With its membership now exceeding 200 million people from around the world, LinkedIn is clearly THE social media network for professionals. Thus, having the best possible LinkedIn page is more critical than ever.
According To Gerry Moran, author of the MarketingThink blog: “You need to invest some key time into your profile because it is the first thing that your contacts check out when they meet you are going to meet you. Did you know that LinkedIn states that only about 50% of users have a completed profile? This under-completed profile is an enormous missed opportunity to be found and to position your social brand!”
Here is Moran’s LinkedIn blueprint. Click the image to get more tips.
Post suggested by KCJ
This is really helpful. I have a LinkedIn but I hardly use it, and I’m not really sure how it works in all honesty. This is can really be useful for me and for anyone in the same boat. And it’s something I definitely need to think about now, especially with graduation getting closer.
Here is more information from two earlier LinkedIn posts: http://evansonmarketing.com/2012/11/16/performing-well-on-linkedin/ and http://evansonmarketing.com/2012/04/27/13-things-you-never-knew-you-could-do-on-linkedin/.
I have been going back and forth between creating a Linked In profile or not. I think that I will finally create one because it seems like a critical asset to land a job. In addition, as a facebook user, it would be silly to be connected to non-useful social media and have no affiliation with the one that is beneficial.
LinkedIn is in a precarious position, I feel. In terms of VOC, (head nod to the Cooper assignment), I’m not sure what target market it’s meant to appeal to? The Facebook generation should be more than familiar with how to fill out a social profile, and LinkedIn is just now [aggressively] catching up to having a more chice, modern style profile that’s beyond few chunks of text boxes.
Juxtapose that to the weary X generation and baby boomers who are encouraged to use LinkedIn, and are now going through user interface transitions while they’re trying to get comfortable with formatting in the first place.
Again – who is the site actually for? Adaptability is great, but the standardized resume hasn’t changed very much – the process may have some additions, but you’re still supposed to follow a standard protocol. It’s hard to sell a new job application standardization system when it’s seeing more transition in months than the prior paper system has seen in decades.
This post is extremely helpful. As a sophomore in college I am just starting to join the professional world, having a LinkedIn profile was something I did not want to do. However, I knew I had to create one. I will most certainly ensure that I follow these tips the next time I edit my profile.
James, All of your comments today are good and insightful. With regard to LinkedIn, two points: (1) The horse has already left the barn. LI — with more than 200 milliion members — needs to be a vital part of our professional self-positioning.portfolio. According to recent research, 79% of employers check out applicants via social media.and 86% of hiring managers have told applicants they were rejected because of what the managers found online. (2) As for targeting, the key is that WE — through our self-branding at LI — must communicate to the target audience that WE want to attract. It’s important to network through targeted groups and skill sets. 🙂
So, who is the true target market, in that case? Employers or potential employees?
Should LinkedIn draw in all those that wish for employment, despite the fact that they then may damage their chances because they’re not skilled social networkers? Or, if they do not have one in hopes of avoiding such an error, are they in fact risking a void in their resume?
I certainly don’t disagree with LinkedIn being a great tool. However, are we actually discussing it almost like a tongue-in-cheek technical exclusion methodology? A means of insuring that potential employees have basic computer and social networking skills in order to acquire a job?
Interesting stuff. I haven’t looked at the tutorials lately, to be honest, but on a personal note, I’ve been telling a recently unemployed family member from the baby boomer generation to make one, and they’re hesitant. I plan on just doing it for them. Seems like a tool that can’t be used by everyone that needs to use it.
I’ll be haopy to talk more in person. But, LI allows you to target whomever you want through multiple LI accounts. Companies typically have accounts separate from their employees.
LinkedIn is a great way to expand your horizons and get your name out there. In todays technological society, it is important to make sure you present your best attributes, qualities and skills to companies who are interested in you. It is important to be professional with an updated profile picture because companies are looking at everything on your page.
In my personal experience LinkedIn has not been a useful tool. It seems to be too impersonal for me to be connecting with individuals I do not know. They need to upgrade their interface so that it can be more attractive to users trying to connect as well as recruiters looking for applicants.
This is really my first look at LinkedIn and thus far it seems like another facebook, except with resumes. I find it interesting that a large spectrum of businesspeople have already put LinkedIn to good use and broadened their horizons and connections by doing so. It seems like a stepping stone into the professional world to really sell yourself to anyone who might be looking for a person with your skills.
I have always meant to create a LinkedIn account because of it’s enormous benefits however I feel Facebook does justice for my particular need. All that have an account say it is the best thing since Facebook because you can find any potential employee or employer at the snap of your fingers. If you have a LinkedIn account, there is no reason to leave any section empty. It looks very unprofessional and if it does not apply to you, just mention that. The first impression is based upon this profile and if it is incomplete, it leaves a bad impression.
Facebook has a different purpose than LinkedIn and your page is designed much differently.
Thank you for sharing this! This is extremely helpful specially at this moment that I know I have to open a LinkedIn account as a crucial part of my process of applying for summer internships. Without a doubt through networking with professionals in many different places I’ve realized that a LinkedIn in the world of business is a must. I don’t know how many times in the past month I’ve heard professional telling to me to connect with them on LinkedIn. So I better get on it.
I am one of the other 50% of people that does not have a completed LinkedIn profile. I created it last year, but never updated it. I am still building up my resume, but this is going to help move things along. Thank you for posting this. I know that having a LinkedIn account is very important once I begin interviewing for jobs. In the technological age, nothing is kept secret. People can view your Facebook page, Twitter account, etc., so it’s important to have a professional LinkedIn account that shows off your best work.
I’ve found LinkedIn to be a useful tool in making connections with industry professionals so they remember me for future opportunities. But since many comments on this thread delved into having a personal online brand, it’s only logical to suggest that before you make a profile, log out of everything on your computer, google yourself, and see what comes up on both images and web searches. That way you can see what privacy settings need to be adjusted on other social networking sites that are for personal use. I have learned in a digital media class that it does not hurt to use facebook and twitter for professional purposes, but the first place employers go to is LinkedIn. It truly can’t hurt to have a profile on there, and it’s level of usefulness is what you make of it. Having a personal blog or website linked to your LinkedIn also allows viewers to see more of a self-created online brand without the massive digital footprint.