My LinkedIn tips

My LinkedIn TipsUseful stuff they don’t always tell you.

So here is what I recommend…

Look, this is your professional profile. Your storefront. Your face to the world.

That means you can do it any way you want to.

But some ways work better than others. Some ways trigger the power of the system and get it to work for you (and for your connections).

Others, well they thwart the power of the system.

List all of your experienceThis is your professional profile, not an employment application. So it should reflect the whole professional you – not just your “jobs.”

Military service, volunteer work, coaching, advocacy – these may be where your most valuable skills came from.

And listing this stuff lets your colleagues who shared those experiences find you.

Give it some lifeWhat in your work was cool, important, worth doing? Don’t just put your job title.

The title should be what your job or function actually was, not some cryptic payroll code. In your description, use the terms and phrases that are meaningful in that field.

Imagine this is your “elevator speech” about why your work was valuable and interesting – because that’s what it is.

Spell out your company and school names

Start typing the full name, and grab it from the dropdown. In LinkedIn’s database, this is what makes the link.

Otherwise it’s just a bunch of words in a box. Abbreviations – or explanations, like “a project of XYZ Corp.” – will not match anything, so there will be no link, and you will end up with no colleagues or classmates. Sad story.

Include dates for jobs and schools attended

At least list the years. Without dates, LinkedIn can't identify anyone as being your colleague or classmate.

Pick your industrySelect the “industry” that matches your own profession, not your employer’s business.

If you are an accountant at an airline, pick Accounting, not Aviation. Remember, this is about you.

Tweaking? Turn off broadcasts

Point at your thumbnail (top Right), select Privacy, Turn on/off your activity broadcasts, and uncheck the box.

Do this when you’re fussing with your profile. Otherwise people will be congratulating on your “new job” when you only got rid of a typo.

Remember the “short you”Your profile has a "Headline" that you write, and an "Industry" that you select. (They’re in the Edit link by your photo when you edit your profile.)

That and location is all that people see in a list or a search result. So make sure that it doesn’t say you’re a blank.

Include a profile picture. Do it.

A professional head shot may be better than a selfie. But not always. And a nice selfie (or even a logo) beats a blank. Totally.

An untraditional pic can even be more effective than a studio shot, if it’s pertinent. Let’s say you’re a biking advocate, a photographer or a cartoonist... Look, I think these profile pics of my friends are awesome. Heck, just having them associated with my profile makes me look good.

So do it for your friends…

Go ahead, be cool. Do it for your friends. And for you.

And that’s the thing: You being on LinkedIn helps all your connections. Passively. In your sleep. But much more so if you look good.

Because by your profile looking good, sounding interesting and listing cool projects – you make them look better too. “We are known by the company we keep.” Truer now than ever.

Thank youNina Sandlinnina.sandlin@gmail.com

www.linkedin.com/in/nsandlin

@nsandlin

fieldmuseum.org/users/nina-sandlin