Stacy Donovan Zapar

Hey! Who Are You Calling a Geek Girl?

2013-05-07T09:46:00.003-07:00

Me! That’s Who! And proud of it…

I’ve been a bit of a geek ever since I can remember. I always loved school and actually liked doing homework. I loved spelling bees and flash cards. I played with GI Joe and Star Wars action figures and never owned a single Barbie. I was extremely klutzy, legs always covered in bruises. My favorite tv shows were “The A-Team” and “The Incredible Hulk.”

In middle school, I played French Horn in the band and the orchestra (since just one wasn’t geeky enough). I had braces and wore headgear to sleep at night. (It wasn’t a good look.) Then high school rolled around and I joined the marching band to cap off my geekiness. I joined the “Rent a Nerd” tutoring group and was math club president. Nerdiness oozed from every pore. Needless to say, boyfriends were non-existent. :)

Then, at the end of tenth grade, everything seemed to suddenly change overnight. I lost the braces and started to finally grow out of that gawky phase. I made the cheerleading squad and had my first boyfriend. I started going to parties and hanging with “the cool kids.” It was a whole new world.

Yes, I left the marching band but, I’m proud to say, the marching band never left me. (In fact, I still sometimes find myself stepping to the beat when I hear music, that silent voice in my head saying, “left… left… left.”) I stuck around during halftime to watch the band perform. I continued to tutor and love math. I did well on the SATs but took ‘em again a couple more times, just for fun. I played logic puzzles in my spare time and knew every hack for unlimited lives in Super Mario Brothers. I might not have looked like a geek girl anymore, but I definitely still was.

And I definitely still am. I still love logic puzzles and math and tech. I’m a former league bowler with a pretty good bowling average. I love to write long, complicated Boolean search strings and sometimes dream in Twitter. I aced the computer programming and database design classes that I took just for fun. I’m proud to be a Top 10 zombie killer on The Walking Dead: Assault game (out of 250,000 players worldwide). Gamer. Geek. Nerd. That’s me! And I’m not ashamed. :)

So when the gals at Geek Girl Camp asked me to speak at their Geek Girl Tech Conference in Cape Cod, it was a no brainer to me. Girl power and geek pride all rolled into one? They had come to the right place.

As a geek girl and mother of a mini-me geek girl, I’m very excited and honored to be supporting this great organization and its wonderful cause. The conference is this Saturday, May 11th and I’ll be leading three LinkedIn sessions as well as speaking on a social media panel. The conference is targeted at average, everyday women (and men!) who want to learn more about technology, no matter what their current skill level. It’s all about knowledge sharing, asking questions, making connections, paying-it-forward and having fun while doing it. And who doesn’t wanna spend the weekend in Cape Cod? :)

Come out and join us! I’d love to see you and hear a few of YOUR war stories about growing up geeky… We’ve all got a few! :)

Photo credit: grimsbyretreat.tumblr.com

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Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. She served as Technical Editor for Wiley's LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day and blogs regularly for several HR / Recruiting blogs including The Undercover Recruiter, Blogging4Jobs and Jobsite.com. Feel free to invite Stacy to connect on LinkedIn and follow her on Twitter (@StacyZapar). Interested in having Stacy train YOUR recruiting team? Contact Tenfold Social today via Facebook, LinkedIn or our website!

What's it Like Starting a New Business? One Big Roller Coaster Ride!

2013-04-30T16:58:00.003-07:00

"How's the new business going?" "What's it like starting your own business?" "Still having fun with your new business?" Since starting Tenfold several months ago, these are common questions I hear from friends, family, neighbors and business associates. It wasn't an easy decision to leave Corporate America and jump off that entrepreneurial cliff, not knowing what fate awaited us. Some days are great and some days are really hard... I'm not gonna lie. The best way to sum it up is that starting this business has been one big roller coaster ride. Check out my most recent blog post for Jobsite.com [Job Search or Start Your Own Business?] to know what to expect if you're thinking about starting a new business of your own.

Warning: Starting a business is a fast-paced, twisty-turny roller coaster ride that includes sharp turns, sudden drops and stops! Not for the faint of heart. :)

Photo credit: justclarence.tumblr.com

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How to Unfriend Someone on LinkedIn [New & Updated]

2013-04-29T10:56:00.002-07:00

While it's not always pleasant or something we do every day, the need to remove a social media contact does come up from time to time. The term "unfriend" was even named "Word of the Year" a few years ago.

You may find yourself connected to a spammer, a fake profile, someone who's become a bother for whatever reason or perhaps your real-life relationship with the person has changed to the point that it's no longer a good idea to be connected on LinkedIn.

With the release of LinkedIn's new Contacts feature (big fan, by the way!), removing a connection is now fairly quick, easy and intuitive.

Here's how to remove a LinkedIn contact:

1) Click on the "Contacts" tab at the top of your screen.

2) Select "Connections" from the dropdown menu and you'll be taken to a list of all of your contacts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail and/or Outlook (depending on which ones you've imported into your LinkedIn Contacts).

3) Plug in the name of the person you wish to remove into the search box and hit enter.

4) When the search results appear, hover over the person's name and a few options will appear ("Tag," "Message" and "More").

5) Click on "More" and select "Remove Connection" from the dropdown window. Voila! The person is removed.

Note: the person you remove is not notified in any way, so don't be shy about removing contacts who spam or are not adding value to your LinkedIn network.

It's still not quite as easy as Facebook or Twitter, which both allow you to remove a connection directly from that person's profile page, but it's the next best thing. And it never times out so you don't need to use a hack or a quicklink anymore!

If you DO still have the old Contacts page, here's a quicklink to the Remove Connections page (in case it keeps timing out on you). Just replace the zeros at the end with the person's member ID number (found in their LinkedIn profile URL): http://www.linkedin.com/connections?breakConnections=&connectionChooser=00000000

Hope this helps! Happy networking!

P.S. - In response to a request in the comments below, here's a screenshot of the new warning message you receive before removing a connection. Looks a bit different than the old one:

Photo credit: Afinidades Eletivas

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6 Easy-Breezy Tips to Spring Clean Your LinkedIn Profile

2013-04-13T18:43:00.001-07:00

It’s that time of year... the weather is warming up, the tulips have started to bloom and Spring is in the air. Almost instinctively, many of us have started to clean out closets, open windows to let in some fresh air and clear away the cobwebs. It just feels good to get a fresh start on a new season.

Many of us are also making a fresh start in our lives, starting new businesses (that's me!), thinking about changing careers, ready to ask for that promotion. Are you taking the necessary steps to be ready for that next chapter in your life? How long has it been since you freshened up your personal brand online?

LinkedIn has made lots of cool changes to profile pages lately. It’s not just an online resume with a profile picture… There are fun visuals you can add to your profile, links to your works online, interesting ways to make your profile look great and stand out from the rest.

And while it’s always been ideal to keep your social profiles updated and relevant, it’s never been more important to refresh your LinkedIn profile. With all of these new changes, it’s very quickly apparent to others whose profiles are fresh and current and whose profiles are stale and outdated. Which one of these descriptions is more appealing and in line with your personal brand? And which one is the current reality? Time to get those two in sync!

1. Spruce Up That Profile Picture: First and foremost, make sure your profile picture is fitting with your personal brand. Research shows that it’s the first thing people look at, right after your name. Now’s your chance to make a great first impression… don’t waste it! You can’t go wrong with a professional headshot and a smile. No sunglasses, no group shots, no spaghetti straps, no babies, no full-body shots. Wanna get a little creative? Crop it in a unique way, go black and white, or change up the angle slightly. But don’t go overboard… this is LinkedIn, not Twitter or Facebook.

2. Spitshine Your LinkedIn Headline: When it comes to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and showing up at the top of the LinkedIn search results, your headline is where it’s at… This one quick change can dramatically change your ranking in LinkedIn’s search results, so be thoughtful in choosing relevant keywords that your target customer might use to search for you. What’s the point of being on LinkedIn if no one can find you? (Oh, and don’t just list your job title at your current company… write a meaningful description that describes YOU and YOUR personal brand. Which is better? “Sr. Marketing Specialist at Acme Company” OR “Social Media Strategist Specializing in Content Marketing.”) Make it memorable and meaningful!

3. Sweep Away the Cobwebs From Your Work Experience: Changed jobs recently? Got a promotion? Completed a cool project? Gained interesting experience? Any new achievements under your belt? Don’t forget to update your LinkedIn profile accordingly. This is your chance to shine! Be specific and think about keywords. There are 200M+ people on LinkedIn and the only way to be found is to use the words that others are using to search for you. Make use of the space available to you and include lots of rich, relevant, interesting content to describe all of your fantastic experience on the job. Make others want to meet you, network with you, hire you!

4. Add Some Sparkle and Shine: LinkedIn profiles used to be quite text-heavy, with only one small profile picture to break things up. No longer! Now you can include links to videos, images, documents, presentations, resumes, blog posts, you name it! LinkedIn will then show an image from that link right on your profile. You can include them in your Summary, your Work Experience, your Education, etc. Now you can showcase your work with an attractive hyperlinked image rather than a long, boring URL. The social world is getting more and more visual (think Pinterest, Instagram, etc.) and LinkedIn is keeping right in step with this trend. You should definitely take advantage of this new feature and make YOUR profile visually appealing to your audience.

5. Rearrange the Furniture: No spring clean would be complete without rethinking your design and optimizing your space. The same goes for your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn lets you drag and drop the various sections of your profile, listing the best ones at the top and less relevant ones at the bottom. Now’s a great time to think about what you want to showcase… Is it your recommendations? Your work experience? Your contact information? There are pros and cons for each, so think about what makes the most sense for your career / business goals. Don’t be afraid to play around with it a bit and change things up if they’re not working for you.

