Start with Why?

Qualified but not connected

Linked In is the trade show or the career fair of the social media arena.  It is the social media outlet that connects talent with opportunity.  

True Story

Two candidates for the same job. Candidate one was the most qualified, but he did not have a Linked In profile. Candidate two was less qualified, but had a complete Linked In profile. The job went to candidate two – he was less qualified, but he could be found online on Linked In.

Linked In has become the number one recruitment tools of talent agents, recruiters, and companies.

The Amazing Linked In

• Amazing Stats
  • What started in a rented office in 2002 with a few guys is not a creative place to work with nearly 4000 employees.
  • This 10 year old company went public in 2011 on NYSE when stocks opened at 45. And by the end of the day 94 dollars per share.
  • It acquired slide share, Pulse and continues to grow and innovate in the mobile market.
  • 225 million members
  • Mobile users in 2011- 8% . Mobile users in 2013- 30%
  • Learn more about the Linked In history so it can change your future
• Amazing Purpose
  • Reid Hoffman, the most influential person in Silicon Valley co-founder of Linked In says:
    • He wants to invent those things that can help people be better at what they do – –  before anyone else does.
• Talent acquisition is difficult. It’s hard to match good talent with great opportunities, but Linked In took on that challenge.
• Buying Pulse and Slideshare was a way to get Linked In-ers  to hang out more –
  • so you can keep your profile up to date..
  • so they can match data with talent and opportunities – More more data you allow them, the more help they will be to you.
• Watch this Bloomberg West on “Inside Linked In”
  

Your Profile

FIRST ADJUST YOUR SETTINGS. Turn off the automatic updates to all your connections – It is annoying to get an email with ever single change you make on your profile. Save this for when you really have a change you want people to know about.

Make sure your profile has great headline.

Try not to follow these examples of the worst profile EVER:

• “Specialties: Exceptionally good with sarcastic, smart ass remarks.”
• “Able to sit in my chair for extended periods of time without numbness or fatigue.”
• “Sometimes, I make a sales call.”
• “Attempted to train dealer staff until I realized most were too stupid to accept the training. Once I realized that fact, I would just take them to lunch.”
• “Talked on the phone and hung out. Took credit for others accomplishments.”
• “Went to lunch a lot.”

The Profile Picture Test

Make sure your profile picture is professional and conveys your story. Look at how this Linked In expert found the perfect picture:

http://talent.linkedin.com/blog/index.php/2013/08/what-profile-photo-works-best-on-linkedin-a-real-life-experiment

The Profile Summary

This is the most important white space on your profile. Use excellent web content writing techniques. Hire someone if you have to get the best picture in 2,000 words or you can:

Do-it Yourself Profile Summary:

• Step 1: Pick an audience. We can’t control who visits our profiles, but we also can’t be all things to all people. So who’s most important? What group do you really want to impress? Write down who this group is. Then, picture one representative from the group. Give the person a name. Write that name down. You’re going to write for him (or her).
• Step 2: Decide on a goal. What do you want that person to know about you? Write down exactly what impression you want that person to have of you after he or she visits your profile.  These two steps have just established the context for your LinkedIn profile. With these answers, those open ended text fields will start to feel more concrete—in a good way.
• Step 3: In a few words, write down what you do, from the perspective of the person you’re writing for. That person may use different language than you would use, and that’s OK. You’re not writing this for yourself, you’re writing for them. And by the way, you just created your headline.
• Step 4: Imagine the person you’re writing for seeing what you do and saying, “Oh, interesting! Tell me more.” Picture yourself answering the question at a networking event, and write down what you’d want to say: Repeat what you do, only with a touch more detail. Add a sentence or two that shows why you’re good (this could include a short anecdote, a list of companies you’ve worked with, or results you’ve achieved). Close with a sentence that makes you approachable. You just wrote your summary.
• Step 5: Repeat Step 4 for previous jobs and educational experiences. As you do this, each time highlight something you did or learned that prepared you for your current position.
• Step 6: Walk away. It’s important to know when to stop!  With these steps completed, you’ve now got the right approach, and aren’t missing basic opportunities to make a good impression. Your next step is to make sure you’re making the right impression… by which I mean, one that makes you more efficient and effective on the job.

More About Your Profile  

Your Groups

Be a joiner. Why? Here are a few reasons:

• To get a job
• To learn about your profession
• To connect with clients and customers
• To find people to help you grow your business or get a job
• Write web content
• Build a professional platform with great content and reputation

Connect with people

Try to get over 500 connections. Get as many as you can get, but endorse with caution. You do not want to be endorsing someone who can hurt your professional reputation.

Try to get good endorsements – carefully choose who you ask to endorse you.

Pay attention to who is looking at you. It might get you the job you want. Many recruiters are doing passive recruitment based on what you put in your summaries and headlines. Also connect with potential employers.

Add Content and Contribute to the Community

If you want to build an online reputation – build a professional platform, start contributing. Notice how your Linked In profile will get more views when you contribute content or post in your group. People on Linked In pay attention to people who take the time to contribute to groups and add fresh content.

Read More . . .

Ten Jobs didn’t exist 5 yrs ago:
http://talent.linkedin.com/blog/index.php/2014/01/top-10-job-titles-that-didnt-exist-5-years-ago-infographic

Top 10 Over Used Words in 2013 in Linked In Profiles:
http://talent.linkedin.com/blog/index.php/2013/12/the-10-buzzwords-recruiters-overused-in-2013-infographic 

Secrets Linked In won’t tell you:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/williamarruda/2014/03/04/22-linkedin-secrets-linkedin-wont-tell-you/

Linked In Settings Most People Miss:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2014/01/25/the-important-linkedin-settings-most-people-miss/

Stunningly Good Linked In Profile Summaries:
http://www.linkedinsights.com/3-stunningly-good-linkedin-profile-summaries/

Make Your Linked In Profile Work for You:
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/make-your-linkedin-profile-work-for-you/#

Five Linked In Strategies You Haven’t Though of Before:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/cherylsnappconner/2013/10/27/five-linkedin-strategies-you-havent-thought-of-before/