©2012 Nycletha McCarley All rights reserved. 1
Part 3
Improving Your
LinkedIn Profile
©2012 Nycletha McCarley All rights reserved.
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Improving Profile Strength
Headline
Summary
Unique URL
Personal & Other Information
Making Connections
Recommendations
Endorsements
Dos & Don’ts
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Headline
Be descriptive & bold, so people will find & remember you!
Add certifications, advanced degrees
Out: “Financial Advisor at”
In: “Money Making Expert: Helping Individuals Become Financially Free”
Transitioning? It’s ok!
State in your headline
Describe position you want
Improving Profile Strength
©2012 Nycletha McCarley All rights reserved.
Improving Profile Strength
Example 1
“Success Starts with Meaningful Communication!
As a former Missile Flight Engineer turned Management Catalyst (not a typical consultant), I use my expertise to understand, develop, & optimize complex businesses of all types…
My background encompasses working with individuals, entrepreneurs & organizations to solve challenges in many areas of business, which include:…
Roy Bell,
Business Development, Marketing, Project Management
www.linkedin.com/in/roybell
”
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Summary
Be descriptive & bold
Include key words from your industry
Quick & fast: Use your resume profile
More effective: Personalize, describe passions, key skills & strengths
Include yrs of experience, specialties, areas of interests
Communicate your ability to contribute value to an organization
In transition, describe how your experience relates to the new career
©2012 Nycletha McCarley All rights reserved.
Improving Profile Strength
Example 2
“I have been helping people for as long as I can remember; it comes natural. When I studied Vocational Rehabilitation, I began gathering resources to help people find a career, especially after a debilitating accident. I gravitated toward helping students find a major that would lead to jobs during school & after graduating. Working with Be a Leader Foundation has been a dream come true for helping students in rural Arizona achieve college goals...
Socorro Galusha Luna,
★★★★★Helping people find jobs★★★★★www.linkedin.com/in/socorrogalushaluna
”
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Summary
Be descriptive & bold
Include key words from your industry
Quick & fast: Use your resume profile
More effective: Personalize, describe passions, key skills & strengths
Include yrs of experience, specialties, areas of interests
Communicate your ability to contribute value to an organization
In transition, describe how your experience relates to the new career
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Improving Profile Strength
Unique URL
Customize your URL with your name
Or, use a keyword-based URL that will create traffic
This allows you to brand yourself
Also bumps you up on search results
Add the URL to your email signature & other sites
Whatever you decide, maintain it!
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I don’t suggest completing this information
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Improving Profile Strength
Completed!
Headline
Summary
Unique URL
Personal & Other Information
Next on Deck….
Making Connections
Recommendations
Endorsements
Do’s & Don’ts
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Making Connections
Three Ways Use Imported Contacts Invitations
Invite someone to make a connection
Be invited by someone to make a connection
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Upload Outlook, Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail, etc email addresses Download your full address book to invite people already on LinkedIn When it asks for permission to access your address book, you accept
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Making Connections Invitations are how you make connections on LinkedIn
When one LinkedIn user sends an invitation to another person who then accepts the invitation, they become 1st-degree connections
If the person receiving the invitation isn't a LinkedIn member, they'll be prompted to join LinkedIn in order to accept the invitation
Each new connection can increase your access to thousands of professionals in your network
You should only send invitations to people you know
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LinkedIn will give you options for each one you select
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Making Connections
It’s not who YOU know,it’s who your contacts know
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Making Connections
How do I reach out to 2nd or 3rd degree contacts on LinkedIn?
Options If you & the contact are members of the same group, connect by
choosing “Groups” when sending the invitation If the contact is a 2nd degree contact, you can reach out to a 1st degree
contact through LinkedIn to ask to be introduced If you have the contact’s email address, connect by choosing the “Other”
option when sending the invitation With a LinkedIn Premium membership, you can send In Mail messages
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Recommendations
A recommendation is a comment written by a LinkedIn member that promotes a colleague, business partner, student, or service provider
You can write recommendations for your connections & you can request recommendations from your connections
People interested in hiring or doing business with someone often consider recommendations in making their decisions
Endorsements
An endorsement is a one-click way for your connections to endorse the Skills & Expertise listed on your profile
You can also endorse your connections this way
There is no automatic way to request an endorsement
A written recommendation is not included with this feature
Recommendations vs. Endorsements
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1. Suggest what your connection can recommend: your work ethic, your successful projects, or your particular skill set
2. Return the favor; write your connection a recommendation
3. Be sure to proofread recommendations; poor spelling/grammar will make a bad impression
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Tips for Your Profile1. Don’t cut & paste your resume
2. Borrow from the best marketers
3. Write a personal tagline
4. Put your elevator pitch to work
5. Point out your skills
6. Explain your experience
7. Distinguish yourself from the crowd
8. Ask & answer questions
9. Improve your Google Page Rank
10.Build your connections
11. See who’s viewed your profile & connect with them
12.Post activity updates 1-2 times per week, if possible
13.Personalize the invitation to connect, don’t rely on the default wording
14.Likewise, personalize the recommendation request
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Transitioning to a New Career?
State target position in Headline
State target position qualities, skills & ways to contribute in Summary
Be creative! Make your experience align with target job descriptions
Obtain the experience of the target job Freelance, be a consultant in that target job: add to experience Find a volunteer organization wherein you can practice the skills: add to
experience
Create a document where you map your experience & skills to the target job; add this document to LI via LI applications
Tips for Your Profile
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Tips for Your Profile
1. Think about your audience:
Employers, Customers, Partners, etc
Understand their perspective
2. Don’t use inflammatory statements or use risqué language
3. Keep differences of opinions cordial
4. Be respectful at all times
5. PROOFREAD
Poor spelling & profanity make a bad impression to a majority of recruiters
54% of recruiters would react negatively if spelling/grammar errors were discovered while reviewing a candidate’s social network profile – Jobvite Social Recruiting Survey Results 2012
Remember, what you write could be in the public eye for a long time