6. Out with the Old, In with the New: This is a great time to start thinking about your connections. Is your network updated? Have you linked up with the people you've met or worked with in the past year or so? Or is it stale from a few years back? Now's a fantastic time of year to reach out, invite others to connect and keep your contact list fresh and current. These are the people that are best poised to vouch for you and help you reach your professional goals: that new job, that new client, that great lead, that new prospect, that fantastic new employee, etc. It's also a good time to remove anyone from your network who's not a positive addition: spammers, those who continuously take without giving back, etc.

These tips are just a start… There’s so much you can do to make your LinkedIn profile look great and stand out. I'm very excited to offer my very first online workshop as part of my new business (Tenfold Social Training). The class is entitled (appropriately enough!) Spring Clean Your LinkedIn Profile.

I'm going to walk you through the process, step-by-step, to make sure that your profile is updated, fresh, relevant and fully optimized. It's a quick and easy way to give your online presence a breath of fresh air and reflect your brand in a positive way. I firmly believe that preparing yourself for what's to come is one of the best ways to invite that change to come along! If you build it, they will come... right?

I'll also have a 15-minute q&a at the end of the workshop where you'll be able to ask me any questions you might have about your LinkedIn profile, the search mechanism within LinkedIn, you name it! Now's your chance to pick my brain! I'm excited to hear what questions you have and to help clear up any confusion!

Register now! http://tenfoldsocial.eventbrite.com I look forward to having you join us!

Photo credit: One Good Thing by Jillee

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Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 first-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. She is a social media recruiting strategist, trainer, speaker and regular contributor to numerous HR/Recruiting blogs including Undercover Recruiter, Jobsite and Blogging4Jobs. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect with her on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Hey Jobseekers, Volunteer Experience is STILL Experience!

2013-01-25T13:04:00.000-08:00

I recently wrote a blog post for The Undercover Recruiter entitled "Why Every Jobseeker and New Grad Should Volunteer" about a long-time friend who just graduated with an RN degree and is now struggling to find her first position. I wanted to share it with all of you since I really feel that this idea is overlooked by many. (The full article is linked above or you can read the highlights below.)

If you are a new grad with little actual work experience or a jobseeker who is actively out of work and looking for your next position, here are the reasons that you might want to consider volunteering.

It puts work experience on your resume

Duh! This is obviously the most important strategy in your job search right now, especially if it’s the only thing keeping you from landing that dream job. Even if it’s just a few hours a week, your resume will now say “XYZ Company (or XYZ Hospital), January 2013 – present” instead of having a big gap. Way, way, way better than having no current employer on your resume, which is an automatic deal-breaker for many recruiters. (Hey, I’m just the messenger here!) Added bonus? You will probably learn a thing or two (or twenty!), which builds your resume and makes you that much more marketable to employers.

It enables you to line up solid references in your field of choice

If/when you need someone to vouch for your skills in this new industry, volunteering will provide you with experienced people who have seen you in action and can recommend you for that job. Think about it… most new grads look exactly alike on paper. Your recommendations and references could be just the thing that separates you from the rest (side note: make sure to add these recommendations to your LinkedIn profile while you’re at it).

It allows you to build your network

We’ve all heard it before: it’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know. In a bad economy / job market, those words were never more true. People are hiring employee referrals because these referrals are a known quantity and there’s much less risk. If you don’t know many people in your field, then you are at a distinct disadvantage. Volunteering allows you to grow your network (in real life AND on LinkedIn) and you can now leverage those connections to network, find out about new positions and be at the forefront of people’s minds if/when they learn of a new opening. Don’t be afraid to get the word out that you’re actively looking for that foot-in-the-door position.

It shows your passion for what you want to do

“I love nursing (or whatever it is that YOU do) so much that I would do it even if they didn’t pay me.” Even if that’s not EXACTLY true, this is the message that volunteering conveys. How wonderful is that? You are suddenly much more attractive to future employers because they want those top performers who love what they do, not the employees who are just phoning it in.

It keeps you busy and keeps your spirits up

There’s nothing worse during a job search than getting up every morning with no where to go. You lounge around in your pj’s, mope about the horrible situation, pop online to try to find a job, end up getting discouraged and it’s just not good for your self-esteem or mental outlook. How are you going to be able to sell yourself to employers if you aren’t in a good place? Volunteering gets you out of the house, doing the work you want to do and staying busy. You will keep your batteries recharged and, let’s face it, volunteering just feels good. Give and get back, I always say!

It puts you at the top of the list if a job becomes available

Picture it: there you are, volunteering at that company / hospital and suddenly an opening becomes available. Do you really think they’ll just go with an unknown person over you? Assuming you fit the requirements for the role, the odds are pretty good that you’ll be hired since you’re right there in front of them and have already proven your skills, your dedication and your passion for the role. It’s also a great way for them to say “thank you” for your time and effort! Hey, they might even CREATE a job for you that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. Knock their socks off and they’ll want to keep you!

And volunteering doesn't have to be a stop-gap... You can always continue to give a little of your free time (even if it's just an hour or two a month). Who said you can't help others while helping yourself? Pay it forward! :)

Photo credit: Fanpix

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Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 first-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. She is a trainer, speaker and regular contributor to numerous HR/Recruiting blogs including Undercover Recruiter, Jobsite and Blogging4Jobs. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect with her on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly of LinkedIn Endorsements

2012-12-27T12:43:00.000-08:00

Not long ago, LinkedIn rolled out Endorsements, a way to endorse your connections’ skills with just one click. There has been quite a buzz online about them and the feedback has been mixed, but here are my initial thoughts and observations:

The Good:

* While Recommendations are a bit labor-intensive and easy to procrastinate, Endorsements are quick, easy and painless. LinkedIn even pops up a handy-dandy reminder box, going so far as to suggest which Skill you should endorse for which friend. Easy is good.

* While reciprocal Recommendations are pretty universally frowned upon, there really isn’t a negative connotation to reciprocal Endorsements. (This may be because Recommendations are so visible whereas Endorsements are just a tiny face box in a sea of other faces.) Right or wrong, when you endorse someone, you will likely get an endorsement in return. So not only is it quick and easy, the effort-reward ratio is pretty high.

* It adds a bit of a social component to a social network that isn’t always as social as some of the other ones out there (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). It allows you to interact and engage (albeit on a fairly superficial level) with your network. It gives old friends, colleagues and classmates a reason to reconnect and say hi. It allows you to do something nice and engage others in a positive way. This is all a good thing.

* Recommendations are lengthy to read and difficult to score while Skills / Endorsements are very easy to categorize, measure and rank. Good for data / SEO, good for recruiters searching for candidates, good for companies who pay a lot of money for a LinkedIn Recruiter account and therefore good for LinkedIn’s investors.

* Social Talent’s recent blog post calls Endorsements “the greatest thing to happen to LinkedIn since its inception” because it provides additional data for shallow profiles (profiles with just one job title / employer and nothing else – about 60% of the LinkedIn network). According to the post, you can’t search for keywords that aren’t there and Endorsements use crowdsourcing to add additional keywords to those profiles. While this is all well and good, I still prefer to see a keyword / skill in the right context (where you used it, for how long and how long ago) so the value is limited to me. Good, but not great, in my opinion.

The Bad:

* The value provided by an Endorsement just seems very limited to me. It feels like “Recommendation Lite”. If you want to recommend someone, go ahead and write a Recommendation. Personally, I’d rather see where you worked with the person, understand what your working relationship actually was and hear what you specifically have to say about them. Recommendations show all of this. Endorsements do not.

* As with the Klout +K, it feels more like a popularity contest or a system to be gamed rather than a real feedback mechanism. While I appreciate Endorsements and +Ks (especially if I’ve actually worked with you and/or done something to influence/help you), I kinda gave up on handing out +Ks a while ago. It was just too labour intensive and the whole tit-for-tat mentality was exhausting. Wonder how long it will take me to reach the same kind of burnout with Endorsements?

* I’ve made the decision to only endorse Skills that I’ve personally witnessed firsthand and actually endorse, not just a bunch of blind clicking to endorse everyone and everything. (As with LinkedIn Recommendations, I’d like to think my thumbs-up means a little more than that!) Since not everyone is as discerning with their Endorsements, I think they end up being pretty meaningless.

* Some people are complaining about the pop-up windows, additional email messages and extra notifications as creating a spammy environment that’s negatively affecting the user experience. Reminds me of the controversy around noisy Twitter feeds (that were ultimately removed from LinkedIn).

* Of course, I have to wonder if this decision will come back to bite me. Will LinkedIn’s search algorithm soon reflect Endorsements? Will Klout scores go up (or down) based on LinkedIn Endorsements? If I don’t play the game (and/or game the system), will it end up damaging my brand and/or hurting my business?

The Ugly:

Within the first month of LinkedIn Endorsements’ rollout I was contacted by each of the following… and thus the inspiration to write this blog post. Do any of these describe you? (I hope not!)

* The Beggar: “Please endorse me. Pretty please? If not, I’ll just send you another message next week with a pretty, PRETTY please.”

* The Stranger: “You don’t really know me that well and we haven’t actually worked together, but please endorse all of my wonderful skills. It’s only a little white lie, really…”

* The Open Endorser: The name says it all and there are already a few Open Endorser LinkedIn groups. This new “title” will soon be popping up on profiles, headlines and middle names everywhere… You heard it here first, folks!

* The Guilt-Tripper: “I just endorsed you, so please endorse me back.” (Note: May turn into The Beggar or The Threatener, see below.)

