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Maximize Your Use of LinkedIn!€¦ · Maximize Your Use of LinkedIn! ~~~~~ The Reality •...
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Keith Carlson, RN, BSN, NC-BC NurseKeith.com 1 Maximize Your Use of LinkedIn! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The Reality • LinkedIn is currently the most powerful professional online networking tool. • Worldwide users number in the hundreds of millions. • For building an authentic online network, there’s nothing like it. • LinkedIn is actually a powerful search engine disguised as social media • Many employers and colleagues immediately Google those who apply for positions, and rare ones even require a LinkedIn profile rather than a resume. What’s the problem? • Many users simply don’t know how to effectively use the platform. • People “collect” connections and contacts but do nothing with them. • Users do too much self-promotion and not enough promoting of others (this is a rampant practice on most social media platforms). • Not following up is one of the cardinal sins of networking (also rampant). • There’s no excuse for networking in a way that doesn’t foster real relationships. • Many people erroneously see LinkedIn as simply an online resume. • Valuable online “real estate” and opportunities are wasted by so many users who don’t know better.
Transcript of Maximize Your Use of LinkedIn!€¦ · Maximize Your Use of LinkedIn! ~~~~~ The Reality •...
KeithCarlson,RN,BSN,NC-BC NurseKeith.com
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MaximizeYourUseofLinkedIn!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TheReality• LinkedIniscurrentlythemostpowerfulprofessionalonlinenetworkingtool.
• Worldwideusersnumberinthehundredsofmillions.
• Forbuildinganauthenticonlinenetwork,there’snothinglikeit.
• LinkedInisactuallyapowerfulsearchenginedisguisedassocialmedia
• ManyemployersandcolleaguesimmediatelyGooglethosewhoapplyforpositions,andrareonesevenrequireaLinkedInprofileratherthanaresume.
What’stheproblem?
• Manyuserssimplydon’tknowhowtoeffectivelyusetheplatform.
• People“collect”connectionsandcontactsbutdonothingwiththem.
• Usersdotoomuchself-promotionandnotenoughpromotingofothers(thisisarampantpracticeonmostsocialmediaplatforms).
• Notfollowingupisoneofthecardinalsinsofnetworking(alsorampant).
• There’snoexcusefornetworkinginawaythatdoesn’tfosterrealrelationships.
• ManypeopleerroneouslyseeLinkedInassimplyanonlineresume.
• Valuableonline“realestate”andopportunitiesarewastedbysomanyuserswhodon’tknowbetter.
KeithCarlson,RN,BSN,NC-BC NurseKeith.com
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Whatcanyoudo?• Maximizeyourprofile
• Learnhowtousekeywordstoenhanceyourvisibility
• Searchforkindredspiritsandcolleagues,invitingthemtoconnectthroughpersonalizedinvitations
• EnhanceconnectionswiththosewithwhomyoufeelmostalignedbyofferingtoconnectviaphoneorSkype(oreven“inreallife”)
• Buildrelationshipsbysharingandconnectingwithothers
• Endorse,recommend,andsupportothers
• Request(andgive)recommendations
• UseLinkedInPulsetowritetargetedpoststhatshowcaseyourexpertise
• Joingroups,takepartindiscussions,andconnectsomemore
• Startyourowngroup
• Followcompaniesandbrandsyouadmire
KeithCarlson,RN,BSN,NC-BC NurseKeith.com
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Itallbeginswithyourprofile
YourLinkedInprofileisyourprofessionalwindowontheworld.Itshowcaseswhoyouare,whatyoudo,whatyou’vedone,andwhoyouknow.Yourprofilecanbeminimal,elaborate,orsomewhereinbetween.Ipersonallyrecommendmakingyourprofileasrobust,informative,andpersonalaspossible.
Pleasenotethatwhenyou’refirstonLinkedIn,youmayenduponyourhomepage,notyourprofile.Youcangettoyourprofileintwoways:1)clickonthelittlethumbnailofyourprofileintheleft-handcolumn;2)clickonthelittlephotoofyouintheupperright-handcornerandthensee“Viewyourprofile”inthemenu.
GettingstartedOnceyou’vecreatedaprofile(oryou’rereadytoenhancetheprofileyoustartedin2009andhavebeensummarilyignoring),Ifindit’sbesttoworkfromthetopdown.
YourLinkedInprofileconsistsofvarioussectionsthateachdeservesattention.
AgoodwaytolearnaboutLinkedInprofilesistolookatothers’profilesandseewhatyoulikeanddon’tlike.Peruse30or40profilesandyou’llknowwhichonesarerobustlyinterestingandwhichonesarelikefallowgroundwaitingforwater.
Yoursocialmediaplatformsareonlyasgoodastheinformationyoupopulatethemwith,sogetwiththeprogramandplantyourseedswithcare.
KeithCarlson,RN,BSN,NC-BC NurseKeith.com
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Butbeforeyoubegineditingaway,thereareseveralthingsyoucando.First,intheupperright-handcornerofyourprofile,clickonyourlittlephotoicon.Choose“PrivacyandSettings”fromthechoicesthatnowappear.
