LinkedIn is the most powerful online platform for professional networking today.
It’s like a global virtual theater, and we are both performers and audience.
So here’s the deal.
You are (probably) already on LinkedIn, so why not leverage it’s potential?
Start small.
One change a week?
As of today, we are at Tip #14.
Follow me on LinkedIn to receive new tips in your feed.
Check out my Forbes article here, for a shorter version some of my top tips.
Bookmark the shortlink of this post for updates and reference:
https://wp.me/P17Zcn-2rq.
LINKEDIN TIP #14:
Don’t accept every LinkedIn connection request that comes your way.
We have come a long way from the early LinkedIn days where LIONs (LinkedIn Open Networkers) ruled the den. In fact, if you dilute your network, not only will you have trouble keeping track of connections and possibly reduce your credibility – if someone asks you how you know a connection (whom they also know), and you come up blank – but also you will not be “educating” the platform’s machine learning about your ideal connections (and, by extension, ideal matches for a job search, etc.)
While there are some exceptions to the above, generally you want to build your networking around people with whom networking would bring some advantage to both sides of the relationship. You can certainly err on the side of having a large networking within those parameters, but I suggest a minimum threshold that needs to be met for you to connect.
I would use this adage – “connect if there’s a connection.” If there is no actual connection between you and the other person, online or offline, and no proposed synergy that resonates with you in the connection request (plus verification of their credibility on their profile and no red flags), then I would decline the invitation.
LINKEDIN TIP #13:
When reaching out to your network (on LinkedIn or otherwise), don’t:
- Expect them to do work you should be doing yourself
- Expect them to solve your problem
- Expect an immediate result
- Expect *anything*
LINKEDIN TIP #12:
Include keywords artfully in your profile.
Don’t stuff your profile with keywords – it needs to be inviting to the reader as well as a match for the algorithms – but do make sure to include them so you are found in a keyword search based on your target roles.
Job descriptions and informational interviewing can help you define the keywords and concepts that are relevant to your audience.
If you have LinkedIn Premium, you can also see the top 10 skills job posters have listed for jobs that could be a match and then aggregate and prioritize them for your profile.
LINKEDIN TIP #11:
Brand yourself like the best of them.
Look for inspiration across a diversity of highly-successful (even famous) folks and/or promising up-and-comers who have multi-faceted, leadership-oriented profiles.
There are certainly at least a million profiles – among the 550+ million LinkedIn users – that have some good ideas to help you write yours. Think expansively, then apply your own judgment about what best reflects your personal brand.
LINKEDIN TIP #10:
Introduce yourself as someone the rest of us would like to meet.
LINKEDIN TIP #9:
Reflect accomplishments.
Use metrics if available and you can publicly disclose them. Include anything that constitutes “bragging rights” for your career. Don’t show off, but don’t undersell yourself either. Try to quantify your accomplishments in a meaningful way that demonstrates the value that you might bring to new projects or organizations. Results often, but not always, affect the bottom line.
If the results are hard to quantify, find another way to express them.
Examples: Did you build something? What was the scope of the project? How did the organization benefit from what you created (or averted)?
LINKEDIN TIP #8:
Don’t post your resume as an attachment to your LinkedIn profile.
Why not?
1) If your home address is on it – which it shouldn’t be; only use city, state and zip or equivalent – you are putting your information at risk for identity theft.
2) You also may find (or never know) that people are borrowing your information and creating a resume that is essentially a copy of yours with another name on it. Because they do not need to post that publicly – unlike a LI profile – they can secretly trade on your goodwill and dilute your brand.
3) If you have one form of resume posted on LinkedIn and bring another (targeted) resume to an interview, you may compromise your credibility (i.e., if the two versions do not to match).
In other words, you will have less control of your personal branding in the interview because your audience will have already seen your resume. They may not even read a new one.
Instead of attaching a resume, put the important information and keywords directly into your profile, so the LinkedIn algorithm can do its work to match you to the right jobs.
LINKEDIN TIP #7:
Complete your skills section, which is given more weight by the LinkedIn algorithms (that power LinkedIn’s matching of candidates with jobs) than the content in many other sections. Your headline, job titles and skills are the most heavily weighted.
