how to improve your linkedin profile

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILEWRITTEN BY: STACY SMYK-SANTIAGO, ASSOCIATE CAREER

COACH WITH HALLIECRAWFORD.COM

www.halliecrawford.comCopyright 2013

http://www.halliecrawford.com/

H O W L I N K E D I N H A S C H A N G E D T H E J O B S E A R C H P R O C E S S

©2002-2013 HallieCrawford.com

With the prolific use of LinkedIn, the process of job searching has evolved dramatically into a dynamic networking landscape. Because 9 times out of 10, employers will Google you before an interview and recruiters are searching for your brand of talent, you must enhance your LinkedIn profile in order to take an important step forward in your job search.

It can be overwhelming to learn how to navigate the technical options on LinkedIn on top of learning how to create super star content. It will help to approach it like a puzzle, taking it piece by piece.

I recommend first working on your summary statement because it is a must-have, powerful element in your profile. Here’s some advice to get you started…


S U M M A R Y S T A T E M E N T


What a summary statement is not:

It is not a copy and paste of the profile statement from your resume It does not have a lot of blank space and only one or two sentences that leave the reader hanging It is not a boring third person account of your work history

What a summary statement is… The LinkedIn summary section of your profile is

where you demonstrate the core of your brand. This is where your passion, purpose,

and expertise come to life in a signature melody of energetic narrative and specifically

tailored bullets. Claim first person tense and personality here. Ignite the reader with

your enthusiasm for your career path. Be creative and entice the reader to connect

with you.


B R A I N S T O R M I N G

What goes into the summary? Start by brainstorming:

What you are passionate about What you want to offer an employer or client What’s important to you and what you stand for A list of your specific areas of expertise to highlight your value



S U M M A R Y C R E A T I O N

Writing your summary statement is a tricky process and most of us draw a blank on

what to write! The following outline should help you focus on the anatomy of a sharp

summary statement:

The summary creation formula:

1. Blend your unique talent (brilliance) and career mission statement (purpose) together in a brief, descriptive first person narrative. This highlights your best skills, greatest value, and how you most want to use them.

2. List or describe your accomplishments or client scope to prove results and indicate professional impact.

3. List your specific expertise and skills that makes you valuable and demonstrates what exactly you have to offer.



L I N K E D I N S U M M A R Y E X A M P L E – P A R T 1

Because understanding this is easier said than done, I’ve included an example

of a successful LinkedIn summary that a client and I created together:

Hello and thank you for viewing my profile! Passionate about emerging technologies, I

apply 15 years of senior leadership experience to help organizations take new ideas and

transform them into revenue generating products and solutions. I have managed large,

complex programs for Fortune 100 companies combining the hard skills of an MBA with

the softer skills of cross-functional team leadership at all levels.

I take bold and creative measures to design technology programs from conception to

tangible completion. Communicating fluently across technical and C-levels, I lead by

motivating cross-functional teams and implementing a highly organized strategy that

delivers powerful results.




Selected Clients: General Motors, Proctor and Gamble, Gillette, Citigroup, The Word Bank, TheUnited Nations, DoD

I establish PMOs and direct multi-million dollar technology projects including:

Cloud based solutions (40,000 end users and 300 facilities) Web and internet deployments (revenue generating web sites) Cisco networking, voice and data solutions (70,000 end users) Cisco Unified Communications (30,000 end users) Data Center modernization (modernization, VMWare and reduced

footprint) VMWare deployments (server virtualization to consolidate and

reduce servers) Wireless solutions (mobile, fixed wireless, and Wi-Fi) New Product launches (IPTV, Web services) Unified

Communications©2002-2013 HallieCrawford.com



Expertise:

Technology strategy and leadership PMO establishment Project planning Directing project teams Business strategy Work stream management Requirements gathering User Acceptance Testing and technology turn-up Post-deployment planning”



R E C R U I T E R S S E A R C H L I N K E D I N

How do we know this example works? This career coaching client started receiving daily phone calls from recruiters wanting to interview him!

Remember, recruiters search LinkedIn daily for quality candidates and almost all employers will Google you before hiring you.



A B O U T H A L L I E C R A W F O R D . C O M

HallieCrawford.com was founded by certified career coach, speaker and author

Hallie Crawford. Crawford has served on the Board of the Georgia Coach Association,

and is regularly featured as a career expert on CNN, Fox Business News

Forbes.com, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo HotJobs, and Entrepreneur Magazine.

Create Your Career Path is a boutique career coaching firm known for their personal

attention, commitment to clients and a blend of dreaming and being practical in

achieving career goals. Since 2002, they’ve helped hundreds of clients all over the

world find and succeed in their dream job.

Each of their coaches are certified coaches with specific career coaching experience

and training. They cater to professional men and women, management level and

higher, in mid-career transition. Their success rate is 97%, measured by the number of

people who have gotten what they wanted out of coaching. The coaches use a

specific tried and tested process and tools developed by Hallie Crawford over the

years.

Contact us for a complimentary consultation: www.halliecrawford.com/contact.html.©2002-2013 HallieCrawford.com

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mailto:www.halliecrawford.com/contact.html
