How to Reorder Work Experience on LinkedIn in 6 Simple Steps

When I'm advising professionals on sharpening their personal brand --  particularly when it comes to their resume, bio and LinkedIn profile -- my number one tip is to move eye-catching, results-based achievements to the top.

For all the many wonderful attributes of LinkedIn, it insists on complete chronology with work experience, so whatever job you're in right now sits up top. Then the last job you held, and so on. It doesn't matter if you were the President of the United States and now you're a professional apple picker ... CEO will be listed second, with your picking profession center stage.

Which is dandy if you're putting politics aside for greener orchards (no one could blame you, really), but if you're looking for a more professional image as you charge back into the working world (or change industries, de-emphasize a short-term job, or after a downsizing) there's a simple way to place your top accomplishments front-and-center.

6 Simple Steps to Reorder Work Experience on LinkedIn

1. Log into your LinkedIn, click "Profile," then "Edit Profile."

2. Scroll to "Experience," and click "Add a Position."

3. On the "Company Name" tab, type a broad category you want to emphasize. For example:
~Marketing Strategist
~Human Resources Professional
~Financial Consultant
~You could even go with something like "Career Highlights" or "Industry Experience." 

4. On the "Title" tab, type in a little descriptive. Think of it as a subheading instead of a job title. For example:
~ Company Name: Healthcare Marketing
~ Job Title: Key Career Achievements

5. On the "Time Period" tab, input a start time that best describes whatever you've categorized. So if you've been in your current field for 10 years, input "2004" for start time. The most important factor is that you input the end time after the next position that comes up! So if you resigned from your last position in May 2014, the end time for this position should be June 2014 or after. Yes, there will be crossover with other jobs, and that's okay. You're not claiming this is an official job you held ... you're listing work experience.

6. On the "Description" tab, include whatever you need to highlight. For example:
~Heartstrong Medical Company: created brand strategy resulting in new product sales of $40 billion.
It doesn't matter if that particular achievement was back in 2002, and you've held 2 different jobs since then. If it's something that needs to be said first, put it right up top.

One point upon which I want to be completely clear: I'm not encouraging you to fudge details on your LinkedIn (or anywhere.) In fact, I strongly encourage you to fact-check all your information for honesty and accuracy throughout LinkedIn and on your resume.

From a personal branding perspective, you must position your career results and achievements in a way that will intrigue a future employer. When you look at the scope of your entire career, success isn't necessarily sequential. So don't let a little technical obstacle on one of the top professional resources on the internet keep you from putting your best foot forward, right at the top of the page.

For a few more tips about pumping up your personal brand on LinkedIn, visit here and here. And if you need a little professional assistance getting that LinkedIn profile in order, send me a note at amyATamymacwritesDOTcom.

Have a great week!

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Back to Work Blog Series: The Secrets to an Attention-Grabbing Resume

Welcome back to the Amy Mac Blog Series Back to Work: Everything You Need to Know to Get Back in Business — a playbook of strategies to dust off your skills, your resume and your moxie as you change careers, launch a business, or head from the mom force to the work force. Catch up on previous posts here.

In the last post we talked about becoming a social media powerhouse -- how to use social media to stay in the conversation in your industry, find job leads and establish yourself as a competitive, knowledgeable professional in any field.

Today, we're talking about how to craft a winning resume ...

Pulling together an impressive, cohesive resume can be one of the trickiest parts of landing the right job when you’ve been away from the career world for a time. Not only must you make sure your resume is relevant with current achievements, it’s essential to set yours apart from the scads of impressive resumes floating around in today’s competitive job market.

Here’s a tip: treat your resume like a 30-second television advertising spot. Copywriters are paid big, Madison Avenue bucks to distill a message using the most captivating words and phrases to convince the consumer do one thing: buy their product. And they only have 30 seconds to make it happen - which is about the same amount of time you have to capture the attention of your potential boss.

So when you sit down to spiff up that all-important document, pretend you’re a modern-day Peggy Olson on Mad Men. You’re on deadline, the competition is nipping at your heels, and your job depends on knocking this ad out of the ballpark (because it does.)

The Secrets to an Attention-Grabbing Resume:

Develop a clear objective. Have you ever seen a commercial and wondered “are they selling apple juice, facial cream, or trying to convince me miniature pigs are delightful household companions?” Make it easy for your audience: state your objective in clear, simple terms. Want a leadership role as a health care recruiter? Say so. Looking for an entry-level position as a public relations specialist? Put it in writing. Main goal in life to be a trainer of miniature pigs? Ah …. I might leave that out.

Be results oriented. There’s a reason advertisers spout statistics like “preferred by 4 out of 5 dentists”: it proves positive results. You’re more likely to capture attention if you say “led team to a 40 percent increase in sales in the last 12 months” than if you simply say “increased sales.” In this situation, you want solid numbers where you increased profits for the company, or saved them a lot of cash.

Discover and use “Flash Words.” Target audiences tend to have “flash words” – words that make them take notice, make their heart race … and make them want to jump in their car and rush to buy what the advertiser is selling. Good flash words for any resume are: leader, results-oriented, award-winning, and summa cum laude. (I’m just saying, that couldn’t hurt.)

