Career

I constantly get recruiter reachouts from big tech companies and top AI startups- even when I’m not actively job hunting or listed as “Open to Work.” That’s because over the years, I’ve consciously put in the effort to build a clear and consistent presence on LinkedIn- one that reflects what I do, what I care about, and the kind of work I want to be known for. And the best part? It’s something anyone can do- with the right strategy and a bit of consistency. If you’re tired of applying to dozens of jobs with no reply, here are 5 powerful LinkedIn upgrades that will make recruiters come to you: 1. Quietly activate “Open to Work” Even if you’re not searching, turning this on boosts your visibility in recruiter filters. → Turn it on under your profile → “Open to” → “Finding a new job” → Choose “Recruiters only” visibility → Specify target titles and locations clearly (e.g., “Machine Learning Engineer – Computer Vision, Remote”) Why it works: Recruiters rely on this filter to find passive yet qualified candidates. 2. Treat your headline like SEO + your elevator pitch Your headline is key real estate- use it to clearly communicate role, expertise, and value. Weak example: “Software Developer at XYZ Company” → Generic and not searchable. Strong example: “ML Engineer | Computer Vision for Autonomous Systems | PyTorch, TensorRT Specialist” → Role: ML Engineer → Niche: computer vision in autonomous systems → Tools: PyTorch, TensorRT This structure reflects best practices from experts who recommend combining role, specialization, technical skills, and context to stand out. 3. Upgrade your visuals to build trust → Use a crisp headshot: natural light, simple background, friendly expression → Add a banner that reinforces your brand: you working, speaking, or a tagline with tools/logos Why it works: Clean visuals increase profile views and instantly project credibility. 4. Rewrite your “About” section as a human story Skip the bullet list, tell a narrative in three parts: → Intro: “I’m an ML engineer specializing in computer vision models for autonomous systems.” → Expertise: “I build end‑to‑end pipelines using PyTorch and TensorRT, optimizing real‑time inference for edge deployment.” → Motivation: “I’m passionate about enabling safer autonomy through efficient vision AI, let’s connect if you’re building in that space.” Why it works: Authentic storytelling creates memorability and emotional resonance . 5. Be the advocate for your work Make your profile act like a portfolio, not just a resume. → Under each role, add 2–4 bullet points with measurable outcomes and tools (e.g., “Reduced inference latency by 35% using INT8 quantization in TensorRT”) → In the Featured section, highlight demos, whitepapers, GitHub repos, or tech talks Give yourself five intentional profile upgrades this week. Then sit back and watch recruiters start reaching you, even in today’s competitive market.

Your to-do list shouldn't control your life. 6 methods that kept me from losing my mind: (And doubled my output) 1. The Two-Minute Rule If something takes less than two minutes, do it immediately. Not later. Not tomorrow. But now. This simple rule prevents small tasks from snowballing into overwhelming anxiety. --- 2. Never Miss Another Detail I used to scramble taking notes during meetings + interviews, missing key points and action items. Now, I use Rev’s VoiceHub to auto-record and transcribe everything. It’s more accurate than alternatives like OtterAI and it’s easy to share the info with my team. --- 3. The Focus Formula 3 hours of deep work beats 8 hours of shallow work every time. Block your calendar, turn off notifications, set a timer, and just start. Watch your output soar. --- 4. Energy Management > Time Management Stop planning your day around the clock. Instead, match tasks to your natural rhythms – creative work in the morning, meetings after lunch, admin work when energy dips. Work with your body, not against it. --- 5. The Weekly Reset Ritual Every Sunday, clear your inbox, plan your priorities, set three main goals, and prepare your workspace. This turns Monday from a bottleneck into a launchpad. --- 6. Automate Everything Possible If you do something more than twice, automate it. From email templates to calendar scheduling, let tech handle the routine so you can focus on what matters. --- These tools & techniques will help you stay organized, manage your time better, and maintain your sanity. Try them out and see which ones work best for you. Reshare ♻ to help others. And follow me for more posts like this.

