When I graduated from Brown (2000), I was promised the world. I had just completed four years at one of the most expensive schools in the country. It stands to reason, I reasoned, that my career would be a reflection of the investment I had put into school. “The world is yours!” they seemed to say as they sent me my first financial aid bill. Boy was I wrong! After two layoffs in a row and then rebuilding myself from the gro...

On LinkedIn profiles, 100% isn’t complete anymore. With several new sections added, just filling out your basics is no longer good enough. LinkedIn has recently rolled out the new Improve Your Profile Tool, which takes its users beyond the well-known profile elements to have a much richer display of professional information. Of the new sections to your profile, pay particular attention to these four: Skills Certif...

I don’t really consider myself an HR person. I like to think I’m a practical technologist. However, I do occasionally attend HR-related training. Yesterday was one such occasion and inevitably, I had a shock. The discussion moved from hiring techniques to LinkedIn photos. Many of the folks in the room agreed that LinkedIn photos should be professional. No argument there. But someone told us a story that made us all cringe....

Sometimes, there is nothing wrong with defining who you are based on NOT being someone else. Let me explain. When I was in high school, I didn’t really stand out. Despite how hard I tried. Grew my hair long, dyed it green. Whatever it was I tried, it didn’t really work. I was still the quiet, unremarkable white kid in the back of the class. Then, one day the loud speaker announced, “Will Joshua Waldron please come to the pr...

If you are big into personal effectiveness then you are familiar with Steven Covey’s 2nd Habit: Begin With the End in Mind. Actually, this principle extends far beyond the realm of self-help and into all aspects of our lives. A Sculpture is first conceived of in the mind of the artists, and then emerges from the stone. A symphony is first heard in the mind of the composer, and then written to the score. Likewise, in your ef...

1. Google Has Replaced the RésuméRecruiters are now using Google and LinkedIn searches to find talent, instead of paying for job-board or talent databases, like they used to do. In fact, many companies are even mandating that every new application go through a Google screening process. So that means the first page of your Google results matter much more than they ever did before.The problem is that what Google delivers on a...

Last week, I received an info interview request from a total stranger as a direct message on LinkedIn. And despite my very busy schedule, I decided to take his call. Over the weekend, I asked myself, “Why did I agree”?Let’s take his email apart and put it into 4 essential elements so that you can use them in your own LinkedIn communications.First, here’s the email I got over LinkedIn from J. :Hi Joshua,I noticed that we are...

Desperation can make us do strange things. If you’ve ever been laid off, you may recall those first few weeks of shock and disbelief.Then questions arise such as, “how am I going to pay my bills?” or “what’s going to happen to me?”The anxiety sets in.And it’s at this point that you’re the most vulnerable to making a bad career mistake. All of the great stuff you’ve learned about managing your career goes out the window. And...

Imagine you are at a job fair. You have 10 copies of your resume, and 50 business cards. You are ready to network! However, about half way through the aisles you begin to run out of materials. So you’re more selective about who you give your information to. Then you begin to wonder what those companies are actually going to do with your card or resume…will they be tossed away or lost in the pile of hundreds of other ones...

There are those talking about personal branding who are nothing more than ego-maniacs used to leading their high-school click. Personal branding is NOT the same as being the center of attention or creating a cult of your own personality.In fact, a good brand is quite the opposite. Let me explain what I mean.Your Personal Brand, their EmotionsThink about Steve Jobs. What emotions come to your head...I think: “innovative,” “p...