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Writing Resume After Self Employment

Writing Resume After Self EmploymentSelf-employment and a resume sometimes seem to be at odds with each other. Many people ask themselves, i...

Saturday, December 28, 2019

Free Professional Chemist Resume Template

Free Professional Chemist Resume TemplateFree Professional Chemist Resume TemplateIn order to advance your career to the next level, it is often necessary to show that you are capable of taking on new responsibilities. For individuals with a lot of experience in the field of chemistry, it can often be beneficial to craft a resume that tells a story, one in which the applicant steadily progresses to positions of increasing responsibility. The professional chemist resume template is fine-tuned to show a progression of work responsibilities and let the hiring manager know that this applicant is primed for the next stage of his or her career.Create ResumeCustomize ResumeWhat to Include in a Professional Chemist ResumeA professional chemist resume should show that the applicant is comfortable taking on an increasing amount of responsibility. This type of resume is ideal for applicants looking for a promotion or to advance to the next level of their career. The experience section of this t ype of resume is generally the centerpiece, and should show a progression in which each successive job has additional responsibilities.Common Resume Fails Mistakes to AvoidWhen writing your resume, make sure you avoid these common errors in order to look your best.Going over one page. In general, resumes should not be more than one full page, though you should come as close to completely filling that one page as possible.Using a non-standard format. portable document format is usually the best format for submitting resumes to hiring managers, as this format can be opened on almost any computer running any operating system. However, pay attention to the job posting to which you are applying, as a preference for a format other than PDF may be expressed.Forgetting to edit. Check your resume very carefully for errors, and get someone else to check it as well whenever possible. Many resumes have been tossed on the reject pile due to the hiring manager finding a few easily avoidable mecha nical errors.Resume Content George Franklin 5555 E. Lincoln Ave., Austin, TX 99999 555-555-5555 g.franklinemail.com Summary Project manager with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of research chemistry and organic chemistry. Extensive background in overseeing experiments and projects from their conception all the way through their completion and marketing to geschftsleben partners. Equally capable conducting experiments in the laboratory, supervising chemists as they complete a project and negotiating with representatives from outside the scientific fields. Highlights Writing and editing reports and project proposalsCapable of acting as a liaison to corporate clientsFamiliarity with the latest equipment and techniques in the field of chemistryCommitted to continuing education both for myself and my lab assistantsOversaw projects in the areas of environmental sampling and hazardous waste disposalExperience Lab Manager 3/1/2009 ? Present Mega Labs ? Houston, TX Oversee al l aspects of production in the hazardous waste disposal laboratoryInstituted mandatory continuing education for all chemists that was later accepted by other company labsEvaluate the need for and negotiate the purchase of new equipmentManage as many as 30 chemists and lab assistantsEnsure projects are completed to the satisfaction of corporate clientsWrite and submit regular reports on laboratory operationsParticipate in hiring Chemist 9/1/2004 ? 1/1/2009 Lab Suppliers, Inc. ? San Antonio, TX Created chemical compounds for client useNegotiated contracts with clients and acted as business liaisonOversaw up to 10 lab assistantsEnsured orders were completed on time and met industry standards Lab Assistant 6/1/1999 ? 8/1/2004 XYZ Labs ? Austin, TX Conducted sampling and assisted with controlled experimentsKept inventoryOften looked to as a leader by my peersEducation PhD and masters degree in chemistryLonghorn University, Austin, TX

