“1 out of 3 professionals on the planet is on LinkedIn”
-Jason Miller, Content Marketer
Want to shine on LinkedIn? Looking to update your space on the largest professional social media platform in the world?
Creating a LinkedIn Profile
“LinkedIn for Students” offers the best, step-by-step tutorial I have watched! The 2+ hour video is beneficial in assisting, creating and maintaining professional profiles. Don’t stress it, I’ll share the ins and outs, saving you the time!
I’ve had my LinkedIn account for some years now, I thought I had a grasp on this networking forum, wow, was I misguided! The basics were set up. A professional picture, education, job history and a detailed summary of who I was, and where I was hoping to go. I didn’t stand out, I looked like every profile of those who had a LinkedIn Profile, to have one. As I watched the video, I worked on enhancing my profile set by step.
When I hit play on the LinkedIn learning video by Oliver Schinkten, wow, was I in for a lesson! Start with the basics, the “wizard”, the step by step of how to start follow the prompts. Granted you must know your basic information: name, email, country, postal code and such. This is the easy peasy stuff! Then, add contacts, don’t worry they have many options with importing and giving you 100% control of who to add, connect with or reject… bye mother-in-law!
Now, save that work by clicking that save button.
The setup process is quite simple. Creating a profile that grabs attention is where the real commitment comes in. Choosing the right profile picture, background photo is the time-consuming part!
Share who you are and Click Save- don’t forget. Don’t worry if you don’t have it all, as you grow as an individual your LinkedIn profile should too. Face its professional growth is something we should be excited to share!
Much like the newspaper, (who even reads that anyways?!) you want to ensure that your headline is catching the eyes you wish it to. Mere seconds, that’s all that you have to get eyes to lock on your profile. Give the browser what they want right here and be sure to convey who exactly you are and what you have to offer. With a little creativity and standout keywords, you will be sure to have traffic frequenting your profile! and creating a professional network that is sure to have you rising to the top of your industry.
Save it.
Now that you have caught the attention of those who are poking around, reel them in with your Summary. There are so many options and opportunities that can be taken advantage of here and I want to share with you, some of the ones that I believe will set you apart from the rest:
- Interests – share your hobbies!
- Experiences – never know, someone shares the same ones!
- Aspirations – striving for more show’s determination, shoot for the stars.
- Describe who you are – share your character, let them know who the real you are.
- Areas of expertise- never know, this is where their company is lacking
- Passions – enthusiasm is contagious!
Whatever you share, show it off. You have worked hard to be where you are today, you should be proud of your accomplishments. Remember algorithm… bring them in! Then… hit save. Ugh, what a nightmare this would be to have to rewrite your soapbox speech!
The research area of any LinkedIn profile is going to be the “Work Experience” section, be sure to post all experience (paid or volunteer)- showcases the work ethic that you have. Br proud. Include a description of what you did/do, dates and any skills that you developed. Experiences speak to the dedication and ability to learn, share them and be sure to update them often!
Did you save?
Another important section to any profile is the “Education” area where you share majors, degrees, clubs, honours and accomplishments. Let’s face it, you have invested time and energy into your education and this is something that needs to be showcased.
Once you have all the pertinent information added call on co-workers, fellow classmates, past employers or even instructors to share recommendations. These recommendations allow readers to understand you, through the eyes of people who know you first hand. If you are unsure about this section you can turn off this option. Again, you have full control over your profile.
The hours will add up, ensuring that your profile is current and reflects who you are. This adds value to your profile. There are more options that you can add to add even more value:
- Publications
- Certifications
- Patents
- Honours \ Awards
- Languages
- Projects
- Courses
- Test Scores
- Organizations
Once all the information is added, it’s time to configure your public profile. This is going to be where you show up in Google searches- what do you want to showcase? Customizing security settings is crucial, preventing those who you wish not to see your LinkedIn profile? Or do you choose to be hidden? The option is yours-
SAVE it!