Whenyou’veclickedon“PrivacyandSettings”,you’llseethreecolumns:Account,Privacy,andCommunications.Thisiswhereyoucanchangeallofthevarioussettingsforyouraccount.
Under“Privacy”,themiddlecolumn,clickon“SharingProfileEdits”anddeselectthatoptionfornow;thiswillensurethateverylittlechangeyoumakewon’tbebroadcastouttoeveryoneinyournetwork.Thisisjustanicewaytonotbotherthemwithazillionnotificationsabouteverytinychangeyoumaketoyourprofile.(Youcancheckthatboxagainwhenyourprofileeditingismoreorlesscomplete.)
Under“ProfileViewingOptions”;selectthe“Yournameandheadline”forwhatothersseewhenyou’veviewedtheirprofile.BeasopenandtransparentonLinkedInaspossiblesinceit’sallaboutseeingandbeingseen.
KeithCarlson,RN,BSN,NC-BC NurseKeith.com
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EditingInordertoedityourprofile,yousimplygotothesectionyou’dliketoeditandclickonthe“pencil”iconintheright-handcornerofthatsection.Thereisnolongeran“editmode”foryourprofileliketheolddays;youjusteditthesectionyouwanttochange,andthenhit“save”.It’smuchsimplerthanitusedtobeinthisrespect.
Fromthetop!Thetopofyourprofileisimportant;it’sbasicallythestuffthat’s“abovethefold”,toborrowanoldnewspaperterm.Thismeansthatifyourphoto,headline,andtitlecatchtheeyeofavisitor,theymaychoosetolookfurtherandscrolldown“belowthefold”(aka:thebottomportionoftheircomputerscreen).
Yourphotoshouldbeaprofessional-typeheadshot,notaphotoofyouwithyourdogormuggingforthecamerawhileonvacation.
Yourprofilerepresentsyouandyourprofessionalism,soit’sworthspendingtimegettingitright.
Asyoucanseefrommyprofile,Ihavemynameandsalientcredentialsatthetop,followedbyaheadlinethatspecificallystatesmyobjective,includingapithycalltoaction(“Let’screatetogether!”)
Yourheadlineneedstoclearlystatewhatyoudo,notjustsimplylistatitlelike“CEO”or“Owner”,whichmeansalmostnothinginthecontextofasearchengine.
KeithCarlson,RN,BSN,NC-BC NurseKeith.com
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Let’stalkkeywordsLet’spauseforthecauseofkeywords,shallwe?LikeIsaidonpageone,LinkedInisactuallyapowerfulsearchenginedisguisedassocialmedia.Soifyouwantasearchenginetofindyou,whatdoyoudo?Youusekeywordsinordertobevisibleinrelevantsearches.Therefore,yourheadline(andyourentireprofile)shouldbeseededwiththewordsthatwilllinkyoutoyourindustryorprofessionalgoals.(ie:Myprofileispepperedwith“nurse”,“nursing”,“nurses”,“coach”,“coaching”,“healthcare”,etc.Yougettheidea.)
YourcustomURLNextyouwanttocustomizeyourLinkedInURL(webaddress).Havinga“vanityURL”foryourLinkedInprofileallowsyoutohaveahandydandyandeasytorememberprofile“address”toputonyourbusinesscard,brochure,resume,orothermaterials.ThiswillgiveyouanattractiveURLtouseeverywhere,andyoucanwriteitlikethis(sinceuppercasevs.lowercasedoesn’treallymatter):
LinkedIn.com/in/DonaldDuckRN
Thisisanicelittleenhancement,andyoujusthavetotryuntilyoufindonethatisn’talreadybeingused.Forme,“KeithCarlson”wasalreadytaken,butwhenIaddedmymiddlename,“Allan”,Iwasallset.So,insteadofsomeridiculousdefaultsetofnumbersandletters,myURLissimply:LinkedIn.com/in/KeithAllanCarlson.
Tomakethischange,it’snowsupereasy.Onthehomepageofyourprofile,youwillseearight-handcolumnwithablueboxlabeled“Addanewprofilesection”.Youcan,ofcourse,addothersectionstoyourprofilefromthere,butIwantyoutolookjustbelowthatwhereitsays,“Edityourpublicprofile”.
Whenyouclick“Edityourpublicprofile”,you’llseethatyoucancreateacustomURLforyourLinkedInprofileintheupperright-handcorner.
KeithCarlson,RN,BSN,NC-BC NurseKeith.com
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YourSummaryNextistheall-importantsummarythatwelcomesthevisitortoyourprofile,explainswhatyoudo,andgivesmoredetailsaboutwhoyouare.
Thesummaryareadoesn’tallowyoutouseanyitalics,bold,ordifferentcolorfonts,sobecreativewithcreatingsubheadings.You’llbeabletoseefrommysummarythatyou’reallowedasignificantamountofspacetoextolyourvirtues,skills,andexperience.(Andremember,thesummaryalsoneedstobeseededwithasmanykeywordsaspossible.)