* The Threatener: “If you don’t endorse me, I’m gonna remove my Endorsements of you.” (I even had one person deliver on this threat. Some people have WAY too much time on their hands! Haha)

The jury’s still out and it will be interesting to see how Endorsements affect LinkedIn’s other features, the search algorithm, the LinkedIn Recruiter platform and the overall user experience on the site. I’m pretty underwhelmed for now, but will do my best to keep an open mind…

What's YOUR initial impression? Which way do you cast your vote… good, bad or ugly? : )

Photo credit: Minimal Movie Posters

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Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Ready, Set, Tenfold!

2012-11-27T18:51:00.000-08:00

For years, I've enjoyed building my network on LinkedIn, meeting tons of new people, learning from them, growing with them... it's been so rewarding to see my network transform from a simple recruiting resource to a professional development godsend. It's been so personally and professionally satisfying to learn from my contacts, meet some of the smartest people I've ever known, help people network to grow their businesses, share jobsearch tips, introduce amazing people to each other and sit back to see my contacts succeeding, thriving and helping one another. It's what networking is all about and I feel really privileged to have been along for the ride.

Over time, people started reaching out to ask questions and I helped however I could. What started out as piecemeal advice in response to individual questions grew to bulk sharing in LinkedIn groups to jumping into Twitter with both feet to finally creating a blog to answer many of those frequently asked questions. And now that little old blog created as a side project has just passed 150,000 pageviews!

But even with the the blog, the questions kept coming... Folks have been reaching out for years to see if I could come help them learn social media, teach their team to use Twitter, train them to master LinkedIn or help them develop a social recruiting strategy. As much as I would have loved to say yes, it just wasn't possible while holding down a full-time recruiting position.

Well, the time has come... I'm finally going to be able to marry my passions together (social media + recruiting + teaching + helping others) to create my dream job. We are VERY excited to announce the opening of our new business - Tenfold Social Training. My husband (Greg Zapar - digital strategy, user experience, mobile guy) and I have been working around the clock for the last few months to build this new business and we are over the moon to see it come to life.

Tenfold will be offering social media training for both recruiters and business professionals. The social recruiting training will teach recruiters how to leverage LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and other social media in their recruiting, sourcing and employment branding strategies. We'll also be teaching social networking for business professionals, job seekers, hiring managers and new grads. It's all just an extension of what's already been going on for years, just in a more organized, formal setting. There's so much you can do through social media and we just can't wait to share that knowledge with others!

Tenfold is all about giving and getting back, helping others and paying it forward... one small action making a much greater impact over time, one small effort having a much greater reach. That's what social networking has done for me and I've witnessed its power time and time again. I'm so excited to keep that positive momentum moving forward and want to thank all of you for your support up to this point. You've helped get us where we are today and we are so grateful for that. It's an exciting road ahead, so here we go... :) Ready, Set, Tenfold!

P.S. - Check out our new Facebook Page and, if you like what you see, give us a Like so you'll receive future updates, tips and news! :)

Photo credit: HelloLucky Blog

Logo credit: Molly O'Shea

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Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

A Networker’s Thanksgiving

2012-11-22T14:44:00.000-08:00

There is so much to be thankful for this year... family, friends, health, a new business and exciting new times ahead. It's almost surreal! Today, I thought I’d reflect back on how thankful I am for certain people in another part my life… my online life, my "social" life, my networking life. There is so much happening there that brightens my day and reaffirms my faith in people, that there’s just no way to have this Thanksgiving go by without acknowledging them as well.

The people listed below are a blessing to me in so many ways and I can’t wait to share them all with you! This is my way of saying thanks to them and also a way of paying it forward and sharing their amazingness with each of you. I’ve made a handy list on Twitter to make it easy for you, so please follow them, connect with them, engage with them and you will see just what I mean!

Old Friends / Early Influencers:

These awesome folks helped mold me, shape me, inspire me and motivate me from my early days online. They’ve made me who I am today and I couldn’t have gotten here without them! Thank you all from the bottom of my heart!

Gail Houston (Intuit) - Gail is the one who introduced me to a whole new social world. Sure, I already knew LinkedIn pretty well, but Gail’s the one who held my hand and showed me the real power of social media and social recruiting. She trained me, mentored me and (along with her partner in crime Leslie Mason) inspired me in so many ways. She helped transform me from a caterpillar to a social butterfly and there’s a reason she’s first on this list.

Neal Schaffer (Windmill Networking) - Neal and I have been kindred spirits from day one. Both strong proponents of pay it forward open networking from the early days of LinkedIn, he was someone I looked up to and modeled myself after. Fast forward eight years, and he’s still a role model in so many ways and he’s still paying it forward. I am in awe of his success, his thought leadership and his ability to help people with such a wide reach. I feel very lucky to know him.

Viveka von Rosen (Linked Into Business) - Viveka is a one-stop shop for all things LinkedIn. She knows every bell, every whistle, every nook and cranny. I was endlessly flattered to help her with her recent book project (LinkedIn Marketing: An Hour a Day) and even more impressed by her vast knowledge by the time we were done. She’s smart, sweet, engaging and oh-so-knowledgeable.

Ed Han (PSGs of NJ) - Ed was probably my very first Twitter friend. He was always upbeat, positive, thankful and generous. You could feel his smile come through the screen and I learned so much from following him online. His generosity is consistent and unwavering, unlike anyone else I've met online. He not only shares amazing content, he’s a content creator of the highest caliber.

Karalyn Brown (Interview IQ) - Like Ed, Karalyn was one of my very first Twitter buddies. She has a great blog and knows ALL about LinkedIn. Always sharing amazing content, always engaging, always giving back. She’s a ray of sunshine all the way from Down Under and she brightens my day all the time.

Jorgen Sundberg (Link Humans / The Undercover Recruiter) - Jorgen is a social recruiting icon and a mentor on every level. His blog posts and online sharing are second to none and I am constantly learning new things from him. A longtime influencer, he has also recently enabled me to greatly expand my reach and improve my blogging skills and I’m so thankful for the opportunities he’s afforded me.

Mark Babbitt (YouTern) - Mark was one of my very first guest blog posts and I was flattered to be invited on his amazing site. Mark consistently shares spot-on accurate information (I think he’s on auto-like on my Facebook!). I was fortunate enough to meet him in person this week and it was inspiring to see how knowledgeable, genuine and down-to-earth he is in real life… but it was still kinda like meeting Elvis for me!

New Friends / Exciting Times Ahead:

Sometimes, you meet people and you immediately know that they’re going to be an important part of your life for a long time. There are some people that I’ve had the pleasure of knowing recently and I’m already amazed at how they’ve impacted my life. Take a moment to get to know them and you will see it too!

Dina Medeiros (LinkedIn) - I had the pleasure of meeting Dina at a lunch in the OC with Neal Schaffer recently and we pretty much “clicked” right away. We’ve connected in other ways since then and I just love her humor and straight-shooting ways. I feel like I can tell her anything (and I pretty much have)! She is some kind of crazy smart that I haven’t seen in a really long time. She’s an asset to LinkedIn and I’m so grateful to know her.

Jason Alba (JibberJobber) - Jason wrote the first book on LinkedIn (talk about thought leadership!) plus he helps job seekers every day (a cause that’s near and dear to my heart), so we were bound to hit it off! We both contributed to Viveka’s book so I was very pleasantly surprised to get to meet him in real life at a conference recently. He was so approachable, a great listener and I left our brief meeting feeling fired up and motivated in a way I’d never felt before. Guess he just has that impact on people!

Johnny Campbell (SocialTalent) - Johnny is another of my long time mentors-from-afar that is always innovating in the world of social recruiting. I’ve been reading his content for years and his in-depth knowledge never ceases to amaze me. I’m excited to have “met” him virtually recently (thanks Jessica!) and can’t wait to keep the relationship moving forward.

And last, but not least, the great group of folks from SocialHR Camp San Francisco...

Jeff Waldman, Salima Nathoo, Jessica Miller-Merrell, Kevin Grossman, Rayanne Thorn,

Ana Lucia Novak, Jocelyn Aucoin, Rob Garcia, Sean Sheppard, Imo Udom,

Cole Fox, Heather Bussing, Lexie Forman-Ortiz, Marylene Delbourg-Delphis, David Smooke

I had the enormous pleasure of speaking publicly for the very first time this week when I led a couple of sessions at SocialHR Camp in San Francisco. It was scary, nerve-wracking and exhilarating, all at the same time. But even better than getting this new experience under my belt was being able to mix, meet and mingle with the most incredible group of people I’ve ever seen assembled in one room. There was an energy in this place that was palpable… Maybe it was a mix of smarts, friendliness and fun that came together in a perfect trifecta. I don’t know, but I feel like I’ve formed a bond with these folks that will not soon be broken. I pinch myself every day that I was lucky enough to be there and form connections with this awesome bunch. Stop what you’re doing and follow each person on this list. Do it. Now! :)

(To all of the others in my online world that I may not have mentioned above, thank you for being there and for doing what you do every day. I genuinely appreciate each and every one of you!)

On this holiday of reflection, gratitude and acknowledgement, why not take a moment to not only recognize the friends and family in your life, but also take a second to pop online and say thanks to a few of the people that enrich your life there as well?

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

Photo credit: PepperPressNY

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Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Help! My LinkedIn Account is Restricted!

2012-08-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

Need the key to unlock your LinkedIn restriction?

Does LinkedIn suddenly require you to include an email address for all invites you send? No, it's not a new feature on the site. It means that your LinkedIn account has been restricted. Uh oh! But don't feel bad... it's happened to the best of us!

LinkedIn Open Networkers (LIONs) are particularly susceptible to this type of account restriction. It means that you've gotten a bit overzealous in your networking and have invited a few people (+/- seven people, approximately) who didn't know you and/or weren't so open to receiving your invite. Those people either marked your invite as spam or clicked the dreaded IDK ("I Don't Know") button. The result is the same either way. All other features of LinkedIn still work fine, but you are now required to include an email address for all invites you send.

