WEEK4—OPTIMIZEYOURLINKEDIN

I. CreateAnExceptionalLinkedInProfileRecentlyLinkedInacquiredacompanycalledConnectifier.ConnectifierpullsindatafrommanydifferentsocialplatformsandthenenablesrecruiterstopushabottomandbasicallymatchupnewcandidateprofilesandpotentialcandidateswithaprofilethattheyputintoConnectifier.ItistheAIofLinkedInanditishavingamajorimpactonrecruitingandjobsearch.MostofthetimerecruitersaregoingtolookatyourLinkedInprofileassoonastheyreceiveyourapplication.SoLinkedIncanbeverypowerful.The6coreskillsarelikeyourpersonalbrand.ItisaconcisewaytocommunicateyourskillsetsandinsomecaseswhereyouwouldliketogowithyourcareeronLinkedIn.Iwanttomakeasuggestiontoyou.Go,rightnow,tothislinkhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/nathalieviremontomyprofileonLinkedInandconnectwithmeonLinkedIn.WhydoImakethissuggestion?BecauseIwantyoutobuildthehabitofconnectingwithpeopleallthetime.Littleconnectionswheneveryouseepeopleiskey.Whoyouknowismuchmoreimportantthanwhatyouknow.A.Connectyourcore6skillswithyouLinkedInprofileusingimagesThereis91%chancethatifyouapplyforajobtherecruiterwillcheckyourLinkedInprofileaccordingtoresearch.Mostpeoplelearnbestwiththeireyes.Thatisthereasonwhyyouneedtointegratevisualassetsthatsupportyourmessage.Isuggestathree-stepprocesstodothat.First,thinkaboutyourmessage.Anelectricalengineerneedstoshowheisgreatwithelectronics;whileapoliticianneedstoshowtheyaregreatworkingmeetingandworkingwithvoters.Yourmessageshouldshowyouareanexpertinwhatyoudo.Forexample:ifyouareaChinesetutoryouwanttohaveamessagethatprojectsyouareexpectonChineselanguageormaybeonchina.Secondly,supportthatmessagewithassetsyoualreadyhave(videos,photos,researchpapers,chartsoranyotherassetsyoucanintegrateonyourLinkedInprofile.Forexample,youcantakephotosofyouworkingwithstudentsinChinaoratriptoChinaandintegratethoseintoyourLinkedInprofile.Thirdly,istobecomeyourowncareerdocumentarian.Nexttimeyouhaveabigmeeting,takeaphoto,youneverknowwhenyoumaybecomehistory.Evidenceyourexpertiseasyougoontoyourcareer.Forexample:nexttimeyouareinchinatakephotosofyouwithyourstudentstoshowyouhaveexperiencemeetingwithChinesestudentsandareanexpertinthisarea.

