Creating a LinkedIn Power Profile Michelle Post, Ph.D., CSMS

Video: What is Linkedin Video Link: http://bit.ly/whatislinkedinvideo

Lessons to Learn

The Stats Founded in 2002 - Launched in 2003 Worlds Largest Professional Networking Site 200 Million Professional Users as of Jan 2013 CEOs from all 500 Fortune Companies are on LinkedIn Every 2 seconds a new member joins Linkedin 97.3% of recruiting professionals surveyed reporting they used LinkedIn for recruiting during 2012

Before you begin or edit . . . Before you begin creating your profile or editing your profile, Take it offline so that you are not bombarding your connections with every minor change. To do this go to Privacy & Settings Turn off activity broadcasts Change profile visibility so no one can see it DONT FORGET TO TURN THESE BACK ON AFTER EDITING

Resume to LinkedIn Resume Name Personal Information Qualifications Job Experience Education Special Skills Professional Organizations LinkedIn Headline & Tagline Keywords Contact Information Summary Experience Education Skills Professional Organizations SO MUCH MORE

Content Size Requirements Headline - 120 characters Status Field - 140 characters Summary - 2000 characters Specialties - 500 characters Company Name and Position (Job) Title - 100 characters Position Description 2000 characters Interests 1000 characters Standard Logo - 100x60 pixels (image will be resized to fit), PNG/JPEG/GIF format, Maximum 2 MB

What you can do with your Profile Editing Your Profile: http://help.linkedin.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/5

Create a Powerful Headline You need an exciting Headline below your Profile Name This is the first place to begin using your top keywords Create a headline that is unique to you, and one that really catches a hiring managers eye Use the headline as the first line of the story you are about to tell about YOU! Dont forget your Alphabet behind your name

Professional Photo DO Use a professional headshot A professional headshot creates TRUST DO NOT Leave the photo blank Use a logo Upload action or family photos Have furniture or scenery that takes away from you Be far away to where you cannot be seen This is your calling card, make it about your professional image

Public Profile URL www.linkedin.com/in/michellepostphd Make sure your public profile is simply your full name, do not try to be cleaver with this, just simple and straight forward Default - URL with lots of Numbers, Letters and Slashes at the end This URL needs to be under your name on your resume before any other information

Summary Section: Who Are You? The Summary Section is your Billboard to tell your story Use strong keywords to tell your story of who you are This is your greatest white space on your profile be confident, not arrogant Ask yourself, Who am I? If you dont know then ask others, take selfassessment tests

Experience: What Do You Do? Really think about the Job Titles you are using, these could be how you are searched on Use strong keywords that show up a lot in searches Really think about what you are going to write in each section, especially what you did for past and current employers Look at other LinkedIn profiles in your areas of experience and see how each section looks like Look up job descriptions of what you have done, are doing, and want to do in the future

Education, Certifications, Courses Education Current degree Highest to lowest Add links to schools Certifications Current & active Courses Courses in your current degree Self-Development Industry specific

Projects, Publications, Interests Projects What are you working? What have your worked on? Publications Books Conference Presentations Blog Interests Passions Points of interest about you

Skills & Expertise: Endorsements LinkedIn has added a new Skills / Expertise section and it is more easy to seek endorsements for your skills and expertise If you receive endorsements, you should give endorsements Only endorse others if you know they can do the skill Your connections play a critical role in your Skills & Endorsements

And There is Still More . . .

Recommendations Seek out recommendations for current and past employers Seek out recommendations from your professors or university administrators It is good to have at least one recommendation for every job you list; however, the more the better

Group Membership Join groups in the areas you are interested in Be active in your group, start with one and listen and engage Start a group It is easier to connect with influencers if you are in the same groups, for you can request connections from group members

100% Complete Profile

Put Your Best Forward Order of Sections Order of Sections You do not have to keep the sections in the way LinkedIn lists them Move your best sections up Example: Lacking in experience, but have great skills & abilities? Move Skills & Abilities before Experience This is your story WRITE IT! Publishing Your Profile You can determine what you want the public to see when they click on your public profile Example: You can just show the titles from your Experience section and not the details This is your Online Professional Persona Make it Stand Out!

Use of Keywords Keywords are not just for websites, but for individuals too It is important to add the keywords of the jobs your are looking for --- recruiters search by keywords Add keywords to the following sections: Headline, Summary, Specialties, Job Titles, Job Skills, Projects, and Interests Use Keyword Tools Google Ad Words Soovle UberSuggest

Share an Update The status bar is the box that is directly below your name, and if you do not stay current, then hiring managers do not think you are looking A status update can be a simple post once a week about what it is you are learning, a special project, your volunteer work, a blog post you liked, a video you found inspiring

Cross Promote Yourself Social media is your friend and can be critical in finding your dream job If you have more than a LinkedIn account make sure your other social media accounts are professional in look and content Do not post anything you would be embarrassed to have a hiring manager read