The good news? LinkedIn Customer Service is actually pretty forgiving of first offenders. This mistake is so common these days that there's even a way to remove the restriction from your own account (as long as it's your first offense). Once you agree to follow the terms of use and not invite people with whom you've had no prior relationship, the black mark is erased from your record and you're free and clear again... but don't push it. You'll need to be more careful going forward, so only send invites that you're confident will be welcomed and eventually accepted or archived.

Here are my suggestions for avoiding IDK's while open networking:

1. Invite Other Open Networkers
Your best bet is to be careful and only invite other open networkers. These people usually make it clear on their profile, prominently stating the number of connections they have, displaying their email address and/or sprinkling tell-tale open networking keywords throughout their profile (Open Networker, TopLinked, LION, Accept All Invitations, No IDK, All Invites Welcomed, etc.)

2. Join Open Networking Groups
Some of the biggest open networker groups on LinkedIn are TopLinked, LIONs, Leading International Open Networkers and OpenNetworker.com, but there are many others. Join one or more of these groups and post to the discussion board, letting others know that you are open to accepting their invites. Respond to others who have posted the same. There are usually entire threads with dozens or hundreds of comments from people like yourself who are open to connecting.

3. Network Strategically Within LinkedIn Groups
Once you're a member of a group, you can message fellow group members for free, so make use of this feature in your networking efforts. If you see a fellow group member who looks like a strategic connection, reach out to him/her via the group messaging feature BEFORE sending an invite. Introduce yourself, break the ice, offer to help him/her and make sure that he/she is open to connecting.

4. Reach Out To OpenLink Members
OpenLink is a option available to paid account members that allows other LinkedIn members to contact them for free. These members have a blue/yellow OpenLink symbol next to their name in search results and on their profile. You can send InMail messages to these members for free, so make use of the feature by reaching out and seeing if that person would be willing to connect BEFORE sending an invite.

5. Don't Take Shortcuts With Your Invites
I'm not very particular about this one, but I know that some people are reluctant to accept invites that are generic or inaccurate in nature. If you want to reduce the risk of getting the dreaded IDK or spam response, then take a moment to craft a personalized invite with a short message about what you liked about that person's profile and/or why you'd like to connect. Use their name. If you did meet them at some point or cross paths in the past, remind them of the details. Don't claim to be their coworker or classmate if that wasn't the case. It does turn off some people and may lead to declined invites.

6. Withdraw Old Invitations
If you sent an invite more than a week or two ago and it still hasn't been accepted, chances are that the invitee isn't going to accept. Maybe they just aren't very active on LinkedIn, maybe they don't recognize your name/face, maybe they just don't feel compelled to connect for some reason... Either way, you run the risk of receiving a decline if the invite hasn't been accepted in a timely manner. I highly recommend going into your sent items, opening any invite that's still pending after a couple of weeks and clicking the "Withdraw Invitation" button. The invite will disappear from their inbox, no message will be sent to that person and you can always re-invite them later, if you so choose.

While it's great to use LinkedIn as a tool for meeting new people and making strategic business connections, be careful not to spam or become a nuisance to others. Grow your network by linking up with others who welcome the connection and share your same networking philosophies and you should avoid future restrictions. Happy networking!

Photo credit: MoonlightRainbow - Tumblr

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LinkedIn and Twitter Decide to Break Up... and That's Okay

2012-06-29T20:18:00.003-07:00

Today, LinkedIn announced on its blog that its relationship with Twitter had changed and while you can still share LinkedIn updates on Twitter (by checking the bird icon checkbox), it will no longer be possible to share tweets on LinkedIn.

Many people are up in arms about it and not happy with the decision, but I am personally okay with the news (even though I'm a big fan of both forums and very active on both). I've found the non-stop tweets and out-of-context hashtags to be something of an annoyance that detracts from the overall LinkedIn user experience.

When I see my home page filled with tweet after tweet, all from the same person (yes, that even happens with 30,000 connections... don't ask me how!) or I see group posts filled with #hashtags and RTs, it makes me think that this person's LinkedIn network takes second priority behind their Twitter followers. For some reason, we're the red-headed stepchild and it's somehow okay for them to spam us all, cluttering up our otherwise focused and productive networking experience. There they are, participating in a tweetchat, spewing out dozens of tweets in an hour, and here we are over on LinkedIn, subjected to the noise, somehow an afterthought... Is it just me? Or is that the overall perception out there?

As social media powerhouse Chris Brogan (who recently left LinkedIn altogether, but that's another story) said in his post Keep LinkedIn Clean, "If LinkedIn is meant for business networking, what do you think these updates are doing to help your business?" Probably not much...

(Of course, there are still workarounds... It appears that Hootsuite and other social media management tools are a way to circumvent the issue. We'll see if LinkedIn figures out a way to block those tweets as well.)

As I said in my comment on the Mashable post, it was just too easy for people to accidentally (or purposefully!) auto-feed their tweets into LinkedIn. It became too much noise for an otherwise quiet setting.

It's kinda like the loud person on their phone sitting next to you in the library... Please take it outside. :)

Photo credit: Aaron Corson

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Treat Your Password Like Your Toothbrush!

2012-06-08T09:50:00.003-07:00

"Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don’t let anybody else use it and get a new one every six months” ~Clifford Stoll

As a very active user of LinkedIn, it was certainly disconcerting to learn of this week's leak of 6.5 million passwords. As soon as I heard the news, I immediately changed my password and shared the information with my Facebook friends, Twitter followers and LinkedIn network (via status update). Later that day, two sites (LastPass and LeakedIn) sprouted up with tools that allow you to see if your password was one of the ones leaked. Surely my account couldn't be part of the 4% impacted... or could it?

Sure enough, mine was one of the ones leaked. Fortunately, it's not (yet) one of the 60% of passwords already cracked, but still... Yikes!

LinkedIn has since issued a couple of updates via their blog, informing us that they have disabled the affected passwords and will be notifying impacted users with instructions on how to change their password. As of today, I have not received any contact from LinkedIn, even though mine was one of the ones leaked. Maybe it's because I already changed my password, but it would still be reassuring if they would reach out with some sort of acknowledgement of the situation and simply address the known issue so that we're all on the same page.

Has anyone else experienced this? Was your password leaked and, if so, has LinkedIn contacted you yet?

Whether your password was affected or not, I highly recommend (as does LinkedIn and every other voice speaking out on the subject) that you change your password on LinkedIn, along with any other site that uses that same password. While you're at it, why not go in and change your password on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+ and any other site that you frequent often. It's kinda like the daylight savings time reminder to change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Why not use this password fiasco as a catalyst to go in and refresh your passwords elsewhere? While you're at it, why not set up a recurring reminder in your calendar to change your password every 3-6 months? Make it one less thing on the "gotta remember to do" list, right behind oil changes and those pesky smoke detector batteries.

Wait! Before you go to the effort of visiting all of those sites and changing your password, make sure it's a strong one that isn't easily cracked. Check out The Geek Stuff's Ultimate Guide for Creating Strong Passwords. It's an older post, but still very valid with lots of great tips. And once you've created some rock-solid passwords, visit The Password Meter, where you can plug in your new passwords and get a score on how strong they are. It will even tell you where your weaknesses are and how you can change a password to make it stronger. Did you score 100%? Nice!

If you're like me and can't remember what you had for dinner last night much less 8 bazillion passwords for all of the sites you use in a day, here's a great Mashable post highlighting 5 tools you can use to keep track of your passwords. Anything to make life a little easier - and more secure - these days... I'll take it!

Any other great tips, tricks and tools out there that I may have forgotten? What works for you? Let us know!

Photo credit: The Fost

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

4 Steps From LinkedIn to Your Next Job

2012-04-04T23:37:00.013-07:00

I received the following message in my LinkedIn inbox today and thought the question was a really great one. I hear similar questions all the time and thought the answer would be helpful to lots of other jobseekers out there, so I decided to share.

On April 4, 2012 6:56 AM, Jane Jobseeker wrote:

Stacy,

I have recently found your networking sites as I have been trying to find the best tactics to land my first marketing job. I have my heart set on a job at XYZ Company in Washington D.C. but I am from Massachusetts and have no connections. Do you have any advice?

Jane

My response:

Hi Jane,

Thanks for reaching out. Great question! Here's my answer...

1. First things first. Go to XYZ’s company website and apply online for any position(s) of interest.

2. Next, time to leverage LinkedIn and the power of networking. I just searched my network and I have 956 connections currently working at XYZ Company in the DC area. 109 of them are 1st or 2nd level connections, so once we're linked, they'll be in your network too (as 2nd or 3rd level connections).

Do a LinkedIn search and identify two or three of those contacts that you would like to contact. (I'd recommend Recruiters, HR people, hiring managers (Manager/Director/VP of Marketing, in your case), people who hold the same title that you desire, etc.) We can identify additional contacts later, if need be.

3. Send introduction requests through LinkedIn to those people. Introduce yourself, let them know that you've applied online and would like to follow up directly to reiterate your strong interest. Be specific about which position(s) you’re referencing, not just a general “I really want to work for your company” message. Important: Highlight how you match their requirements and can contribute in the role (i.e., how you can help them), not just why you're interested and how great a fit it is for you, etc. In other words, make it about them, not you. If this person is not the decision-maker, then he/she will need to go to bat for you so make their job easier (and more effective) by giving them some concrete details to work with.

Since you’re not local, explain that you already have a place to stay in DC (even if it would just be a hotel at first… shhh) and are available to interview at their convenience. If they ask when you’ll next be in the area, tell them next week (and be ready to book a flight). Be willing to fly there and/or relocate on your dime, if it really is your #1 choice and you're confident in the fit. Chances are, they'll fly you in to interview if you're a strong match (and relocate you if there's budget), but keep all options open in this tight job market.