I struggled with work/life balance throughout my career. This is because the world has set a clever, two-part trap for us. I will explain the trap and how to escape it. Part One – Our own goals and ambitions. I wanted to be successful, to get more pay, and to be a part of bigger decisions. If you follow me here, I bet you are the same. You want to “be the best” and have a great career. Part Two – Corporate pressure. Companies have a simple goal of making profits for shareholders. This is most easily done by getting more work from the same people. The Trap: The two parts converge to destroy work/life balance because our healthy desire to do good work, earn a living, and find meaning is easily manipulated by corporate systems designed to maximize profits. Here is how they do it: 1) Most companies give bigger raises to “better” performers. What is better? Usually, doing more work. Sometimes you can be “better” by being smarter or more efficient, but over time even the best of us usually work harder 2) Competition. Since raises and promotions are limited in number, there will always be someone else willing to put in very long hours to come out ahead of you. Some of you will recognize this as “the prisoner’s dilemma” – if only one person works harder, they will get a lot of advantages for only a little extra work. But, when we all strive to be first it becomes a maximum effort race with no winners. Ways to Escape the Trap: 1) Set limits. Recognize the trap and decide what you will and will not give to your work. This may mean accepting some career tradeoffs, but unless you set the limits your body will do it for you over time. It is better to make the choices yourself. 2) Seek work only you can do. We are all gifted at some things, and you get two benefits from focusing on your gifts. First, you can stay ahead of others with less effort. Second, it is more fun to do things that come easily. 3) Choose companies and bosses wisely. Some leaders push you into the trap, some leaders try to keep you out of it. Seek those that keep you out. 4) Work for yourself. If you can be your own boss you can escape the corporate side of profit maximization, or at least have it under your control. 5) Redefine success. There is nothing wrong with wanting pay, promotions, influence, etc. But if the cost gets too high, remember that plenty of people are happy without corporate success. My own path was to climb the ladder, make the money, and then step off. I sacrificed many good years to work and high stress in order to get a set of years without it. A good trade? Time will tell. Readers, what are some other ways to escape the trap?

If #diversity, #equity, and #inclusion practitioners want to get ahead of anti-DEI backlash, we have to address an elephant in the room: no two people in the same workplace perceive their workplace the same way. I see this every time I work with client organizations. When asked to describe their own experience with the workplace and its DEI strengths and challenges, I hear things like: 😊 "I've never experienced any discrimination or mistreatment; our leaders' commitment is strong." 🤨 "I had a good time in one department, but after transferring departments I started experiencing explicit ableist comments under my new manager." 🙁 "I've never had anything egregious happen, but I've always felt less respected by my team members because of my race." Who's right? Turns out, all of them. It starts to get messy because everyone inevitably generalizes their own personal experiences into their perception of the workplace as a whole; three people might accordingly describe their workplace as a "meritocracy without discrimination," an "inconsistently inclusive workplace dependent on manager," or "a subtly racist environment." And when people are confronted with other experiences of the workplace that DIFFER from their own, they often take it personally. I've seen leaders bristle at the implication that their own experience was "wrong," or get defensive in expectation they will be accused of lacking awareness. It's exactly this defensiveness that lays the foundation for misunderstanding, polarization, and yes—anti-DEI misinformation—to spread in an organization. How do we mitigate it? In my own work, I've found that these simple steps go a long way. 1. Validate everyone's experience. Saying outright that everyone's personal experience is "correct" for themselves might seem too obvious, but it plays a powerful role in helping everyone feel respected and taken seriously. Reality is not a question of "who is right"—it's the messy summation of everyone's lived experience, good or bad. 2. Use data to create a shared baseline. Gathering data by organizational and social demographics allows us to make statements like, "the average perception of team respect is 70% in Engineering, but only 30% in Sales," or "perception of fair decision making processes is 90% for white men, but only 40% for Black women." This establishes a shared reality, a baseline for any effective DEI work. 3. Make it clear that problem-solving involves—and requires—everyone. The goal of DEI work is to achieve positive outcomes for everyone. Those with already positive experiences? Their insights help us know what we're aiming for. Those with the most negative? Their insights help us learn what's broken. The more we communicate that collective effort benefits the collective, rather than shaming or dismissing those at the margins, the more we can unite people around DEI and beat the backlash.