Monday, December 23, 2019

Old expressions updated for the modern professional

Old ausprgungs updated for the modern professionalOld expressions updated for the modern professionalEw, sriracha if youve ever used those words (together or apart) youre not only expressing your distaste for the ubiquitous spicy condiment, youve also used two words being added to the official Scrabble dictionary later this year.So, now that weve established certain words that are firmly part of the vernacular, what about the ones that should be disappearing? More than that, how can you stop using those pesky expressions that mark you as being out of touch? First things first, identify why theyre so annoying.Know what they meanBefore you go off on YouTube spouting about why you should think inside the pckchen instead of outside the box, you probably need to actually understand the expression. Far too many people hear their coworkers talking about synergy or paradigms and start using the same irritating few words and expressions in their own speech and presentations.Its a better idea to think through your point and takeaways instead and give people a clear idea of what you mean or intend to deliver.Try being more seasonalIf youre worried that you might sound out of touch, try making some of your statements less universal and more immediate. Short lead media specialist Jono Waks of Jono Productions, has to constantly find new and interesting ways to promote people and brands.He explains, My client exultations are usually closely tied to the season, the holiday or the daily news cycle. To make things feel fresh or updated, Waks says Its important to understand the brand and tease out key message points that are relevant to those youre contacting. So, figure out where your brand fits in the cycle and choose your words that fit the moment.And pay more attention to what everyone else is or isnt saying. Keeping everything fresh can be difficult but if you pay attention you know what words are buzzy and whats hackneyed.No hanging fruitLets face it, popular expressions become popular for a reason. We all talk about low hanging fruit because its the easiest way to say you grab whatevers right there. But think about the implications for a moment. If you settle so easily for a clich, might you be giving your boss or client the impression youre not working that hard either? Challenge yourself to come up with new ways of saying things and you might just find yourself doing things a new way as well.Its never one size fits allIf youre worried that your written interaction is stale, try paying more attention to who youre contacting, instead of only the things you want to say. Its important to know whom you are reaching out to, said Waks. He says to keep in mind, Tone of message plus choice of wording varies on multiple variables such as work, age/generation, your relationship plus regularity of interaction.But dont retire it completelyAt the end of the day, even some of the most annoying and cliched expressions make a lot of sense, simply because they sum up exactly what were trying to express in the least amount of time. So, before you throw your favorite expression under the bus, maybe just start paying attention to whether youre overusing it or not and put it on the backburner for a while instead.I think theres more room for words than less, said Waks. The fact that the Inuit have 50 words for snow impresses me. Id never say get rid of a word cause its old or overused, though maybe put it back on the shelf for a bit.

Wednesday, December 18, 2019

Work at Home Call Center Jobs in Oregon

Work at Home Call Center Jobs in OregonWork at Home Call Center Jobs in OregonReady to start your search for a telecommuting call center job in Oregon? Dive in and review this list of call center companiesthat hire for work-at-home jobs in Oregon 1800FLOWERSOnline flowers retailer hires in Oregon for at-home call center jobs on a temporary basis for seasonal employment. It does occasionally hire permanent (particularly bilingual), at-home call center agents as well. American ExpressThis financial services giant that employs remote call center agents with experience in reservation systems and travel agents to work in its corporate travel division. Bilingual agents also needed. Aspire LifestylesSpecializing in virtual assistant or concierge services, the companys remote agents handle customer requestsphone, e-mail, and chat. Fluency in French, German, Spanish or Italian is a plus. Asurion(formerly NEW Corp)Call center agents based from home provide customer service for device replaceme nt insurance in both full- and part-time work. Carenet Healthcare ServicesRegistered nurses are needed for ansicht medical call center jobs from home. Agents are employees and paid approximately $25/hour. Jobs are full time, and overnight work may be available and/or required. CenturyLinkThis provider of voice, broadband and video services in 33 states employ home-based call center agents and pay around $10-11/hour. Bilingual skills are a plus. Amazon.comInternet retailer hires home-based call center agents in Oregon. Most jobs are seasonal. Search work from home in Amazons job database. Jobs pay $10-12/hour. EnterpriseCar rental company offers remote call center positions for reservation agents for Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Alamo Rent A Car, and National Car Rental. On-site training is required. Call center training drehort is in Eugene, OR. Pay starts at approximately $11/hour. LiveOpsOutsourcing companyhires independent contractors as virtual call center agents for customer service positions. Agents are paid at a rate that is based on minutes oftalk timeplus sales incentives in some cases. Agents must become certified to work for individual clients. This certification is not paid. Agents must pay for their own background check. Support.comThe company provides remote tech support to clients, via home-based tech support chat and call center agents. Its remote services technicians answer inbound calls and its solutions center supervisors support and supervise the remote services technicians. SYKES Home Powered by Alpine AccessRemote employees receive inbound customer service, and sales calls for a variety of this BPOs clients. They are paid for training, and once you start, youll receive around $9/hour. Applicants who are offered a position must pay $45 for a background check. The hiring process for these call center jobs is online and by phone. Bilingual skills a plus languages include Spanish, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