Make sure the skills are appropriately high-level and specific, broad and deep. They should paint a full picture of you as a candidate.
For people with technical backgrounds, you can get into the weeds, but don’t go too deep or you’ll get lost there (and your audience will too). Delete duplicates and add interpersonal skills that help define you as a candidate.
If you have LinkedIn Premium, you can also see the top 10 skills job posters have listed for jobs that could be a match and then aggregate and prioritize them for your profile.
LINKEDIN TIP #6:
Sound approachable in your LinkedIn profile.
First person is often recommended as more interactive and inviting, and it’s a great choice for many LinkedIn users.
Professionals in more conservative fields or high-level roles sometimes prefer a third-person summary and/or sparse language, but they do not need to sound unfriendly or indifferent.
With the right mix of approachability and professionalism, your goal is to present yourself as a candidate whom recruiters, management, clients and other potential connections would like to meet and hire.
Avoid jargon, unless you are only seeking roles for which it’s expected (i.e., only outsiders use the long form of a phrase). Internal company jargon – including short form names of groups and job functions – should also be avoided, because your wider audience does not necessarily converse in Google, GE or other company speak.
LINKEDIN TIP #5:
For students and new grads:
You may have seen Tip #4: someone who is currently unemployed should not brand themselves as “Seeking Next Opportunity.” You are greater than your current job (or lack thereof)!
It’s the same for students and new graduates.
Tell the world what they should know about you. What makes you the right person to meet, interview and hire? They already know you want a job! How can you get them excited about working with you?
You have up to 120 characters. Put the most important words at the beginning.
DO:
Accounting Major | Future CPA | Entrepreneurial | Fluent in Spanish | Two Internships
DON’T:
Motivated accounting student on the job market, open to new opportunities
The second one is not BAD, but it’s not optimum. Why settle for second best?
“Entrepreneurial” means, among other things, you think about growing the business and getting results, beyond the immediate tasks of a job.
If you use this or another phrase, be ready to talk about it and show examples of your accomplishments. They may be in the work context or outside of it. You may have found ways to earn money since you were 12, always launching one side business or another. (Car wash, babysitting, photography, proofreading, coding….) You may have been in charge of fundraising for a non-profit event and exceeded everyone’s expectations. Think of the stories you can tell and how they may show that you are right for the roles you are targeting.
Side question: as a new graduate, how can you gain more experience, which in turn can improve your profile? It doesn’t all have to be paid!
LINKEDIN TIP #4:
Even if you are unemployed (and feeling desperate for ANY job), don’t use “Actively seeking opportunities” or a similar phrase in your headline. People want hire someone who is sought after, not desperate. Look and speak the part in your LinkedIn presentation.
If you were asked during an interview why you wanted the job, you wouldn’t say, “Well, I’m unemployed, so….” Think of LinkedIn as the first step in the process, and present yourself the same way you would in the interview room.
In short, indicate your value, not your needs. How can you describe yourself as a compelling candidate?
LINKEDIN TIP #3:
A LinkedIn headline that reads “Partner at ABC Inc.” shares very little. You could be a lawyer, architect or data scientist. How do I know if I want to reach out and connect?
Compound headlines can work well, such as “Vice President | Product Manager | Technology @ ABC.”
Focus on what your audience (and the search algorithm) should know about you to find you a compelling contact or hire.
For more about LinkedIn headlines for attorneys, click here.
LINKEDIN TIP #2:
Check that you have your current email address (where you actually receive and read messages) and it is not a work email that may discourage people with opportunities from reaching out.
If you need or want to create a special email for LinkedIn for security reasons (or because your home email is not professional), do that and make sure to check it! Being available is a key step in the process of making connections.
LINKEDIN TIP #1:
Have a great photo.
For more inspiration, check out my post “Good LinkedIn Profile Pictures: What Do They Actually Look Like?“
Thanks for visiting!
To find or follow me on LinkedIn, click here.
– Anne Marie Segal, Executive Coach
Image of Anne Marie: Copyright 2019 Alejandro Barragan IV. All rights reserved.
Remaining images: Adobe Images.
Segal Coaching LLC 