B.ProducepersonalbrandingcollateralfromYouTubeIwillnowshowyouhowtointegratecollateralintoyourLinkedInprofileifyoudon’thavesomeofyourown.Forexamplephotosthatyou'vetakenonyourownalready.GotoyourLinkedInprofileandaddapieceofcollateralheretoapositionyouhaveeventhoughyoumightnothaveanyofyourowncollateralthatyou’vealreadycreated.Isuggestvideobutanykindofvisualcollateralworks.Soifyouwanttochoosephotosthat'sfinetoo.GotoYouTube(whichissupportedbyLinkedIn)andsearchsomethingthatwouldbemaybeacoolpieceofpositioning,eventhoughit'snotyours.LookupTedTalksrelatedtothatpositionandrepresentsyourprofessionallife.CopythevideolinkatthetopofthebrowserandthengotoyourLinkedInprofileandyou'regoingtoadditasoneofthepiecesofcollateralthatisusedtosendyourmessagepowerfully.Makesurethatthetitleafterit'suploadedissendingtherightkindofmessage.Thetitleshouldnothaveanydots,sogetallthewordsthatyouneedincludedinthetitlesummarysothatpeoplecanseeiteasily.Thensaveitandyou'llseethatthereitisontheonyourprofile.C.YourProfilePhotoandBannerImageIntoday’sdigitallyconnectedworld,moreandmorebusinessesarehappeningonline.That'swhyit'ssoimportantthataprofilephotoisouttheremakingsurethatyougetthumbsuponbusinessopportunitiesratherthanathumbsdown.Tohackthesystem,followthesetwosteps.Thefirststepistothinkaboutyouraudience.TheeasiestwaytodothatistogoandlookattheprofilesofsomeoftheBusinessLeadersthatyouadmireinyourtargetaudience.ForexampleinwestcoastinCaliforniayouaredealingwithacasualculture.Askyourselfiftheyarewearingasuitandtieorsomethingcasual(thenwearabutton-upshirtwithacollarundone)?Thesecondstepistoaskyourself3simplequestions.FirstwhatshouldIbewearingtomakesurethatIfitinwiththisculture?Rememberthatpeopleprefertoseesolidcolorsinprofessionalphotos,notpatterns.Secondwhatshouldmyfacialexpressionbelike?Makesurethatyouappearextremelyfriendlybecausepeopletendtowanttoconnectwithpeoplewhohaveabigsmileontheirface.Andthirdwhatenvironmentwouldprojecttherightmessage?Ifyouarecreativeyoumaywanttoprojectsomethingkindofstylishsochooseacoolwallasyourbackground.Ifyouwereawinemakeryoumightwanttobepicturedinfrontofsomewinecasks.Ifyouaregoingtotakethepictureyourself,followthestepsonthe

‘AppendixD–HowtotakeyourLinkedInpicture’Also,checkthe‘DukeUniversity_ACORPORATEBEAUTYCONTEST’.LinkedInhasaddedtheoptionforanybodytoaddabackgroundphotototheirprofileandthat'sanothergreatwaytosendbeautifulvisualcollateralandtosendapowerfulmessagewithyourprofile.GotoGoogleadvancedimagesearch.Lookforsomethingyouthinkprojectswhoyouareoracoolbackgroundphotoforyourjobtitle.Makesurethattheimagesizeisislargeandmakesurethatit's‘freetouseorshare’.Onceyoufindanimageyoulike,savetheimageonyourdesktopandthenaddthisbackgroundphototoyourLinkedInprofile.D.YourLinkedInProfileHeadlineIfyourLinkedInprofileislikeyourshopthenyouareheadlineiskindoflikeyourshopwindowtotheworld.Itisgoingtobethethingthatappearsveryfrequentlyonthenetworkanditwilldeterminewhetheralotofpeoplecheckoutyourprofileornot.Soit'simportantthatyouhaveaprofessionalheadlineandalsothatit'sappropriateforyouraudience.Recruiterswilloftenlookatacandidateonlineinasearchresultandtypicallythey'relookingforacandidatethathasaprofessionalheadlineandalsosomebodywhodoesn'tusetoomanyspecialsymbolsorallcapsandthingslikethatbecausethosewouldprobablyalsoberedflagsthatwouldpreventthemfromcheckingoutacandidate'sprofile.Followthese4stepsforyoutocreateaheadlinethatdoesthejobandthatyoucanbeconfidentwithasyoustarttolookforjobs.Thefirstthingtothinkaboutiswhatisthecultureoftheaudiencethatyou'retargeting.Aretheymoreformal.Aretheyexpectingyoutobemorecreative?Howcanyouachieveyourgoalwithyourheadline?Ifyouneedsomehelpwiththis,checkouttheCultureguidetoIndustrialandorganizationalcultures.Thesecondstepistothinkaboutwhatreflectsyoumostaccurately.Ifyouarereallyoutgoingorreallycreativethenit'sokayforyourheadlinetomatchthat.Ifyouweremoreconservativeandreservedit'salsookaytobemoreconservativeorreserved.Ultimatelyyouwillgobeyondthecomputerscreenwithafewofthesepeoplethatyou'renetworkingwithandyouwanttheexpectationssetbyyourprofiletomeetwhoyoureallyare.