Be a Benefit. Effective commercials start by telling you how their product will improve your life, and your resume should focus on how your skills will improve your new place of business. Ask around and see if you can discover anything about the job you seek – did the last assistant show up late every morning, resulting in her ultimate demise? Emphasize your attention to detail, organization, and punctuality. Are they seeking someone to lead a team in a new endeavor? Clearly state your recent experiences in leadership in new product development.

Brag, and be quick about it. Once you’ve shown them how much they need you, it’s time for your hard sell. Your resume is one place where it is essential to boast about your accomplishments. This is not the time to hide the fact you were quoted as an expert in the Wall Street Journal on page 3, deep in the “personal interests” section. Nope, that goes right up at the top of the resume – set the tone quickly so the reader is intrigued enough to keep reading.

Resumes are your calling card into the business world. Ask yourself: if this were a 30-second commercial, would I jump in my car, rush to the store, and buy this product? Using the above tips will vault your resume into the “must interview” list – no matter what your dream job.

Peggy would be so proud.

Next up in the Back to Work Blog Series: Network Like You Mean It.

Thanks for reading! (and please ... if you have any questions related to going back to work, send them my way!)

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How to Handle a Downsizing on Your Resume

I've been contacted several times over the last few months by good, honest, hard-working professional folks who were downsized from their job. Then downsized again. And, for good measure, maybe one more time. Now they have a resume that looks like they can't hold a job down for more than a year ... and it isn't a reflection of anything other than the not-so-hot economy of these last few years.

The question is always the same: "How do I explain on my resume that I'm not job hopping, and that I don't have any performance issues?" 

This can be tricky. It's paramount to be transparent about your job history and 100 percent honest about everything from dates to titles and responsibilities. But your resume is also the document where personal branding and smart positioning is paramount -- it could be the difference between getting the interview, or not.

Here are suggestions to consider for positioning downsizings on your resume:

List yourself as a short-term contractor. If you left on good terms, talk with your former employer and see if they would be comfortable with you adding some language to your position title as a contractor. Because contractors are often hired for a shorter amount of time for a specific project (then released when the project is complete), this makes the career move seem more strategic. Again, I stress the importance of discussing this with your former employer -- you do not want them to be caught off guard when called for a reference.

Create a consultancy. If you're out of work, immediately create a consultancy with you as the owner. You can list any pro-bono and volunteer work under this header to eliminate a layoff-related gap. Again, with permission, you could list short-term jobs under this header, too.

Address the Elephant. In some cases, you might consider very simply addressing the reason for the termination. For example, did you leave because the company was sold? You can say "left company after post-sale corporate reorganization."

Any good recruiter or human resources manager will do their research, which is why I stress not trying to be tricky on your resume. Most companies these days are more understanding about the gaps and/or quick job changes on resumes. Show them you are a valuable professional by creating a smart, strategic resume, including how you position every job experience -- no matter the time frame.

Source: entrepreneur.com on Pinterest

How to Catapult Your Resume to the Top of the Pile

One of the top tactics for creating a stand-out resume is framing your accomplishments in a way that grabs the attention of the poor soul whose job is to plow through a zillion resumes a day.

Yet when I'm crafting a resume or professional bio for someone -- usually a very accomplished someone -- they generally stammer something along the lines of "I've been really busy, doing really important stuff, but I, uh, can't seem to remember exactly what that important stuff is. Or, why it matters."

Part of this is inexplicable modesty (this is your resume ... your moment to brag with abandon!) and part of it is as busy people, what was really monumental in January gets eclipsed by other exciting accomplishments before June rolls around.

There's a simple solution to this problem: create an ACCOMPLISHMENTS File. It can be a file on your computer, handwritten in a journal, a note on your iPhone. The where doesn't matter as much as the content you capture, and there are three pertinent components:

1. The date, for obvious reasons.
2. The accomplishment ... and this is no time to edit. No matter how insignificant, ALL accomplishments should be recorded on this spreadsheet. Whether you make a presentation to the CEO, coordinate an event, or lead a coalition for more salad greens in your office cafeteria, record it in your Accomplishments File.
3. The results. What happened as a result of your effort? Was the CEO convinced to launch a new product? Did the event create word-of-mouth resulting in increased sales? Are there, in fact, more salad greens at the lunch table? Capture that information -- you'll need it later.

I keep my file in Microsoft Excel. It isn't fancy. It is four columns across, with the above components along with an area for notes. I capture the information by month. That's it. When I update my resume, I pull out the most pertinent information to include ... and the rest of it reminds me of various fun projects I've done that year.

Keep an Accomplishments File and I promise ... the next time you need to update your resume, you will not dread the task. In fact, with all your awesomeness right there in front of you, you might kinda sorta look forward to it.

Here's to an overflowing 2013 Accomplishments File!

Source: mmorris.webs.com via Soren on Pinterest

When to Use Acronyms on Resumes and in Business Writings

I'm often asked when it's okay to use acronyms when writing business letters, websites, in presentations, and on resumes and the like. The quick answer: almost never on the first reference.


