Is Your LinkedIn Headshot Dooming Your Job Search

Is Your LinkedIn Headshot Dooming Your Job SearchIs Your LinkedIn Headshot Dooming Your Job Search8The wrong kind of LinkedIn headshot can solidify a negative impression within seconds, before you even have a chance to win them over with your experience and credentials.Lets face the facts a study by The Ladders has found that recruiters spend an average of six seconds per LinkedIn profile- and 19 percent of that time looking at the profile picture. Research on first impressions says that it takes one-tenth of a second to draw conclusions about a person from a photo, and that this process is so automatic its almost impossible to stop.So, what makes a negative LinkedIn photo anyway? According to our experience with PhotoFeeler, heres how to create a solid LinkedIn headshot1. Skip a picture that doesnt project business values.An unprofessional picture is any that fails to put you in a professional light. For instance, if your photo shows you in a baseball jersey in a stadium seat holdin g a foam finger, this says little to nothing about you as a professional. It might project personal values, like loyal or fun, but nothing that translates directly to the workplace.When viewed in a professional context like LinkedIn (rather than a social one like Facebook), a picture like this can backfire into a negative impression like indicating youre not serious, that youre inappropriate, or that youre a goofball.For an appropriate LinkedIn headshot, opt to dress in your industrys business attire against a neutral or blurred-out background. Shoot for business-related values, including smart, organized, or assertive.2. Avoid an unfriendly facial expression (or pretty much any look that isnt a smile).People hire people that they like. And the fastest way to look like someone a hiring manager might want to work with- day in and day out- is to give your LinkedIn photo a simple smile.Now, in case youre not convinced just yet, Ive got to tell you something about the alternative. See, you and I assess non-smiling pictures of ourselves differently than strangers do. The fact is, with the exception of a smile, almost all facial expressions are easily misinterpreted by strangers. So, while you may think the intellectual look in your LinkedIn photo is helping your career, the hiring manager who reads you as smug might disagree.3. Be careful of creepy or shady lighting.fruchtwein people who arent professional photographers highly underestimate the importance of lighting, but this mistake can be downright fatal for your job search. Artificial or scarce lighting is the fastest way to give a recruiter creepy vibes.The easiest way to get flattering light for your LinkedIn photo, aside from hiring a photographer, is to use natural light- ideally from a window. Stand at an angle that gives you even light across your whole face and be aware of whether youre casting harsh shadows behind you, in which case youll want to get farther away from your background.4. Get an unbiased opinion.To be honest, the rules of a great LinkedIn photo arent always incredibly clear-cut. Worse yet, research shows that we cant see photos of ourselves objectively, and feedback that comes from people who already know us isnt much better. (Not including the fact that our friends and family lie to spare our feelings)For quick and easy feedback on your prospective LinkedIn photos, check out PhotoFeeler.com. This takes all the guesswork out of it. Plus, testing photos on PhotoFeeler can help you go beyond just being appropriate for LinkedIn and actually put you ahead of the competition.Readers, which of these tips are most relevant to improving your LinkedIn headshot? Let us know in the commentsAnn Pierce is cofounder and CEO of PhotoFeeler, an easy (and free) way to find out what other people think of your photos before you post them, for business, social, and dating use.

