The importance of using LinkedIn as a social media tool and how it can be leveraged.

LinkedIn has over 562 million users in 200 countries; 260M active; 146M from the US; 40% active daily; 40M active students and recent college graduates. Little wonder why over 90% of recruiters use LinkedIn regularly for talent hunt.

What goes on within LinkedIn
Employers:
80% of companies used LinkedIn to find talent

• 96% searching
• 94% contacting
• 93% keeping tabs on candidates;
• 92% vetting

Job Seekers:

• 40% contacts referred me for a job
• 34% contacts shared a job opportunity
• 32% contacts provided an employee’s perspective on a company

On this post, you will learn

• The importance of using LinkedIn (LI) as a social media tool and how it can be leveraged.
• How to set up or update your LinkedIn to look professional.
• How to build networks of connection

Uses of LinkedIn

• Seek career opportunities with a “virtual” resume
• Create and receive notifications for job postings
• Share professional experience and achievements
• Connect with other professionals… and/or former colleagues, classmates and acquaintances
• Converse via private message
• Follow companies, groups, and influencers
• Save industry and other interesting articles
• Keep professional “life” separate from private one

Creating a LinkedIn Professional Profile

When you’re creating a LinkedIn profile, you must;

• Be authentic and include a strengths summary
• Use keywords in your profile that are relevant in your desired field; conversely, do not be too specific if seeking more broadly
• Check spelling and grammar – have a trusted partner review (Use Grammarly)
• Explore other profiles

Profile Sections
This is the heartbeat of success.

• Introduction – Name, Headline, Demographics, Summary
• Experience
• Education
• Volunteer Experience
• Skills & Endorsements
• Recommendations
• Accomplishments
• Interests

Introduction: Photo, Demographics, Contact Information

• Use a good, professional photo (headshot)
• Use your full name, no nicknames or abbreviations
• The current position can be a student in xx major or current job if related to the field of interest
• Include your preferred contact information:
• Email – use a professional one
• Telephone – only if comfortable – it will be public!
• Address – discourage including
• LinkedIn URL (how to personalize shown later)

 Introduction: Headline

• Your personal brand
• Be creative – grab attention; can use a quote or catchy words
• Recommend not using your job title

PMP-certified leader – known for successfully leading multi-million global projects.
Passionate, caring Registered Nurse with a passion for helping cancer patients and their families.
Current marketing student looking for an opportunity to leverage…

Intro: Summary

• Who are you?
• Keep it short and sweet to grab attention
• Write in 1st person
• Describe your professional and personal brand
• Share what you are looking for and be mindful of not having too narrow a scope
• Add multimedia to your profile, if appropriate – photos, video, slides, etc.

Experience

• Explain company, if needed (brief description)
• Consider this similar to a master resume; use resume techniques
• List title, role(s) and duties of jobs and internships
• Use bullet format and begin with action verbs
• Use clear, succinct phrases
• Share key contributions, as appropriate
• Include dates, numbers

Education

• Include all educational institutions – the LI alumni network is powerful
• Expand on your education
• Degree(s) earned, or earning
• Field of study
• Include Grade, if 3.0 or higher
• Activities and societies
• Description – add flavour, such as relevant coursework and study abroad experience

 Volunteer Experience & Causes

• List all organizations; include a description of the organization
• Identify role(s) you held and activities
• Share highlights of the experience

Skills & Expertise

• List 5-15 core skills
• Provides a snapshot of your professional brand
• Endorse others and hope they return the favour!
• Can change over time

Recommendations

• Enhance your profile
• Ask for recommendations, as appropriate
• Ask people who have offered you praise in other formats
• Be aware of who offers a recommendation!
• Recommend your colleagues, and they may recommend you

Accomplishments

• List your accomplishments:
• Publications
• Certifications
• Patents
• Courses
• Projects
• Honours and Awards
• Test Scores
• Languages
• Organizations

Follow others:

• Influencers – follow leaders and innovators in your industry and that are of interest to you •
• Companies – follow companies that interest you and/or represent your career goals
• Groups – join groups to build your network; seek advice and showcase your expertise; participating increases your visibility

Remember…who you choose to follow is part of your brand and what you represent

Building Your LinkedIn Network

• The more 1st-degree connections you have increases # of second degree connections
• Consider quality vs. quantity
• Start with who you already know and trust
• Contact alumni – search by major, employer name, career keywords, interests, etc.
• Connect with people in industries that interest you and with companies that you want to learn more about
• Use a custom message, not the built-in: “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”

State your intentions up front:
Hello Jon Snow, I obtained your name through the University of Nigeria Maine Marketing Alumni Group. I will be graduating from the School of Business in May, when I will be looking for employment. I appreciate you adding me to your LinkedIn network, and perhaps I can contact you in the future to ask you questions about your experiences as a Marketing Manager at XYZ Corporation. Thank you in advance, fatherprada

Tips on how to use LinkedIn

• Customize your public profile url and make it easy to remember – include on your resume
• Select the types of messages you’re willing to receive an option under Settings to fully open, ensuring you’ll receive both introductions and In Mail (LinkedIn’s internal e-mail)
• As you would update your resume, you should also keep your LinkedIn account updated with your updated resume, contact information or profile information Note: you can turn off notifications to your network as you update – recommend doing this unless a major change that you want broadcasted to your network
• Use LinkedIn as a research tool, look for job postings, and seek announcements for opportunities
• Participate and interact often, the more you interact the more contacts you make, growing your network