Hire People BETTER and DIFFERENT Than You. Then do the thing that 𝑎𝑐𝑡𝑢𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑦 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑙𝑒… Learn from them. Sounds simple, right? But here’s the twist—so many leaders can’t seem to do it. Why? Because underneath that simplicity is a lot of ego, fear, and insecurity. Here’s why many leaders get stuck: 1. Insecurity → It’s tough to feel like the least capable person in the room, even though that's the very thing that would unlock exponential growth. 2. Control → Hiring people with less skill lets some leaders hold onto control. It’s an ego-protecting mechanism. 3. Fear of Challenge → Different perspectives mean different ways of thinking. Leaders avoid it because they might get called out or challenged. 4. Comfort Zone → Familiarity feels safe. New people shake things up and push the boundaries. 5. Misguided Loyalty → Leaders hire based on relationships instead of results. 6. Short-Term Thinking → Hiring “cheap” talent might work for quick wins, but you lose the long-term gains from skilled and diverse teams. 7. Lack of Awareness → Some leaders genuinely don’t see the value of hiring beyond their mirror image. ↓ Leaders who avoid surrounding themselves with A-players miss out on so much: ✪ Amplified Intelligence: ↳ Your team's collective genius soars when you're surrounded by people who stretch your thinking. Their diverse skill sets and perspectives catch blind spots and unlock unseen potential. ✪ Fast-Track Growth: ↳ You grow faster because you’re learning from experts who’ve already been where you’re trying to go. When I launched Brain Apes, I knew I needed to learn from people who had specialties I didn’t. The result? We hit five figures in the first month. ✪ Constant Innovation: ↳ The best ideas don’t come from echo chambers. Humility fosters creativity. Hire outside your comfort zone and watch new, innovative solutions pour in. ✪ Better Decision Making: ↳ Different minds, different angles. A diverse team challenges assumptions and spots the things you miss. ✪ Collaboration: ↳ Strong teams are built on complementary skill sets. The whole is stronger than the sum of its parts. ✪ Trust and Culture: ↳ When you empower great people, they don’t just get the job done—they build a culture of loyalty and trust that feeds back into the business. ✪ Sustainability: ↳ It’s about building a team that can run without you. The goal of every great leader? Make yourself replaceable. I’ve done it with Brain Apes. We keep scaling because we have systems and people in place. In the end, leadership isn’t about being the smartest person in the room—it’s about being the most strategic. Hire better, learn faster, and get out of your own way. The rest will take care of itself. シ ♻️ Be kind. Smash that repost button. 💬 Which (1-7) holds the most leaders back?

Oh, my GAAD! It's finally here! For those not aware, today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day aka GAAD. Here are 10 easy ways you can take action to make progress in accessibility and disability inclusion. It's OK not to do it all. The key is progress over perfection. Make progress every day. It's possible you'll go backward. It happens. Dust off and try again. It took me a bit of time to make things a habit, such as alt text, describing myself, and saying "This is Meryl speaking." If you forget, fix it and give yourself a little grace. If you see someone forget, educate them and give them grace. Pick one or two things. Practice them more than once. When you feel like you have them down, pick the next one or two things. Progress over perfection. Add image descriptions to images and describe them in context. The key is to be descriptive yet concise. There is no one right way to do it. Just start doing it. "This is [your name]" when you speak on a group call. Someone may be listening rather than watching. Create a transcript for your most important or next podcast or audio clip. It's important to format the transcript by creating short paragraphs. It's hard to read a big block of text. Add accurate plain captions to your most important or next video. Refer to the caption cheat sheet for more on this. Offer at least two modern communication options. This applies everywhere. You can require people to fill out the contact field on a form as long as you give them choices (email, phone, text). Websites need to provide two modern contact options. A fax number and snail mail don't count, y'all. Capitalize the first letter of each word and abbreviations in hashtags and usernames. It helps to do this for URLs, too. But some URLs may be case-sensitive. Test the URL. Use a free tool to check color contrast on your content and images. A lot of websites use poor color choices for the background and the text. It adds friction to the reading experience. Avoid ALL CAPS in all content because it has no visual shape and feels like yelling. Sentence case is the most readable. Add a blank line between paragraphs to improve readability. Avoid abusing emojis 👎 like👎 this 👎nightmare. Screenreaders describe the emoji. And it can be hard to read a sentence with emojis showing up in between words. Take action today! Accessibility isn’t just a checkbox. It’s a commitment. Start with one step, make it a habit, and keep moving forward. Let’s build a world where everyone matters. Drop a comment with the action you’re taking today! Need guidance? I offer speaking and coaching to help organizations create accessible workplaces, products, and services. Let’s connect! P.S. Thanks to the American Red Cross for having me as today's keynote and prioritizing accessibility! 🔔 Tap the profile bell for more. ➡️ Follow #MerylMots to find content. #GAAD #Communication

