LinkedIn Primer, Lesson #1: Profile (Is Yours Complete?)
As promised, but started a little late, here's the first of several primer lessons on LinkedIn.
According to LinkedIn, "Users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn." I don't know the science behind those stats, but I can say this, if I'm on the fence about connecting with you and you have an empty profile, that'll be the deal breaker. I can't see a hiring manager or recruiter even looking at an empty profile.
So what makes a complete profile? Well, not only does LinkedIn give you a percentage on your profile page, but it will explain to you what you need:
You don't have to put every little thing on your profile, and probably shouldn't. But you should put what you have on your resume on there. Follow the same rules as you would about for good resume writing, and you're set.
Before you start getting nervous about doing this, remember that LinkedIn will walk you through completing your profile. And once you do, people you've worked with in the past will have an easier time finding you and connecting to you. And that means that you'll have access to their connections as well.
And that includes the people looking for talent like yours. More and more recruiters are using LinkedIn to find talent. And who wouldn't, you can actually see references on profiles, how cool is that?
If you have an outmoded resume, you may not be familiar with the "summary" concept. It's a way to sum up your experience with teasers that make them want to read more. You can make a paragraph, or just a sentence or two. Don't stress over it, you can always edit. Just try to avoid those passive words.
Specialties are things like your certifications, associations, specific knowledge using industry or role specific key words. Just remember to keep it to key words, and not make it so busy that it's hard to read. Remember, you want people to read what you have, not look at it and feel intimidated because it's text dense.
Homework
You didn't think I'd let you slack, did you? Your homework assignment is to put what's on your resume on your LinkedIn Profile. If your resume is lacking, then at the very least list the positions you have on your resume. Extra credit for asking for the three recommendations, if you don't already have them. Gold Stars if you use Guy Kawasaki's LinkedIn Profile Extreme Makeover to help guide you through rebuilding your profile.
The Lesson Plan (Edited 6/6/06 to update names of lessions 3-4)
Categories: LinkedIn, Career Development, LinkedInPrimer
Hello Jenn:
I'm not sold on the recommendation part of the whole linkedIn experience. I understand that, if I were shopping for a consultant, I might want to see those up front; but, I know from hiring that (1) we distrust decontextualized recommendations and (2) legally, most people/companies will not write a bad recommendation (so you will only see good). Can you elaborate more on the utility of recommendations, especially for those of us who might be more causual users?
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Thanks for the excellent question, Steve. I meant to publish a post on that yesterday, but I got distracted. I'll have one up within the hour and I'll address your questions there.
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