Give Your Employees Kudos on LinkedIn – Michael Guta

On By marketingscoopsIn Business Hacks, Business/Customer Care, Content Marketing, Linkedin Business Tools, Linkedin Study/StrategyLeave a comment

Recognizing your employees for what they do has a bigger impact than most owners or managers may realize. LinkedIn is addressing this very issue with a new feature it calls Kudos so you can show your appreciation to everyone with whom you work.

The simple act of saying thank you goes a long way to making your employees feel valued, and forgetting to say it or to show your appreciation can have the opposite effect. So much so it can cost your company money.

For small businesses, it becomes even more important because retaining employees is that much harder, especially in today’s highly competitive tight labor market. The LinkedIn Kudos application makes it easier and a good practice.

LinkedIn Product Manager, Hermes Alvarez, writing on the LinkedIn Official Blog, explains:

“Saying thank you and recognizing others is also something we see happening frequently on LinkedIn, so we wanted to make it even easier for you to give a shout-out to those that make a difference in your week. With LinkedIn Kudos, you now have a fun and easy way to share your appreciation for people in your professional community.”

Sending Your Appreciation via LinkedIn Kudos

There are 10 different categories you can choose from including Thank You, Going above and beyond, Team Player and more. To use the app, Alvarez says you simply:

Open your LinkedIn app on iOS or Android,
Tap the ribbon icon in the share box at the top of your feed,
Pick one or more connections to whom you want to send kudos,
Select one of the 10 kudos categories available, including “Team Player,” “Amazing Mentor,” or “Inspirational Leader,”
Then simply post to share your kudos with the person or people you selected,
Your team members will receive a notification letting them know about the shout-out and will see it in their feeds.

How Important is Recognizing the People You Work With?

According to the Harvard Business Review, one of the easiest things you can do as a boss is recognizing great work. In a study cited by the publication, 87% of employees at companies with strong recognition practices report a good relationship with their direct manager compared to just 51% at companies lacking these practices.

As it gets much harder to find the best talent in today’s labor market, small business owners must do all they can to ensure their employees stay for as long as possible. Using the LinkedIn Kudos application to show appreciation for a job well done is one of the ways to approach this.

If everyone who read the articles and like it, that would be favorable to have your donations – Thank you.

LinkedIn Internal AI Academy Could Be Model For Firms Plagued By Tech Talent Shortage

On By marketingscoopsIn Content Marketing, Linkedin Business Tools, Linkedin Study/StrategyLeave a comment

Professional social networking giant LinkedIn is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) in every product that it creates to personalize the product for every user. However, the company has faced a common challenge in its technological pursuits: A lack of skilled talent.li

To address this problem, the company on Wednesday announced the LinkedIn AI Academy: An internal training program with the goal of teaching engineers, product managers, and other employees the skills they need to develop strong AI products for users.

The AI Academy includes a number of courses targeted to different job roles and business needs, according to a LinkedIn blog post. For example, engineers will take a course called AI200, “Building an AI Product from End-to-End,” which will consist of five one-day-per-week classes. It will also involve a one-month apprenticeship with the company’s core AI team, so engineers can put their new knowledge into practice.

SEE: IT leader’s guide to the future of artificial intelligence (Tech Pro Research)

Meanwhile, product managers and company executives will take a one-day, deep-dive course focusing on specific knowledge needed to manage AI products, the post said, with the goal of learning which problems can be solved using AI, and which cannot.

As noted by our sister site ZDNet, LinkedIn’s motivation for launching the AI academy traces back to the Silicon Valley talent wars. With a shortage of skilled workers in many areas of tech, companies should consider looking to internal training to develop the talent needed for digital transformation and other projects. Some companies have looked to cross-training internal IT and other staff to fill cybersecurity gaps, for example. This can be a cost-effective way to ensure that you are developing workers with the right skills for your specific company.

In a similar fashion, Google recently released a free, 15-hour machine learning crash course that was initially developed to train employees. If LinkedIn’s effort proves successful, it may be evidence that other companies should follow suit.

In particular, if your company is struggling to find talent in high-demand areas such as software development, cybersecurity, and DevOps, it may be worth considering building your own training program, or hiring a consultant to help you do so. This could be an especially good choice for companies with smaller budgets, or those located away from major tech hubs.

linkedin specialist In LinkedIn’s program, the instructors are all AI experts from LinkedIn’s core AI team, the post noted. The first cohort of participants from LinkedIn Engineering are currently completing coursework. Depending on their experience level, some may complete the program with an AI product that is ready to integrate into their team’s production workflow.

LinkedIn plans to extend the AI Academy to employees that work with others who use AI, such as sales people who work with tech clients, and recruiters who work with LinkedIn Engineering, according to the post. The method of democratizing tech knowledge could be very useful in security, potentially lowering the risk posed by non-technical employees.

“We aren’t trying to turn every engineer into an AI Ph.D with this program—that would be impossible,” the post said. “Instead, we are opening up the AI toolbox to all of our engineers, so that they can more easily incorporate AI into their day-to-day work.”