I’ve reviewed 1,000+ LinkedIn profiles over the past 5 years. Here are 8 tips to turn your LinkedIn profile into a job-generating machine: 1. Upgrade Your Profile Picture Like it or not, your profile picture is your first impression. Make it a good one: - Upload your PP to Photofeeler .com - Analyze the feedback - Reshoot/edit your picture based on the data Repeat until your scores are good! 2. Leverage Keywords The right keywords help you show up in more searches. Here's how to find them: - Find 5+ job descriptions for target roles - Paste them all into ResyMatch.io's JD scanner - Save the top 15 skills Weave them into the rest of your profile! 3. Write A Killer Headline I like to use this headline formula: [Keywords] | [Skills] | [Results-Focused Value Proposition] Example for a data scientist: Data Scientist | Python, R, Tableau | I Help Hospitals Use Big Data To Reduce Readmission Rates By 37% 4. Write A Killer About A great About section has 3 parts: - A short paragraph that speaks to your job, years of experience, and value prop. - Five "case study" bullets that showcase specific results. - Your email w/ a CTA for people to connect with you. Include keywords! 5. Leverage Your Featured Section It’s hard to convey your value on a resume or in an About section. This is your chance to show people what you’ve done on your terms. Include things like: - Case studies of your work - Content you’ve created - Posts you’ve written 6. Skills Matter LinkedIn uses profile Skills sections to rank candidates. Here’s how to boost your rank: - Add every keyword from your ResyMatch scan - Choose the top 5 most relevant skills - Ask colleagues, friends, family, & classmates for endorsements (aim for 5) 7. Engage & Support Others Comments can generate tons of profile views! Here’s how: - Find 10+ thought leaders in your target space - Bookmark their post feed - Check their feeds daily - Leave a supportive, valuable comment on each new post Repeat for a minimum of 30 days 8. Create Content! Content is networking at scale. One post can reach more people than your entire connection base. It also allows you to showcase value in your own words, on your own terms. It can feel scary, but only 1% of people do it—and the returns are huge.

When my husband launched his job search last year, the very first thing we did was update his LinkedIn profile. Within 24 hours, he had his first recruiter reach out to schedule an interview, his profile views shot up 8,500%, and we quadrupled his network. He was starting from ground zero. Here's exactly what I did to get him started: 1. We took a professional headshot, added his profile picture with a custom brand color background, and gave him a LinkedIn banner. 2. I updated his headline to reflect his current goals for his next career move using my favorite headline formula: Target job title | 3 high-priority keywords | Personal branding statement. 3. I updated his About section and added his work experience, ensuring that at least two positions were completely filled out. Not just job title and place of employment, but we added relevant accomplishments and keywords. 4. I added relevant skills related to the roles he's targeting. Altogether there are 50. 5. We included his certifications and credentials. 6. We uploaded his email contacts, synced them with LinkedIn, and sent requests to everyone he was connected with via email that was on LinkedIn. 7. We specifically searched for connections at his #1 target company and sent them personalized connection requests. He received 5 accepts, including the CEO of his target company and the HR director. If you're job searching have you completed all of the above? If not, take some time today to make the changes and see what improvements happen for you! I also created this 5-day video series showing exactly what I did to update his profile. If you're trying to make the most of LinkedIn, start here: https://lnkd.in/e5E7DaHq #LinkedInTopVoices #LinkedIn #JobSearch #Careers #Networking

