A good website to frequent for helpful information found at http://www.careerattraction.com/ with helpful information like:

The Anatomy of a Great LinkedIn Update (AKA: How to Get Hired Through LinkedIn)

| Blog Posts | Kevin Kermes

The LinkedIn Update. You've seen it hit your news feed or inbox. And, you may have even sent a few yourself. Most get few (or no) results and this happens for a number of reasons. In this blog post I'm going to show you why, as well as share HOW to get results with yours: AKA "get hired."

Below is a typical (and actual) update that I receive. Look at it, read it and then re-join me below as we dissect it...

screen shot 2 The Anatomy of a Great LinkedIn Update (AKA: How to Get Hired Through LinkedIn)

There are a number of mis-fires here, but I'll touch on the major ones...

1) Not "On Message": This generic email is basically a resume...and a poorly constructed one at that.As he reaches out to connections who don't know him well, he needs to frame two things VERY, VERY CLEARLY in his message: who he wants me to contact and why. Neither are answered with clarity and, given the fact that we don't know each other well, I'd recommend he help define those first before making a call to action. Otherwise, I end up doing nothing...which is exactly what happened.

2) Disconnect with his Audience: I see a lot of advice telling you that a broadcast email to all your connections has no value. I totally disagree, but with the caveat that one-size-doesn't-fit-all. Going back to the "on message" point, the intended request is for me to forward his information to contacts of mine. Simple enough, but I cannot answer the "why" question. He would be better served sharing information that will both let me get to know him, how he is different and add value to his intended audience (i.e. Me or those to whom I'm connected).

3) Not Strengthening His Relationships: This is the sum of everything above. The adage, "Just because you can doesn't mean you should," has never held truer than with Social Media. His broadcast took seconds to send, but - IMO - accomplished nothing. The fact that I've received this EXACT SAME EMAIL twice in 90 days and his employment status hasn't changed in more than a year speaks to the questionable ROI on this approach.

So, you're saying..."Got it, Kevin. This doesn't work. Message received."

What does work? Listen to this short conversation with Alexis Grant who found an opportunity throughLinkedIn. Below, I'll explain why this worked and how you can replicate it in your search.

Here's what Alexis did right and how you can get similar results:

(see below)

1) She knows WHY she is connecting with people WHEN she connects with them: That doesn't mean you need to remember why you connected with everyone all the time, but you need to have a standard. For me, I'll only connect with people who give me a little something in their invitation (read an article, recommended by a peer, watched a webinar, etc.). It doesn't have to be a list of criteria, but you need to have something.

2) Look for the "one off's": As you nurture a relationships with your connections, you don't always have to aim for the bullseye. In Alexis' case, she was at an event that wasn't exactly what she does. Through this, she made a connection that eventually netted her a job.

3) Know your brand and how you differentiate: Going back to the LinkedIn email at the top - how is this guy any different from the sea of thousands out there looking for a sales or marketing role? To that point, can you even tell me what he is specifically good at? In short - no. Because there is no brand...no identification of what problem he solves...no explanation of why him versus any other sales or marketing guy. If you cannot define this for others, they aren't going to be able to see where you fit.

4) Prepare your audience: When Alexis let her connections know she was available, they already knew WHY they should consider hiring her and for WHAT. This is the evolution of #3 from knowing your brand to brand recognition and awareness. This is easier than it may seem, but it requires knowing what you do well, who you do it for and why it's important (if not critical) for them.

If you'd like to go deeper on this topic and get results like Alexis, please join me for my upcoming "3 Secrets to Getting Hired Through LinkedIn" by clicking here or on the image below.

Current

Innovator-In-Chief at Socialexis
Freelance Reporter at Colby Magazine

Past

Careers Editor at U.S. News & World Report
Freelance Journalist & Blogger at Self-employed
Reporter at Houston Chronicle

see all

Education

Northwestern University
Colby College

Recommendations

14 people have recommended Alexis

Connections

500+ connections

Websites

Twitter

Public Profile

http://www.linkedin.com/in/alexisgrant

I'm a newbie "slasher" -- a journalist/social media strategist//entrepreneur.

I recently left my job as Careers Editor at U.S. News & World Report to focus on what really makes me tick:

+ Journalism: I'm continuing to report and write as a freelancer, particularly on career-related topics.

+ Blog & social media strategy. Through my business, Socialexis, I help small businesses and organizations use social media tools to grow their online communities and find new clients. As part of this venture, I'm Managing Editor of Brazen Careerist's blog, where I coordinate with and edit a team of 13+ bloggers.

+ Soon-to-be author. I've written a book about backpacking solo through Africa, which my literary agent is preparing to pitch to publishers.

