Even as businesses and offices start to reopen, networking is likely to remain virtual through the fall. Which is why it’s important for you to know how to use LinkedIn effectively, using proper LinkedIn etiquette.

This means doing more than just setting up or updating your profile and letting it sit there on the platform.

Most people only create a LinkedIn profile and then expect recruiters to magically start sending them invitations for interviews.

Or, they try to cold-connect with someone on the platform they don’t know, and expect him or her to immediately accept their connection request.

This is not how LinkedIn works. …

Regardless of your feelings or beliefs on wearing a face mask during the pandemic, you might want to consider it as a potential networking tool during these uncertain times.

Especially if you’re currently in the market for a new job.

We know networking opportunities have been limited due to months of quarantine.

But as I share in my on-demand program The Secret to Successful Networking, networking can happen any time, any place. Even at the essential places like the grocery store, the drug store, or the curbside of your favorite restaurant.

You never know who will be standing in line six feet ahead of you, or six feet behind you. It could be the person who works for a company currently hiring instead of downsizing. This person may know the hiring manager where he or she works. …

So summer 2020 isn’t going to pan out the way you’d hoped it would.

You’re probably not getting to take your annual vacation due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Therefore, you have even more time for summer reading this year.

So what should you spend your quarantine time reading? You should always have a healthy mix of fun fiction, but also some books that will help you learn and grow as a person and as a professional.

Lori’s summer reading recommendations

I’ve been reading and listening to a lot of books already this spring and summer. …

In light of coronavirus times, one of my Facebook friends posted this the other day:

“So in retrospect, in 2015, not a single person got the answer right to ‘Where do you see yourself five years from now?’”

I commented:

“This is reason enough to retire such an overused and pointless interview question!”

Pointless interview questions

This common interview question is just one of many pointless interview questions hiring managers and recruiters continue to ask.

I’m not sure they know what to do with the answers to these questions when they get them. …

I have a few clients who’ve done video interviews in recent weeks due to COVID-19.

While phone and video interviews are nothing new, at least not to first-round interview screenings, they’ve temporarily replaced all in-person job interviews during the quarantine.

Companies are likely to continue holding remote interviews throughout the different “re-entry” phases. And they’re likely to continue using them even after the pandemic is behind us.

This is simply because it saves the company a lot of money, especially in travel reimbursement expenses for non-local candidates.

Job interviews are already stressful. Throwing into the mix a technology platform that doesn’t always work perfectly can make it even more nerve wracking. …

With all of those who’ve lost their jobs from the COVID-19 crisis, you can expect online job boards to be flooded with job seekers once quarantine bans begin to lift, and jobs start to re-open.

Even before the virus, these boards have been filled with a sea of job seekers, meaning competition is high, which is why they should be a last resort for serious candidates.

A job search can take up a lot of time. You should expect to spend at least 20 hours a week on your job search. Yeah, it’s a job in and of itself!

Therefore, it’s best to use your time wisely. You don’t want to waste it sifting through a ton of irrelevant postings. Because let’s face it, search filters aren’t always good at weeding out the jobs you don’t want. You also don’t want to waste your time getting lost in the herd. Popular online job boards are often a virtual cattle call. …

Are you starting to panic a little about the future?

If so, be careful how you make any upcoming decisions about your career. Especially if you’ve lost your job due to the current economic situation.

You can end up making several career mistakes by letting fear or panic drive your decisions.

5 common career mistakes made in a panic

There are five common career mistakes I see people make when they find themselves in a bad job market and panic. These mistakes are:

1. Taking the very first job you’re offered

Allow yourself as much time as you financially can to find a job that’s the right fit. …

The past few weeks have been difficult for a lot of people. There are people who are sick from the coronavirus and missing their family members.

Others have been working from home, or worse, been laid off. And we’re all facing a looming recession.

There was so much “white noise” on social media last week you may have missed my previous posts on my blog, including three different ways to help you gain some control over your career in these trying times.

In case you missed it, here’s a compilation of those three things you may find useful now or in an upcoming recession. …