Thethirdthingthatyouwanttoconsiderarethekeywordsthataregoingtoachieveyourgoals.Wordslikeseekingopportunitiesareoftensearchedbyrecruiterswhoarelookingforcandidates.Sowhetheritisthatyouwanttocomeupinthosekindofsearchesorifyouhaveaspecialtyinanindustryoraparticularnichethenwhenpeoplesearchforthatnichewiththatkeywordthenyourprofilewillcomeup.LinkedInweightsheadlinesrelativelyheavilyintheiralgorithms.Thefourththingthatyouneedtoconsideriswhetherornottokeepyourcontactinformationinyourheadline.havingsomethinglikeyourphonenumberinyourheadlinewillreducethefrictionbetweenyouandarecruiterwhowantstotalktoyouaboutapotentialopportunity,whichisgreat,becausethatmeansyouwillhearaboutmoreopportunities.Ontheothersideofthat,yourtelephonenumberwillalsobeonlinewhichcanalsobeadrawbackandyoumightgetsomepeoplewhomakeannoyingsalescallsE.YourLinkedInsummaryAgreatmusiciandoesn’tnecessarilyneedtosellthemselvesinordertobecompelling.It’sabouthowtheypresentthemselvesandwhatthey'vedonethatmakesthemcompelling.SimilarlyyoucandothiswithyourLinkedInprofileandtherearebasicallythreeplaceswhereyouneedtowritestuff:thesummary,ifyouwantto,yourpositiondescriptionsandthenadviceforbeingcontacted.AsyoustarttodevelopyoursummarywhichisareallyimportantsectionofyourLinkedInprofileforkeywordoptimizationandalsojustfortellingyourstorytherearebasicallythreewaysthatyoucansuperchargethissummary.Jims,BrandsandQuantities.AJimwouldbesomethinglikeapersonalstorythat'sappropriateforprofessionalnetworkbutittellsalittlebitaboutwhyitisyoudowhatyoudo.ForexampleMrs.SmithvisitedAfricaandrealizedthattherewasaHealthcrisissoshenowworksinthemedicaldevicesfield.Thatkindofstuffisreallypowerfulforconnectingwithyouraudience.Second,brandsthatarerecognizablewillalwaysbuildtrust.Thesecouldbegovernmentorganizationsyou'veworkedwith,schoolsthathaverecognizablenames,otherorganizations.Weavethoseinthereifthey'reappropriatetoweavein.Andfinallybigquantitieswillalsohelpyoursummarypop.Itcouldbethingslikethenumberofclientsserved,thenumberofemployeesintheorganization,etc.Inthegenerallayoutforasummaryyoucanstartoffwithachievementsifyouwanttoincludeselectedachievementsandthenyoumovetoalittlebitaboutyourstoryandthenyoucanclosewitheitheryourcore6skillsoradviceforcontactingyou.

You'llseeexamplesof10differentsummariesfromcandidatesofdifferentprofessionalbackgroundsthatyoucanuseasareferenceaswellsamplewordtracksforthecontactinfosectioninthe‘AppendixF-LinkedInsummariesguide’.WhenyoumoveontodescribingindividualpositionsonyourLinkedInyoucanchoosetoputthosepositiondescriptionswritteninyourLinkedInprofileornot.Ifyouaregoingtodothat,thenjustcopyandpastethissectionofyourresumeintoyourLinkedInprofile.RememberthatalternativelyyoucanalwaysuploadyourtraditionallyformattedresumeasanassetonyourLinkedInprofileandthat'sgenerallyaprettysmartthingtodo.Thefinalspotwhereyouneedtowritethingsisadviceforcontacting.Inthissectionjustincludeyourcontactinformationasmuchasyou'recomfortablewith,sothatyoucanreducethefrictionbetweenyouandarecruiterwhomightwanttocontactyouaboutsomeopportunity.

