how to build a brilliant linkedin profile

How to build a brilliant Linkedin Profile

Clayton Wehner

What is Linkedin?• World’s largest online professional network• Started in 2002 in the living room of founder Reid Hoffmann• Currently has more than 10,000 employees with offices in 30 cities

globally• Currently has more than 467 million members in over 200 countries

and territories (8 million in Australia)• 2 new members per second• Linkedin was bought by Microsoft last year for US$26.2 billion

This is Linkedin HQ in San Francisco

Awesome Perks for Linkedin Staff• Free food – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks• Free drinks, including alcohol any time of the

day• On-site barista• Wellness centre, masseurs, group fitness

classes and gym• Meditation rooms• Vending machines with computer equipment• No limit to annual leave – take what you like!

Why should YOU have a Linkedin profile?• It’s your online CV, personal brand and portfolio• It’s a place where you can get independent validation through

recommendations/endorsements = trust• It’s the first place that hiring managers and recruiters go to find talent• It will show up when someone searches your name in Google• It’s a great way to cultivate and manage a network• No need to keep a contact book – you can reach all your contacts

through Linkedin• It’s a great place to ‘spy’ on other people and on companies

Do you have a Linkedin account?• If yes, please login!

• If no, then there’s no time like the present…please create one

Keep the basic info up to date• Name – just your first and last name; no nicknames or funny stuff• Headline – highlight your expertise and your value proposition, not

your current job (120 characters)• Location – make sure it’s correct• Industry – choose the one that most appropriate• Contact information – email, phone, website

Make sure your photo is professional• If you have a photo, your profile is fourteen times more likely to be

viewed• Use a professional head shot, with you in professional attire• Do not use old photos, casual photos, photos that you would use on a

dating site…

Write a great summary• This is where you ‘sell yourself’ to people viewing your profile; it’s

your elevator pitch• 2000 characters max• Build on the professional headline above and provide more detailed

information about your key skills, experience and education.• First or third person? Just keep it consistent• Avoid jargon• Don’t ‘oversell’• Make it sharp, snappy and easy to read

Avoid ‘weasel’ words

Add a background photo• You can brand your profile by adding a background photo• Makes your profile look more interesting• Use an image (PNG, JPG, or GIF) with a resolution of 1400px x 425px

Use keywords from your industry• Search is such an important part of the online experience and it

applies to Linkedin too• You should include words and combinations of words in your profile

that will be searched for by prospective employers• Use these keywords in your headline and summary in particular• Using the right keywords will expose you to more potential

connections and opportunities

Personalise your Linkedin URL• The default URL that you are given when you create an account is an

unwieldy combination of letters, numbers and backslashes.• You can customise your URL so that it reads a little better: eg.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonwehner/

Add sections to your profile•Work experience• Education•Volunteer experience• Skills•Publications•Certifications•Courses

•Projects•Honours and awards•Patents• Test scores• Languages•Organisations• Interests

Create and share media• You have the option to add links,

documents, photos, videos, and presentations to all sections in your profile• You can write articles on Linkedin • You can share items on Linkedin –

make sure that they’re business related

Connect with others often• Connect with every existing business contact you have• Connect with people after corresponding for the first time• Connect with people after meeting for the first time• Consider connecting with people in your wider network (eg. 2nd or 3rd

level connections)• Consider connecting with people you don’t know – but write a clear

justification in your invitation

Personalise every invitation to connect• “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.”• This is the default message – it is very impersonal and your invitation

will likely be ignored• Make your invitations personal – mention where you met or provide

some shared context

Go through ‘people you may know’

Ask for recommendations• Positive recommendations from other people on your profile can be

very powerful• You should ask people that you have worked with for

recommendations – use the ‘Ask to be recommended’ button• A good way to get a recommendation is to write one for them, and

then ask for one in return

Tidy up your endorsements• Your connections will endorse you

for your business skills• If you don’t want an endorsed skill to

appear, you can remove it• Take care – you might not want

some of those skills!

Read your feed and engage regularly• Glance through your home page

feed and engage with any posts that are interesting by ‘liking’ or commenting• Use the notifications page to

engage with people in your network – eg. congratulate people on new jobs

Use Linkedin Messaging instead of email

Check out who’s viewed (‘stalked’) you

Join Linkedin Groups• Linkedin has thousands of thematic ‘groups’ where you can engage in

conversations, ask questions and provide advice.• Find the right groups and become an active participant in the

discussions• Don’t sell overtly; use the group to demonstrate your expertise

Use Linkedin Search• Looking for someone? There’s a good chance they

will be on Linkedin• Linkedin’s normal search function is pretty good

for searching names in a particular locality• LinkedIn’s advanced search helps you find people

by job title, school, relationship, location, industry, current/past company, profile language, and non-profit interests  - and combinations of these

Search for jobs• Linkedin has become a ‘jobs board’ in recent years• Many employers advertise directly on Linkedin• Visit https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/ to search

Manage your privacy settings• Remember the ‘who viewed my profile’

function??• Unless you change your own privacy

settings in Linkedin, people you visit will know that you have seen their profile• You can change your settings to remain

anonymous, if you wish

Make sure your profile is complete• Keeping your profile fresh and up-to-date will increase your

credibility.• You will not appear in Linkedin search results if your profile is not

complete• If you’re looking for even more things to improve your profile, try this

massive infographic: https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/01/build-your-linkedin-profile-from-start-to-finishwith-this-massive-visualguide/

Check your profile for typos and grammar• A good Linkedin profile can be brought undone by a single spelling or

grammatical error

And we’re done! Any questions??Clayton Wehnercontact@bluetrainenterprises.com.au