strategy to land on dream job after college, resumes and your LinkedIn profile are mandatory components to succeed. Without them, it turns really difficult to move on and get noticed by recruiters or potential employers.

Both are critical to boost your visibility, inform about what you have done in your career, and the skills that could make you the best fit for a job position.

But what is the purpose of each one? Although both serve the same objective, they have distinct functions in your mix of initiatives.

Recently, I was shocked to meet some international students who had not yet created their LinkedIn profiles. Worse still, not even aware of its importance and differences in comparison with resumes.

I want to discuss this with you today, addressing the two main differences for you to keep in mind. In the end, if you associate them with your future initiatives as an International student, I would be delighted with that.

Resume is unique for each job application

Resume is the North American version of the as well know curriculum in other countries.

Distinct in its structure, a good resume should describe your history as a professional. The company’s you worked for, the skills you are proficient in, and the tools your have some level of familiarity.

There are different types of format, but in essence, a resume should succinctly indicate if your profile is a good fit for a particular job position. That’s when it gets tricky.

Every resume should be created for each job application; consequently, resumes, by nature, are unique. They should inform, preferably numbers or achievements that could indicate your qualification for a particular position in a particular company.

On the other hand, your LinkedIn profile should be broader, not customized for each job position like a resume, because it would be impossible.

You should combine the keywords, skills, and sentences required for most of the job offers you are considering to apply. Your profile should inform what you have done, like a resume, but not customized for a particular company. It should be elaborated based on the most common expectations for a particular position.

Linkedin is an extension of your career experience

As I mentioned before, summaries have limitations in terms of format. So, to reference other aspects of yourself as a professional, you can add some level of creativity to your LinkedIn profile.

In short, your LinkedIn profile could operate as an extension of your resume. Like a place to add additional information about what you have done that wouldn’t fit in your resume.

Here are some examples of informative sections you could add to your LinkedIn Profile.

• Image of certifications
• Link to your blog page
• Link to your most relevant blog posts
• Link to your portfolio
• Downloadables of any sort of document you like
• Videos
• Presentations

The list is the size of your creativity. But don’t abuse it. My tip is to consider the most attractive types of content that will help you get noticed by communicating what you have done.

Fina takeaways

Probably you concluded that both are important. You got it. Explore the best of both tools will promote your name to who matters. Take care of your credibility as a professional to make people get in touch with you. That’s how everything starts.

Everyone needs a portfolio. That’s what I would tell you if you ask me. In partnership with your resume, a portfolio can amplify your visibility as a professional and give you a significant advantage compared to another candidate who doesn’t have one.

Well, it might make sense you probably would say. But portfolios are only for designers or architects, correct?

The answer is no. You can definitely incorporate this asset in your job hunt toolbox and creating a significant competitive advantage for you.

Let me give 5 tips on how to compose your portfolio:

Top Achievements

The most popular portfolio, the one used by designers, typically includes the best visuals create for one particular campaign or client. Sometimes they referrer as well the customer problem and the outcomes.

Well, the same thing you can do even if you aren’t a designer. To start, list all your achievements you have accomplished in your career. They may be related to a project you were a member of, a volunteer task you were responsible for a result you generated, such as a sales or a milestone you’ve achieved.

The idea is to list all the things you have done to identify the top ones, the ones that are more significant in terms of impact and results generated.

These achievements are the ones you will include in your portfolio, like examples of the things you have made that represented your contribution to the role you were responsible for.

As a bonus, it will help you as a recap of all the main things you have made, providing clarity and confidence when talking about your portfolio.

Translate in numbers

Numbers create trust. They turn events and actions tangible from the recipient’s perspective, making it easier to understand what was done.

Do your best to identify and include in your portfolio as much quantitative information as possible. Regardless of the kind of job you are searching for, describe what you did and the outcome.

Customer satisfaction, sales, cost reduction, revenue, productivity metrics, etc. Every single project creates an impact on a particular metric that measures how successful you were in your contribution.

When you translate your achievements into numbers, you are making your pitch about yourself easier to explain as well. People tend to memorize numbers easier when they are internalized into a story.

Compare both sentences:

Sentence #1:
“I was responsible for customer satisfaction.”

Sentence #2

“I was responsible for customer service, increasing the customer satisfaction from 30% to 60% in 3 months.”

Which one is more attractive and enticing for you? I think you got my point.

Adapt according to the job description

By default, you should have a particular portfolio for every single job application to highlight your achievements based on the job description requirements.