II. HowToOptimizeYourLinkedInProfileIamnowgoingtosharewithyouastep-by-stepprocesstobuildyourLinkedInprofile.OpenyourLinkedInprofilescreenandfollowbelowstepstobuildyourprofile.Step1:CreateYourSummaryinaWordProcessingProgramRefertoyourresumetoasyoubegintodesignyourprofilesummary—especiallythecore6Skillsaroundwhichyourresumeisbuiltandthesummarysectionofyourresume.Then,referringtotheGuidetoLinkedIn®SummariesandContactInfo,decidetherightformatforyoursummary,lookatsomeexamples,considerhowyou’regoingtointegrategems,brands,andquantitiesintothesummary.Thenwritethesummaryusingwordprocessingsoftware.LinkedIn®willallowamaximumof2000wordsforyoursummaryandyoucanalsousethePowerWordsGuidetoboostyourwordchoice.Step2:CollateralMaterialstoMakeYourProfileStandoutLocateand/orcreatethevisualassetsthatwilltakeyourprofiletothenextlevel.Thesearethingslikephotos,videos,presentations,reports,andothergraphicsthatwillreinforcethemessagethatyou’resendingtorecruitersandotherpeoplewhoarecheckingoutyourprofile.Twoeasywinsare(1)uploadinga.pdfcopyofyourresumeand(2)takingphotosofyouruniversitydegree(s)andhonorscertificates(ifthatappliestoyou).It’smostimportanttofocusongatheringatleasttwoimagestouseinyourSummarysectionandtwotoplaceunderyourmostrecent(orcurrent)position.Ifyoudon’thaveanyoriginalcontent,seeifyoucanfindsupportingimagesoncompanywebsites,universitywebsites,Wikipedia,otherwebsites,orbyusingGoogle’simagesearchfunction.Forexample,someonewhohasvolunteeredatananimalsheltermightfindsupportingimagesonthatanimalshelter’swebsite.Trytocollecthigh-resolutionimagesifatallpossible.Note:theseassetswilllookbestlaidoutassetsof2images,5images,or7imagestotalbecauseofLinkedIn’sstructure.Step3:JoinLinkedInJointhenetwork,followtheinitialsteps(sendingconnectionrequeststoyouremailaddressbookisoptional—youcandothislater),andgettotheprofileeditorscreen.Generallyspeaking,LinkedIn®Premium®isn’tworththemoney.Step4:HeadshotandHeadlineAfteryouhaveaphotoyoulike,uploadittoyourprofile(seeFigure1).

Then,writeyourselfaheadlinethatisappropriateforyouraudience,thatreflectswhoyouare,thatfeatureskeywords,andthatincludesyourcontactinformation(optional).Youhave120characterstoworkwith.Hereareafewexamples:•RecentMBAGraduateSeekingOpportunitiesinFinance|(714)809-4867•FrontEndDeveloperwithaPassionforUXSeekingOpportunitiesintheBayArea•GreenTechnologiesExpert|OnlineCommunityManager|contact@nathalievirem.comNext,you’llwanttocreateacustomLinkedIn®profileURLforyourselfthatyoucanuseonyourresumeandinyouremailsignature.Click“Edit”totheleftofthe“ContactInfo”tab(seeFigure2).

Finally,justmakesurethatthegeographyandindustryofyourprofileiscorrect.ThesewillhelpyouappearmoreaccuratelyinLinkedIn®searches(seeFigure3)

Step5:SummaryandCollateralMaterialsProofreadyoursummaryverycarefullyanduploadittoyourprofile.Then,uploadtwoofyourmostimportantpiecesofsupportingcollateral(SeeFigure4).