Friday, December 13, 2019

Why Its A Mistake To Leave This Out Of Your Job Search

Why Its A Mistake To Leave This Out Of Your Job SearchWhy Its A Mistake To Leave This Out Of Your Job SearchJob search is frustrating, disheartening, physically and mentally exhausting, and an up-and-down roller coaster (it can even feel like those roller coasters that go backwards). Someone emails you to say they want you to do a phone interview but then the date and time passes by and the person has disappeared. You went on an in-person interview and it felt great, but a month later, theres still silence. Remaining positive in the face of all of this is not just a nice concept to read about on the Internet. Making a conscious decision to embrace a positive attitude every day when you wake up serves you, and is in your own best interest. That conscious decision is called mental toughness. Pro athletes haveit. They strike out, miss the jump shot, and fumble the ball. But if theywalked around with their faces on the floor after every mistake, they wouldhave never reached the professi onal level or sustained their positions foryears. They watch game-day videos, break them down, rewind them, and analyzethem, so they can learn from their mistakes, grow, and be better. You can applysimilar strategies to your job search, so that you move through it with adegree of mental toughness.Focus, Then You Will FindIf your job search drags on, the tendency is to want to expand the type of opportunities youre looking at. To do so, you make your resume and cover letter more general. No luck landing a pharmaceutical schlussverkauf job? Well, remove all references to pharmaceuticals, and just go for any sales job. Right? Nope.Lets mentally go through a few steps here you remove as many instances of the word pharmaceutical as possible, so that the employers and recruiters on LinkedIn will look at you for other sales jobs. The problem with that thinking is the employer is not hiring you to sell anything. Theyre hiring you to sell their thing. If their widget is some fantastic innova tion in the construction sector, and you dont have any construction background, youre unlikely to get the call.Instead of giving up on your main objective, dig deeper. Rewind thetape of your job search, break down your moves, analyze, and grow. Perhapsinstead of blasting your resume all over the Internet for pharmaceutical salesjobs, you look at each pharmaceutical opportunity one by one, identify arelevant human being with whom you can speak directly in that organization, andinitiate a conversation with them.Press On, UntilA question I hear from a candidate nearly every day of the week is, Should I call again? or, Should I follow up with another email? My answer exactly 100% of the time is a resounding, yes. Dont give up. Press on until you get an answer. The struggle is that if youve followed up a few times, you feel like a pest or feel like you look desperate. However, step out of your own head and take on the other persons perspective. The other person is doing business. Youre n ot bothering them at 10 pmat home. Theyre at work. Youre calling or emailing about business, which is aperfectly professional move for you to make. There has not been a singleinstance Ive heard of in my professional career in which the person on thereceiving end screamed at the candidate, Why are you calling me, you fool? Itjust doesnt happen. So make the call. Send the email. Use reasonable timing,of course, whether thats once a week, biweekly, or monthly. There are only 2possible results you get ignored (which means you are no worse off anyway), orthey say, Hey, you know what? Im so glad you circled back to me.Dont Jump To ConclusionsIts normal and natural human thinking to fill silence with something bad. So if you interview but dont hear from them, even after following up, your mind settles on the reality that you just didnt get the job for whatever reason. However, silence doesnt necessarily mean no. Only no definitely means no.Instead of jumping to the conclusion that youre ou t, operate on the assumption that theres still a possibility. This is not to say that you live and breathe every moment of every day thinking about that employer and your interactions and communications with the relevant people there. However, it does mean that you move this opportunity in your mind to the back burner but dont stop cooking with gas altogether. Your timing is not necessarily the employers timing. Hiring almostalways takes longer than you ant it to. What you do during this time iscultivate the relationship. Make sure youre connected and / or following therelevant people on LinkedIn. Stay top of mind by showing up on their feeds withlikes, comments, relevant articles, and congrats on various accomplishments andmilestones. Your steady presence can make a difference.Just like the pro athlete didnt go from varsity to the NBA overnight, you cant wake up tomorrow and declare that from this day forward you will be 101% mentally tough. Practice. Conduct your job search syste matically and (gasp) grant yourself a break when you need to that way, you can come back stronger.What will also help is Im showing jobseekers how to get hired in half the time. If you dont know how to do this, there are several mindset components that are important here, like how to get over that desperate feeling so you can be confident in what youre presenting about yourself, and how to sell yourself the right way in an email, on the phone, and in person so that you really connect with the right people and move through the process until you land the job you really want. Register today.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

