Using LinkedIn effectively

QuestionWhat if I have a LinkedIn profile, but it’s incomplete? What if I haven’t paid any real attention to LinkedIn and don’t know how to use it effectively? What do I really want out of LinkedIn and how can I set it up to play a productive role in my branding and career development? 

Building a LinkedIn profile requires a few very specific areas of focus … but in a very general way. Your LinkedIn is not a resume, nor should it be, but a broad encapsulation of your work related identity, with a few additional elements. There are a few things that we get from your LinkedIn that we don’t get elsewhere, so we need to get them right. We need be specific, semantic with our language and aligned with the way you wish to project yourself.

INSERT LOOM CLIP ABOUT LINKED IN PROFILE SETUP

Your headline

Here is the chance to make another first impression, after the photo, a headline that’s all you.  Don’t just put in a boring job title, this is your opportunity to have a catchy tagline that builds curiosity and primes the reader for what it is that follows. 

• Make it quick – what do you do?
• Make it catchy – is it memorable? Have you built a sense of curiosity?
• Make it you – this is uniquely you.
• Make it also – what you can do for the reader?

Contact info

(So guess what, you can be contacted!)Make sure the contact info you provide, is enough for connections or recruiters to get in contact with you easily. If you always have a full mailbox, then maybe think about other ways for contact purposes, like social media platforms.  Have a contactable mobile number on there too.  

Your summary

Create a summary that tells your story.

• Make it about you – this is your personal brand and your potential link to others.
• Tell a great, interesting and memorable short story – what are your in and out of work goals and passions?  Share them with the audience. Build curiosity, again.
• Think about the words that you use the demonstrate who you are. Try to use different expressions and different ways of describing some of the gifts and character traits that you bring to an employer. Words can be a powerful differentiator. Think about removing buzzwords and replacing with more colourful language to add flavour to your profile.

Remember …Most LinkedIn profiles express what a person is doing, not what they want to do. Change yours in the direction you want your life and career to take, your passions, ideals, beliefs and philosophies. Help me to get to know you.

A few thoughts

• People use LinkedIn and social media for differing reasons – what is YOUR reason? This will drive the way you use LinkedIn.
• LinkedIn is a powerful tool, but not a ‘silver bullet’. Don’t have unrealistic expectations.
• Understand your personal brand.
• Focus on long-term relationship-building.
• Giver’s gain most, don’t be selfish – pay-it-forward principle – for example, don’t wait to be asked for a recommendation.
• Explore the extra features.
• Practice professional netiquette – listen first, don’t spam, help others, keep your word, show appreciation, be culturally sensitive, be respectful, courteous and honest.

Our profiles

ActionStart to build a sense of the general profile that you want to take to market.
Research how to build your profile and look at writing a profile statement of about 200 words. Don’t reach out to people until you are ready, but start to prepare your list of contacts. 

You will only get out of LinkedIn what you are prepared to put in. Make sure that your profile reflects you, not a persona and keep it simple, concise and interesting. Know what you want the market to know and focus on updating your profile to reflect their changing needs. Be prepared to invest in helping others and they will reciprocate. 

Additional information

https://lnkd.in/dFFp45Q – LinkedIn is one of the fastest-growing and most valuable assets to access. Learn how to use LinkedIn to your advantage.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashleystahl/2020/01/21/5-hacks-to-get-the-most-out-of-linkedin-groups/#1ff1590f28ac – If you are serious about using LinkedIn to your advantage, you need to be joining the right groups.

What’s next?

In the next lesson, we will start to look at some areas that will have your profile stand out a little more and thereby get greater functionality from the online social business media platform.