Tag: @linkedin

One thing that I suggest doing at this point is to turn off notifications to your network. You may want to turn it back on in the future but you will be changing a lot of stuff on LinkedIn and you don’t want to be the LinkedIn profile that cried wolf by updates going out multiple times a day for new connections, groups you added, etc… You change this from your edit profile page. It should be in the bottom right of the first screen with no scrolling.

The easiest place to start if you are new to LinkedIn is with the connections you already have. Mouse-over connections and click on “Add Connections.”

If you are willing to share your address book(s) with LinkedIn you can easily find people to add to your LinkedIn Network that you already know. After you have gotten all the low hanging fruit, it is time to start searching for new connections. Click on “Advanced” on the top of the page.

This opens the Advanced People Search. Start looking some people up!

When you find someone, do not just hit the connect button in the search. That is the easiest way, but do you want to do this well or easy? If you use this option it sends a VERY generic message to the person. They might accept it but the odds are against it.

Click on the person’s name and then click on connect. You want to be sure you write a short and unique invitation to connect. You will need to choose a way you know the person you want to connect with. This is up to you but, try to connect to people that you actually have a connection with first (worked with, went to school with, etc…) then you can get referrals to connect with other people from there.

The lesson will always repeat itself, unless you see yourself as the problem–not others.
Shannon L. Alder

If you are on social media at all for your job search, the first place you want to start is with LinkedIn. I recently participated in a webinar hosted by Lisa Rangel of Chameleon Resumes. I encourage you to participate in one of her free webinars. If you can afford her paid services they are also probably high quality but she does provide a lot of good information for free.

You will want to have a complete profile. This is not the time to skimp. Many recruiters use LinkedIn to find passive and active candidates so you need to put your best foot forward. This will also be one of the primary places to network.

Name: Please use the name you go by most often. This is the same with your resume. You do not have to use the name your Mom calls you.

Headline: You will want to be sure that your headline has keywords that a recruiter might search on. If I were in the job hunt I would use “HR, Recruiting, Talent Acquisition” and similar keywords. Don’t worry boss, I’m not looking! Pete Leibman puts it this way: Say what you are, who you help, how you make their life/work better and proof that you are credible. You get 120 characters, make them count.

Location and Industry: You will want your location to be where you want to work. It is a big turn-off to most recruiters if candidates are not local. We don’t like paying for relocation and a lot of people are “open” to other locations until the rubber meets the road.

Contact info: You can control who has access to your information but I would encourage you to let your connections have access to a phone number and email address. It is frustrating when people apply for a job posting on LinkedIn and they don’t have any contact information in their profile. You can also add your Twitter handle, website, blog, RSS feed, etc…

Summary: You have 2000 characters available. Jenny Foss of JobJenny.com puts it well: Tell your story. You want to be engaging and original. Also, write it in the first person. It sounds weird otherwise. Lastly, you can have an actionable item at the end of your summary. If I am reading your summary should I contact you? Read your blog?

Summary uploads: You can upload logos, images, videos, documents or presentations. Remember, it is better to have a little too much info than not enough. I said a little too much.

Customize your public profile URL: It just looks better. Linda Cheung tells you how.

Experience: This is from your resume. Be sure it looks good. How far back you go is up to you but the more recent and relevant the better.

Skills and Endorsements: It is a good idea to ask a few people for endorsements. I don’t hire people based on endorsements but every bit helps.

Education: Unless you think it is to your advantage, I would leave the dates off. Also keep in mind relevancy. You do not have to put down irrelevant education.

Organizations: I would keep them professional and neutral. Stay away from politics and religion.

Groups: These are a great way to network with people in your profession or with similar interests. Some are public and some you need to approved to join.

See how easy that was 🙂 I don’t know about you, but this was a multi-day project for me. I also periodically update my profile. After writing this I am not happy with mine! But wait, there’s more! Now you need to connect with people and post! More on that soon.

You can observe a lot by just watching.
Yogi Berra

Tag: @linkedin

Adding connections on LinkedIn

LinkedIn Profile for your Job search