Thesepiecesofcollateralshouldquicklyconveyyourprofessionalmessagetopeopleviewingyourprofile.Movies,photos,andgraphicsarebest.Asyouuploadeachpieceofcollateral,writeatitlethattellstheaudiencewhattheyshouldbeseeinginthisgraphicordocument(seeFigure5).

Step6:PreviousJobsandInternshipsListthedatesofpreviousjobs,internships,orotherworkengagementsandyourjobtitles.Somestudentsmightchoosetolist“Student”or“GraduateStudent”astheirjobtitletoshowtheaudiencethatthey’vebeeninschool.IMPORTANT:YourresumeandLinkedIn®profilemustmatcheachother.94%ofrecruitersareactiveonLinkedIn®andareverylikelytocross-referenceyourresumewithyourLinkedIn®profile.1Anymismatcheswillusuallyimmediatelydisqualifyyou.Asyouenterthesepositions,makesurethatyouarelinkingthepositionwiththeOrganization’sLinkedIn®CompanyPageifthatorganizationisonthenetworkseeFigure6).Whenyouraudienceseesthelogosofotherorganizationsonyourprofile,itwillhelpyoubuildtrustwiththem.

Ifyouchooseto,copyandpastethedescriptionsofeachpositiononfromyourresumeontothedescriptionsofeachpositiononyourLinkedIn®profile.Thisisoptional—visualassetswilltellstoriesbetterthanwords,butsomerecruitersmightwanttoreadmoreaboutwhatyoudidatapreviousjoborinternship.Step7:Education&DegreesFirst,ensurethatyou’relinkingeacheducationalexperiencewiththeschool’sLinkedIn®page.Then,writeoutthefulltitleofyourdegreeorexpecteddegree(e.g.“BachelorofArts”or“MasterofBusinessAdministration”or“MasterofScience”)andifyouachievedsomekindofhonor,listthatonthesameline.Itwillmakeyouracademicachievementspop(seeFigure7).Then,includeyourfieldofstudyand,ifyourgradesweregood,listthemintheappropriateformat(e.g.3.85/4.0).Includeyouractivitiesandsocietiesifthey’rerelevanttothepositionsyou’reseeking.Mostpeoplewillwanttoleavethedescriptionblank.

Finally,uploadaphotoofyourdegree(ifapplicable)andanyadditionalacademiccertificatesthatyoureceived(SeeFigure8).

Step8:ContactInformationand“AdditionalInfo”SectionInthe“AdditionalInfo”section,you’llseethreeplacestoaddinformation.Addinyourcontactinformationtothe“AdviceforContacting”section.Itismorecommontospeakinthefirstpersoninthissection.Herearesomesamples:•Ms.Viremcanbereachedat+1(714)809-4867,viaemailatcontact@nathalievirem.com,orviaSkypeatnathalievirem.•Youcanreachmeviaemailatcontact@nathalievirem.comorbytelephoneat+1(714)809-4867.Iamgenerallyopentonetworkingwithprofessionalsintheglobalsupplychaincommunity.Youcanlistintereststhatarerelevantandappropriateforaprofessionalaudienceinthe“Interests”section(thisisoptional)andgenerallyspeaking,peoplewillwanttoleavethe“PersonalDetails”sectionempty.Step9:AddYourSkills,Languages,andCertificationsInthe“SkillsandEndorsements”section,addin6-10skillsthatarecloselyrelatedtothecore6Skillsyoulistonyourresume(seeFigure9).Thatwillenableyournetworktoendorseyouandsoon,you’llhavedozensofpeoplewhosupportyourskills.

Then,addinforeignlanguageskills,relevantcertifications,andothersectionsthatarerelevanttoyourmessage(seeFigure10).Forcandidateswhohavedonealotoffreelanceworkorforstudentswithrelativelylittleformalworkexperience,the“Projects”sectionisagoodwaytodemonstratethatyouhaveskillsinagivenprofessionalarea.