Acronyms (a new word formed with the first letter of a group of words) are wonderful for communicating with a specific group you know is familiar with the acronym. It's when you're reaching a broader audience and you assume they know an acronym that you'll fail to connect with your audience ... or worse, lose the reader altogether because combining all those bold, capital letters that mean nothing to them have given them a seizure. I'm telling you, acronyms are bad for your health unless used with utmost caution. Ask your doctor. 


Here's the cure: unless you can procure an accurate answer from six people of different ages, genders, and regions of the United States, you must spell out your acronym on first reference. No exceptions. Directly after the first reference, put the acronym in parentheses and use it for the remainder of the document. Here's an example from a news release I wrote a couple of years ago:

Women In Technology (WIT), is pleased to announce WIT’s executive director, Heather Rocker, has been named the winner in the Inspiritor Category for Turknett Leadership Group’s Leadership Character awards. The winners were announced at the awards luncheon at the Georgia Aquarium on February 23, 2010.

Notice how it's all spelled out the first reference, then a few words later we transition to the much shorter acronym. Saves a lot of time and paper, that's for sure. 


There are certain acronyms that defy this rule. For example, if you were to write "a producer from  the Cable News Network (CNN) will be attending the seminar to answer questions" people will think you're nuts. CNN falls under the "ask six people" rule.


On professional documents like resumes and bios, spell out the acronyms for associations  ---always. I always get arguments on this rule. "But everyone knows what SHRM/CRM/PRSA is." Assume they don't, and spell out Society for Human Resource Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Public Relations Society of America the first time. You only need the acronym in parenthesis if you reference the organization more than once, and since you're all about being brief in a resume/bio/website (you are, right?), try combining tasks and roles under one reference instead.


Now I am feeling guilty about dumping all this on you right before the weekend. I really meant to do this much earlier in the week, but the spouse travelling in Europe, wrestling puppies and shuttling kids to the ER will totally throw ya off track. So if you decide to update resumes and documents and websites and whatnot because you are addicted to acronyms, please enjoy a glass of wine or something (click here for a delightful mixed drink recipe) while you do. 


Here's to a happy, productive, relaxing weekend!



PS: Are we BFFs on Facebook? Join the fun here.

Resumes and the 30-second Advertising Spot

When its looks like this outside and all you want to do is stay home, nice and cozy by the fire … take advantage of your down time by revamping your resume. I know, we all dread it, but I think it’s because we’re not sure exactly how to set our resumes apart from the scads of impressive resumes floating around in an ever-tightening job market.

Here’s a tip: treat your resume like a 30-second television advertising spot. Copywriters are paid big, Madison Avenue bucks to distill a message using the most captivating words and phrases to convince the consumer do one thing: buy their product. And they only have 30 seconds to make it happen -which is about the same amount of time you have to capture the attention of your potential boss. Here are a few tricks of the trade to give your resume the edge over the competition:

Develop a clear objective. Have you ever seen a commercial and wondered “are they selling apple juice, facial cream, or trying to convince me miniature pigs are delightful household companions?” Make it easy for your audience: state your objective in clear, simple terms. Want a leadership role as a health care recruiter? Say so. Looking for an entry-level position as a public relations specialist? Put it in writing. Main goal in life to be a trainer of miniature pigs? Ah …. I might leave that out.

Be results oriented. There’s a reason advertisers spout statistics like “preferred by 4 out of 5 dentists”: it proves positive results. You’re more likely to capture attention if you say “led team to a 40 percent increase in sales in the last 12 months” than if you simply say “increased sales.” In this situation, you want solid numbers where you increased profits for the company, or saved them a lot of cash.

Discover and use “Flash Words.” Target audiences tend to have “flash words” – words that make them take notice, make their heart race … and make them want to jump in their car and rush to buy what the advertiser is selling. Good flash words for any resume are: leader, results-oriented, award-winning, and summa cum laude. (I’m just saying, that couldn’t hurt.)

Be a Benefit. Effective commercials start by telling you how their product will improve your life, and your resume should focus on how your skills will improve your new place of business. Ask around and see if you can discover anything about the job you seek – did the last assistant show up late every morning, resulting in her ultimate demise? Emphasize your attention to detail, organization, and punctuality. Are they seeking someone to lead a team in a new endeavor? Clearly state your recent experiences in leadership in new product development.

Brag, and be quick about it. Once you’ve shown them how much they need you, it’s time for your hard sell. Your resume is one place where it is essential to boast about your accomplishments. This is not the time to hide the fact you were quoted as an expert in the Wall Street Journal on page 3, deep in the “personal interests” section. Nope, that goes right up at the top of the resume – set the tone quickly so the reader is intrigued enough to keep reading.

Resumes are your calling card into the business world. Keep yours up-to-date with your most recent accomplishments, and when you review yours ask yourself: if this were a 30-second commercial, would I jump in my car, rush to the store, and buy this product? Using the above tips will vault your resume into the “must interview” list – no matter what your dream job.