The Skills to Have on Resume Trap

The Skills to Have on Resume Trap What Everybody Dislikes About Skills to Have on Resume and Why For instance, if youve got a strong history with word processing and a work description necessitates experience with a particular processor you havent used, you may use yur experience to demonstrate the employer that youve got zero issue working with new word processors. Once it means your skills are mora in demand, in addition, it means there are a range of new tools you might have to learn as a way to create a prosperous career. Hard skills have a tendency to be more technical, and each business or kind of job will often have its personal essential set. Review their About Us page and see whether your soft abilities or attributes are aligned with the corporations core values. Read through it a couple of occasions and youll probably spot three or four essential skills mentioned many times throughout the document. Depending on the help of our expert sources, here are a couple of broad classes of skills your resume could include, together with unique methods to express them. As you proceed through the list of skills above, make a distinct list with the skills which you already possess. You may find below a list of the greatest skills you may put on your resume based on the sort of job that you are applying for. New Step by Step Roadmap for Skills to Have on Resume If youre not certain which skills you wish to share, consider your prior experiences. Some skills might be relevant while others arent. Additionally, it is going to help you show off your very best PC skills without difficulty Keep in mind, the majority of the special skills that you set on your resume ought to be job-related skills taken from the work description and your best transferable skills. Perhaps your skill set is totally different. Soft skills incorporate generic skills that are relevant to a collection of disciplines. They are the skills that apply to every job. In the majorit y of cases, your soft skills can boost your hard skills. The 30-Second Trick for Skills to Have on Resume The placement of your skills section is also a rather important thing to contemplate. Each has great examples so that you can write the ideal bullet points. The skill section may be the most important section on your resume if you set it together correctly. In truth, it could be appropriate to incorporate a more prestigevoll core competencies section at the peak of your resume with comprehensive descriptions of certain skills if theyre absolutely central to success in the desired position. Web designers will need to comprehend how WordPress works and the way to use this, and so do bloggers (obvs) Even web developers ought to be acquainted with things like data mining. In addition to the practical demand for developers in virtually every company, programming skills demonstrate advanced problem solving skills that could lead to a well-rounded professional. Theres only so much room on your resume, and at times it can be hard to properly convey all you should. To begin with, if youre seeing a great deal of hard skills that you just dont have, it can be better to move on to the next position. Thus when writing down your job skills take some time to strategize and find out the ideal approach to organize them in your resume. Superb people skills are a vital portion of what makes you such a standout employee whod be an asset to any company that offers you an opportunity to shine. The Most Popular Skills to Have on Resume Listing your skills provides a chance to showcase your abilities and experiences to prime employers for the remainder of your resume. Teachers are a few of the most hardworking, patient and dependable workers out there. Since many industries and professions have a particular collection of abilities that are essential to properly carry out the job, they can likewise be thought of as job-specific skills. In case you have any which a re particular to the job or industry youre applying to, you always need to clearly showcase them on your resume. Look through the work description and see whether any soft skills are mentioned. As soon as you know which in-demand skills you presently have, you can find out what to learn next to get ready for the work market. Making decisions which are in the very best interest of the organization, and solving problems having the most efficiency and limiting damages are traits of a great candidate. Downloading somebody elses expertise will be able to help you see what you require, and will be able to help you brainstorm methods to get there. You presently have a lot of skills, therefore its just an issue of rounding them up and figuring out which ones result in the ideal applicant package. There are a few skills which dont necessarily belong on your resume, however awesome youre at them. If you set on your resume that you speak excellent French, as soon as your experience is truly limited to 8th grade lessons, you face the possibility of interviewing with a person who spent a semester in Paris. Or you may have never had the chance to build decent leadership experience. Consult your manager for the chance to lead a task or project so that you may add the skill to your resume. If you would like to display your organization skills, obtaining a tightly structured resume certainly helps. 3 First, you have to pick the best skills for your resume. As stated earlier, assessing soft skills is far more difficult. Soft skills on the opposite hand, are not just useful across multiple industries, but are a wonderful tool for standing out from different candidates who all possess the exact same hard skills. There are a few skills that will be utterly necessary for any successful candidate.

