Attending a conference, a networking event or a dinner party often leads to “that” question. “So what do you do?”

It used to be easy.

You trotted out words such as farmer, accountant or even lawyer if you were brave. One word was all it took. Today it can be a bit more complicated. Today we have careers, businesses and life work that didn’t exist a decade ago.

What are some of these?

• App designer
• Life coach
• Zumba teacher
• Offshore wind farm engineer
• Chief content marketing officer

Often the person you are describing your career or business to has never heard of “that” job.

I remember one conversation, when I answered with the one word description “blogger”. The response was, “never met a blogger before”. Often the next part of the communication can get a little tricky when you have to describe what that means.

It can lead to using words that were only invented last week, causing raised eyebrows and quizzical looks. But conversation was always meant to be interesting!

The resume has changed forever

Resumes just like many things are migrating online. In the past you had a few sheets of paper that you mailed or faxed to potential employers to obtain that important interview. Today you are “Googled’ and your online resume is now a collection of “search engine results”. This means your activity online needs to be well managed and optimized. How many times has a person lost that important job due to a poorly considered weekend Facebook update or Tweet?

Employers like to see passion for a career so having a blog can be the difference between standing out or blending in.

The 21 steps to create an awesome LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn has redefined the online version of a resume and having a well organised LinkedIn profile is now essential. Melonie Dodaro is sometimes described as “Canada’s #1 LinkedIn Expert” and knows her stuff about LinkedIn.

Here are her 21 steps to making your LinkedIn profile awesome.

1. Your name should only contain your name
2. Your headline should be catchy and have keywords and phrases that you would want to turn up in Google search results
3. Photo should be taken by a professional
4. Social proof is important online, so make sure you have at least 500 connections. This leads to credibility and authority on the web.
5. Add all relevant contact information
6. Customize your website names to attract your target market
7. Customize your profile URL
8. Update your status daily that adds value to your network. This could mean your latest blog post, presentation or some content you found that is worth sharing.
9. Use keywords and phrases that you and your business would like to be found for online
10.  Write in the first person
11. Speak directly to to your target market so they can self-identify
12. Add a video or slideshow. Many people prefer to watch rather than read
13. Tell people to click to play video as it is not that obvious
14. Keyword load your skills and expertise section
15. Use the “Projects” section to highlight free reports, downloads or to showcase the products and services you are promoting
16. Again, keyword load your current and past work history
17. Use keywords and phrases when filling out your “Experience” section
18. Make sure you have at least 10 recommendations
19. Add any volunteer experience you may have including causes you support
20. Add any significant media awards, recognition and achievements to enhance credibility in the “Honors & Awards” section
21. Join 50 groups

If you want to see how it should be done in a visual format check out the infographic below.