We all know we're supposed to "show instead of tell." But most design portfolios fail to do this and here's why. 👇 Designers love showcasing their raw work in their portfolios including outputs or deliverables such as: → Sketches → Diagrams → User flows → Wireframes → Sticky notes → Journey maps But to be honest, 90% of the time, I have absolutely no idea what is going on in those images. For example, I'll often come across a screenshot or picture of 25+ sticky notes, but: → They are too zoomed out. → If I zoom in, they're too blurry. → Even if I can seem them, they're too overwhelming. Then I start asking myself questions such as: → Am I supposed to read every sticky note? → What's important about these sticky notes? → Is this worth my time and attention to decipher? This is where storytelling comes in. What if instead of showing a raw zoomed out screenshot of sticky notes, we instead pulled out the key highlights and takeaways? Then we can guide the reader's attention to what's actually important, and optionally include a link to the original raw image afterwards. This creates a far more compelling narrative for our audience (hiring managers and recruiters), and ensures we're showing the right level of detail that is necessary to understand the story. Now to be clear, I'm not saying you should entirely avoid raw images or assets (or even raw Figma files). For example, these can be effective during the interview process because the designer can use their voice to guide their audience through the image. But when it's an online written case study submitted with an application, then you won't be in the room when a hiring manager first sees it. In that moment, your story will need to stand on it's own. It will need to communicate the right level of clarity and detail to compel the hiring manager to offer you an interview. In summary, when we want to "show instead of tell", that doesn't mean slapping a raw screenshot or image in our portfolio. It means reflecting on how we're using our words and images to give context, clarity, and tell an impactful story. Use it effectively to your advantage. What are your thoughts? #ux #design #portfolio #casestudy #storytelling

One of the toughest tests of your leadership isn't how you handle success. It's how you navigate disagreement. I noticed this in the SEAL Teams and in my work with executives: Those who master difficult conversations outperform their peers not just in team satisfaction, but in decision quality and innovation. The problem? Most of us enter difficult conversations with our nervous system already in a threat state. Our brain literally can't access its best thinking when flooded with stress hormones. Through years of working with high-performing teams, I've developed what I call The Mindful Disagreement Framework. Here's how it works: 1. Pause Before Engaging (10 seconds) When triggered by disagreement, take a deliberate breath. This small reset activates your prefrontal cortex instead of your reactive limbic system. Your brain physically needs this transition to think clearly. 2. Set Psychological Safety (30 seconds) Start with: "I appreciate your perspective and want to understand it better. I also have some different thoughts to share." This simple opener signals respect while creating space for different viewpoints. 3. Lead with Curiosity, Not Certainty (2 minutes) Ask at least three questions before stating your position. This practice significantly increases the quality of solutions because it broadens your understanding before narrowing toward decisions. 4. Name the Shared Purpose (1 minute) "We both want [shared goal]. We're just seeing different paths to get there." This reminds everyone you're on the same team, even with different perspectives. 5. Separate Impact from Intent (30 seconds) "When X happened, I felt Y, because Z. I know that wasn't your intention." This formula transforms accusations into observations. Last month, I used this exact framework in a disagreement. The conversation that could have damaged our relationship instead strengthened it. Not because we ended up agreeing, but because we disagreed respectfully. (It may or may not have been with my kid!) The most valuable disagreements often feel uncomfortable. The goal isn't comfort. It's growth. What difficult conversation are you avoiding right now? Try this framework tomorrow and watch what happens to your leadership influence. ___ Follow me, Jon Macaskill for more leadership focused content. And feel free to repost if someone in your life needs to hear this. 📩 Subscribe to my newsletter here → https://lnkd.in/g9ZFxDJG You'll get FREE access to my 21-Day Mindfulness & Meditation Course packed with real, actionable strategies to lead with clarity, resilience, and purpose.