Tuesday, December 3, 2019

A Secret Weapon for Computer Skills to List on Resume

A Secret Weapon for Computer Skills to List on Resume Each word on your resume can be a trigger for a question via an interviewer, and youll frequently be requested to provide examples of the skills youve referenced. Soft skills are a little bit more vague and open to interpretation. Thus when writing down your job skills take some time to strategize and find out the ideal approach to organize them in your resume. Technical skills are either something youve got or you dont, but theyre always something which you are able to learn. Key skills are work-related skills that you want to do a job. Soft skills are the skills that are applicable to every job. Since required skills will change from job to job, in addition, it is useful to reassess our list of skills listed by job and kind of skill. 3 First, you have to pick the best skills for your resume. Employing the most suitable keyword phrases in your resume is vital to getting your resume read. Also, you will likely need to prevent any jobs that need you to devote a good deal of time using your burn out skills. Read through it a couple of occasions and youll probably spot three or four essential skills mentioned repeatedly throughout the document. Depending on the recommendation of our expert sources, here are a number of broad sorts of skills your resume could include, together with unique approaches to express them. Computer Skills to List on Resume Fundamentals Explained The majority of people will have between five and 10 primary skills listed. In most instances, your soft skills can boost your hard skills. As stated earlier, assessing soft skills is far more difficult. On the flip side, soft abilities, also referred to as interpersonal or social abilities, are those that you have as personal qualities or you get through professional experiences. Life After Computer Skills to List on Resume It is possible to find below a list of the greatest skills you may put on your resume based on the kind of job that you are applying for. Just make sure you double-check whether adding social media to your particular resume is proper for the job Even when you arent actively searching for employment, your resume is a significant bit of your digital portfolio. For example, if you submit an application for a Chinese-English interpreting job, you need to be fluent in both languages otherwise you would not really qualify for the position.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Checking email constantly is making bosses bad at being the boss

Checking schmelzglas constantly is making bosses bad at being the bossChecking email constantly is making bosses bad at being the bossNo ones saying you have to check your email right now, even if you are the boss.Engaging with the constant minutiae of email isnt only slowing managers down its preventing them from doing their more important work as a leader and the major parts of their job. Instead, many find themselves babysitting their inboxes.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreResearchers from the University of Michigan showed that the high volume of email that managers receive places a heavy load on their mission and prevent them from achieving higher goals. Their findings were published in the Journal of Applied Psychology.Leave it aloneAccording to the research, employees spend 90 minutes each day about seven and a half hours per week recovering from interruptions from ema il. Its the same with managers, only the stakes are higher.Like most tools, email is useful but it can become disruptive and even damaging if used excessively or inappropriately, study leader professor Russell Johnson said, in a release. When managers are the ones trying to recover from email interruption, they fail to meet their goals, they neglect manager-responsibilities and their subordinates dont have the leadership behavior they need to thrive.For the study, the researchers surveyed 48 managers twice a day for two weeks. Managers reported the frequency of their emails and what they demanded, how often they engaged in leader behavior, and their perceived progress on their main job duties.We found that on days when managers reported high email demands, they report lower perceived work progress as a result, and in turn engage in fewer effective leader behaviors, said Johnson.This, in turn, affects their employees performance, productivity, and work satisfaction.The moral of the s tory is that managers need to set aside specific times to check email, Johnson said. This puts the manager in control rather than reacting whenever a new message appears, which wrests control away It takes time and effort for employees to transition between email and work tasks, so minimizing the number of times they have to make that transition is to their benefit.Luckily, there are a slew of productivity techniques that work just as well for managers as they do for employees. We hear the Pomodoro Technique is good.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from nestkken Franklins daily schedule that will double your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong people