RESOURCES

Resources LinkedIn Intelligence - http://linkedintelligence.com/ 20 Tips to Becoming Successful on LinkedIn Refreshed and Expanded - http://linkedintobusiness.com/linkedin-tips-tricks/ 6 Tips for Using LinkedIn the New Endorsements http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/linkedin-endorsements/ LinkedIn Profile Tips: The 10 Mistakes You Want to Avoid and Why http://bit.ly/lzEbx Video: How to Job Search on LinkedIn http://video.about.com/jobsearch/Job_Search_LinkedIn.htm Simple ways to get your resume on top of the pile http://usat.ly/Z57Idh 27 LinkedIn Tips: LinkedIn Best Practices for Entrepreneurs http://www.forbes.com/sites/kenkrogue/2012/06/29/27-linkedintips-linkedin-best-practices-for-entrepreneurs/

Resources, Cntd. Linked University - http://linkeduniversity.com/ 11 Tips to Find the Best LinkedIn Groups - http://www.inc.com/jeffhaden/11-tips-to-find-the-best-linkedin-groups.html How to Use LinkedIn Powerfully: 10 Tips to Know http://socialmediatoday.com/tracycgold/479022/how-use-linkedinpowerfully-10-tips-know Fancy Yourself as a LinkedIn Expert? Better Add These 4 Tips & Tricks to Your Toolkit - http://www.business2community.com/linkedin/fancyyourself-as-a-linkedin-expert-better-add-these-4-tips-tricks-to-yourtoolkit-0253998 Are you In? 10 Reasons To Use Linkedin http://www.islandconnect.net/are-you-in-10-reasons-to-use-linkedin/ How to Add Video, Images to Your LinkedIn Profile http://www.cio.com/article/732876/How_to_Add_Video_Images_to_Your _LinkedIn_Profile

Resources, Cntd. Recruiters Say, Avoid LinkedIn at Your Peril http://www.forbes.com/sites/work-inprogress/2012/05/11/recruiters-say-avoid-linkedin-at-your-peril/ New Expert Tips For Using LinkedIn http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/2012/05/08/newexpert-tips-for-using-linkedin/ LinkedIn Labs - http://engineering.linkedin.com/linkedinlabs/ LinkedIn Strategies - http://linkedstrategies.com LinkedIn To Business - http://linkedintobusiness.com/ Climbing Your Way Out of a Professional Rut http://blog.linkedin.com/2013/03/01/climbing-your-way-out-of-aprofessional-rut/?sf10060462=1 Best Advice I Ever Got http://www.linkedin.com/today/se/bestadvice?trk=nus-mktgbestadvice-0301-gen&sf10040899=1

The LinkedIn Experts Sahar Andrade: http://linkedin.com/in/saharandrade Bernie Borges: http://www.linkedin.com/in/bernieborges Wayne Breitbarth: http://www.linkedin.com/in/waynebreitbarth Melonie Dodaro: http://www.linkedin.com/in/meloniedodaro JD Gershbein, http://linkedin.com/in/jdgershbein Lewis Howes: www.linkedin.com/in/lewishowes Rick Itzkowich: http://www.linkedin.com/in/ritzkowich Nathan Kievman: http://linkedin.com/in/nathankievman Colleen McKenna: http://www.linkedin.com/in/colleenmckenna Flynn Penoyer: www.linkedin.com/in/flynpenoyer Neal Schaffer: http://www.linkedin.com/in/nealschaffer Jan Vermerien: http://be.linkedin.com/in/janvermeiren Viveka von Rosen: http://linkedin.com/in/linkedinexpert

Recommended Books

REFERENCES

References Bernstein, B. (2012). How to write a killer LinkedIn profile. . .And 18 mistakes to avoid. Wise Media Group. Kindle Edition. BroomCouncil.com. (n.d.). Volunteer logo [Image file]. Retrieved from http://www.broomecouncil.net/Images/Volunteerlogo.gif ConstantContact.com. (n.d.). 22 [Image file]. Retrieved from https://origin.ih.constantcontact.com/fs048/1104150309108/img/2 2.jpg De Weaver, G. (2012). How to use LinkedIn 10 secrets the LinkedIn experts dont share. Kindle Edition. LinkedIn. (n.d.). Company page. Retrieved from http://www.linkedin.com/company/linkedin

References Maziemedia.com. (2013). Social media concollage [Image file]. Retrieved from http://maziermedia.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/06/SocialMediaIconcollage.png NeenJames.com. (2012). Recommendation stamp photo [Image file]. Retrieved from http://neenjames.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/08/recommendation-stampphoto.jpg Press.Trustev.com (2013). Work-experience [Image file]. Retrieved from http://press.trustev.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/08/Work-Experience.jpg Qualman, E. (2012, November 7). Social media revolution 2013 [Youtube Video]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUCfFcchw1w

References SearchOptimize.co.uk. (2013). Keyword-research [Image file]. Retrieved from http://www.searchoptimise.co.uk/wpcontent/uploads/2013/04/keyword-research.jpg Socialmediahouse.nl. (n.d.). Linkedin_button [Image file]. Retrieved from http://files.socialmediahouse.nl/2000001019dc279ebd1/linkedin_button.jpg Webnodes.cz. (n.d.). Debnice [Image file]. Retrieved from http://files.svet-jazyku-cz.webnode.cz/2000000179a6089b598/u%C4%8Debnice.jpg Wowchasers. (n.d.). 2 [Image file]. Retrieved from http://wowchasers.com/wp-content/uploads/2.png

Dr. Michelle Post, CSMS