19 Things I Learned about LinkedIn

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This week, I attended a seminar, "The Power of LinkedIn" by Bridget McGovern, Senior Nonprofit Relationship Manager for LinkedIn. She provided a good overview of the platform and a workshop for us to improve our sites. Here's what I learned...

  1. Your profile is your professional brand. How do you want to look to others? Your brand is your promise of what others can expect of you.
  2. Your LinkedIn profile is not your resume.
  3. Follow organizations and causes you care about.
  4. You are the brand ambassador for you and your company.
  5. Networking is key. Make connections.
  6. When you send a connection request to someone, make sure to personalize it (e.g. Hi, John Doe. I enjoyed meeting you at the ABC Conference in Atlanta.). I sent one recently from the mobile version, and it didn't let me personalize the request.
  7. Your profile should show where you've been, where you are now, and where you're going.
  8. Seventy-five percent of hiring managers use LinkedIn to look for and at candidates. Hey hiring managers, candidates look a your company and profiles too.
  9. Make sure you have a professional looking headshot. It can show your personality. Just be careful with selfies. Profiles with pictures get 21x more views.
  10. Your photo should be from the shoulders up, and you should smile.
  11. Your summary should be short - no more than two paragraphs. This should be your elevator pitch about you. What do you bring when you walk into a room?
  12. Add a custom headline under your photo - not just your current job title. This allows you to be creative in your description of yourself. State the essence of what you do.
  13. Keep your experience concise (about two sentences). Highlight the value of what you brought to the team.
  14. Think about publishing content, photos, and videos. This increases your reach.
  15. Your skills tell your story. If someone endorses you for something, and it doesn't fit, you don't have to accept it.
  16. Make sure to include your volunteer experience.
  17. Connect with people you know, people who belong to similar organizations, and your alumni groups.
  18. Look at groups and join what interests you. This is another way to network.
  19. Be creative and don't be afraid to show your personality in a professional way. You don't want to look like a robot. Sometimes, we're too formal in our descriptions, and when others read it, it's bland or boring.

I learned a lot from Bridget McGovern. I've had a LinkedIn profile for a while, but I don't do that much with it. I have noticed over the last year that I'm getting more and more recruiters send me information on jobs they think I'm a fit for. It's nice to be noticed. I'm off to revamp my profile.