Sunday, November 24, 2019

How to Use Your Alumni Network in a Job Search

How to Use Your Alumni Network in a Job SearchHow to Use Your Alumni Network in a Job SearchAsk a career expert about the most effective job search strategy and you will universally hear the response networking. Perhaps the most valuable networking resource for college grads is the alumni body from their school. Here are some of the best ways to connect with alumni and take advantage of this powerful resource. What Is a College Alumni Network? A college alumni network offers a way for college graduates to stay connected. Alumni networks serve as an association of former students from a university, fraternity/sorority, club, or region. Often maintained by the colleges career services or alumni affairs office, the alumni network contains information on each graduates career, residence, and contact information. Alumni can access the network to ask for career information or job search advice from other alumni. College alumni networks are an excellent way to make contacts in ones fiel d or to get help starting on a new career path. A colleges career services or alumni affairs office may also hold events for members of the network so graduates can network in person. They organize socials, send out newsletters, conduct fundraising, and create a window of opportunity for networking and geschftsleben relationships. Conversely, college alumni networks are also available as a mentoring directory for current students. Many schools allow undergraduates or those looking for advice from a professional can contact alumni through a portal in order to gain insight into deutsche post dhlgraduate life or career advice. How to Tap College Alumni Connections Contact the career services and/or alumni affairs office for your college and inquire about any database of alumni volunteers. Mention that you are looking to contact them for information and advice about your career or job search. Normally, you can search for contacts by geographic area and career field. More Ways to Engage With Alumni Attend College Events Another great way to connect with alumni is through events sponsored by the career office, alumni office, or regional alumni clubs for your college. Some events will have an obvious career related theme like speed networking or career panels. Other programs like gallery or museum visits, lectures, or social gatherings will also provide a comfortable opportunity to meet alumni while pursuing a common interest. Events will be offered on campus as well as in various cities with significant alumni populations. Check the websites for the career office, alumni office, and local alumni clubs for ideas. Get Questions Ready Prepare questions so you are ready to engage alumni at events. Devise a brief introduction which will give alumni a summary of some of your key assets, interests,and aspirations. Bring a resume to career-focused events and a business card with reference to your LinkedIn address or a website with your background information for oth er types of events.Schedule Informational Meetings Try to schedule some informational consultations with alumni at their job site as a follow-up to your interactions at events. You can either do this at the program or afterward via email if you have secured business cards. Your email would contain language like I really enjoyed meeting you at the gallery reception. Your work in marketing sounded quite exciting. Might it be possible for us to meet for an informational consultation so I can gain a more complete understanding of what it takes to build a career in the field? Use LinkedIn Make sure that you join any LinkedIn groups for your college. Compose messages emphasizing that you are fellow alum with a keen interest in their field. Make sure your profile is fully developed and then reach out to alumni in target fields and try to schedule some informational meetings or phone consultations.Use Social Media Social media provides excellent opportunities to connect with alumni. You pro bably have some Facebook friends from your college who are working in a field of interest or who know someone who might be of value to you. Review your roster of friends and message anyone who might be a good prospect or post a status update like Im exploring career options in technology consulting and would love to speak with you if you have any insight into the field. I would also welcome introductions to any of your contacts working in the field for an informational consultation. If you follow some of these suggestions, you will find that alumni networking can be a vital component of your overall job search campaign. Hopefully, when you are in a position to help, you will return the favor and assist other members of your college community.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