+ Budding entrepreneur. I'm growing a community at my blog, The Traveling Writer (http://alexisgrant.com), and creating digital products like my recently released guide to social-media consulting (http://bit.ly/SMbizguide).

Specialties

Careers, job-search strategies, health reporting, political reporting, speak French, social media, adventure travel, blogging

Innovator-In-Chief

Socialexis

June 2010 – Present (2 years 2 months) Washington, D.C.

I help small businesses and organizations use blogging and social media effectively to expand their online presence and find new clients.

I also coach individuals to use social media and/or blogging to meet certain goals (like making a career change).

Alexis has 2 recommendations (1 co-worker, 1 partner) including:

Jillian T., Editor, I Should Log Off
3^rd Keith K., Keith Kamisugi, Keith Kamisugi

Freelance Reporter

Colby Magazine

December 2003 – Present (8 years 8 months)

Report and write long-form stories regularly for my alma mater's alumni magazine.

Alexis has 1 recommendation (1 client) including:

Gerry B.

Careers Editor

U.S. News & World Report

Privately Held; 51-200 employees; Publishing industry

October 2010 – August 2011 (11 months) Washington D.C.

I reported on job-search strategies and hiring trends. I also managed and edited a team of seven bloggers.

I grew our Careers Twitter feed and Facebook following from zero to 3K followers and 2,200 fans respectively. And I oversaw and executed our annual Best Careers project.

Alexis has 4 recommendations (4 co-workers) including:

3^rd Carson S., Web Analyst, U.S. News & World Report
3^rd Ryan L., Education Producer, Reporter and Social Strategist, U.S. News & World Report

Freelance Journalist & Blogger

Self-employed

June 2008 – May 2010 (2 years)

Traveled through French-speaking Africa for six months, freelancing for various publications, including The Christian Science Monitor, the Albany Times Union, the Houston Chronicle and the Colby Magazine. Developed a travel blog that gained 50,000 hits in six months.

Since my return home, I've been working on a travel memoir about backpacking solo through Africa.

Alexis has 2 recommendations (1 client, 1 partner) including:

Harold A.
3^rd Peggy F., Author, Writer, Pet Care Columnist, Guideposts, Chicken Soup for the Soul, others

Reporter

Houston Chronicle

Privately Held; 1001-5000 employees; Newspapers industry

May 2005 – May 2008 (3 years 1 month)

Specialized in health and political reporting.

Includes six months covering the Supreme Court and the nation's capital out of the Chronicle's Washington, DC bureau.

Alexis has 5 recommendations (2 managers, 2 co-workers, 1 partner) including:

Joe H., Director, Public Strategies, Inc.
Meg L., Chief Videographer and Video Coach, Houston Chronicle and Chron.com, Hearst Corporation

Reporter

New Zealand Herald

Public Company; 501-1000 employees; Newspapers industry

September 2003 – December 2003 (4 months)

Wrote hard news and lifestyle stories for the country's largest daily newspaper.

Northwestern University

Master's, Journalism

2004 – 2005

Activities and Societies: Worked in the Chicago newsroom for the Medill News Service; then as an intern in Auckland, NZ, for the New Zealand Herald; and finally in the D.C. newsroom as a correspondent for a North Carolina paper.

Colby College

Bachelor's, Liberal Arts

1999 – 2003

Activities and Societies: Semester abroad in Cameroon (central Africa), Outward Bound internship canoeing through the Florida Everglades, led several wilderness trips for incoming students

Innovator-In-Chief

Socialexis

“Lexi is an innovator in the true sense of the word. She is constantly thinking of new ideas, projects and improvements and putting plans into action. Working with her is a pleasure, her thoughtful feedback has helped me make improvements to my own website and enhanced my social media strategy. She's the type of person who sees the trees and the forest - a unique combination of traits. A gifted writer and social media strategist, Lexi has been a valuable asset to the continual development of my business.” November 9, 2011

Jillian T., Editor, I Should Log Off
was with another company when working with Alexis at Socialexis

“When we were campaigning to free Roxana Saberi from an Iranian prison, Alexis Grant reached out to me on her own offering to help. I asked her to take the lead on the Twitter account @freeroxana and she did an outstanding job with that. Alexis also led the hunger strike effort, which generated a lot of attention and media coverage, further highlighting Roxana’s plight and engaging supporters in expressing their solidarity. Our campaign would not have been as successful if not for the social media and organizing skills that Alexis brought to the team.” July 16, 2010

3^rd Keith K., Keith Kamisugi, Keith Kamisugi
worked directly with Alexis at Free Roxana campaign

