Youth Connect 2015- Youth Agency Stream Activities and Handouts

LinkedIn Canada | www.linkedin.com

How LinkedIn Can Be Embedded in Employment Programs

Activity (20 to 30 minutes)

Please take a couple of moments to discuss within your groups the following questions:

***Make notes for yourself if you need to***

1. What are your main learning objectives for today?

2. How do you personally currently use LinkedIn?

3. Which of your organizations currently have LinkedIn embedded in their training?

4. If so, why do you do it? If not, why not?

5. What are some of the major barriers to implementing the program?

6. What do you think will help you embed the programs more effectively?

Be ready to discuss this with the rest of the teams!


Profile Activity #1 (15 minutes):

The purpose of this activity is to help you get some important information in order to be able to create a well thought out LinkedIn profile summary.

Brainstorming ideas:1. List at least 3 of your top character traits:

a. ______________________b. ______________________c. ______________________

2. List at least 3 life lessons you’ve learned so far:a. ______________________b. ______________________c. ______________________

3. List at least 3 things that inspire you and why:a. ______________________b. ______________________c. ______________________

4. List at least 3 skill sets that you have obtained from your jobs/volunteer experience/education:a. ______________________b. ______________________c. ______________________

5. List at least 3 skill sets that you have sharpened from your jobs/volunteer experience/education:a. ______________________b. ______________________c. ______________________

6. List at least 3 personal/professional goals you would like to achieve in your future opportunities:a. ______________________b. ______________________c. ______________________

Your profile summary should be a good reflection of you as a person. To help, think of the following:Who you are?What do you care about or are interested in? What are your goals?Why do you care about this/have an interest in it?How do you plan on achieving your goals?

Now that you’ve been able to list your character traits, goals, what motivates you and who you are on paper, take a few moments to take what you’ve learned about yourself above, and write your own summary paragraph:

Sample Profile Summary:I am a recent Highschool graduate who is very excited to get my career going by finding a job that is going to help me grow as a person and a professional. I am passionate about technology and innovation- I am the type of person who will wait in line to obtain the newest iphone! I love reading about new trends and staying on top of cutting edge technology. In school and during my volunteer experience, I have shown strong ability to work well with others. I like to inspire people by sharing my passion and knowledge. I am always on the computer researching and reading about what’s next in technology! Therefore, I would also say that I am very resourceful because I like to go out and figure things out on my own. My goal is to find a great entry level job in the IT industry where I can use my strengths and learn more about what it is like to work in a professional work environment. If you have any questions, please reach out to me, as I would love to speak with you to help you understand me better and how I can be a good fit for your team!


Profile Activity #2 (15 minutes)The purpose of the following activity is to help you identify some of the skill sets you have and to also help you organize as well as present them throughout your LinkedIn profile.

Instructions:1. Please look at the list of skills below and mark off in which of the 5 sections (Summary, Work

Experience, Volunteer Experience, Education and/or Skills) on your LinkedIn Profile you would like to add each skill.

2. Add and/or replace any skills that are missing with that ones that do not apply to you.Skills“I am able to:”

Summary Work Experience

Volunteer Experience

Education Skills

Meet deadlines X X XResolve problems X X XSupervise or manage others X X X XTake on responsibilityFollow instructions or learn quicklyGenerate creative solutions to problems/ be innovativePay attention to detailWork well in a team/with othersClearly express myself when speaking with othersAnalyze and explain information presentedSpeak to others clearly through emailResearch and write reportsPlan and stay organized/follow a time lineBe a good listenerBe outgoingBe sensitive towards others’ needs/feelings

Speak in publicBe patientMotivate othersUse computers to create a presentationUse computers to write a report or a letterUse computers to enter information/dataUse computers to organize and schedule appointmentsUse social mediaBuild or repair thingsUse different tools and/or machineryAnything else:

3. Now go to your Linkedin.com profile and make sure that you have all of the above skill sets mentioned in each of the 5 sections. Check off each section below once you have added the skills:For example: In the sample above you would go to your summary on linkedin.com and make sure you have talked about your ability to “meet deadlines” and “supervise/manage others.”

