(Read full article and more tips here.)

1. LinkedIn is a professional website. LinkedIn was created to connect professionals in online networking; Facebook was not. Although both services have evolved to include elements of each other, they do still remain true to their original purpose, and LinkedIn excels at presenting a professional front.

2. Your college professors might actually use LinkedIn. Although some colleges take a lax approach to social media, many still frown on Facebook connections between students and professors. But on LinkedIn, connections are typically seen as a positive thing, opening you up to the resources that your professors can share with you, including positive recommendations.

3. LinkedIn users log in with a purpose. While on Facebook, you may be surfing to find out about the latest cat video or your friend’s wedding photos, but LinkedIn tends to lead to a more task-driven visit. Users log in to check out job and collaboration opportunities, people to hire, and relevant industry news.

4. You’re more likely to get a recommendation on LinkedIn. A recommendation on either LinkedIn or Facebook is a great way to put your best foot forward, but you’re simply more likely to land one on LinkedIn. Recent stats show that 36% of LinkedIn users make a recommendation, compared to 27% of Facebook users. LinkedIn also has a 57% interested recommendation response, compared with 42% on Facebook (see more stats and source here.)

5. LinkedIn is a great place to showcase your unpaid work. Even if you haven’t been hired for a job in your life, chances are you’ve volunteered or done an internship before graduation. LinkedIn is specifically designed to help you showcase this experience

6. You’re more likely to get hired on LinkedIn. In a recent comparison of job search markers on Facebook and LinkedIn, LinkedIn beat Facebook handily in every category. The most interesting and revealing, however, was social employee hires, with LinkedIn earning 73% and Facebook at a low 22% (more stats and source here).

7. Recruiters are more likely to share applications on LinkedIn. Facebook and LinkedIn are both experiencing growth in applications shared on their sites. But LinkedIn stands out for the number of candidates who actually apply. You can expect recruiters to go where the interest is, which clearly rests with LinkedIn.

Want more? Check out the article here.

General Phone & Skype Tips

• Be succinct. It’s hard to pick up on non-verbal cues in these situations. Don’t babble and stop yourself when you’ve answered the question completely.
• Get rid of distractions. Make sure that you’re in a secure, quiet place where you won’t be interrupted. Lock your door or put a sign on the outside to let your roommates know you are not to bothered during that time.
• Don’t sound sleepy. Wake up an hour before your interview. People can tell if you just woke up and it sounds unprofessional. Call a friend and talk for a few minutes to get your voice ready.

Skype Interviews

• Avoid technical difficulties. Double – no, triple check your Internet connection before your interview begins. Make sure that your speakers and microphone work. Call a friend on Skype and do a sound and picture check.
• Know proper web cam etiquette. Look at the camera and not the screen so that you are making eye contact. Sit up straight. Don’t sit too close to the camera. Use the camera to check out what you look like on screen before the call so you know how they’ll view you.

Phone Interviews

• Stand up and smile. According to career trainer Frankie Picasso, “When you stand up, there is more energy in your voice and the physical act of smiling makes you instantly sound friendlier and relaxed.” Personally, I like to pace slowly when I talk on the phone and I feel it gives me a more natural and confident tone of voice.
• Don’t drive (or eat or read … ) & interview! The best thing about a phone interview is that you can have your notes out in front of you. Take advantage of that! Also, you should be fully focused on the task at hand.
• Go hands-free. Use a headset so that you are free to take notes or gesture as normally would. This will help you sound more comfortable and natural.

Article summary. Read original article here.

Just kidding about the pants thing.

But, really, almost everyone can remember a situation in which they felt that they should be making conversation and meeting people, but they were overcome by shyness. While totally understandable, that shyness can actually be a major obstacle to achieving your career goals. Throughout your college career and life after LU you’ll find yourself in many potential networking situations, and you’ll need to get over that fear of getting out of your comfort zone so you can talk to people.

Of course, this is easier said than done, so here are some tips to help you feel more comfortable breaking the ice.

1. Be fearless. This one may sound obvious but it works. Walk up to someone, stick out your hand, introduce yourself, ask them about what they do, then shut up.  People love to talk about themselves – so let them. Also, being quiet means you don’t have to steer the conversation and let them take the lead.

2. Be well-read. Knowing what’s going in the industry or discipline you’re interested in can provide you with topics to discuss when you first meet someone or to bring up when you experience a lull in a conversation. Also, (on top of the inherent value of knowing about your field) being well-informed is an impressive quality and can help you stand out.