Step10:SettingsFirst,shiftaroundthesectionswiththetwo-sidedarrowtooltoprioritizethestrongestmaterialatthetop(seeFigure10).

Formostcandidates,thesesectionsshouldbeorganizedinthefollowingorder:•Summary•Experience•Education•Skills&Endorsements•Languages•Certificates•Projects•AdditionalinfoFinally,gointoyour“Privacy&Settings”toolandEditpublicprofileandcustomizeyoursettings—especiallywhatotherpeopleonthenetworkcanseewhenthey’renotoneofyourconnectionsandalso,ifpeoplewillbeabletoseewhenyoucheckouttheirprofile.LinkedIn®hassetitupsothatifyoudon’tallowthemtoseeyou,thenyoucan’tseewhohasviewedyourprofile,whichcanbeagoodpieceofinformationtohave.

Step11:RecommendationsLotsofpeoplearealwaysaskingmehowtogetmoreLinkedInrecommendations.I'mgoingtogiveyoutwodifferentrecipesfordoingthat.Firstistoblameitonme.Sayyou'retakingaCareer-coachingprogramwithmeandgotoanallymaybeafriendoracolleague;somebodywhoyouknowappreciatesyourwork.AndjusttellthemheyI'mworkingonbuildingagreatLinkedInprofile,becauseI'minthiscoachingprogramsoifyoucouldhelpmeoutwitharecommendationthatwouldbegreatasthat'spartofthe

program.Andyouknowpeoplekindofappreciatepeoplewhoareinvestingthemselvessotheyaremorewillingtoleaveyouarecommendation.Andalsorememberyouhaveaccesstowordtrackswhereyoucanbasicallycopyandpasterecommendationsthatyouareeithergivingorifyouareaskingpeopleforarecommendation.TheonlynuancethatIwouldsuggestisthatyoutellthemexactlyhowtoleaveyourrecommendationbecausealotofpeoplehaveneverleftrecommendationsbefore.Justtellthemthatiftheygotoyourprofiletheyclickalittlebluebuttonandthey'llseearecommendationorrecommendlinkthattheyclickthatandthat'swheretheycanleaveyourrecommendation.ThesecondrecipeistocreateyourselfarecommendationCircle.Thisisreallygoodifyou'reastudentorifyouworkinaplacewithyouknowlotsofdifferentemployees.Thewaythatyoudothisisjustgatheragroupofalliesandtelleverybodybasicallyletsrecommendeachother'sworksothatwecanbuildourLinkedInprofiles.Ifyoujustget4or5peopletogetherthenyoucanhave4or5recommendationsoneitheryourworkoryourtimeataparticulareducationalinstitution.Ijustwanttowrapbeforewegettothesummarywithonefinalpoint.Ifyou'reabouttoleaveyourpositionoryouthinkyou'regoingtobechangingjobssoon,Iwouldgetyourrecommendationsrightaway.Beforeanybodyknowsthatyoumightbeleaving.That'sbecauseonceyouleave,peoplearegoingtobelesslikelytoleaveyourecommendations.Sopartofyourexitstrategyforleavingapositionshouldbetogetthoserecommendationsbeforeyousendanysignalsthatyoumightbechangingjobs.Tosummarize,onewaytogetrecommendationsistojusttellpeoplethatit'spartofacoachingprogramyouaredoingandthatyouneedtheirhelptogiveyouarecommendation.Peoplewillappreciatethatyou'reinvestinginyourself.ThesecondwaythatI'mgoingtorecommendtoyouisthatyoucanstartarecommendationCircle.JustgetalliesaroundyoueitherinyourworkplaceorformerUniversityorinstitutionandleaveeachotherrecommendations.It'sareallyhealthymutuallybeneficialoperation.Andfinallyifyou'replanningonleavingaposition,that'sareallygoodtimetogetyourrecommendationsbeforeyousendanysignalsoutthatyoumightbeleaving.