Glassdoors SVP of Product Design on Leading as an Influential Woman in Tech

Glassdoors SVP of Product konzeption on Leading as an Influential Woman in TechGlassdoors SVP of Product Design on Leading as an Influential Woman in Tech Hone your strengths and turn them into superpowers. This is the advice that Annie Pearl gave a ballroom of over 500 women as she accepted her award for the SF Business Times 2019 Most Influential Women in westindischer lorbeer Area Business . As the SVP of Product & Design at Glassdoor, Pearl has certainly followed her own advice and empowered other women in tech to do the same. But it was her signature brand of humor - and dedication to Glassdoor - that caused the entire room to erupt into laughter.And if you happen to work for a bad boss, leave a review on Glassdoor.Its this commitment to mentoring women and workplace transparency that has allowed Pearl to rise the ranks of Glassdoor to be one of the leading women at the nearly 11-year-old company. As a member of the Product team at Glassdoor, we have the pr ivilege of being able to help job seekers around the world navigate this decision and find a job and company they love. It is this mission that makes the work we do every day so valuable.We caught up with Pearl ahead of her big awards night to talk servant leadership, the future of HR tech and what it means to be a woman with influence.Glassdoor How does it feel to be named one of the fruchtwein influential women in westindischer lorbeer Area business?Annie Pearl I am extremely honored to receive this award and humbled to accept it alongside an impressive group of other influential women in Bay Area business. Im parteicularly proud to accept this award on behalf of the Product and Design team as well as the rest of the executive leadership team at Glassdoor. Im grateful for the recognition this brings to the work we do every day to help job seekers and employers around the world.Glassdoor Not only is this is a significant acknowledgment of your work but also of the work that youve done at Glassdoor as an SVP. How has your time and contributions at Glassdoor led up to this moment?Annie Pearl I have the incredible opportunity through my work as the SVP of Product and Design at Glassdoor to help over 60 million job seekers who use our product each month to find a job and company they love as well as help employers around the globe recruit high quality, informed candidates.Through this work, we are able to provide job seekers with transparency and guidance as they evaluate whether a company will be a good fit for them, prepare for an upcoming interview, or negotiate a higher salary. These decisions are some of the most impactful decisions we make that affect our day-to-day lives and livelihood. In parallel, hiring qualified candidates who will thrive at a company is one of the most impactful decisions employers make to build successful organizations.It is this real-life impact of this work we do on the Product and Design team that I am most proud of and has led to this moment.Glassdoor Take us back a bit to the journey that brought you here. How did you come to be SVP of Product and Design at Glassdoor?Annie Pearl Im a Bay Area native who migrated to Southern California for college at Claremont McKenna and then came back up north to Santa Clara for law school. While I was in law school, I worked at a boutique management consulting firm who specialized in working with startups helping them scale during times of rapid growth. Through this experience, I became fascinated with technology and caught the entrepreneurial vorderteil eines schiffs that led me to join the founding team of a financial services startup in 2009 after graduating from law school and passing the California bar.It was at our startup where I started my career in product management and learned all about building a product from the ground up, finding product-market fit, and the power of focus.After four years of leading Product and Design at our startup, I had the opportunit y to join the Product organization at Box in 2012, where I was exposed to a new phase of a companies growth as we scaled through our IPO in 2015 and I learned all about how to evolve a product to meet the needs of larger and larger customers, how to effectively grow a product organization, and create new products for our Enterprise customers.In 2016, I joined Glassdoor where I now lead Product and Design. Over the past 2.5 years, I have been able to apply the learnings from both my startup experience and at Box to help grow and scale our product, team, and company through our acquisition last year by Recruit Holdings.Glassdoor What makes you excited to be a woman in tech today?Annie Pearl What makes me the most inspired to be a woman in tech today is the pace at which women are founding and launching tech companies, becoming partners at Venture Capital firms deploying capital towards women-led startups, and holding executive leadership positions at tech companies.As I think about w omen starting their careers out today, Im excited by the opportunities that these young women will have and for the confidence, I hope they will feel, to pursue a career in tech because they have women role models to look up to across the whole tech ecosystem.We still have a long way to go in terms of closing the gender pay gap and continuing to open up doors for women looking to enter into tech as well as hold leadership positions at tech companies but there is an incredible amount of momentum here and Im optimistic as to the impact this will have on bringing more gender diversity to the whole ecosystem.Glassdoor You have an amazing team of product leaders, designers and extremely talented women in your organization. How has leading a dynamic team of men and women shaped your leadership style?Annie Pearl Im a big believer in servant leadership and view the most important aspects of my role as attracting and hiring a diverse group of highly talented product and design thinkers, set ting the north star vision for where we need to go, and then focusing my energy on doing all I can to support the team in getting there.As part of this style, I look to the dynamic team of men and women in my organization to bring in a diverse set of perspectives, opinions, and experiences to define the strategy and path to achieving this north star vision. I focus on empowering the team to think big, bring in bold ideas, and push the envelope. My hope is that through this style of leadership I am able to foster a culture of innovation through diverse thinking.Glassdoor Youre hiring for product managers and innovators from SF to Chicago. Why should job seekers apply to Glassdoor now?Annie Pearl Deciding where you go to work every day is one of the most important decisions we make in life. After all, the majority of people spend more time at work than they get to spend with their families and friends.As a member of the Product team at Glassdoor, we have the privilege of being able t o help job seekers around the world navigate this decision and find a job and company they love. It is this mission that makes the work we do every day so valuable and why joining the Product and Design team leads to meaningful work.Right now, we are working on some very exciting new products, expanding Internationally, and scaling our Product and Design org across the U.S. If youre looking for an opportunity to learn, grow, and make a big impact, wed encourage you to applyGlassdoor Lastly, what advice would you give women in tech eyeing an SVP title? Any advice to women job applicants or women in tech for success?Annie Pearl I would encourage women in tech looking to grow in their careers to identify their strengths and focus more of their time and energy on how they can hone their strengths to turn them into superpowers and less energy on improving their areas of weakness.We all have areas of growth we shouldnt ignore but I believe you can drive a step function change in career g rowth and effectiveness through figuring out how to best leverage your strengths to your advantage.Id also encourage job applicants or women in tech to optimize more for growth and learning when taking a new role. By taking the opportunities that are going to expose you to new skills and push you out of your comfort zone, you will open up new doors down the road you might bedrngnis have anticipated or didnt even know existed. Im a Lawyer turned product leader and I attribute much of this to being curious, looking for opportunities to learn, and not thinking about my career as a linear line but more of a jungle gym.

