Like LinkedIn? Or is it a waste of our collective time?

Optimize your potential on Social Media's Safe Place. #empoweryourself #coaching

Not quite sure if LinkedIn is actually helpful in your career refresh? Experiment with up leveling your profile. A strategic plan of attack can attract recruiters and present a more polished personal brand-

ARE YOU VISIBLE?

Almost 95% of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for candidates, but most job seekers are overlooking this valuable opportunity.

If you’re like many professionals, you probably created a profile and occasionally go back to add more connections. However, there is so much more you can do with this platform to advance your career.

Take charge of your future and attract more attention from potential employers. Try these tips for designing and using your LinkedIn profile.

Designing your LinkedIn Profile:

1. Edit your headline. Start by writing a specific headline. Tell employers what value you add and make them want to learn more. Keep your audience in mind and avoid technical terms that may be unfamiliar to them.

2. Update your summary. Your summary is where you can add more details and showcase your achievements. Provide statistics to describe your impact. Add multimedia attachments like videos and work samples to help you stand out.

3. Choose your photo. Pick an image that looks professional and clear. Focus on your face and use flattering natural light.

4. Add keywords. Help recruiters and automated search tools to find you. Browse through job descriptions and resumes for keywords that are popular in your field and include them in your profile, including the headline and summary.

5. Choose your URL. LinkedIn gives your profile a URL, but you can change it to something that you like better or might work more effectively for you. If your name is already taken, use a

slight variation with your middle initial or hometown.

6. Welcome recruiters. Is your profile visible to recruiters? Go into your privacy settings to be sure that you’ve opted to let them know that you want to hear from them. You’ll need to reset this switch every few months if you’re still looking.

7. Be consistent. Your resume is usually written for a specific opening while your profile is a more general statement. Still, you want them to be similar enough to avoid causing any confusion.

8. Check the meter. LinkedIn provides a profile strength meter to help you rate yourself. It will give you helpful recommendations about additional steps you can take, such as adding more information about volunteer work and foreign languages.

Using your LinkedIn Profile:

1. Gather recommendations and endorsements. Recruiters want to know what others say about you. Ask former employers and other contacts for recommendations. Use your endorsements to advertise skills that are in high demand. If you’re generous about helping others, they’ll be more likely to return the favor.

2. Write and publish. Share your knowledge and insights on the LinkedIn publishing platform. Develop a content strategy and use a calendar that will remind you to publish regularly.

3. Join groups. Look for groups in your subject area and participate actively. Post articles and answer questions. Avoid any temptation to over-promote yourself. 4. Monitor your connections. Stay on the lookout for valuable connections to add to your network. Send them personal invitations that will make a positive impression.

5. Encourage others. Think of LinkedIn as a community where you can exchange ideas and support. Comment on posts from other users and share them with your own connections.

6. Be discreet. While you’re working to raise your visibility, keep in mind that there may be times when you want to keep your job-hunting activities off view from your current boss and HR department. Change your privacy settings so you can control what information you want to make public.

Optimizing your LinkedIn profile can make it easier for others to find you and help you reach your professional goals. You’ll increase your job satisfaction, and you’ll probably spend less time on the unemployment line.

POWER MANTRA

What is holding you BACK? Why are you not narrating your own story?

What is Holding you BACK?

This is a great tool in which you can say daily. Put it by your bedside--and before reaching for that phone-grab this -make it your intention. Personalize it-Stylize it-Make this a reflection of what your soul aches for.

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Acknowledge YOUR Power

I break free from the habits that are holding me back. I let go of old baggage and open up new opportunities.

I challenge my self-limiting beliefs. I distinguish between facts and feelings. When I start to question my abilities, I remember my past achievements.

I face my fears. Each time I do something that scares me, I build my confidence and reduce my anxiety.

I acknowledge my power. I am the only one who can narrate my story.

I know that I can change any area of my life if I am willing to work at it.

I forgive others and myself.

I feel lighter and happier when I stop replaying the past. If someone lets me down, I wish them well and move on. I learn from my experiences instead of regretting them.

I manage stress. I relax my body and mind with yoga and meditation. I take a warm bath or listen to soft music. I reach out to others when I need help. I rely on the anchors in my life who remind me of my strength and authenticity

I think positive. I focus on what I have to gain. I decide to be happy and cheerful.

I live authentically. I take pride in being an excellent version of me instead of comparing myself to others. I put my own principles and priorities ahead of external expectations. I celebrate my unique strengths and talents.

Today, I free myself from judgements and false limitations. I go beyond my comfort zone and experience new adventures.

