Chapters
LinkedIn is the largest career database in the world and the best online platform to create your professional online presence. With over 500 million people (as of August 2020) on LinkedIn and most of them in professional positions, to be current you need to learn what LinkedIn is and how to leverage the power of LI in your future.
Why LinkedIn?
- Create a professional online presence
- Identify & make connections to develop your network
- Identify groups that are discussing topics of interest
- Research companies
- Find employment
- Discover career pathways to your ideal job
You want to ensure you have presented yourself as professionally as possible. Below are tips on how to create / improve your LI profile.
To EDIT, simply go to your Profile page and click on the “pencil” in the upper right corner.
PICTURE: You should have a professional-looking picture of yourself, preferably with a blank background. i.e. not taken at the formal dance. Do a quick search for people on LI and see how their pictures show up for ideas. Not too close. Not too far away. Not too busy in the background.
TAG LINE / HEAD LINE: The area immediately under your name is your ‘tag line’ or ‘headline’ and is pulled automatically from a section in your profile with your most current position. Edit this section to highlight your career interests, skills or passion. When people search for you they see your picture and this tag line, so it is important to capture a highlight of who you are in this section. Check out other people’s profiles and generate some ideas on what might work for you.
Example: Career Coach | Passionate | Creative | Problem Solver
Example: Higher Education Professional | Collaborator & Connector
ABOUT SECTION: Near your name and Headline, you will see a blue box “Add Profile Section”. Click on this and add ABOUT. Think of this section a bit like your cover letter. This is an area where you can write about yourself, strengths, passions, interests, etc… Keep it short, bullets work well, and think of ways to set yourself apart from the others looking for employment.
CUSTOMIZE YOUR LINKEDIN ADDRESS: You can change your LinkedIn address / public profile URL and can then add it to your resume, business cards, and/or in your email signature.
- On your Profile page, look to the right column for EDIT YOUR PUBLIC PROFILE
- In the upper right of that page is “Edit URL”
- Simply put in your name or if your name is taken, use your name with a simple number after it. SAVE is at the bottom.
EXPERIENCE SECTION: This is the one area that will look much like your resume. You can add a few ‘bells & whistles’ here, but start with replicating what you have on your resume for experience.
SKILLS SECTION: Take some time and look at people’s profiles who are working in the industry / occupation you are interested in. Check out their SKILLS listed and if you have those same skills, add them to your section. Think about the top skills employers are looking for as this is one