Irecommendgoingforitinyoursummary.You’relimitedinthenumberofcharacters(about2,000),butthere’ssomuchyoucansayinthatspace.
Makesureyoursummaryisinthefirstperson,andbecertaintohaveitbeprofessionalbutpersonable.Youcanalwaysfeelfreetoreadmineasanexample,aswellasmillionsofothers!
YourExperienceThenextmajorsectionofyourprofileshowcasesyourexperience,andthissectionis,infact,thepartthat’smostlikearesume.Again,keywordsareimportanthere,andthemostsuccessfulprofilesdon’tjustlistpositionssuchas“StaffNurse”or“OfficeManager”.Rather,theymakeclearstatementsaboutwhatthatpositionwasreallyabout,usingkeywordsallalong.
KeithCarlson,RN,BSN,NC-BC NurseKeith.com
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Forexample,insteadofjustsaying“Coach”or“NurseCoach”forthefirstpositiononmyprofile,Isay“ExpertCoachForNursesandHealthcareProfessionals”,thususingthekeywords“coach,nursesandhealthcare”inonepositiontitle.Getit?
Followingthismodel,allofmypositionsaredescribedinsuchamanner,andthedetailsofeachpositionarealsopepperedwithappropriatekeywords.Rememberthateverythingonyourprofileisvaluabledigitalrealestate,souseittoyouradvantageateveryturn.
TheRestTherestofyourprofileincludeseducation,awards,certifications,organizations,publications,projectsandotherspecialinformationthatshowcasesyourexperienceandfurtherenhancesyourprofile,makingitmorerobust,attractiveandcomplete.
Yourprofileisgreatlyboostedbyobtainingrecommendationsfromformercolleaguesandsupervisors.Otheruserscanalsoendorseyouforcertainskillsandexperience.Thisissueofendorsementsandrecommendationsmeritsanotherhourofconversationandinstruction,butsufficeittosaythatyoursearchenginevisibilityand“searchability”willbepowerfullyenhancedbythesefunctions.
AFinalWordAtthebottomofyourprofile,therearesectionstitled“Interests”,“PersonalDetails”and“AdviceforContacting”,andthesearecertainlydeservingofyourattention.
Intermsofinterests,Irecommendthatyoupopulatethissectionwithanicemixofyourinterests.Bymakingitbothpersonalandprofessional,thissectionaddssomehumanitytoyourprofileanddemonstratesalotaboutyouasaperson.You’llnoticethatIlistnursingandcoachingrightalongside“spendingtimewithmylovelywife.”
Finally,onthe“adviceforcontacting”section,Ihighlyrecommendhavingthissectionbeaclearmessagetoyourvisitorsonhowbesttogetintouch,followedbyawarmsalutationlike“sincerely”,“gratefully”orsomethingalongthoselines.
Inaway,your“Summary”atthetopofyourprofileistheopeningofalonglovelettertoyourvisitors,andyour“AdviceforContacting”sectionistheclosingofsaidletter.Thismakesaneatlittlepackage,andifsomeonetakesthetimetoperusetheentiretyofyourprofile,thenthey’llcomeawaywithadarngoodunderstandingofwhoyouare,whatyoudo,whatyourskillsare,andhowtoreachyou.
There’sAlwaysMoreOnceyourprofileisrelativelycomplete,rememberthatitneverreallyis.Youcantweak,modifyandenhanceyourprofileuntilthecowscomehome,andIrecommendthatyoudojustthat.Icheckmyprofileonaregularbasis,andI’m
KeithCarlson,RN,BSN,NC-BC NurseKeith.com
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consistentlymakingsmallchangesthatwillhelpitbestrongerandmoreappealing(andmoreconsistentlyfoundinsearchesbypeopleIwanttoconnectwith).
Duetolackoftime,wecan’tcoverLinkedIngroups,LinkedInemailmessages,invitations,LinkedInPremium(don’tspendyourmoneyyet!),statusupdates,andthemanyotherfunctionsthatLinkedInhasaddedoverthelastfewyears,butthisisagreatstarttobecomingasuperuserandaLinkedInstar.
Remember,networkingisaboutauthenticconnectionandsincerefollowup.Todothat,amemorableandrobustprofileisagreatwaytoattractthepeopleyoumostwanttoconnectwith,sogiveyourprofiletheattentionitdeserves!
Intermsofreachingouttoothers,pleasedon’tsendimpersonal,genericinvitationstoconnect.Ifyouseesomeoneyouwanttoconnectwith,gototheirprofile,learnsomethingaboutthem,andsendapersonalizedmessageexplainingwhyyou’reinvitingthem.It’snotaboutamassingasmanyconnectionsasyoucan.Rather,it’saboutconnectingwithhonesty,authenticityandsincerity.
Goodluck,andIwishyouhappyandfruitfulnetworking!
KeithCarlson,BSN,RN,NC-BC
NurseKeith.com
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