I spend hours and hours looking at LinkedIn profiles along with many other Recruiters, Hiring Managers, and Decision Makers. Why do I open one profile and not another? If you have a presence on LinkedIn then you should know that it is your digital resume. LinkedIn is also a valuable tool and important site for you to interact with other professionals. How many photos do you post on Instagram? Snap just had a successful IPO launch. They have over 130MM users and the demographic is 13 to 33 years of age. How many messages and photos are you creating on the Snap platform? Facebook and Twitter are also popular social network sites. How much time do you spend “creeping” around FB and making comments? Think about these questions and then ask yourself how much time you are spending on LinkedIn.
Most of us put up a profile, copy and paste a resume and maybe join a few groups and follow a few influencers. Right? Are you on the site at least once a day? If you are in the investment business are you seeing what is happening at the top investments firms in the world? Who are you following? Do you want to know what your competitors are doing? Are they hiring? Have they grown faster than your firm? Do you understand how important “groups” are and that you should know the folks in your groups. Do you ever start a conversation? Why not? Do you connect with folks in the groups you belong to? Yes, okay so why? No, okay so why not?
Here are a few tips and maybe a dirty little secret about LinkedIn and Recruiters. How many times has a Recruiter offered to collaborate with you on how to have the best profile possible on LinkedIn? Most will comment on your photo, but are they doing a deep dive and offering constructive advice? I don’t think so and I don’t think you know why. Think about this for a minute. A Recruiter gets paid to find you a new opportunity so what will happen if your profile is so compelling that companies are calling you? I can’t think of a lot of reasons why a Recruiter will help you build out a great profile. Can you?
If you are an upcoming graduate, you should already be on LinkedIn and have hundreds of contacts. Look at your other social network platforms. How many followers do you have? I bet you keep track of that? If you are serious about landing a great first role out of school or you want to change firms, it’s time to spend a lot more time on LinkedIn. Do you know I got more birthday wishes on LinkedIn than any other social media platform. For professionals and over achievers, LinkedIn is where it’s at. It’s not too late. Here are a few things you can start with:
Select the right photo and it doesn’t have to be professionally taken. It should not be too busy and please don’t crop somebody out of it as it is so obvious and lazy! Write a compelling “summary” and pack it with keywords. Don’t bullet your responsibilities. It is a digital resume so don’t have it mirror your electronic resume. This is your chance to showcase things that you wouldn’t necessary put on a resume. Join the 50 groups you are allotted and get involved. Start conversations, make comments, get in the fold! Follow Influencers that are leaders in your industry. If you make these changes, you will stand out on LinkedIn and it’s important that you do. With over 450MM people in over 200 Countries on LinkedIn, are you just blending in?
If you are finding all of this overwhelming and don’t want to deal with LinkedIn, you should definitely consider my service called PlayBook. I have crafted more profiled and have taught hundreds of professionals how to use the site the way it is meant to be used. I will tell you straight up what I think about your profile and collaborate with you away from business hours on how to up your presence and get noticed. Even if you are not looking and have the greatest career you could ever ask for, it is still important to showcase your talent. Not only be a “leader” but why not be “inspirational”? Last but not least, PlayBook is affordable! You can find more information at www.searchgroup500.com
