#linkedin 101

🎩 Experience, Projects, Skills & Endorsements to Your LinkedIn Profile!

Lesson 3 – Experience, Projects, Skills & Endorsements to Your LinkedIn Profile.

      Your Experience

  The next section for you to fill out is your ‘experience’. Here, you can add each of your different job roles and briefly highlight the skills that you learned working in those capacities.

If you currently own your own business – as many people reading this will do – then remember to make sure…

🎩 Strategically Building Your LinkedIn Profile

Lesson 2 Strategically Building Your LinkedIn Profile

When it comes to creating your LinkedIn strategy, where do you start?

Well, it would seem that a smart place would be… at the beginning. And what is the first thing you need to do when signing up to LinkedIn? Create a profile!

There are two types of profile you can create on LinkedIn though in fact. The first is your own professional profile…

photo credit

Before you begin building your network on LinkedIn, ensure your profile is 100% complete. Why? Viewing a profile without a background or accomplishments can make you second guess if it is a real account. Would you want to network with someone like this? Don't expect others to either. 

Today I'll cover just the basics but stay tuned for part 2.

Let’s get started: 

  1. Add connections by syncing your email with your LinkedIn profile.

2. Use the find alumni feature. You will be amazed by the amount of people this returns – you’ll see where they live, work, what they do, what their skills are, how you’re connected, etc. Connect with these individuals! Since you’re already connected by the school you attended, you won’t have to go through the process of selecting “how do you know Jimmy Bob?” I still suggest customizing your message though.

While we’re on this topic... I typically always encourage people to tailor their message slightly when connecting (I admit I don’t always do this though. Oftentimes, the people I’m connecting with have large networks and are social media geeks like me, so they’re pretty open to accepting invites. It really just depends on the individual though). For the most part, when sending an invite, simply let them know why you want to connect. Keep it personal, brief and please... spell check. 

3. Join groups – you can join up to 50 groups..join all 50! These may be networking groups, groups by key influencers, company groups, alumni ones, etc… You may not leverage them all daily, however, it’s a great way to stay connected, gain more connections and keep an eye on relevant conversations and industry trends. It's also easier to connect with someone if you share a mutual group.

Tip:  Observe at the beginning but then don’t just be a fly on the wall. Start by “liking” a comment, asking a question, or lending your advice.  

4. Cross-promote – include a link to your Linkedin profile on your blog, twitter profile, Facebook (if applicable), etc. Also, ensure you add the LinkedIn profile badge to your email signature.

  Easy peasy, right?! You now have the perfect LinkedIn profile and are on your way to building a robust network. Don't forget to come on back... in part 2, you’ll learn how to strengthen your network and further develop your online presence.   

In my last post, I reviewed how to optimize your LinkedIn profile, mainly aimed at newbies. I recently stumbled upon a fantastic infographic from Link Human that captures it visually.

Enjoy!

While LinkedIn has been around since 2002, I'm amazed by the amount of people who still don't leverage it personally or for business. By no means am I the LinkedIn expert; however, I firmly believe in their products and services, as I've seen firsthand the success it can bring.  

Similar to how I feel watching reruns of Saved by the Bell, sometimes I get nostalgic thinking about how far LinkedIn has come. While they're still "growing up" themselves, they've recently made many welcomed changes, creating a much more overall user-friendly experience. In addition, they've completely transformed company pages, which have major benefits for businesses... that's a story for another post though. It's tricky, since going public, LinkedIn has to walk a fine line - appeasing their clients, while not angering and spamming their members. They are very aware of this concern though and keep their member's best interest at heart first and foremost. 

I know creating your LinkedIn profile has been written about a million times over. Heck, LinkedIn even has a step-by-step profile creator, however, I constantly receive questions or see profiles that leave me puzzled. My profile is far from perfect... I should probably update it more frequently, add more keywords/personality, etc.. but below are some high-level tips and tricks.

The goal = 100% complete profile. Why?

People will be able to find you easier (you're 40x more likely to appear in search results)

It shows that you care about your professional appearance! 

So, let's get started.... as you develop your profile, THINK KEYWORDS (words that people would use to search for you). Ensure you add keywords to all of the sections mentioned below, within reason! 

A PROFESSIONAL Profile photo – this lends credibility and helps put a face with a name (you’re also 7x’s more likely to have your profile viewed).

I rarely accept people who do not have a photo, it’s just lazy.

Also, do not use a logo as your photo. 1) It is against LinkedIn’s terms and conditions. 2) it comes off very spammy.

Professional headline – 120 characters, include keywords. Ensure it isn't full of internal jargon.

Tip:  If you’re a recent grad or seeking a job, it’s okay to state that here, e.g., Recent Boston College Graduate Seeking XYZ Position

Previous employment – List as many relevant positions as possible, again, ensure that you include as many keywords as possible without going too overboard. 

Education – Kind of a no brainer, but this is a major area that recruiters and hiring managers will search for.

Website – you can have up to 3 websites listed. Choose “other” when adding each link to customize it, adding keywords. For example, instead of just saying “my website” say “my social media blog.” Consider linking to your company website, portfolio, etc...

Link to your twitter profile – this allows others to easily find and follow you.

Edit your vanity URL – when you create your profile, you’ll receive a long, ugly URL. Click “edit” to customize it, use your full name or some variation. This helps with your own personal branding as well as search results.

Tip:  Include this URL on your resume

Summary section – Your chance to shine! Describe who you are, your strengths, areas of expertise, and what sets you apart.  

LinkedIn skills – this is one of my favorite new-ish areas, and they’re important! LinkedIn weighs them heavily (meaning you’ll show up in search more…see a pattern?). Type in one of your skills, for example, I’d enter “social media” – this will return related skills, the top professionals with these skills, groups to join, and also companies to follow. Ensure you add these to your profile!

Recommendations – Recommendations of your work can go a long way. I recently hired a new associate and I reviewed all candidates' recommendations.

Tip:  Start writing recommendations for others, chances are they’ll return the favor!

Rich media – You will now have the ability to add rich media to your profile! This means you can upload images, presentations, videos, etc… Not many people have leveraged this yet, take advantage of it!

Interest, groups and awards – complete these areas not only to highlight your success but to also show some personality. While LinkedIn is a professional site, don’t be scared to list some of your interests that fall outside of the office as well.

There are a ton of other areas you can update on your profile (e.g., languages, test scores, certifications, courses, etc…) but those mentioned above are (in my opinion) the most important ones.

  Again, these are just the basics but everyone has to start somewhere! In my next few posts I'll continue to dive deeper into LinkedIn. Whether you want to build your personal brand, gather industry intel or market your business... there's a lot to learn and leverage!