LinkedIn: A Guide to Creatingan Effective profile

Presentation content• The LinkedIn Factor

• Researching and setting goals for your profile

• Best practices in enhancing your profile

– Networking – Personal branding– Developing your regime– LinkedIn mistakes

• Hands-on work

• Q & A session

LinkedIn – what is it?

• A Business and Career Tool

• P2P/B2B Social Network– Professional to Professional – Business to Business

• Using LinkedIn to maximize your opportunities in your career

DiscussionAnswer the following in groups or individually:

• Who am I?

• What do I do best?

– Tells us about your last successful project?

– Which strengths/competencies/values are presented through the story?

– What digital assets do I have right now?

– What digital assets do you NEED and WANT to have?

– Can they be added to your profile as skills

“It’s no longer enough to simply have a solid resume. Students now need a professional online presence.”

- Holly Paul, US Recruiting LeaderPricewaterhouseCoopers

LINKEDIN

If you are serious about your career you need to be on

LinkedIn Facts• LinkedIn is the world’s largest

professional network with 277 million members in over 200 countries and territories

• LinkedIn.com is visited by more than 50 million visits each week

• The average user spends 7 minutes and 22 seconds on the website.

• Professionals are signing up to join LinkedIn at a rate of more than two new members per second

LinkedIn key users and stats• Executives from ALL fortune 500 companies are LinkedIn members

• Top industry recruiters from IT, Finance, Marketing, Real Estate, Healthcare, Telecommunications and Education

• Estimated over 50% of them access their profiles daily or few times a week

• 82% are more confident with the information received on LinkedIn than any other social network

• 42 % of all recruitments in 2013 in the UK happened through LinkedIn

• LinkedIn growth in Denmark 54% in 2013 compared 2012 and the 7 th most visited site in Denmark

Source: Forbes, Jacco Valkenburg, Mattias Berg

Why YOU need to be on LinkedIn

• Branding (personal branding)

– You control other people’s perceptions of you

• Career Strategy

• Networking

– Worldwide reach

• Nepotism

– Friends and family are always there for you

• To stay relevant and current

YOUR PROFILE MATTERS

In your opinion what are some of the mistakes LinkedIn users make?

Five of the biggest mistakes on LinkedIn

Mistake 1

• You aren’t connected to recruiters and anyone barely connected to anyone else

Mistake 2

• You don’t have a profile photoor it’s a blurry shot of from ten years ago

Mistake 3

• You have a boring and generic headline (brandline)or your job title

Mistake 4

• Your profile lacks the right keywordsso you never show in search results

Mistake 5

• Your profile isn’t publicor you’re not on LinkedIn at all

Source: Trendhunter.com

Things to avoid on LinkedIn

Things to avoid on LinkedIn

• Your profile should not be a copy of your resume

• Wording matters

– Think keywords not buzzwords (Rocket scientist)

• Do not become stale

• Connections (quality over quantity)

Connect in a Meaningful Way

Benefits of Personal Branding

• Why is Personal Branding important

• Growing your network (next slide)

• Attract opportunities

• Establish TICAV™

• Securing work or new personal and business relations

Connections are key

3rd degreeThose connected to

your 2nd degree connections

2nd degreeThe people your 1st degree connections

know

1st degreeCo-workers, friends and others you can

connect with directly through

invitation on Linkedin

Recruiters can find you through group connections

or even at the 3rd degree level

Join LinkedIn Groups

Your LinkedIn connections can connect you to

“friends” of”friends” (including recruiters,

managers, etc.

Get introduced

Your LinkedIn connections can connect you to

“friends” of”friends” (including recruiters,

managers, etc.

Build your professional network

The larger your network on LinkedIn (not just people

you know directly or those they know but third degree

connections too), the greater the chances of

connecting to people who can help your career

USE THE 3 DEGREES OF SEPERATION ON LINKEDIN

Source: Trendhunter.com

How do I brand myself?

Like any other brand ask yourself 3 critical questions:

• What makes me great?

• What makes me unique?

• What makes me compelling?

Source: William Arruda

The unofficial rules of LinkedIn• Be yourself

Have a story, even if it's still unfolding• Share yourself

• Value your capital/expertise

• Value the capital of others

• Cultivate your brand

• Empower others to do the same – think of the Golden Triangle – ASK, GIVE, THANK

Source: Roxanne Hori, Jan Vermeiren & Bert Verdonck

Networking tips

• OFFLINE to ONLINE: Add the people you meet at events, dinners, courses etc.

• ONLINE to OFFLINE: invite people of interest, from your LinkedIn connections to have a coffee and/or a chat

• Join GROUPS and invite to connect with people who are relevant for you and your interest

Build a Professional Online Presence

1. Add your summary (Task: start working on a draft by using storytelling, using OMC etc.)1. Answer these questions: Who you are, what added value do you offer and what you what to achieve! 2. Think keywords - Consider it for endorsements (Task: Add your relevant skills to your profile)

2. Upload a current professional photo (Your profile is 9 times more likely to be viewed if you have a Photo)1. Let them see your face

3. List your most relevant jobs & complete educational facts1. Convey your successes and responsibilities concisely

4. Receive geunine recommendations and endorsements1. Ask your friends, colleagues etc. – Careful though!

5. Put your flavour on it, It’s ok to be social here ”I” 1. Highlights their involvement in non-paid projects related to their field (open-source, community,

volunteer, conference), list of interests, hobbies, information related to your life outside work

6. Be active relevant content get you noticed1. Add value with links, articles, blogs etc. and have fun

Profile optimized! Then what?

Getting the most out of your profile

• Setting your goals– Being clear on what your goals are

• Business intelligence – Look at company suppliers, partners, clients, recruiters or employers profiles– Research and analysis

• Showcase yourselves – brag a bit– Previous work samples and much more– 20% of hiring managers made hiring decisions based on volunteer experience on

LinkedIn

• ABT – Always Be Testing

LinkedIn Groups

• Why Join a Group

– Connecting with like minded people• Building a following• Collaborative learning and discovery

– Researching for work or business venture

• Choosing a group

– Look for well moderated groups– Look for groups that your current network are – Choose wisely as Groups are listed on your profile

LinkedIn Groups

• Why Start a group

– Influence like minded people– Be seen as a thought leader in your field– Build your database for business venture

• Promoting your group– Look for well moderated groups– Look for groups that your current network are a part

of

LinkedIn Companies

• Why Follow a Company?

– Stay ‘connected’ to companies you are interested in– Be notified of job vacancies

• Starting a Company Listing

– For the business venture/entrepreneur– A part of your company content strategy

The 7 Value Points of LinkedIn• Establish your professional profile and control one of the top search results for

your name

• Build and maintain a broader network of professionals you can trust

• Find and reconnect with colleagues and classmates

• Learn about other companies

• Leverage LinkedIn to find and reach the people you need

• Tap into the knowledge of your network

• Discover new opportunitiesSource: LinkedIn

What should you do after today?• Decide what you want, why and how!

• Rewrite your profile so it educates your target audiences about what you bring to the table

– Improve your headline (“brandline”)– Add presentations/videos or other material to cultivate your brand– Update e-mail address & photo

• Develop a connection strategy that suits you and leverage groups

• Evaluate the benefits of upgrading to a paid service

LYNN KUMON

Examples of Strong Profiles

Donna Serdula Jomar Reyes

Jolene Merica James Bellew

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?

Thank you for your time and attention