Summary Volunteer Experience

Skills

Work Experience Education


Profile Activity #3 (15 minutes)The purpose of this exercise is to help you get recognized by your peers for your experience and skill sets on LinkedIn!

Please fill out the following charts *Note*: Not all fields have to be filled out, and not all have to be filled out completely- Try your best!

1. List 3 people that you have enjoyed working with in the past on a school project, volunteering project and work project.

School:a.b.c.

Volunteer:a.b.c.

2. List 3 people that you have reported to in the past in a school environment, work environment and volunteer environment.

School:a.b.c.

Volunteer:d.e.f.

Sending Invitations to connect:1. From the list of above highlight and/or circle which people you really enjoyed working with.2. Send them a personal invitation to connect if you have not already, and request a Linkedin

recommendation. 3. Tips and tricks for sending a recommendations:

a. Ask them to recommend youb. Advise them of some of things you did great while working with/for themc. Ask them to speak to your skills while working with themd. Be willing to offer a helping hand or write a recommendation for them!

Sample recommendation request: Hi Mike! Hope you are well. I recently graduated Highschool and I am now looking for work! I wanted to ask you if you can write me a recommendation on LinkedIn to help me find a job? I really enjoyed baby-sitting Sam and Kelly for you. I saw them the other day and they got so big! It also gave me an idea to reach out to you. I know you were happy with my ability to take care of them. I figured you would be able to speak to the fact that I am responsible, can supervise others and resolve problems! If you can help me out, I would be very thankful and would be willing to help you out if you need anything. Please let me know!Now try your own request for a recommendation message. Once complete go to linkedin.com and send it:

Work:a.b.c.

Work:d.e.f.

Client:a.b.c.


Networks Activity #1 (15 minutes):The purpose of this activity is to help you understand why you would want to connect to people of different backgrounds on our network; how you can benefit from them and how they can benefit from you!

1. Please take a moment to assign each of the following roles to 1-2 people at your table/in your team:

Student/peer

a. Professorb. Human Resources Manager/Recruiterc. Entry Level Employee (someone who has a job that you’d like to have)d. Manager (of the role you’d like to work in)

2. Once the roles have been assigned, take a few moments to think about and jot down 4 reasons as to why you would want to connect with each of these individuals. (i.e. Two ways you can benefit from them and two ways they can benefit from you.)

3. When you have completed the list below. Take turns presenting these ideas to your team and sharing your thoughts on why you’d want to connect to people in roles that you were not assigned.a) Student/peer

i. ____________________________________________________ii. ____________________________________________________

iii. ____________________________________________________iv. ____________________________________________________

b) Professor i. ____________________________________________________

ii. ____________________________________________________iii. ____________________________________________________iv. ____________________________________________________

c) HR Manager/Recruiter i. ____________________________________________________

ii. ____________________________________________________iii. ____________________________________________________iv. ____________________________________________________

d) Entry Level Employee (someone who has a job that you’d like to have)i. ____________________________________________________

ii. ____________________________________________________iii. ____________________________________________________iv. ____________________________________________________

e) Manager (of the role you’d like to work in)i. ____________________________________________________

ii. ____________________________________________________iii. ____________________________________________________

i. ____________________________________________________


Networks Activity #2 (15 minutes)

When you input your email address into your LinkedIn.com profile that you create you will have an option to sync your contacts that you have on that email, but what’s next?

The purpose of this exercise is to think about people you know who would potentially be present on the LinkedIn Network that you can connect with to further grow your network.

1. Please take a moment to complete the lists below:

2. Once you have completed the lists above, log into your linkedin.com account and in the search bar type in in the information above using the following format: “Full Name, Job Title/Role, Company”

Example:

3. From the dropdown list, select the correct individual, if there are multiple options.

4. Once on their profile click the connect option***Note: you can search for individuals using one, two or all three criteria. The more criteria you use, the easier the search will be.

Family Member(Full Name)

Job Title/Role Company

1.

2.

3.