4. See what happens next. Worst case, they'll look at your profile and decide to pass. They may even respond back to let you know. (Hey, at least your info got reviewed which is more than many applicants can say, right?) Even better, they might forward your info to the appropriate hiring manager and/or recruiter. That person will then consider your resume and, if not a match at this time, at least they'll have it on file and hopefully keep you in mind for future openings. Best case, you get an interview and they'll respond back accordingly. Whichever the case, this proactive approach is so much better than the apply-with-fingers-crossed-while-waiting-patiently-never-to-hear-back method used by most jobseekers!

No matter what, don't give up! Get creative and keep reaching out. See if anyone you know happens to know someone who works there (or used to work there). LinkedIn is perfect for this type of sleuthing / networking. See if the company has a Twitter account and reach out there. I'd bet you ANYTHING that they'll respond back that way and/or put you in touch with the right person. Comment on their Facebook Company Page. Show your interest and enthusiasm for the company. Ask the best way to follow up about employment. Join any LinkedIn groups where XYZ employees might be members. (Did you know that you can contact fellow group members for free?) Be assertive and enthusiastic while being careful not to come across as aggressive or stalkerish. Use your judgment.

Of course, if it doesn’t work out this time, use this same method to apply for other openings and/or other companies. As mom used to say, there are other fish in the sea. And the next fish, er, company, might just be the perfect fit. And if you follow these steps, I doubt you’ll be a jobseeker for very long!

Let me know how it works out!
Stacy

Photo credit: Alexandra Thompson

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Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Oh No They Didn't! LinkedIn Profile Pictures Gone Wrong

2011-06-22T13:46:00.000-07:00

Some days I scan through my LinkedIn search results and am simply amazed at the choices some folks make when selecting their profile picture / avatar. LinkedIn is, after all, a professional networking site used for business purposes, right? And unlike Facebook or Google+, you only get ONE picture to sum you up to the outside world, so that one photo becomes a very important part of your professional brand.

Whether you're job seeking, networking to grow your business or just using LinkedIn to stay in touch with former coworkers, it's important to choose a photo that exudes professionalism and is appropriate for a business forum like LinkedIn. This isn't Facebook, Twitter or Match.com... It's LinkedIn and it's externally viewable to a very wide audience. A picture's worth a thousand words, right? So what does YOUR profile picture say about you?

A good rule of thumb? If you wouldn't put it on your resume, you probably shouldn't put it on your LinkedIn profile... After all, this pic will likely be reviewed by past / present / future employers, recruiters, customers, business partners, clients, coworkers, vendors, alumni and many other contacts in your professional life.

While it's all in good fun and everyone's obviously entitled to pick whichever avatar they like, here are some examples of the classic mistakes that I see most often:

1. Too Many People

A profile pic should contain one person and one person only... you. If you include a group, we're left to guess which one is you and since the box is so small, we can't really see anyone in the group anyway. How does this group really represent YOU as a business professional?

2. Too Sexy

LinkedIn isn't the place to bare your cleavage, pouty lips or hulking biceps. Please cover up and show us that you have the good judgment to save those pics for other forums! :)

3. Too Juvenile

It's good to be young at heart, but what message does a cartoon convey to your audience? Are you coming across as a mature, capable, professional individual? If you only get one picture to sum you up to the LinkedIn world, is this one really the best choice?

4. Too Schticky

It's cool that you're a big fan of Quentin Tarantino movies, espresso or rugby, but your LinkedIn avatar probably isn't the best place to share that with the world... Better to leave that stuff for Facebook.

5. Too Staged

Maybe it's just me, but these shots always make me grin and cringe at the same time. How can we take you seriously when you obviously take yourself a little TOO seriously?! Relax and just take a nice, professional headshot... lose the props and the posing. We don't want to picture you posing for your LinkedIn pic at the local Glamour Shots in the mall! ;)

6. Too Random

I'm not too sure what these photos say about the individuals they supposedly represent, but I don't think they're saying much. Think about your online brand and select a photo that supports that brand. Your avatar should represent you, not just be a random bumper sticker...

7. Too Personal

It's okay to be a family man, love your wife/dog/cat, or have a baby who just celebrated a birthday. But these shots are really best left for Facebook or your personal Twitter account, not your LinkedIn profile.

8. Too Showy

It's great that you just got that new Mercedes, yacht, Rolex, etc. But showing it off on your LinkedIn avatar is sending the wrong message! Show us evidence of your success via the business accomplishments and work history in your LinkedIn profile, not by flaunting material items in your avatar...

9. Too Small

Your profile photo box is only one square inch, so be sure to crop correctly and/or choose a photo that we can actually see. Full body shots just don't work in this case... I'm sure you've got good stuff in your pic, but if it's too small to see, then it's not serving its purpose!

10. Too Spammy

If your avatar looks like an advertisement, then you may want to rethink your choice. 'Nuff said.

11. Too Bizarre

Not even sure what to make of these... ;)

Looking for tips on choosing an ideal profile pic? I recommend keeping it simple... stick with a nice headshot where we can clearly see your face. A smile is always a nice touch, but do what feels natural and you feel represents you best. Don't over-complicate it!

Oh, and be sure to actually include a photograph of yourself (not a logo, cartoon or anything else) because, per LinkedIn's policy, "if your photo is not an image of yourself or does not contain an actual photograph, it is considered inappropriate" and LinkedIn just might remove it from your profile. Additional questions? Check out LinkedIn's blog post on choosing the right profile photo.

Photo credit: Sara Lindholm's Tumblr

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Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 first-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. She is a social media recruiting strategist, trainer, speaker and regular contributor to numerous HR/Recruiting blogs including Undercover Recruiter, Jobsite and Blogging4Jobs. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect with her on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Recruiter Q&A: Is it Okay to Apply for Multiple Positions Within a Company?

2011-06-02T07:37:00.000-07:00

I received the following question today and thought it would be helpful to share my answer / advice in case others have the same question:

Q: Hi Stacy,

I have a question... Do you think it matters if you apply for several positions within the same company or even the same department? How about if they are of varying levels (entry level v. sr. management level)?

Your thoughts? Thanks for your help,
John Doe

You'd be amazed how many times I go into someone's file in our Applicant Tracking System (internal database) and see that the same person has applied to 27 different positions, ranging from VP all the way down to Intern. Not a great strategy, in my opinion... Here's my response to John, who is a 20-year veteran in his field:

A: Hi there John,

My advice? Anytime you apply for a position for which you are significantly overqualified, you immediately discredit yourself and risk missing out on the positions that actually are a fit. At this point in your career, I would not recommend applying for anything entry-level. You won't be considered for the role (no one wants to manage a veteran in an entry-level role and it would obviously be a stop-gap until you found a better opportunity) and you'll lose credibility within that company's recruiting department (i.e., the gatekeepers to the positions you really want). You've worked hard to gain the experience and reputation you've earned over the years; don't do anything to dilute that!

You can certainly apply for multiple positions and even one that might be a small step back (hey, it is a tough economy / job market and you wouldn't be the first), but be sure to carefully read the descriptions to make sure that they are all appropriate positions for your experience, skill set, etc. Otherwise, it just makes you look desperate, lazy and/or spammy, which obviously doesn't reflect who you really are!

Hope this helps!
Stacy

Have a Recruiter Q&A question that you'd like answered? Reply in the comments below and I'll gladly give you my opinion / advice!

Photo credit: Dress Code

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Twitter: If I Knew Then...

2011-06-01T08:21:00.000-07:00

Twitter... Tweep... Tweet... Retweet... Huh?!?

Updated 7/31/12

Twitter. It's everywhere... on the news, in commercials, on TV shows, in print advertisments and there's no escaping it ANYWHERE you go online these days. But what IS it really? Why do it? Do we really need another social network if we're already on Facebook or LinkedIn?

Back in the day (2008), I created my Twitter account just to poke around and see what it was all about. I looked around, posted a tweet or two, scratched my head and then let my account gather dust for a couple of years. I just didn't get it. I just didn't care. It must be for OTHER people. Which other people? I didn't know...

Eventually, I came to the realization that this Twitter thing wasn't going away. On the contrary, it was growing like crazy and had even surpassed my beloved LinkedIn! (As of today, there are more than 500 million Twitter accounts v. 200 million on LinkedIn and there are one million new accounts added daily... that's 11 new accounts created every SECOND!)

I realized that there much be some real benefits to the service and I decided to give it another whirl, this time with my business / recruiting hat on, not just as a casual user. That made all the difference! I've not only met business partners, clients, candidates for hire, leaders in my industry (who now converse back and forth with me on a regular basis - priceless!), event organizers for speaking engagements, jobseekers that I can help (yes!!) thought Twitter... I've even met met real-life friends (who knew?). The relationships which started online have now turned into real-life contacts that I interact with on LinkedIn / Facebook / Google+, via telephone / email and, yes, even face-to-face! It's been an invaluable tool for meeting new people and I'm so glad I gave it another shot!

Like most people, I still found Twitter to be pretty confusing at first, but I decided to tackle the learning curve by jumping in with two feet and simply copycatting what I saw out there (often times incorrectly). I received a few corrections / reminders along the way, but folks were always pretty positive about it, even when my mistakes accidentally took credit for stuff that other people had said! Oops... I always *did* learn stuff the hard way!

If I knew then what I know now, this is what I would have done differently along the way. Here's my advice for all of the Twitter Newbies out there... and a few helpful reminders for us Twitter veterans as well:

1. Take a peek at the ever-helpful Twitter Glossary.
What's a DM? An RT? A hashtag? What are all of those pound signs in front of words? Why is everyone talking about #FF and what is it anyway? What's a Twitter handle? The glossary clearly defines the basics of the Twitter vernacular and will help make the Twitter learning curve much less daunting.