3. Initiate something. If you want to learn more about someone or what they do, there’s only so much you can get from your first meeting, especially if it’s in a room full of people. Suggest meeting in person for coffee or lunch in a less busy setting, which will help your ideas flow more smoothly and make you both more comfortable.

4. Follow-up within 24 hours. Don’t just throw someone’s card in the bottom of your bag and forget about it. That would be wasting your contact. Getting in touch with people quickly shows that you’re serious about pursuing the relationship you’ve formed. An email message works fine, but a handwritten note can be even nicer.

5. If the conversation isn’t going well, release the person. You can always excuse yourself if they have lost interest or there isn’t any rapport building. Say something like, “Well, it was nice meeting you and we should both probably mingle a little more. Thanks again for chatting!” and then let them go. You don’t want to be a clingy networker that doesn’t allow the people they’re talking to to leave. Plus, the point is to meet as many people as you can, so you might as well move on to the next person.

Hopefully following some of these tips can help you feel more comfortable striking up conversations with new people and honing your networking skills!

Tips summarized from here.

A recent study has shed some light on what recruiters pay attention to during the brief time they look at your resume.

Using a technique called “eye tracking,” researchers at TheLadders examined the eye movements of 30 professional recruiters when looking at resumes during a 10-week period. The results showed that recruiters spend an average of six seconds on a resume before they make the initial decision about whether a candidate fits the organization or not.

In that short time, recruiters look at  your name, your current position start and end dates, previous title and company, previous position start and end dates, and education.

The two resumes shown here display heat maps of the recruiters’ eye movements. The one on the right was looked at more thoroughly because of it’s clear formatting.

Facebook responded to this article by posting a note explaining that the practice of sharing or soliciting profile passwords is a violation of Facebook’s Statement of Rights and Responsibilities, and that they do not think asking prospective employees to provide their passwords “is the right thing to do” (see the note here).

But isn’t the information on social networking sites fair game to employers? Not at all, according to many groups, including government officials and the ACLU, who have responded to the news of this practice with outrage. They say that using this information is a violation of applicants’ privacy and that asking for it during the application process may be coercive.

The use of social media to vet potential employees and others who may be associated with an organization has also taken additional forms. Even if employers do not ask applicants for their passwords, it has become fairly common for them to check out candidates’ public profiles during the evaluation process (check out the infographic for details). Additionally, college and job recruiters may use third-party agencies or ask applicants to “friend” them so that they can keep an eye on potential students’ and workers’ profiles (check out an article on the practice from October, 2011 here).

Before you panic, remember that you may not be asked for this information. In fact, a post on a US News and World Report blog says that it is very unlikely that you will be. Whether or not you are asked for information you feel is private during an interview, there are a few take away messages from this story. First, remember to protect your privacy. If you are uncomfortable about what you are being asked or feel like you are being violated or coerced, do something about it – do not count on someone else to look out for your privacy rights. And, second, be careful about what you show certain people. This does not mean that you have to constantly censor yourself or monitor your online presence, but you should know who can see what information and be comfortable with all of your online profiles’ privacy settings.

Set goals. No, I don’t just mean the obvious goal of getting job. When you’re searching for a position it’s important to have quantifiable, defined goals so you can stay on the right track. This may mean that you want to check a certain number job-posting websites per day or send out so many resumes to employers per week. Taking these steps and keeping track of what you’ve done can also help keep you from feeling discouraged.

Pay attention to quality over quantity. While it’s important to get your resume out to a fair number of prospective employers, remember that it is also vital to send documents that you’re proud of – as these are the first introduction to you that employers will get. This means that should tweak your resume and cover letter a little bit so that they are relevant to each position for which you apply.

Follow up with employers you’ve contacted. Once you’ve updated your documents and sent them out, be sure to follow up on them a week or two later if you haven’t heard much in response. Doing so can show employers that you really are interested in the position you applied for and can keep you on their radar if your resume was accidently pushed to the bottom of the stack.

Keep Reading. When you’re looking for employment, it can be easy to feel like you are getting left behind as the industry moves forward. Be sure to keep up to date on what is going on in the discipline or with organizations you’re interested in by reading current journal articles and newspapers. Showing that you’re aware of current events during your interviews will also demonstrate to employers that you have initiative and are dedicated to working in a particular field.

And, finally, get out of the house. Sometimes working hour after hour on finding and applying for jobs can make you feel cut off from the outside world. If you’re feeling stuck in a rut, grab your laptop and head to a coffee shop for a change in scenery, or work for a couple of hours at your local public library. Doing so can help you stay fresh and productive. This can be a long process but it’s important that you keep at it!

Good Luck!