how to build a brilliant linkedin profile
TRANSCRIPT
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