2. Complete your entire profile - bio, avatar, location, etc. - ASAP.
No one wants to follow someone with an egg as their profile pic and no info in their bio. Why should they follow you if you don't even clue them in to what it is that you plan to tweet about? It also makes you look like a spammer or Twitter "bot" (spam account). Complete your entire bio (it's not perfect, but here's mine) and tweak it as you develop your Twitter voice. Tell people what you're all about and give them a reason to follow you. (Remember, if you have no followers, then you're talking to yourself in an empty room... there's no one there to hear you!) Completing your bio tells folks that you're ready to roll.

3. Tweet consistently.
Now that you've completed your profile, folks will just follow you in droves, right? Not so fast... You may gain followers, but if you don't tweet fairly consistently, you will most certainly lose them. You should tweet at least a few times every week, preferably a few times a day. You can do this in less than 5 minutes a day to start. Find stuff to share - a cool online article that you read over your morning coffee, retweet an interesting post that someone else shared (giving them credit, of course), answer someone's question, ask a question yourself, jump into a conversation, share a personal anecdote or favorite quote.... The possibilities are endless. A complete bio with zero tweets (or no tweets in the last few weeks) is just as ineffective as having an egg for your profile pic.

4. Twitter isn't Facebook or LinkedIn. People WILL unfollow you so don't take it personally! :)
This is a classic newbie reaction... Oh my gosh, you mean people UNFRIENDED me? Yes, I lose about 50 followers a day! haha But usually I gain 75-100 new ones. There's a constant flux of folks coming and going, hearing what you have to say, dropping off for whatever reason. It's just the nature of Twitter. Why? Maybe you don't tweet enough, maybe you tweet too much, maybe you talk about business and they only want personal, maybe it's the opposite, maybe they only want to follow local contacts, maybe you didn't follow them back quickly enough, maybe they just don't like the color of your hair... Who knows! :) People are going to come and go, so don't be shocked, rack your brain trying to figure out why or take it personally, it's just the way it is!

5. Subscribe to some cool blogs, feeds, etc. that are relevant and interesting to you.
Mashable, TechCrunch, The LinkedIn Blog (duh!), CareerBuilder's The Work Buzz, etc. are some of my faves because I tweet about technology, social networking, recruiting, careers, etc. Find the ones that speak to you and reflect who you are in the Twitter world and share some of the posts / articles that you find most interesting. It will give you a fantastic springboard for developing some consistency in the content and frequency of your tweets. (Here's a GREAT article on finding great stuff to share on Twitter. Tells you what some of the Twitter superstars recommend and where they find their content to share.)

6. Create more original content and don't just retweet all the time.
In the beginning, I just retweeted other people's stuff that I found interesting. This is still a pretty good strategy for beginners who are getting into the swing of things, but creating a little original content and sharing your own ideas once in a while is the best way to create your own voice and develop a targeted and loyal following. Share your thoughts. Give pointers. Talk about something that inspires you, gets your blood boiling, confuses you, etc. Whatever it is! Just be original once in a while. (Thank you Simon Meth (aka @SDCorpRecruiter) for the great call-out on this one!) Most people do it the other way around, but I ended up creating this blog after joining Twitter, just to inspire me to create my own content a little more. It's turned out to be a really fun experience (and a great branding / networking / business boosting tool to boot)! Thank you, Twitter!

7. Read the article / blog post (the whole thing) BEFORE retweeting the link.
Okay, we've all done this... admit it! The title looks interesting and relevant so you go ahead and retweet it, fully intending to go in and read the article at some point (you swear!). Unfortunately, the content isn't exactly what you thought it would be and you end up sharing something that does NOT reflect your thoughts or who you are. Oops! I did this in the beginning and got called out for it. Another time, I read most of the article and had to run off to a meeting, so just tweeted it out before finishing. The last paragraph contained some pretty controversial thoughts and, had I read it through, I probably wouldn't have retweeted it. Or, at the very least, would have put a disclaimer comment in there or something. Oops! Another example of learning things the hard way... haha.

8. You don't have to follow everyone back.
I used to think I was being rude unless I followed back every single person. Not only did this create a lot of extra stuff to wade through in my Twitter feed (spam, posts in foreign languages, deals on car washes in Skokie, Illinois - haha), but it also made it a lot harder to build relationships and engage with folks who had similar interests as me. I often think of it this way... would this person ever have a reason to retweet my content (or vice versa)? If not, then we probably don't have enough in common. Just my two cents...

9. Engage, engage, engage.
Don't just tweet and retweet. Respond to folks, start up a conversation, thank them for retweeting you, share your opinion on stuff that they post (respectfully, of course), get the dialogue going! Social media should be just that - social. When you engage with folks and begin conversations, you will make Twitter friends and enjoy the experience so much more. (Maybe I should make this one #1 on the list. It is probably THE most important one, in my opinion...)

10. Make lists to organize your friends and followers.
It's a great way to recognize folks (everyone loves to be listed) and it shows that you understand them and appreciate the content of their posts. I have lists of techies, social media aficionados, recruiters/career advice folks, San Diego tweeps, etc. Those folks will often "list you back" and you'll get more followers who have similar interests as you. Again, this drives meaningful conversations (in 140 characters or less, of course!) and creates a much more interactive and fun Twitter experience. There are sites like Listorious and ifttt to make this process much simpler and even automated, if that's your preference.

11. Don't be a one-note / spammer / advertiser / job blaster.
When I was brand new, I just used Twitter to share open jobs at my company via my LinkedIn status update (checking the little blue bird Twitter icon). I was a job blaster only and I had very few followers. Who can blame them? Who wants to just read about open jobs? Boring. Shake it up a bit! If you are a recruiter, there's a lot more that you can talk about - the job market, the economy, the latest and greatest at your company, interview / resume / networking / jobsearch tips, career advice, tech, social media, etc… topics that are relevant to your target audience of candidates. You should also feel free to sprinkle in other things that show who you are as a person - your hobbies, your interests, your passions, etc. You'll expand your Twitter audience and meet lots of cool people who share these interests with you!

12. Say thank you. A lot.
Twitter is a pretty upbeat, positive place. People are quick to show their appreciation and gratitude toward others, unlike anything I've seen in other forums, social or otherwise (even real life)! There's a lot of gratitude being expressed and if you show your appreciation for others, you will quickly feel it back and see what I'm talking about... Thank others for retweeting you, listing you, adding you to their #FollowFriday tweets, etc. They will love you for it and you'll find the Twitter experience that much more fulfilling. Trust me on this. :)

Photo credit: SabrinaDan Photo

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Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Oops! What NOT to Do When Approaching a Recruiter on LinkedIn

2011-05-27T09:47:00.167-07:00

I am forever grateful to my LinkedIn network and love doing whatever I can to help my connections in their networking efforts. I enjoy being a piece in the puzzle as they network to find employment, grow their businesses, hire talent, share best practices, ask questions, learn, knowledge-share, reconnect with former coworkers, etc. With a large network, it's often a lot of effort and a rather big time investment, but it's all worth it and I love to pay it forward. What goes around, comes around and my wonderful network has helped me in more ways than I can count.

Lots of us in the recruiting world put ourselves out there on LinkedIn to be easily accessible to job seekers and, with that visibility, comes a certain amount of responsibility, in my opinion. I may not be able to help every jobsearch request that comes my way, but I do what I can to pass along introduction requests, answer questions, make suggestions, give jobsearch advice, volunteer my time to moderate networking groups, etc. LinkedIn is a great tool for helping others and I love to do my part.

That said, there are some requests that cross the line, in my opinion, and I think that folks should remember to leverage their network without taking advantage of it. Here are ten of the most common LinkedIn networking mistakes that I see job seekers make when approaching recruiters on LinkedIn:

1. Can you endorse / recommend me?
Lots of us are open networkers, meeting new folks and connecting with them for mutual networking purposes. Open networkers are available to help you network and will do what they can, but if they've never met you and have had zero interaction with you, please don't ask them to write a LinkedIn recommendation for you. (I'd like to think that my endorsement means a little bit more than that!) It's always best to get a recommendation from actual coworkers, colleagues, clients, etc. so that the endorsement is authentic, meaningful and specific.

2. Can you help me find a job?
Sorry folks. A recruiter is someone who finds candidates to fill jobs, not someone who finds jobs to employ candidates. This is a key mistake that many people make. Most recruiters are happy to share their advice for jobseekers, but a recruiter is not a professional "job finder"... Those really don't exist, folks! :)

3. Do you know of any job openings that fit my profile?
Rather than approaching a recruiter with such an open-ended question, be sure to do a little legwork ahead of time. First off, remember that recruiters aren't "job finders" (see #2 above). Secondly, you are the best one to pinpoint positions which fit your interests, talents and career path. Be sure to first visit the company's career page, apply online and then approach the recruiter with some specific positions of interest in mind. Most will do what they can to put you in touch with the appropriate decision-makers. Having done some homework on your end will not only speed up the process, it will also put less of a burden on the person you're asking for help.

4. Can you please send me John Doe's email address / phone number?
If a LinkedIn member wants their contact information to be public knowledge, they'll put it right on their profile (and many of them do, so be sure to check). If not, then it's really not appropriate for their network contacts to give it out to others. Instead, use the "Introduction Request" feature on LinkedIn. It will enable you to message your target without revealing either party's email address. Most recruiters will gladly pass along introduction requests on your behalf and then that third party can decide how they'd like to respond / follow up with you. (Or you can do a little Google research, as explained in this previous blog post, and easily figure out that person's email address.)

