Tesar-Reynes

LinkedIn has become the fourth most important asset for your merchandisability. It nestles in right behind your actual performance, your brand and reputation, and your resume. In general I find that most people gravitate to one of two ways to handle this online asset. They either see it as another wall on which to tack their resume, or they see it as a limitless billboard that is a Facebook sidebar.

Here is my take on LinkedIn. At the barest minimum it must show your business background, what people think of you (references) and a little about your life outside of work. This is a great place to put links to what you are passionate about; articles written about you, pieces that show your best thinking, your creative book and any write-ups about your activities in the community.

Who looks at your …

If you’re unemployed like me, you might find yourself wondering what the next step in your career should be. I sure am.

Sometimes, it helps to get your thoughts down on paper. Tony and I are huge advocates of journal writing, especially the type of writing where you just write with no purpose. Interesting thoughts come out when you let your subconscious mind roam freely.

The other night, I made a huge pot of coffee and started writing. My journal entry started with a simple question – Who Am I?

I wrote about how two years ago, I had one role. I was a student. That responsibility came with a simple goal: Get A’s in all my classes. I did well, scoring a decent GPA. I hit the books during the …

This list is mainly compiled from my personal experience. Believe it or not, I had three W-2’s in the worst career year of my life. But it was great prep to go into the search business!

Image by Malcolm Tredinnick via Flickr

I just got off the phone with a person who is looking for a job. He asked some questions about on-line registration.

Many companies now require that when sending in a resume, a candidate will also fill out a company registration on their site. The company sees it as means to “time stamp” when a potential candidate contacted them.

This information can settle potential conflicts with search firms about the source of candidates and it can serve as a reservoir for new people. My experience is that in many companies it is a black hole: everything goes in and nothing comes out.

Back to his questions:

Q. Do I address my cover letter “To whom it …