How Job Seekers Can Boost Their Communication Skills

How Job Seekers Can Boost Their Communication SkillsHow Job Seekers Can Boost Their Communication SkillsAlmost three-quarters of hiring managers say they offer jobs to candidates who showcase results from previous roles. How good are you at providing evidence, and are you highlighting the right skills? The Career Advisory Boards2014 Job Preparedness Indicator survey is designed to identify gaps between the skills candidates have or are showcasing and the skills employers are looking for to fill available positions. The major finding from the study is that gaps exist within one major area for both entry-level and mid-level candidates. The executive summary states At the entry-level, the greatest gap between what hiring managers are looking for and what candidates are showcasing occurs with the adaptability and written communication skills.It continuesAt the mid-level, the most significant gap between what hiring managers need and what candidates are delivering is again seen in the area of written communication.How to prove youve got exceptional written communication skills Throughout the screening and bewerbungsinterview process, you have many opportunities to demonstrate your writing abilities. Each and every piece of written communication between you and your future employer is a demonstration of your skill level. Yet, not all job seekers take the time necessary to make that valuable and positive first impression.1. Your cover letter andrsummust be error-free.First impressions are lasting impressions. A careless typo in either of these documents can instantly raise a red flag for employers. While not all employers are as discriminating, some will instantly reject candidates for careless errors within either of these documents.Fair or not, the logic is that if you make mistakes on these documents, you will make similar mistakes in written geschftliches miteinander communication as well.2. Email communication counts. Employers use email to ask for more inform ation, request interviews and provide position updates. This vital business communication vehicle is another chance to highlight your strengths in written communication. Your writing should be error-free and concise but complete. The tone should be more formal than if you were emailing a friend.When you respond to an employers email, review it and make sure you have addressed any questions or requests for information. As tempting as it is to respond as quickly as possible, avoid replying too hastily, and always double check your work. Timeliness is important, but not at the sake of accuracy or completeness.3. Show samples of work. The best evidence of writing skills are samples you purposefully call attention to. Unfortunately, most academic papers do not supply the same skills required in business writing. Avoid sharing your 50-page report on how Napoleon overtook Europe. Do include your case study summary, your recent business book review or even the summary of key points from a p rofessional meeting you attended. Blogging is another way to highlight your writing skills.If you dont have anything like this to show, you can develop a mock or sample similar to what you would write within your future job. In the meantime, look for volunteer opportunities and projects that will enable you to enhance and showcase your writing skills.How to improve your writing Do you think you may need to take steps to improve your written communication? Here are three universal pieces of advice to improve how you write1. Address your readers needs. The best way to ensure you understand the employers needs is by thoroughly reviewing the job posting and, if possible, speaking with people inside the company who are familiar with the role. Take a highlighter and mark the important skills required or requested. Make sure yourrsumand cover letter address as many of these elements as possible.This is also a great time tonote whether or not you are a fit for the role. The basic rule of th umb is that you should possess more than 60 percent of the required skills to consider yourself initially qualified.2. Write clearly so your reader understands what you are saying. It can be difficult to convey all the intricacies of a project into a single sentence on yourrsum. Conquer this by filtering out nonessential details, and focus on the specific details you know the employer is looking for.Also, avoid using jargon or terminology thats unique to a past employer or project. For example, instead of saying you were troubleshooting the Exterra MBS500, refer to it in generic terms, like electronic scanning component. Let the job description be your guide for determining which words or terms your reader will understand.3. Always proof your work. Review your work toavoid careless mistakes. You can try some of these tricks from Grammarly, an ansprechbar spell and grammar checking application, to improve your editing skillsPut your work aside, and come back to it later. That way, it will sound new when you read it again. Review what you wrote in a different format. So, for example, print your work if youve been viewing it electronically. Read your work out loud. Start reviewing your work with the last paragraph or sentence and move to the first paragraph.Hannah Morganwrites and speaks on career topics and job search trends on her blogCareer Sherpa. She co-authored Social Networking for Business Success, and has developed and delivered programs to help job seekers understand how to look for work better.