5. Do you know anyone at Acme Company?
Probably! A well-connected recruiter likely knows multiple contacts at that company. Rather than asking that person to run a search of their network to find a list of all possible contacts at a company, you should instead run a LinkedIn search yourself and sort through the results. You can easily identify an appropriate target (or two) and then send an introduction request. After all, no one knows better than you why you want to reach out and who the best contact person at that company might be.

6. I'm interested in a position at Acme Company and would like to apply for position #1234. Can we set up a time to speak?
Normally this type of direct follow-up is a great strategy, but be sure to read the recruiter's profile carefully first to make sure the request is relevant and appropriate. (It's really surprising how many times I'm contacted about positions at companies that I no longer work for...) Always read the profile carefully before reaching out for help.

7. Can you please review at my resume and send me your edits / feedback / suggestions?
As much as we'd love to help, resume critiques would take up a full 40-hour workweek (or more!) if recruiters complied with every such request. Resume writing is a very time-intensive process that requires two-way discussion, in-depth knowledge of your past experience / career goals, extensive editing / rewriting, etc. Professional Resume Writers often charge big bucks for their services because it's no easy task or quick process. Recruiters may be able to recommend a professional to you (or help you network to find a good one), but this type of request is something that recruiters simply don't have the bandwidth to accommodate.

8. Let's chat on the phone, grab coffee sometime, meet up for lunch, etc.
While this suggestion sounds all well and good, email communication is generally preferred due to the volume of candidates a recruiter handles in a week. These options might make sense down the road, but it's best not to jump the gun. Don't be offended if the recruiter can't take you up on your offer. We're usually booked back-to-back with phone screens, onsite interviews, interview feedback meetings, resume sourcing and gobs of administrative tasks (tracking, metrics, record-keeping, reporting, etc.). There already aren't enough hours in the day since recruiters often work off-hours to accommodate working folks who can't interview during business hours.

9. Hi Tracy / Hi {FirstName} / Hi trusted friend / Hi James
When reaching out to contacts on LinkedIn, please be sure to get their name right. I'm not super picky about folks misspelling my name Stacey-with-an-e (unless it's a tech writer, quality assurance or similar detail-oriented profession), but "Tracy" is pretty far off, {FirstName} is clearly some mass email error, "Trusted Friend" is obviously an impersonal email blast and... James? Well, that's just plain wrong! :) An incorrect name makes a poor first impression and is the quickest way to turn off your recipient since the mistake appears right at the top of your message. Be sure to personalize the note and get the recruiter's name right!

10. Wow, love your picture / What a nice smile / Hello there, Beautiful...
LinkedIn is a business networking site, not Match.com. Always be professional!

Photo credit: Jin Zhao

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

The Evolution of Recruiting, from the Dinosaur Days to the New Social Era

2011-05-25T14:29:00.000-07:00

When I think about how recruiting has evolved over the past 15 years (wow - I suddenly feel old!), I'm amazed by the changes and feel very lucky to have witnessed and participated in this massive evolution firsthand.

Mid - Late 90's = A Desk and a Phone (and a Big, Boxy Computer)

Back when I first started recruiting, the Internet was a pretty new-fangled thing, "green screens" weren't uncommon and there weren't many resources for recruiters who wanted to reach out to candidates. We would actually receive paper resumes in the mail, scan them with some scarily inaccurate OCR software that made every resume look like it was written in Russian and then input them into our internal database. (Said database had 20K resumes in it, something we bragged about at the time... I now have more first-level LinkedIn connections than that! haha) We did use a couple of fledgling online resume databases, attend job fairs and post to online newsgroups (remember those?) or in the newspaper (yes, print advertising!). I lived on the phone, cold calling into target companies (via clandestine phone lists, after-hours phone trees, unsuspecting receptionists or sheer random extensions) and praying that people wouldn't curse me out or hang up on me. Times were hard for recruiters!

Late 90's - Mid 2000's = The Job Board Era

Then came the dot com era when the Internet was booming and there was a website for everything. Recruiters embraced this new technology, posting jobs on Monster, MonsterTrak (remember that one for college recruiting?), CareerBuilder, niche sites, local yokels, mom-and-pop sites, etc. We'd advertise our positions, wait for people to apply online and then scour the internal database for candidates. It was the "Post-and-Pray" method of recruiting. The "proactive" ones among us would go out and search online resume databases and reach out to candidates directly. Of course, all of these candidates (those contacting us and those we contacted) were all active jobseekers and, therefore, not exactly ideal. Amongst HR/Recruiting management, there was constant talk of reaching those passive jobseekers but it always sounded more like a vague wish for the future rather than an actual plan of action. (A very small minority of us were out there doing AIRS sourcing and internet mining to source passive candidates, but these folks were definitely the exception, not the rule.) And, yes, we were still attending those job fairs, hoping that this one would be different, but they never were... You know why? It's because those job fair attendees were the same exact people we were already finding online - active job seekers. In some ways, we were less effective than we were in the mid-90's when at least we were cold-calling and reaching those passive job seekers. Scary thought, huh?

Mid - Late 2000's = The Dawn and Expansion of LinkedIn

We were still heavily using job boards and resume databases during this era, but there was something new on the horizon - LinkedIn. I remember when LinkedIn first came about. I received an invite to join and accepted it without giving it much further thought. Then came another invite, which I actually ignored because I foolishly thought at the time, "He wasn't a very strong hire. I wouldn't recommend or hire him again, so don't think I'll link up with that guy." Several weeks later, I needed to hire someone with his exact skill set and realized that even if HE wasn't a viable option, he was probably connected to lots of other techies who might be a match. I went in and accepted his invite and was suddenly linked to a bunch of great PASSIVE candidates for my opening. This was 2004 and I was officially bitten by the LinkedIn bug.

The next big "lightbulb" moment for me was when the TopLinked Top 50 list crossed my desk. I realized that by linking to these superconnectors, I could increase my network exponentially and have my own built-in Monster database of sorts. And it would be full of those ever-elusive passive candidates. Wow! Why didn't I think of this sooner?? I was off and running, connecting with everyone and anyone who would link up. It couldn't hurt and it only expanded my reach and gave me more recruiting options.

Fast forward a few years and there I was, working my way toward that Top 50 list myself. Why not become one of those superconnectors rather than riding their coattails? It took some effort, but I finally made it and eventually capped out at 30,000 first-level connections in June 2009. Made it to the Top 10 list and have never looked back.

What surprises me most is that, even today, many recruiters still hold that same sentiment that I held in 2004. "If I don't know you or can't recommend you, I won't connect with you." Huh?? I can see where that policy makes sense for many LinkedIn users, but for a RECRUITER? You need to have as many options as possible. Why limit yourself?

2010 - Onward = The Social Recruiting Era

These days, it's all about social recruiting, making connections, engaging your target audience and expanding your reach. It's all about social influence, Klout, increasing your network, growing your followers, getting your message out, engaging passive candidates, building your brand and evangelizing your company, its culture, etc.

LinkedIn has grown to be a household name with more than 180M users worldwide. It has become THE business networking site and the life blood of most recruiters. It's the first place I go when I have a new opening to fill - searching my network database, networking with my connections, sharing openings via my LinkedIn status, posting jobs to LinkedIn groups, etc. For recruiters, it has become the standard, just as job boards were in the 2000's and job fairs were in the 90's.

Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, FourSquare, Meetup and other social networks are also proving to be invaluable tools in a recruiter's toolkit. These forums haven't yet been fully adopted by the recruiting community as effective sourcing tools, but they are growing every day. I hear these sites talked about in the same wishful-thinking way that we talked about reaching passive jobseekers back in the 90's. Everyone KNOWS they need to be more active in social recruiting, but they're not yet sure how it all works, what to do, how to get there, what to measure, what it all means, etc. We're all learning as we go, making those inevitable but necessary mistakes that help us grow and learn.

It's an exciting time to be a recruiter, watching this massive evolution take place. If you're not already "out there" and giving social recruiting a shot, then you will soon find yourself behind the curve and outdated in your skills. Now is the time to be embracing all of this change and keeping up with it as best you can. Log out of Monster for the afternoon and go create a Twitter account! Start your own LinkedIn Group (or two). Create a YouTube video to share your company's unique culture. Pin your recruiting team’s headshots to Pinterest, along with links to their social profiles and/or contact information! Join a Meetup group and go say hi to a potential hire face-to-face (yes, you can be "social" in person!).

And remember, social recruiting isn't meant to replace the skills you've acquired over the years; it's just another skill in your bag of tricks and a great vehicle to leverage all of those hard-earned recruiting talents. The payoff is huge, your network will grow, you will get some GREAT hires from it... oh, and you will make yourself VERY marketable to future employers. :)

Which era best describes YOUR current recruiting style? If you haven't yet embraced social recruiting, now is the time. What are you waiting for?

Photo credit: Jeremy Brooks

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

LinkedIn Networking Tip - Dig a Well Before You're Thirsty

2011-05-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

Are You Prepared to Network When the Time Comes?

"I can always tell when someone's looking for a new job because they suddenly send me an invite to connect on LinkedIn, along with a whole bunch of our former coworkers." I hear this sentiment all the time.

It's a little late to start reaching out for connections *after* receiving that pink slip, reaching that final straw at work or deciding to launch your new business. It takes time to build your network and it looks a little self-serving to only connect once you actually need something from your former colleagues.

Instead of sending an invite to connect followed by an immediate "Do you know of any job openings?" or "Can you help introduce me to so-and-so?”, it's much wiser (and polite, in my opinion) to connect with these folks up front and begin the networking process *before* you find yourself behind the proverbial eight ball.

