LinkedIn: 4 Biggest Mistakes You're Probably Making
by Amy Levin-Epstein
Monday, May 2, 2011
Are you LinkedIn? I admit, I put in a lot more facetime with Facebook. And my experts tell me I'm missing out on
opportunities. "Recruiters are using LinkedIn heavily now. You need to be professional — and findable!" says career
coach Kimberly Schneiderman, founder of Career City Services.
Indeed, LinkedIn has more than 100 million members, including executives from every Fortune 500 company. LinkedIn's
research team recently mined that information to determine the most common names for CEOs. Verdict? Peter, for a
man, and Deborah, for a women.
But no matter what your name, LinkedIn can take your networking to the next level with just a little effort. Here are the
most common ways people aren't making the most of their presence on the site — and how experts say you can fix that.
Having A Vague Headline
Say your current title is marketing manager. Many people naturally leave that as their headline, a huge error because it
says nothing about what you actually do, says Schneiderman. Instead: "Use a headline statement that really describes
your expertise and talent, like 'Executive-level Product Strategist' or 'Hospitality Executive — Expertise in Franchise,
Operations, & Change Management,'" suggests Schneiderman. Then further develop it: "Create a summary about your
career that fully describes your passion for your work, your impact in your company or companies, and your professional
focus. People in an open job search can map out the kinds of opportunities they are pursuing next. Make it about 3
paragraphs and write in 1st-person using 'I' statements," says Schneiderman.
Maintaining A Passive Profile
Filling out an attractive profile is just the beginning. "Most people create a LinkedIn profile, but then don't take advantage
of potential connections that might be available through their existing network," says career consultant Shawn Graham,
author of Courting Your Career. His suggestions: regularly identify and reach out to potential contacts, use status updates
to congratulate those contacts on their successes, and consistently review the "People You May Know" section to identify
additional connections.
Not Trying New Tools
Branding expert Dan Schawbel says that a major mistake is not taking advantage of the many tools Linkedin has to offer.
His tips include connecting with someone you have no connection with by joining a LinkedIn Group they're active in, using
a 1st degree contact to gain access to 2nd and 3rd degree ones, and using apps like SlideShare to connect with even
more people. And don't forget to take your toolbox on the go: "The LinkedIn mobile application allows you to transfer
contact details electronically," says Schawbel. A new one has just been released for the Droid.
Networking Only When You Need Something
Schawbel reminded me that networking on LinkedIn is no different than networking in real life. You still want to give more
than you receive, particularly when asking for a recommendation: "The best way to get recommendations on LinkedIn is to
give one first," says Schawbel.
http://finance.yahoo.com/career-work/article/112652/linkedin-biggest-mistakes-moneywatch
6 Things You Should Never Reveal on Facebook
By Kathy Kristof | Jun 23, 2010 |
This post was updated on March 16, 2011
The whole social networking phenomenon has millions of Americans sharing their photos, favorite songs and details
about their class reunions on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter and dozens of similar sites. But there are a handful of
personal details that you should never say if you don’t want criminals — cyber or otherwise — to rob you blind, according
to Beth Givens, executive director of the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse.
The folks at Insure.com also say that ill-advised Facebook postings increasingly can get your insurance cancelled or
cause you to pay dramatically more for everything from auto to life insurance coverage. By now almost everybody knows
that those drunken party photos could cost you a job. And experts now say that debt collectors are throwing away their
phone books in favor of trolling social networking sites to find deadbeats, too.
You can certainly enjoy networking and sharing photos, but you should know that sharing some information puts you at
risk. What should you never say on Facebook, Twitter or any other social networking site?
Your birth date and place. Sure, you can say what day you were born, but if you provide the year and where you
were born too, you’ve just given identity thieves a key to stealing your financial life, said Givens. A study done by
Carnegie Mellon showed that a date and place of birth could be used to predict most — and sometimes all — of the
numbers in your Social Security number, she said.
Vacation plans. There may be a better way to say “Rob me, please” than posting something along the lines of:
“Count-down to Maui! Two days and Ritz Carlton, here we come!” on Twitter. But it’s hard to think of one. Post the
photos on Facebook when you return, if you like. But don’t invite criminals in by telling them specifically when you’ll be
gone.
Home address. Do I have to elaborate? A study recently released by the Ponemon Institute found that users of
Social Media sites were at greater risk of physical and identity theft because of the information they were sharing.
Some 40% listed their home address on the sites; 65% didn’t even attempt to block out strangers with privacy
settings. And 60% said they weren’t confident that their “friends” were really just people they know.
Confessionals. You may hate your job; lie on your taxes; or be a recreational user of illicit drugs, but this is no place
to confess. Employers commonly peruse social networking sites to determine who to hire — and, sometimes, who to
fire. Need proof? In just the past few weeks, an emergency dispatcher was fired in Wisconsin for revealing drug use; a
waitress got canned for complaining about customers and the Pittsburgh Pirate’s mascot was dumped for bashing the
team on Facebook. One study done last year estimated that 8% of companies fired someone for “misuse” of social
media.
Password clues. If you’ve got online accounts, you’ve probably answered a dozen different security questions, telling
your bank or brokerage firm your Mom’s maiden name; the church you were married in; or the name of your favorite
song. Got that same stuff on the information page of your Facebook profile? Are you playing games where you and
your friends “quiz” each other on the personal details of your lives? You’re giving crooks an easy way to guess your
passwords.
Risky behaviors. You take your classic Camaro out for street racing, soar above the hills in a hang glider, or smoke
like a chimney? Insurers are increasingly turning to the web to figure out whether their applicants and customers are
putting their lives or property at risk, according to Insure.com. So far, there’s no efficient way to collect the data, so
cancellations and rate hikes are rare. But the technology is fast evolving, according to a paper written by Celent, a
financial services research and consulting firm.
http://moneywatch.bnet.com/saving-money/blog/devil-details/6-things-you-should-never-reveal-on-
facebook/2360/?tag=yahoo-moneywatch