LinkedIn reached 100 million members earlier this year, just before an extremely successful IPO. This network for professionals has today become the de-facto standard for recruiting, finding your dream job, landing your next contract, and sourcing the right individual for consulting or project work.
Many a headhunter or a client looking for services will begin their search on LinkedIn. Your own profile on LinkedIn then is your best marketing tool to ensure that you appear in the right search results.
On the other hand, if you use LinkedIn as a source of leads or referrals, it’s important that your profile reflect the right message when said leads or referrals click through to your page.
Check out these tips for building a great LinkedIn profile to represent your own personal brand:
Create a compelling headline
This is the line that appears immediately below your name. This is the first thing someone will see about you, including search results and recommendations to connect. Most tend to leave it as their current title. However, if your current job title is no
t how you wish to make the first impression, use that headline to summarize your own personal brand. It’s a powerful tool, so use it.
To edit your headline, go to Edit Profile, and click on Edit next to your name.
List every job
When you start to build a profile, it’s easy to leave it at the last two or three roles. Do take the time to fill in as many of your previous roles as possible. Remember that searches look through all your jobs. A particular skill or project you have tackled 4 jobs ago might be exactly what a potential employer or client is looking for.
Yes, it’s time consuming, but investing in writing up each role, and highlighting achievements could make the difference in making the shortlist or not.
Create a personal URL
When you first create an account, the URL assigned to your profile is a random collection of characters. Personalize it to have your name, so that the URL reads http://www.linkedin.com/yourname, or http://uk.linkedin.com/youname.
To edit your public profile URL, scroll to the bottom of your Edit Profile window, and click Edit. On the page that appears, work on the right hand sidebar to choose what to show on your public profile, and towards the bottom you will find Your Public Profile URL. If you’re not happy with the URL, click on Customize, and change it accordingly.
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