LinkedIn – Have You Updated Your Linkedin Profile?
How Nikki and Richard have used Linkedin
In 2013 social media continues to dominate the market place, especially in the recruitment industry as we move further away from traditional methods of locating talent. Gone soon will be the days of an employer or a recruiter placing an advert on a job board and waiting to see what the response, or lack of, will be. We are seeing a huge shift towards social media and recent studies have shown that high percentages of employers are viewing various social media platforms prior to making hiring decisions.
As a professional in a competitive industry, and I guess who isn’t, one of the stand out social media sites is LinkedIn. Having been a member for well over 5 years we have found that LinkedIn has continued to evolve over time and is now a powerful source of information on over 3 million Australians alone.
So this then begs the question – have you updated your profile on LinkedIn lately, if at all since you joined? Your profile is your opportunity to show the world what you are about, if you like your very own electronic business card so why wouldn’t you take the time to make it look its very best. Remember if someone is looking to hire you this is a site that they will probably visit amongst others so make sure your “billboard” is the best it can be.
LinkedIn is all about connecting, but before we connect, we look for what we have in common. That’s the key to putting together a profile that jump-starts conversation. Think of your profile as a way to promote you – a professional permalink, a fixed point on the web to promote your skills, your knowledge, your personality. Brands build trust by using an authentic voice and telling a credible story.
Here ten tips to help you do the same.
Don’t cut and paste your resume.
LinkedIn hooks you into a network, not just a human resources department. You wouldn’t hand out your resume before introducing yourself, so don’t do it here. Instead, describe your experience and abilities as you would to someone you just met, and write for the screen, in short blocks of copy with visual or textual signposts.
Borrow from the best marketers.
Light up your profile with your voice. Use specific adjectives, colorful verbs, active construction (“managed project team,” not ”responsible for project team management”). Act naturally: don’t write in the third person unless that formality suits your brand. Picture yourself at a conference or client meeting. How do you introduce yourself?
That’s your authentic voice, so use it.
Write a personal tagline.
That line of text under your name? It’s the first thing people see in your profile. It follows you in search hit lists. It’s your brand. (Note: your e-mail address is not a brand!) Your company’s brand might so strong that it and your title are sufficient. Or you might need to distill your professional personality into a more eye-catching phrase, something that at a glance describes who you are.
Put your elevator pitch of work.
Go back to your conference introduction. That 30-second description, the essence of who you are and what you do, is a personal elevator pitch. Use it in the Summary section to engage readers. You’ve got 5-10 seconds to capture their attention, the more meaningful you summary is, the more time you’ll get from readers.
Point out your skills.
Think of the Specialties field as your personal search engine optimizer, a way to refine the ways people find and remember you. This searchable section is where that list of industry buzzwords from your resume belongs. Also particular abilities and interests, the personal values you bring to your professional, even a note of humor or passion.
Explain your experience.
Help the reader grasp the key points, briefly say what the company does and what you did or do for them. Picture yourself at that conference, again. After you’ve introduced yourself, how do describe what you do, what your company does? Use those clear, succinct phrases here – and break them into visually digestible chunks.
Distinguish yourself from the crowd.
Use the Additional Information section to round out your profile with a few key interests. Add websites that showcase your abilities or passions. Then edit the default “My Website” label to encourage click-trough’s (you get Google page rankings for those, raising your visibility). Maybe you belong to a trade association or an interest group; help other members find you by naming those groups. If you’re an award winner, recognized by peers, customers, or employers, add prestige without bragging by listing them here.
Ask and answer questions.
Thoughtful questions and useful answers build your credibility. The best ones give people a reason to look at your profile. Make a point of answering questions in your field, to establish your expertise, raise your visibility, and most important, to build social capital with people in your network – you may need answers to a question of your own down the road.
Improve your Google PageRank.
Pat your own back and others’. Get recommendations from clients, and employers who can speak credibly about your abilities or performance. (Think quality, not quantity.) Ask them to focus on a specific skill or personality trait that drives their opinion of you. Make meaningful comments when you recommend others. And mix it up-variety makes your recommendation feel authentic.
Build your connections.
Connections are one of the most important aspects of your brand: the company you keep reflects the quality of your brand. What happens when you scan a profile and see that you know someone in common? That profilee’s stock with you soars, the value of that commonality works both ways. So identify connections that will add to your credibility and pursue those.
On a final note – As you add connections and recommendations, your profile develops into a peer-reviewed picture of you, of your personal brand. Make sure it’s in focus, well compose – and easy to find. Remember that permalink? Edit your public profile’s URL to reflect your name or tagline, then put it to work: add it to your blog, link to it from your website, include it in your e-mail signature….. then go start a conversation.
Nikki and Richard Taylor are using social media and the internet extremely well in their business – They are also using principles from the 4 hour work week.
Lisa B. helps real estate agents to use the internet to kick butt online.
Prepare – Position – Profile – Promote – Profit
It’s easy when you know how.
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