However, my suggestion is to compose a generic portfolio that represents all the great things you have made that you could use in all kinds of applications.

From there, you can customize your portfolio, adding or removing some achievements, depending upon the job description’s expectations.

Try to be more specific as you can in your job hunt. Otherwise, you may need to create a large list of achievements, which may not be productive for you.

Make it online

Yes, to amplify its visibility, build your portfolio online. There are out there many free tools to compose your portfolio for free. Sharing your portfolio in a single link will make your life way easier when promoting yourself for recruiters and in your networking.

Don’t be picky, expecting to develop the best portfolio in the world in your first round of development. Baby steps are key here. Shape its content progressively, trying to conveying your achievements with as much clarity as you can.

One fast and simple alternative is to compose your first portfolio in a PDF. Then, add it to your LinkedIn profile in the “featured” section, dedicated area to upload any kind of file you consider relevant to include in your profile.

Keep it updated

Regardless of the format, keep your portfolio updated is critical. Schedule periodic reviews based on the achievements are have accomplished and the market expectations.

Chances are that as far you go in your career, the more specialized you will be positioned.

As you become more specialized, you should highlight in your portfolio only the achievements related to your current role or the ones that can create a “bridge” between your current role and the position you are striving for.

Keep it fresh, update, and visually attractive is important to represent the best version of yourself.

Want to know more about….

To find SEO keywords to improve my profile, I do simple keyword research based on my intentions to upgrade my keyword’s list.

To clarify some points, I ask myself some questions to guide my thoughts:

What do I want to rank?

Do these keywords get reasonable search volume?

Do they match the intent of your target audience?

How I am finding LinkedIn SEO keywords:

1️⃣  I search for the terms, words, skills, associated with the services/intentions that I offer;

2️⃣  I look at the full results;

3️⃣  I sort the keywords based on search volume; (Put in order)

4️⃣  I expand results for all degrees connections (first, second and third-degree);

5️⃣  I analyze the keywords used in the results; (double-check all relevance)

6️⃣  Done. Keywords list updated.

Finally, I compare my Linkedin SEO keywords list to my regular SEO keywords list.

Some areas to add keywords:

✅  Headline

✅  Summary/About

✅  Work experience

✅  Recommendations (ask recommendation based on your skills if possible)

✅  Skills section

I have listed my SEO keywords for a long time, and I review them monthly.

Do you do the same? Tell me in the comments.

What you should know about the importance of taking action on Linkedin

For many people, public speaking is a challenge. It often causes a mixture of emotions that lead us to become defensive, protecting us. Emotional intelligence is very important nowadays, even more so in modern society and competitive corporate environments. Knowing how to control your emotions will help you move forward in life’s challenges.

In times of social media, authenticity is a feature that speaks loudly and connects with your audience, it is something fundamental. Overall, communicate with authenticity for your audience to connect! This connection generates engagement in which helps to promote your product, service, or yourself as a professional.

But, after all, how to take the first step and move to the next level?

Practice!

You must practice and develop the best of yourself every day. Practice overcoming the barrier of speaking in public or even communicating with your audience on social media. This will help you exercise your emotional intelligence and develop skills that you didn’t even know.

A good practice is to write posts for your audience. Then I want to give you some tips:

1. Be authentic! You will be pleasantly surprised that people notice you and identify you when there is authenticity.
2. Write or make a video. Talk about something you have mastered or are developing.
3. Don’t be afraid of judgments. There will always be someone in the world who identifies with you.
4. Never compare yourself to anyone.
5. You must be your only reference for your own development.

Also, I can recommend some great courses on Linkedin Learning such as:

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/personal-branding-on-social-media-2/let-s-build-your-personal-brand-right
https://www.linkedin.com/learning/learning-personal-branding-2/your-most-powerful-marketing-tool

Do you want to know if it all works?

I was recently challenged by my colleague @Mehmet Sever and joined the #WonsultingPayItForward movement from @Jonathan Javier💡 and @Jerry Lee💡. Basically, I opened my agenda to help Linkedin members who want to learn about strategies and optimization, and growth on the platform.

I had the immense satisfaction of meeting several professionals and students from around the world where I was able to contribute to my expertise. You can see some posts here. I met @Nhan Le from San Jose/California who understood it perfectly and started his journey and practice to put out there his thoughts and posted it on his Linkedin this:

#WonsultingPayItForward

#linkedin

#lilchampions2020