8 Tips To Create the Perfect LinkedIn Profile

8 Tips To Create the Perfect LinkedIn Profile8 Tips To Create the Perfect LinkedIn ProfileYour professional history is the basis of your LinkedIn profile. You can create an overview of your past experience, job duties, projects, and volunteer work. Your colleagues can write you recommendations and vouch for your skill platzdeckchen. You can list skills that would be an asset to a potential employer. LinkedIn has a robust Jobs section but benefits job seekers in other ways. Its a virtual one-stop shop for professionals looking to advance their careers.With that in mind, LinkedIn is also a pretty competitive place. Your professional profile needs to stand out in the right ways to attract the attention of recruiters.In this article, well share a list of things you can do to create the perfect LinkedIn profile.1. Professional photoIts a big no-no in the US geschftliches miteinander world to include your photo on your resume, but the opposite is true on LinkedIn. Your photo should reflect your professional presence and not necessarily the one you would present to friends and family on Facebook or Twitter.Consider having a photographer help you with headshots. Dress appropriately and steer clear of busy backgrounds. Avoid using any photos with other people in them. Avoid shots of yourself doing anything you wouldnt do at the office- say, holding a red Solo cup while wearing a lampshade on your head.2. Join LinkedIn groupsLinkedIn Groups are a great way to meet professionals in your field. They are also a way for you to demonstrate that you have a passion for your industry. You can choose which of your group memberships are visible on your LinkedIn profile.Participating in groups can lead you to opportunities later in your career. Post insightful comments in group discussions and you just might catch a hiring managers eye. You never know where your next big lead will come from or whether youll meet someone influential. Networking in your industry, even online, is a gr eat way to set yourself up for success.3. Write a great LinkedIn profile summaryYour LinkedIn summary is your opportunity to quickly introduce yourself to someone your elevator pitch. Lead off your LinkedIn profile by giving some insight into who you are as a person. Consider writing your summary in the first person and giving it some personality. A summary on LinkedIn can be somewhat less formal than a typical resume summary. Good LinkedIn profile summaries range between 250-300 words and take advantage of the generous 2000 character limit.Keep in mind that LinkedIn is essentially a giant search engine, and your summary can play a big role in where you fall in the results. Its crucial to find out which keywords best reflect your industry, area of expertise, and passions and include them in your summary.With JobscanLinkedIn Optimization, you can scan your profile to find out exactly what keywords you should include for the jobs you want. Receive your profile score and actionable tip s to boost your profiles searchability, professionalism, and over impact.4. ExperienceYour work experience makes up the largest part of your profile. While it might seem like a duplicate of the work experience section of your resume, you can optimize it for LinkedIn.For example, keywords are important. Do some research on your industry and learn which keywords recruiters and hiring managers are targeting.Listing the specific software and hardware that you use in your work can be helpful. Relevant keywords can also include techniques, credentials, industry-specific terms, and more. Having the right keywords in your LinkedIn profile can bolster your credibility and boost your visibility.5. Skills and endorsementsYour skill set is a list of assets you bring to the table as an employee, and your contacts on LinkedIn have the opportunity to endorse these skills.These skills include things such as video editing, digital media, and technical writing. If youre a developer, for example, it i ncludes specific languages that you are experienced with.Endorsing other peoples skills can encourage them to endorse your skills in return. Typically, youll find that specific skills you are best known for rise to the top of the list as endorsements come in.One thing to keep in mind here Blindly endorsing someone you dont know well can backfire. Remember, endorsements are not anonymous and you are putting your name behind someones ability to do something, helping to shape their professional profile.6. RecommendationsRecommendations are a big part of LinkedIn. People you have worked with can write a short recommendation based on their experience with you.A lot of hiring managers will look specifically at this part of your LinkedIn profile as it offers them insight into how well you work with others and what type of impression you left at previous jobs.Getting recommendations can be tricky, especially if you dont want to just come out and ask for them. Instead, consider first recomme nding people youve worked with. Its a subtle way of inspiring people to write recommendations for you, without actually asking.Plus, after youve written a recommendation, you get the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with doing something nice for someone.7. PostsPosts are a great way to gain attention on LinkedIn and establish yourself as an expert in your field. Why is it worth doing? Because it elevates your position as a professional by showing that you care enough to share insight, initiate conversation, and raise the collective understanding of your industry.The quality of your posts is important, and so is the fact that your LinkedIn posts have a greater chance of being seen by a recruiter than your posts on other social networks.8. Edit your public profile URLThe default URL that comes with your LinkedIn account is difficult to share with people. Who will remember a string of random numbers? Instead, customize your URL from LinkedIns Public Profile Settings page. Create a cus tom URL that includes your name separated by dashes, such aslinkedin.com/in/john-doe linkedin.com/in/john-doe-chicagolinkedin.com/in/john-doe-project-managerA customized URL is easier to remember and tell to people, and it looks good on a business card or resume. There are also SEO (search engine optimization) benefits. The perfect LinkedIn profile, after all, is one thats inherently easy to find.Originally published onDec 1, 2015. Content updated for 2017.