Michelle Lederman has written a book that coincides with whom she is, and effortlessly offers advice that she epitomizes. I imagine if I wrote a book called, “How to be Huggable, Lovable, and Squeezable” people will have a pretty high expectation for me to be, well, lovable. I can assure you that I won’t write that book. There are several takeaways from this interview and The 11 Laws of Likability.

Linked In

One attribute that impressed me is her ability to connect with people online. When you look at her Linked In profile she has over 500 connections and has spoken to each person at least once. I asked her during our interview her thoughts on job seekers use of Linked In:

The Law of Authenticity

There are job seekers  that I have coached over the years who attempt to become someone else whenever they interview, or during networking events. In Lederman’s book, she says that “Tapping into likability does not mean making everything all perky and bright and constantly being happy. On the contrary, she says to, “Take a deep breath and reconnect with that part of you that feels authentic and honest…”.

Approach People Where They Are

We also talked about how people can really hurt their networking success by approaching awkwardly that appears strategic.  This could potentially wear out people who can be helpful. She says that you are “Networking for life, not just for now.”

Go Ahead, Google Yourself

Before I interviewed Ms. Lederman three weeks ago, I had known that she wanted job seekers to “Do enough research that you have a solid base of background knowledge, but don’t go overboard.” Listen to how she responded to me when I told her that I Googled her:

 

Overall, I have enjoyed talking with her, and tweeting with her. You can reach her via Twitter at @mtlederman and also check out her blog at michelletillislederman.com

DON’T FORGET

Friday is the last day to qualify for a copy of Michelle Lederman’s book, The 11 Laws of Likability. To qualify this week, comment below what you liked about this interview, or Re-Tweet this post via Twitter. I will announce the winner on Monday’s special afternoon post.