Normally I keep my postings to the PSYOP world, but as we
know, these are not ‘normal times’. As a volunteer for the DOD ESGR I get to
visit units and employers. Sometimes ESGR is on the agenda as a major speaker
and other times we’re a ‘vendor’ like other organizations whose mission it is
to serve veterans.
Last week I had the occasion to attend a “Veteran’s
Resource” event hosted by a major Silicon Valley firm. They might it quite
clear that this was not a job fair, but a place where veterans could learn
skills needed to help land them a job in today’s job market.
Services included resume review, mock interviewing and more.
Before I address LinkedIn and Facebook – I’d like to share
two areas where the military culture sharply diverted from the culture of
Silicon Valley. One of the more recent 20ish veterans shared the following:
Teamwork – in the military we are used to working together
to accomplish a mission and take care of our ‘buddy’. In Silicon Valley I couldn’t believe it when
someone else took credit for my project right in front of me.
Promptness – the military teaches us that timing is critical
and you needed to be counted on to be where you are supposed to be on time.
This individual typically arrived a meeting 15 minutes early only to find that
many colleagues didn’t arrive until 15 minutes AFTER the scheduled start time.
Let me save you a day’s worth of your time: most jobs today
are still based on networking and prospective employers will be checking your
bona fides on LinkedIn while checking your good judgment on Facebook.
LinkedIn is a recruiter’s best friend and you need to be
sure that your LinkedIn profile is optimized. Here are some tips offered by
information security vendor FireEye:
1.
Pick a professional and engaging photo. No
cuteness – no dog.
2.
Make sure your 120 character headline is
accurate and describes what you do in a creative way.
3.
Be certain your e-mail address is correct and is
the one you check the most frequently.
4.
Use the summary to provide some additional
details about yourself, your goals and accomplishments.
5.
Have a credible but not lengthy work history.
Make sure it is in synch with your resume. Don’t go beyond 10 or 12 years.
6.
Get recommendations – they support your
reputation and build credibility.
7.
Join Groups as a way to keep up with your
profession and build credibility.
8.
Be complete to include your education and your
volunteer work.
LinkedIn is for business and FaceBook is a social site. Your
integrity and professionalism are on display – so be sensitive as to what you
post and others post on your page.
Before closing, let’s take a moment and think about our
French colleagues. We and our history owe them a debt.