Self-Reflection Questions:

THE BIG WHY? Why are you right here? Right now? Right in this space?

What is holding you back?

How have you narrated your life up to this point?

3 Words That Changed My Life

Thoughts are Optional. I will say it AGAIN.

THOUGHTS ARE OPTIONAL.

These 3 simple words have the power to alter your life. How do I have the audacity to stand on my soap box, with my megaphone in hand and claim that these words will create profound change in your life? Because it will. Period.

By breaking down this relatively simple concept into small, bite size pieces it will make it easier to digest the over all profundity of the 3 words. By understanding that you have the innate choice of how you respond and process a situation can shift a bad day at the office to productive day learning how to nuance challenging conversations with colleagues. (LIFE SKILL--SCORE) With a snap of the fingers- you can go from having a bad day at work to a day of personal growth.

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EXAMPLE 1: UNDERSTANDING WHAT A NUETRAL EVENT IS AND HOW TO REFRAME THIS EVENT

* A neutral event is just that. Neutral. One with out meaning. We as humans attach our own meaning to these neutral events. What if we have the power to actually change the meaning of an event? Well We Do. Read on.

NEUTRAL EVENT EXAMPLE 1 = DIRTY DISHES

Let's pull the proverbial curtain of my life back and examine a neutral event.

Example 1. Let's call this MOM CRAZINESS. Or better yet, let's call this example:

"A day in the life of Julie Lokun"

I come home from a meeting and there is a stack of dishes in the sink. Before I left the house, I had scrubbed a stack of sticky, syrupy breakfast plates and tucked them away into their proper place in the cabinets. And after 8 hours of work, I arrive home to be greeted by those exact same dishes piled high in the sink-like they are waiting for another soapy bath from me. This time, however there is a thick residue of peanut butter coating each dish. I huff and clench my jaw. My mind goes directly too- "Those little, ungrateful, selfish boys". Cortisol is released ten-fold as I am on the verge of tears. "I do everything for those boys and this is what I get!" I stomp upstairs, lock the door and lament on the trials of motherhood. But what do my words and thoughts really mean? What does this intense,

body- convulsing anger really project? Anger, on it's face, is a secondary emotion. Meaning anger does not take grip of your soul by itself--it's origins stem from another feeling, like sadness. Typically, a mentally intact human does not just get angry for no reason.

"Anger as a secondary emotion arises from such feelings of unworthiness, sadness or frustration, just to name a few. "

The words that I profess in agitation towards the humans I birthed -relatively recently, (and I mean there was a lot of pain involved in their births) are stemming from the neutral event making me feel un loved.

"They don't care about me". Those children who sometimes are brimming with hugs and laughter and inquisitive ponderings-just don't give a crap about this woman who works her butt off, chauffeurs them to and fro, periodically cooks award-winning meals and loves them to death--AND they just don't care about me".

We have the ability to chose our thoughts. We, as humans have the POWER to look at any situation and attach thoughts to that event. Again THOUGHTS ARE OPTIONAL.

So let us revisit the experience I had with the dishes, I attached this event with my personal meaning that I am unloved. That I do not matter. What if I attached the following thoughts instead?

"Wow, I am so glad that they made themselves snacks. They are really becoming more independent and learning skills necessary to be self-sufficient. As I parent, I am doing a good job". If I had attached this meaning to the neutral event, I would probably not have wasted a good hour being very upset with the perpetrators. I probably would have spent 10 minutes washing the dishes and would have enjoyed a bit of quiet time before they all arrived back home.

The key to truly harnessing your ability to attach different thoughts to events is to recognize your thought process in real time. When you realize that you are going negative--pause and rethink your guttural reaction. Now this is easier said than done--because this is a muscle that needs to be flexed repetitively. And, as a forewarning-- it is a bit awkward at first.

Visual reminders are also a critical tool that may help reinforce negative thoughts attaching to ordinary events:

I cannot conclude this diatribe without quoting Viktor Frankl. Frankl was a psychiatrist and prolific author who has inspired millions of readers over generations. In his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, he depicts his personal experiences in the Nazi death camps. Frankl argues that it is impossible to avoid suffering, but it is up to us in how we cope with it. He believes that by adding meaning to our suffering we can move forward and overcome any hardship. And this, my dear, is what Frankl espoused ......after watching his pregnant wife and entire family slaughtered at Auschwitz. #viktorfrankl #mindset #Thoughtsareoptional #empowerment

"The one thing you can’t take away from me is the way I choose to respond to what you do to me. The last of one’s freedoms is to choose one’s attitude in any given circumstance.”

― Viktor E. Frankl