Enhance Your Linkedin Profile for Job Seeking -

Enhance Your Linkedin Profile for Job Seeking - In light of the fact that linkedin has become a source of choice for people who love to hire passive job seekers (those who may not actually be seeking a new job), I thought it would be a good idea to remind readers to pay attention to your linkedin profile! First, a note on visibility. If you use linkedin, you know that your visibility goes up the more links you have. Your second- and third-degree connections help put your profile in front of more people. I am a 3rd degree link to all three candidates for President! (Yes, Obama, Clinton and McCain are all on linkedin!) There are several ways to increase your connections: The preferred way is to link with friends and colleagues. When I started on linkedin, I convinced a friend who always sends mass emails to a gzillion friends to join linkedin. In about a day, she had over 100 connections, all of which became my 2nd degree connections. Another easy way to increase your visibility is to link with a LION (linkedin open networker). These LIONS have over 500 connections and welcome any invitation to link. You gain visibility to all of their connections with the click of a mouse. Your profile First things first Be sure that anything in your profile is spelled and punctuated correctly! Typos scream dont hire me to anyone with a critical eye. Have someone with an eagle eye proof your profile. (Keppie Careers will be happy to assist in revising or proofing your profile. Email me at results@keppiecareers.com for details.) Especially if you are looking for a job, focus your profile to include skills and experiences that will be of interest to potential employers. As with a resume, dont just list what you did help the reader envision you working for them by highlighting your skills and accomplishments. As you would with your resume, use active and interesting language. Unlike a resume, you can use mini paragraphs in your profile. Keep it short large blocks of text are hard to read. It should be somewhat conversational to grab the readers attention. It is okay to use I, me or my in your profile, unlike in a resume. (Dont overdo it, though. You dont want to appear self-centered!) Make use of the HEADLINE feature. It goes right under your name and is the first thing people see. If you are a marketing professional, you can say so! Maybe you are a Skilled problem solver and community builder. Think of a tag line that grabs attention and describes you. Be sure to edit your Public Profile to have a vanity URL (that has your name at the end). I really like the Summary and Specialties sections. This is where you can briefly sum up what you offer. If you have a Highlights of Qualifications or an Accomplishments Summary section on your resume, it should be easy to transfer it to linkedin. The Specialties section is like a list of tags keywords that describe you and your work. If you have a website or blog, use the other category and name your site when you add the URL. Also, you can edit your linkedin URL in your profile to include your name. Ask colleagues and clients to recommend you on linkedin. They can say all of the flowery, fabulous things about you that you cant say about yourself! Only ask those you know will write a quality review. Most people will discount a poorly written recommendation. Especially when you are job hunting, your linkedin profile may be your golden ticket. Make sure you keep it shiny! If you want to receive free up-to-date tips to help with your job hunt, Click here to subscribe to receive future blogs sent directly to you! Keppie Careers will help you with every aspect of your job searchResume writing, linkedin summary editing, interview prep, career coachingContact us to see how we can take your job search up a few notches!