Freelance Reporter

Colby Magazine

“Alexis is a thorough reporter and a very good writer. She's thoroughly professional: dependable, accurate, hard working. She has done freelance work for our magazine. I highly recommend her.” February 25, 2010

Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity

Gerry B.
hired Alexis as a Writer/Editor in 2006, and hired Alexis more than once

Careers Editor

U.S. News & World Report

“Alexis is a talented writer who's entrepreneurial spirit, passion for social media, and strategic mind-set give her work a sense of direction. From scratch, she built a community of thousands of readers on Facebook and Twitter for our Careers channel. She's a pleasure to both work with and learn from.” August 23, 2011

3^rd Carson S., Web Analyst, U.S. News & World Report
worked with Alexis at U.S. News & World Report

“Alexis Grant is one of the most creative, driven, and intelligent minds that I have had the opportunity to work with at U.S. News. Her ability to balance a full-time job with her business on the side, without skipping a beat, has inspired me over the past year and I one day hope to be able to carry the load that she does on a daily basis. Many people have come and gone over the past year that I've been at U.S. News but I believe I will miss her work ethic and bubbly personality more than anyone who has passed through these halls. I give my highest recommendation for any job or project that comes her way.” August 22, 2011

3^rd Ryan L., Education Producer, Reporter and Social Strategist, U.S. News & World Report
worked with Alexis at U.S. News & World Report

“Lexi is a fabulous reporter and colleague -- she has many creative ideas and works hard to implement them. I strongly recommend her.” August 20, 2011

3^rd Kimberly P., senior editor, U.S. News & World Report
worked directly with Alexis at U.S. News & World Report

“Lexi is a stellar journalist and covered Careers as part of the U.S. News Money team. She has demonstrated passion for the subject and she "gets" how to give readers good advice.”August 20, 2011

3^rd Chad S., VP, Rankings and Reviews, U.S. News & World Report
worked directly with Alexis at U.S. News & World Report

Freelance Journalist & Blogger

Self-employed

“I turned to Lexi to develop my understanding of modern PR and social media. She delivers high-quality information and strategy insight succinctly, and as a result created value for me in a short amount of time. I plan to use her services again.” April 19, 2012

Top qualities: Great Results, Personable, Expert

Harold A.
hired Alexis as a Writer/Editor in 2012

“Alexis is great to work with. She's devoted to her work, and I appreciate her ability to explore and expand her skills. She's extremely knowledgeable about marketing and social networking too.” February 25, 2010

3^rd Peggy F., Author, Writer, Pet Care Columnist, Guideposts, Chicken Soup for the Soul, others
was with another company when working with Alexis at Self Employed

Reporter

Houston Chronicle

“I've known Alexis for a number of years - first meeting her when she was reporting at the Houston Chronicle. Since then I've followed her career - sometimes in envy, sometimes in awe - as she's bravely said what she was about to do and then she's gone out and done it better than anyone could anticipate. Now that she's in DC running her own independent business, I'd warn the world to watch out. It's going to be big.” August 25, 2011

Joe H., Director, Public Strategies, Inc.
was with another company when working with Alexis at Houston Chronicle

“Alexis is a seasoned reporter with great people skills. She is entrepreneurial, hard-working and talented. She understand the new media landscape and is an expert in social networking tools.” June 23, 2010

Meg L., Chief Videographer and Video Coach, Houston Chronicle and Chron.com, Hearst Corporation
worked directly with Alexis at Houston Chronicle

“Dependable, conscientious, self-motivated, talented and enthusiastic are all adjectives that can be used to describe Alexis. I began working with her when she was a young reporter just starting out in journalism. She learned quickly and soon grew into one of the most prized members of our team.” March 8, 2010

Darlene S., Sunday City Editor / Medical, Science Editor, Houston Chronicle
managed Alexis at Houston Chronicle

“Alexis is a talented, hardworking journalist who earned a reputation at the Houston Chronicle as a detail-oriented self-starter. In addition to having an eye for a good story, she has the initiative to pursue it fully and produces solid work on a consistent basis. She also was a pleasure to work with, maintaining an upbeat attitude even during stressful times and interacting well with co-workers.” February 25, 2010

Burke W., Assistant city editor, Houston Chronicle
managed Alexis at Houston Chronicle

“Alexis is a great reporter and colleague. She is kind, bright and curious. She's a hard worker yet always fun to be around. She writes well and finds smart stories. I can't say enough good things about her, and I wish we still worked together.” February 25, 2010

3^rd Matt S., Reporter, Houston Chronicle
worked directly with Alexis at Houston Chronicle

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