Put Your LinkedIn Account to Work for You
Barbara Crouse
In today’s workforce,
it goes without saying that your LinkedIn profile is a critical component of your career branding toolbox. It is basically fair to think of it as your resume, meaning that thoughtful consideration regarding what appears there and a commitment to regular updates are key. Even if you’re not actively in job search mode, you want your profile to be intriguing and flawless. Keep in mind that your current boss, colleagues, and even potential employers are checking these things out regularly. Who knows? An opportunity could come along that you didn’t even know was out there.
Use the headline to your advantage
In such a saturated market, you need to have a descriptive headline if anyone if going to be prompted to keep reading. Avoid generic throwaway titles and get specific. In addition to “Manager” or “Producer,” give your audience something to grab on to. Indicate what your industry and functional expertise are off the top and save everyone time. Even though you might be very proud to be affiliated with your current employer, and should certainly feel encouraged to showcase this, it is also an important strategy to brand yourself as an individual, not to merely fly under the banner of your current organization. Invest the time to produce a succinct and accurate summary. Many are tempted to skip the Summary section altogether, but this is an important section that helps frame your background and it is also highly searchable based on keywords.
A poor summary is a missed opportunity
In addition to being an opportunity to highlight your background, the Summary section is also an opportunity to differentiate yourself from others who might have a similarly impressive roster of work experience. The ability to tell a good story has become an incredibly valued skill in the workplace. Even if you don’t think this applies to your field of work, it is a chance to show potential employers that you are able to think fluidly and demonstrate a diverse skill set. Your career summary gives you the room to elucidate this ability organically. Play around with a more casual tone and emphasize interesting positions and accomplishments that you’ve accumulated so far.
Bring in outside voices and stay active
A LinkedIn profile allows you to actively participate in the business community, and there are advantages to bringing in other voices. LinkedIn is all about connections and engagement. If a recruiter comes across your page and sees little activity and few connections, they are going to look elsewhere. If you engage in the LinkedIn community, commented on others’ content and posting items relevant to your area of expertise, you will get noticed. LinkedIn profiles allow you to showcase your understanding of the business community. Exchanging ideas with external voices is a great way to illustrate your savvy and learn from other people working in your field.
Keep your audience engaged with additional sections
LinkedIn has refined their platform extensively, there are no sections there that you should take for granted. Although you don’t want to overwhelm your profile with content, choosing a carefully curated selection of material can go a long way to demonstrating your knowledge of the field you’re working in. Publications, activities, and skills are all specific sections that recruiters do pay attention to, so choose what information you populate them with wisely.
Put your best on display
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses, but maximizing your LinkedIn profile means understanding what these are and knowing how to present them so that you can put your best foot forward. If you are interested in showcasing certain skills that you feel set you apart, the best way to do it is through strategic organization. It is ok to emphasize something through repetition if it is a truly unique, or perhaps less understood aspect of your experience or portfolio, but ultimately you want to keep things as concise as possible. Once you’ve got someone’s attention, they’ll be willing to invest in the time in exploring your profile in its entirety. Case in point, present your best qualities and most impressive experience up front.
Personalize your URL and make it easy for people to reach you
One little LinkedIn trick that will help set you apart from the pack is having a personalized URL. By customizing the URL attached to your profile, you’re able to change it to your name rather than a randomized set of letters and numbers. Immediately this makes your profile look cleaner and more professional, it also helps reinforce your personal brand by making it obvious what you’re sharing in your email signature. It’s also important that people can easily reach you. If for privacy reasons you are worried about including your main email address, it might be a good idea to set up a separate account marked for public sharing. Either way, make sure it is linked to an account that you check often, or have it forwarded it to your primary account through your settings.
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