Colleague/Peer at School(Full Name)

Job Title/Role

Company

1.

2.

3.

Friends(Full Name)

Job Title/Role Company

1.

2.

3.


Networks Activity #3 (15 minutes)

The purpose of this exercise is to help you further build your network based on the organizations that you would like to work for.

1. Please take a moment to think about and write down some of the companies/volunteer opportunities you would be interested to work with:

Companies:1.2.3.

Volunteer Opportunities:1.2.3.

2. Search for companies and volunteer organizations on linkedin.com in the search bar

3. Select the company/organization you are interested in from the drop down menu

4. View “How you’re connected” section at the top right hand side, hover over the 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree number and click on it. This will bring you to the list of 1st, 2nd or 3rd degree connection that connect you to employees who work for the company you are looking to

5. Under every member/employee that works for your target company, you will see your shared connection, which you need to click on. The 1st degree connection you have in common will drop down. You can now reach out to this individual and request for them to introduce you to this employee for further networking purposes.


Jobs Activity #1 (15 minutes)The purpose of this exercise is to understand how to search for jobs on LinkedIn.

1. Please go to www.linkedin.com and log into your linkedin.com account.2. At the top, in the tab section, please select “Jobs,” or in the search tab on the left click on the arrow

and select “Jobs” from the drop down menu.

3. When searching for the job input “Job Title AND Location.” For example: “Administrative Assistant AND Toronto.”

a. Ensure AND is written in caps. You will be taken to a list of jobs.

4. Once the list of jobs appears, you are able to add more criteria via LinkedIn filters located on the left where “Company” and “Title” are located (see screen shot below).

a. Click on all of the ones of interest by selecting “view” on the right of the job posted, and read through the job description in full detail. (bottom left)

5. At the bottom of the description of every job you view, you are able to view similar jobs in the “Similar Jobs” section. (bottom picture). This will also help you learn about various job titles for the same roles.

6. NOW find 1 to 3 jobs that interest you. (You will need these for Activity #2!!!)

http://www.linkedin.com/


Jobs Activity #2 (15 minutes)The purpose of this activity is to help you understand the jobs you are most qualified for and to help you decide which one to apply for. 1. Take a few moments to list in the chart below all of the opportunities that you have found in the

previous activity that you are interested in in the Jobs/Opportunities section of the chart. (You can also use the job description provided from Jobs: Optional Activity #1)

2. Fill out what skills your jobs of interest are looking for, in the chart below under the “What skills I need to have for this job” section. The skills you need to have are typically located in the Skills and Qualifications section of the job posting.

3. For each skill you need to have, fill out the skills that you have in the “What Skills I have for this job” section below.

4. Finally, make a couple of points in the “What this job can help me learn” section of the chart to have a better understanding of why this job interests you.

Jobs/Opportunities What skills I need to have for this job

What Skills I have for this job

What this job can help me learn

Data Entry Clerk 1. Attention to detail2. Microsoft Office Experience3. Administrative experience is preferred.

1. I can pay attention to detail2. I am able to create presentations3. I have volunteered for a charity where I was organizing the paperwork

1. Working for a great company2. Professional/corporate work experience will open doors to other great jobs3. Opportunity to support multiple leaders of the organization and learn about industry

1. 1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

2. 1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

3. 1.

2.

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1.

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Jobs Activity #3 (15 minutes)The purpose of this is to make sure that once you apply, if the Recruiter looks at your profile your skills are listed somewhere!

Once you find a job that interests you and have determined What skills you need to have and What Skills I have for this job from “Searching for Jobs on LinkedIn: Activity #2,” let’s take a second to ensure that all of your skills are reflected on your LinkedIn profile. (You can also use the job description provided from Jobs: Optional Activity #1 to complete this activity)

What skills I need to have for this job




Education Skills

Job/Opportunity:Administrative Assistant

1. Strong oral and written communication skills

1. Effective communicator

X X X

2. MS Office Experience 2. Strong Microsoft Office Skills

X X X

3. Administrative experience preferred.

3. One year of admin work from volunteer experience

X





Education Skills

Job/Opportunity:





Education Skills

Job/Opportunity:Administrative Assistant

Once you’ve completed the charts, please go back to your linkedin.com profile and ensure that all of the skills that you have for this job are listed in at least one of the 5 sections (Summary, Work Experience, Volunteer Experience, Education and/or Skills) on your linkedin.com profile. Next:

1. Go back to linkedin.com profile and find the jobs from above that you are interested in applying for.

2. Simply click on the “Apply Now” or “Apply on company website” option (whichever one is available).

Jobs: Optional Activity #1 (15 minutes)This activity can be used as a supplement activity to the Activity #2.


Now that you’ve found a couple of job opportunities from previous activities that are of interest to you:

1. Take turns in groups of two or more people to discuss various things you would do to be able to sell yourself for one of the jobs that you are interested in!

Sample:Sales CoordinatorToronto, Canada Area

Job description:AskingCanadians is seeking an energetic and motivated full-time Sales Coordinator to start as soon as possible. If you are interested in a career in a fast-growing, team-oriented and entrepreneurial company, this opportunity could be for you!

Desired Skills and ExperienceAs a Sales Coordinator for AskingCanadians, you will be responsible for the following:

- Support the Sales team in their day-to-day activities;- Build solutions to proposals;- Assist with managing correspondence and proposal activity;- Provide data and reports to help the Sales team identify trends or opportunities;- Manage reports that track sales/proposal/project activities;- Communicate with clients for proposal or growth purposes;- Support the growth of the team and organization;

Qualifications/AttributesApplicants must have excellent communication skills and be self-motivated and able to work both independently and in conjunction with the team. In addition, they must:

- Have excellent written and oral communication skills- Be detail oriented- Possess an enthusiastic can-do attitude with a well-developed sense of drive- Have strong Excel, analytical and math skills- Be results oriented- Have excellent problem solving skills- Be able to multi-task and prioritize tasks- Demonstrate a positive and upbeat attitude (even early in the morning!)

Previous sales experience is considered an asset.

Does this sound like you?Send us your resume and cover letter.While we thank you for your interest in this position, only those candidates who qualify for an interview will be contacted.

About this companyFollow companyLocated in downtown Toronto, AskingCanadians, a Delvinia company, is an online data collection firm with access to a research community of 600,000 Canadians. AskingCanadians is dedicated to enabling market researchers to quickly gather and deliver high quality information from Canadian consumers.

Jobs: Optional Activity #2 (15 minutes)


The Purpose of this activity is to help you be a lot more effective with the job search process by helping you Leverage your LinkedIn resources.

After you have completed “Searching for Jobs on LinkedIn: Activity #1” you will have a good idea how to navigate through LinkedIn for employment opportunities. There are a couple of things to take into consideration.

Please refer to the following picture:

By changing the “Sort by” option you are able to change the criteria of job opportunities being listed from “Relevance” to “Date Posted” this way you can ensure to be viewing the most recent job opportunities presented.

By saving a job you are able to always go back to it, and keep track of all of the opportunities you’re interested in. Simply click on “Save” once you have reviewed the job opportunities and have confirmed your interest in it.

Now try putting into practice some of these additional features!DESIGNING YOUR ACTION PLAN ACTIVITY (20 to 30 minutes)

Leverage your 1st degree connections:

- See who you are connected to that is also connected to the job poster!

- Send a personalized message to the job poster advising of the common connection, or ask the common connection to make a warm introduction to the job poster to connection to make a warm introduction to the job poster to give you a competitive advantage.


Please take a moment to answer the following questions in order help you get a start on figuring out how you will implement what you have learned today!

1. What is the biggest take away from today’s sessions?

2. How will you take what you have learned today back to your organization?

3. Who will carry out these changes?

4. What are the major barriers/challenges?

5. List the first 3 steps that you will take to implement your Linkedin action plan?1.2.3.

6. When will these changes take place?

7. What resources are going to be needed for these changes to take place? Make a list.1.2.3.4.5.

8. Who should know what? Who should be in the loop?