The courses will also include curriculum on ethical approaches to AI, the post noted, such as choosing data training without bias.

LinkedIn’s goal is to scale AI across the entire company, according to the post. The AI Academy will give all employees a common language with AI specialists to facilitate further collaboration in the space. The company is also considering making the courses part of the onboarding process for all new employees.

The big takeaways for tech leaders:

LinkedIn launched an AI Academy to teach employees the skills the need to develop strong AI products for users.
More companies may want to consider internal training programs to fill tech talent gaps.

More about artificial intelligence

LinkedIn Layout Changes and Feature Updates: What Marketers Need to Know

On By marketingscoopsIn Content Marketing, Linkedin Business Tools, Linkedin Study/StrategyLeave a comment

The most identifiable changes to LinkedIn are in your profile. Your headshot has shifted to the left-hand side rather than centered on your profile. Because your background image is no longer obstructed by your headshot, you have more open space to work with, even though the size of the background photo is the same (1584 x 396 pixels).

Your profile photo sits about 50 pixels from the left on the desktop version, so move any important information (a logo, mission statement, contact info, etc.) out of that area of your background image so it’s not covered up. With the extra space to work with, you can design a background image that reflects your website branding or add a quote, testimonial, or call to action.

Even if you don’t have the new profile look yet, you may want to update your background image anyway. Anyone in your network who has received the update will see your profile the new way.

To upload a new background image, click the pencil icon in the intro section. In the Edit Intro dialog box, click the pencil icon again. Now you can upload or change your background image and adjust settings. When you’re finished, click Apply.

#2: More Summary Text Displays Before the See More Link

The Introduction section of your profile also received a makeover. Your professional headline is now off to the left. Plus, important information such as your current experience, education, connections, and contact info is once again in the introduction.

If you haven’t updated this section in a while, make sure it includes the most current information, and that your websites are accurate and in the right order. Here’s a tip for customizing your website info: When you add a URL, choose the Other option in the drop-down list. You’ll then see a new field where you can name or describe your website.

The character count before the Show More link in the Summary section increased from 200 to 300 characters. Use the additional characters to engage your readers and give them a reason to click Show More.

For instance, ask and answer a common question you get from clients and prospects, or address a pain point your audience has (and explain how you can solve it). Focus on your key prospects and how you can help or serve them.

#3: 6 Pieces of Media Can Feature in Your Summary

Six pieces of media now show in your Summary experience (even when it’s collapsed), compared to two pieces of media in the old interface design. Be sure to add media like blog posts, PDFs of brochures, video testimonial links, product demonstrations, checklists, SlideShare presentations, or your portfolio. These items add value and show off your expertise.

Remember, your LinkedIn profile is a resource, not a résumé. The ability to add more content and media makes it a better resource.

#4: Native Video Comes to Company Pages

Native video is now available on company pages. You upload and share it the same way as native video in your personal profile timeline. Just go to your page on desktop, click the camera icon, and upload your video. (Company pages are not yet available on mobile, so desktop is the only option.)

In most cases, your company page represents your business rather than you as an individual. With this feature, you can include the same kind of video content you already have on your website. Upload your About Us video, product demonstrations, and video testimonials natively to LinkedIn, because native video gets more visibility.

When adding and describing your video, you can use up to 1,300 characters in the update and be sure to add hashtags. You may also want to pin your video to the top of your page.

Promote Your Video

One of the huge benefits of having video on your company page is that you can sponsor it, helping you reach new audiences above and beyond your followers. Sponsoring a video is similar to sponsoring a post through your company page.

To get started, click on Sponsor Now to access your Campaign Manager. Choose your company and click Create Campaign.

On the Choose an Ad Product page, select Promote Your Content With Targeted Native Advertising.

Next, name your campaign and choose an objective. For videos, you’ll either want to drive traffic to your website or content, or get video views.

For the ad format, select Create a Video Ad to Engage Your Target Audience.

Next, either create a new video or select an existing video from your company page.

The final step is to choose your audience and pay for your ads.

Native video was initially only available on your profile, so you were limited to sharing it with your own network. Native video on your company page allows you to choose your ideal audience so you can extend your reach.

#5: GIFs Integrate With Messaging

Now you can use GIFs in messages you send via the LinkedIn mobile app. On desktop, though, they’re accessible only when you reply to a message.

I’ve found using GIFs particularly effective with an active status. When I see someone who has the green active status icon in their messenger, I’m more likely to send a GIF to break the ice and say hi.

Be careful with this new feature, though. Remember, this is LinkedIn and it’s your professional social network. GIFs can show your lighter side and be a great conversation starter. However, you need to know your audience. Not everyone will appreciate your screaming cat GIF.

#6: Find Nearby Supports In-Person Networking

The Find Nearby feature uses beacon technology on your mobile app to find LinkedIn members who are near your location. This feature only works when you and the other person have the feature turned on.

You must have Bluetooth turned on to enable this feature. Open your LinkedIn mobile app and tap the My Network tab at the bottom of the screen. At the top of the page, tap on Find Nearby and then follow the prompts to enable it.