Build Your Network
Finally, the time has come to create your network and LinkedIn doesn’t disappoint! From suggestion lists, search names, keywords, location and more builds that network easier! Opportunities to engage with prospective employers, industry leaders and past coworkers… LinkedIn offers it all.
Job Search and Company Research
Researching companies, you have interests in is easy, create collaborations, become familiar with services offered, or watch for job postings- it truly is endless. There are search engines that allow you to set filters to search and connect with anyone and any business. Connecting with potential employers is easy, learning what these companies are all about is at the touch of a mouse. Dig deep into what companies are all about, learn the individuals connected to those companies and connect with them.
Like every other aspect of a LinkedIn Profile, who you connect with is in your control. Making it a beneficial and safe platform to network.
Should the time come that an account needs to be disabled, there is the ability to delete your profile. Just like not saving your work, deleting your account will cause loss of all of your information. If you take the steps to back up your profile, there is a limited chance that you will lose everything should you decide to reactivate again.
Now go now, back yours up!!
In Conclusion
I have had my LinkedIn account for many years now, the information that this learning session touched on gave me multiple ideas I could add, to set myself above the crowd- small details that pack a punch!
Before this lesson began, I had an “intermediate” profile strength, as measured by the LinkedIn Analytic tool (as you can see below). My headline “Business Management Marketing and Related Support Services at NAIT…” was super lame, not catchy at all, very much a misrepresentation of who I am.
I kept the same photos, to show me who I truly am. My “About” section is where I took the time to write up who I am, from my own perspective, this was no easy task. It was a couple days of writing, deleting and questioning ‘is this what I want to portray?” -damn right it is! The rest was easy; add my education and some of the volunteer positions that I have held over the years… but not all positions were represented.
Fast forward to completing this learning lesson. I have made my LinkedIn “sexy” as my Social Media Management Instructor, Ray Bilodeau suggested. So here we go… I made sure to keep my photos, face it, I like them and I believe that they are LinkedIn worthy and professional. I know you probably are wondering why Daisies? My favourite flower, they’re wild {much like my wild-child soul} and my favourite furry companion of 13 1\2 years, who I just lost last week, DaisyMae. *cue waterworks*
I have since updated my headline, let’s face it there is no room for lame when we’re talking career goals. It’s punchy, it’s a little sassy and super creative… screams who I am, it’s how I speak- it’s totally me.
I have kept the ‘About” section very much the same, I am an open book and I believe to get a true understanding of who I am, I needed to keep it real. I Kept the bulk of my original, making some minor adjustments as needed. Adding keywords {let’s face it, it was a list of grade 6 vocabulary that my grandma would appreciate, not a future employer or client}.
My education has blossomed, my career has changed, I needed to update that information. The duties and details that pertained to them as well. I still am stuck on whether to add all my volunteer positions, or not, who cares about volunteering at my kids preschool anyways?! Maybe someone does…. Here lies my battle?!
I am very happy with the way my profile is shaping up, as time passes by the more it will evolve. The more I will evolve. After all, everything on that page is who Amanda-Lynn is. All the hard work, tears and dedication- giving it my 100% and I am damn proud of it.
I hope that you take this opportunity to create, or update, your LinkedIn profile. You should be proud of the accomplishments that you have made thus far in your life. This is an opportunity to share with the professional world what you have to offer and how you have shaped your world through hard work. Face it, you deserve it!
If you have any questions, comments or concerns on your profile- or want some ideas on how to make your profile stand out above the crowd email me amandalynn@sassymedia.ca. I would love to take a peek and provide some insight!
“Every year think about who you are now, and who you want to be remembered as later. This is your legacy. Start building it.’
-Nubelease
Check out my LinkedIn profile Here and be sure to connect!
Peace & Love xxA
References
LinkedIn Learning, Oliver Schinkten
Amanda-Lynn McIntyre 