A strategic LinkedIn networker builds his/her network when times are good and is available to help his/her connections if those folks happen to have a need. After all, it's much easier to ask for help when you've already done so for others. I'm not saying that there's a need for quid pro quo necessarily, but if you're the type that helps others, it will all come back to you. As I always say, "Pay it forward!"

Bonus Tip: Join relevant (local, industry or profession-specific) LinkedIn groups and participate in the discussions periodically. You will establish yourself as an expert in your field and build a great network of your peers if you should ever find yourself in need down the road!

Photo credit: AdamBindslev

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Social Media Tip - Profile Picture Consistency

2011-05-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

If you use social media for business, promotion and/or job seeking purposes or just want to create a cohesive brand / social footprint, you may want to consider using the same profile picture / avatar for your various accounts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Google+, your blog, etc.

I used to have a different profile pic for LinkedIn (professional headshot), another for Twitter (70's pic of me as a kid, a la Demi Moore - haha) and yet another for Facebook (the ubiquitous proud-mom-kiddo-pic). When I first started being active on Twitter about six months ago, my good friend and social mentor Gail Houston (@ghouston) recommended that I use the same professional headshot throughout. I didn't realize at the time what great advice that was... I took her advice and feel that it's really paid off since I often bump into the same folks on various social platforms. They are able to easily recognize me and connect, link up, say hi, follow, retweet, friend me, recommend me, refer me, invest, etc.

There are some people that I tweet with all the time, but didn't connect with on LinkedIn or Facebook simply because I didn't recognize them! Oops! If you want to connect with your faves throughout your social network, especially if you have a fairly common name or a Twitter handle that isn't your name, you should be easily recognizable.

Bonus Tip: Think about being consistent in other ways as well (i.e., User Name, Tag Line / Professional Headline, Bio, etc.). It will make your message very clear to your audience and help build a stronger personal brand.

Here are some great articles that should help point you in the right direction. What Does Your Social Networking Profile Picture Say About You?, Your LinkedIn Profile Photo – It’s Important For You!, How to Choose a Social Media Profile Picture

Photo credit: oSiNaReF

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

LinkedIn Tip - Keyword Placement

2011-05-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

Trying to Squeeze Keywords into Your LinkedIn Contact Settings?

It's a good thought, but keyword stuffing in your Contact Settings is not doing anything to help your SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Sorry.

The "Contact Settings" section of your LinkedIn profile doesn't actually turn up in search results... who knew?

And besides, the best practice is to place those keywords into the body of your profile / resume instead, preferably embedded into meaningful sentences rather than lumped together in one big, long, running "clump." You will gain more credibility and connect more with your target audience if those words are used in context rather than being bunched together indiscriminately and not used anywhere else on your resume / profile. I know that, for a recruiter, there's nothing more frustrating than reading through an entire resume looking for specific experience only to realize that it was a bait and switch because the only place that keyword appears is in a bulk keyword paragraph at the bottom of the resume and nowhere else. Doesn't make a great impression and makes me very skeptical of resumes (and candidates) that do that!

Bonus Tip: Did you know that the keywords you list in the Skills section of your profile actually rank the highest in LinkedIn's search algorithm and helps you place higher in search results? Cool, huh? So beef up your skills there (you can select up to 50) and show up at the top of the results list. You'll get more viewers and reach your target audience ahead of everyone else who's still cramming in keywords in all the wrong places!

Photo credit: Wikipedia Commons

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Another Social Networking Success Story!

2011-05-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

Just received the most wonderful LinkedIn message to start my day and thought I'd share. (See email message below.) I just love to hear social networking success stories!

Do you have any social networking success stories to share? Has LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter helped you find a job, grow your business, land a key client, get the big raise/promotion? Share your story!

On 05/04/11 8:48 PM, [Name Removed] wrote:
--------------------
Stacy,

I believe it was an initial connection years ago with your forwarding of my profile to others that led to my current position.

I wanted to thank you for that and your continual presence in the realm of networking. I am always open for recommendations or inquiry.

Once again,

Thank You,

[Name removed]

Photo credit: Paul Levy

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

So Just What is a LinkedIn LION Anyway?

2011-05-02T16:43:00.000-07:00

This question used to be the most frequent one asked of me. LION stands for "LinkedIn Open Networker" and anyone can become one. There are various professional networking organizations that cater to open networkers (see sample list here) but anyone can become a LION simply by pronouncing him or herself to be one.

By becoming an open networker, you agree to not decline any invites, mark anyone as spam or click the dreaded “I Don’t Know” button. (Did you know that LinkedIn restricts the accounts of members who get marked “I don’t know” [IDK] too many times? Please think twice before clicking this button. It’s always best to click “Archive” unless the person is an obvious spammer or is harassing you in some way.)

Of course, by being an open networker, you are not forced to accept any invites with which you are uncomfortable. You can still be selective / strategic and always have the option of archiving any invitation. By declaring yourself to be an open networker, you are simply giving others the green light to invite you in a safe, risk-free way. Happy Networking!

Photo credit: MatchbookMag

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

Who are the Most Connected People on LinkedIn?

2011-03-31T14:56:00.000-07:00

In honor of LinkedIn passing the 100 Million member mark this week, I thought I'd introduce you to the ten most connected people on LinkedIn. Each of these members has at least 30,000 first-level connections and Ron Bates is THE most connected person on LinkedIn with more than 43K connections!

1.Ron Bates
Managing Principal, Executive Advantage Group, Inc.
San Francisco Bay Area
Staffing and Recruiting
Member #141450

2.Kenneth Warner Weinberg
Contract Sourcer / Recruiter
San Francisco Bay Area
Staffing and Recruiting
Member #3230844

3.Andrew 'Flip' Filipowski
Entrepreneur, World Renown Speaker & Philanthropist - CEO SilkRoad Equity
Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina Area
Information Technology and Services
Member #200407

4.Steven Burda, MBA
Senior Financial and Business Professional
Greater Philadelphia Area
Management Consulting
Member #5604666 <- How can this be? I've seen Steven on here forever!

5.Richard Atkind
Human Resources leader
Greater Boston Area
Human Resources
Member #196650

6.Wei Guan, FRM
VP, Application Architect at Barclays Capital
Greater New York City Area
Financial Services
Member #1686721

7.Marc Freedman
CEO/CMO ► Web 2.0/Digital-Social Media/Tech Visionary ► 35,000+
Dallas/Fort Worth Area
Internet
Member #5444337

8.Stan Orlowski
30K + Direct Connections ♦ ONA - Open Networkers Alliance
Orange County California Area
Marketing and Advertising
Member #10066337

9.Stacy Donovan Zapar
Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn ♦ 30,000+
Greater San DiegoArea
Computer Software
Member #460284

10.Kevin Wright
Senior Vice President, Strategy, Sales and Marketing at Meggitt Control Systems
Greater Los Angeles Area
Aviation and Aerospace
Member #54115

Most of these folks joined back in the early days and were one of the early adopters - within the first 1% of LinkedIn members. Kevin appears to be the earliest as Member #54115, which puts him in the first .05% if my math is correct! Wow.

Want to know YOUR member number? It's the number embedded in your LinkedIn profile URL (after "id="). For instance, here's mine:

http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=460284

What is YOUR member number? How has LinkedIn helped YOU since joining?

Want to grow YOUR LinkedIn network? Here's how!

Photo credit: ereleases

Want to Work for One of the 10 Most Social Media Networked Companies in America?

2011-03-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Time to be social! Tip: Update that LinkedIn profile, be careful what you say/do/share on Facebook and check out Twitter if you're not already there! Put on your social networking hat!

Company / NetProspex Social Index (NPSI) score:

Rank 1: Microsoft 306
Rank 2: eBay 208
Rank 3: Amazon.com 202
Rank 4: Walt Disney 181
Rank 5: Google 172
Rank 6: Electronic Arts 164

Rank 7: Intuit 163

Rank 8: Raytheon 157
Rank 9: Best Buy 155
Rank 10: Apple 153

~~~~~~

Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!

San Diego LinkedIn Groups - Network, Network, Network!

2011-02-28T15:34:00.000-08:00

Are you using LinkedIn Groups to network, either as a job seeker, a valuable employee or as an expert in your field? I currently own/moderate six different groups on LinkedIn with more than 13000 members and if you're local to San Diego, I encourage you to join and participate in the discussions. You can use the groups for networking, job seeking, knowledge sharing, referrals, recommendations, etc. It's a great way to stay connected to local professionals in your field!

Networking Tip: Did you know that you can send messages to fellow group members for free? Just search for a person by name or keyword (under the Members tab) and then click "Send Message"... What a great opportunity to reach out to fellow group members directly (without having to pay the $10 InMail fee to LinkedIn).

Local Members Only (UPDATED 5/3/12):

San Diego Sales & Marketing Professionals: http://linkd.in/SDSMP
4900+ local members

San Diego IT & Engineering Professionals: http://linkd.in/SDITEP
3000+ local members

San Diego Finance & Accounting Professionals: http://linkd.in/SDFAAP
2200+ local members

San Diego HR & Recruiting Professionals: http://linkd.in/SDHRRP
1300+ local members

San Diego Software Industry Professionals: http://linkd.in/SDSWIP
1300+ local members

Open Membership:

San Diego Job Seekers and Hiring Managers: http://linkd.in/SDJSHM
900+ members

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Stacy Donovan Zapar is a 15-year recruiting veteran for Fortune 500 tech companies and CEO of Tenfold Social. She is also the Most Connected Woman on LinkedIn with more than 35,000 1st-level connections, making her the #8 most connected person worldwide. Feel free to follow Stacy on Twitter (@StacyZapar) and connect on LinkedIn. Interested in taking a social media networking class? Check out Tenfold Social on Facebook, LinkedIn and on our website!