Find Nearby is particularly helpful at conferences, trade shows, or in a busy office building. You can even try it out at the airport or on an airplane. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve found out after the fact that I was in the same city or airport as a prospect whom I didn’t have the opportunity to meet.

Conclusion

Recent changes to LinkedIn allow you to show more of your background image, put more parts of your profile front and center, and share more of your personality via GIFs. Use these new features to enhance your LinkedIn presence to increase visibility and opportunities.

What do you think? Do you have the new LinkedIn profile layout? Have you started using the new features? Please share your thoughts in the comments.

By Viveka von Rosen May 9, 2018

Here is How LinkedIn Can Turn Your Waiting Time to Money Time

On By marketingscoopsIn Business Assistance/Consultant, Business Assistant Tool, Business Hacks, business News, Content Marketing, Linkedin Business ToolsLeave a comment

Picture yourself a few minutes early for an appointment with a client or someone who might be able to help you get a great new job. You’re sitting in your car or hanging out in their lobby or waiting room.

What is the highest and best use of that few minutes prior to your meeting?

I suggest it’s using LinkedIn’s free and recently improved mobile app to check out the network of the person you’re meeting and look for people you’d like to get introduced to.

Here’s how it works:

Open your LinkedIn mobile app.

Type in the search box the title(s) of the people you’re most interested in finding. If you have multiple titles, you need to put an OR in between the titles, and the OR needs to be in all caps.

Once you receive your search results, choose People and then Filters.

Choose the Connections of filter option, and enter the name of the person you’re waiting to meet in the search box that appears.

Caveat: To do this, you have to be connected to the person you’re going to be meeting with.

Next, click the big, blue Apply button at the bottom of your screen, and LinkedIn will give you a list of that person’s connections who have the title you requested.

You can also go back to Filters and add additional filters to your existing search, including location, current companies, past companies, industries or schools.

Caveat: If your connection has chosen to hide their first-level network from their connections, you’ll only be able to see people to whom both of you are connected.

Scroll through the list and look for two or three of the most interesting people. Then mention those people at your upcoming meeting, and see if they’d be willing to introduce you to them.

This is like flipping through the person’s Rolodex (I’m dating myself), Outlook, or wherever they keep track of their friends prior to your meeting. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you just how valuable this could be.

So stop wasting time while waiting for people. Pull up your LinkedIn mobile app and start searching for people who can help you move your business and career forward.

The 5 Best Tips From ‘The LinkedIn Guide To Getting Hired In 2018’

On By marketingscoopsIn Article Marketing, Business Assistant Tool, Business For Beginers, Business Hacks, business News, Content Marketing, Graduation Issues, Hiring Jobs, Linkedin Business Tools, Local Sales MarketingLeave a comment

It is commencement season, and graduates all over the country and cramming for finals, packing their bags and preparing to embark on an exciting new chapter of their lives. As graduates consider their next step, they have a lot of questions they need to answer: What job do they want? Where do they want to live? What job is a good fit for their major? What are their salary expectations?

LinkedIn, a top recruitment and networking website, compiled a report on the 2016-2017 graduates researching where they landed professionally, geographically and fiscally. With more graduates than ever before, the job market is increasingly competitive and graduates need to be as knowledgable and prepared as possible. There are over one million entry-level jobs posted on Linkedin at this moment, so here are a few tips to help graduates land their dream job this summer:

1. Apply Now

The highest entry-level hire rate is April through June, so start polishing your resume and cover letters now, then apply! If you already have a summer internship lined up, August is also a good time to apply.

2. Update Your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn is one of the leading job search and recruitment websites in the world, it is a resume that also gives users room to show some of their personality. If you haven’t created a profile, it’s another avenue to put yourself out there, and makes it incredibly easy to apply to jobs posted on the site. Here are some good tips for making your profile stand out.

3. Make Sure To Include Soft Skills And Digital Literary On Your Resume And LinkedIn Profile

Many of the graduates that got hired last year listed soft skills and their digital literacy in their LinkedIn profile and resume. These are the top 10 skills of grads that got hired last year accordin

4. Where Companies Are Hiring

The top 10 cities hiring graduates in 2018

According to the guide, the 10 cities hiring the most entry-level professionals are: New York City, NY, San Francisco, CA, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, CA, Chicago, IL, Boston, MA, Dallas/Fort Worth, TX, Atlanta, GA, Austin, TX and Seattle, WA. If you are unsure what career path you want to take, or do not know the best place to apply for jobs in your desired industry, read the rest of the guide here.

5. Small Businesses Create The Most Jobs

Many large firms dominate metropolitan areas in recruitment, but small businesses post more entry-level roles than any other size company. So if you’re looking to work for a smaller company, you are in luck. They may not always be the easiest job postings to find, but if you keep looking you will find the job and company size you are looking for.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Frances Bridges Contributor

I’m a twenty something freelance journalist, writer and blogger in New York City. I write about everything I’ve done wrong as a twenty something woman here in the trenches. Take my advice at your own risk.

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