LinkedIn

8 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Develop Leads

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By now, we have all heard of LinkedIn and how it can help you with your job search. If you have been following articles in this series, by now have an account and a robust profile. So what’s next? Developing leads! Here are 9 ways to use LinkedIn to help you in your job search:

Find people on LinkedIn that you know or want to know. Grow your connections list. Every time you reach out to someone to connect, create a customized connection request rather than using the default. The goal is to establish and nurture relationships that go both ways (it shouldn’t be just about you). Tell the person what it is that attracted you to them—perhaps a recent article that you liked or an award you want to congratulate them for. There are many people who do not accept connection requests from people who do not include a personalized note.

Look at jobs on LinkedIn. You can search for jobs under the “jobs” category; your search can be by key word, zip code, and more. Use advanced search to further refine your search. You can even let recruiters know that you’re interested. I even see federal government jobs posted on LinkedIn; LinkedIn is not just for the private sector anymore. Learn more at: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/157/searching-for-jobs-on-linkedin?lang=en.

Once you find potential jobs, use your connections to find out more. Find 1st level connections to people you know at the company/organization you’re targeting and reach out. Ask them about the organization and the job.

Use Company Profiles on LinkedIn to research the organizations you have targeted. You will see your connections at the organization, jobs posted, and more. You can follow the company too, so it will show up in your feed. And you can use this information to help you prepare for an interview.

Look at the profiles of your interviewers on LinkedIn. If you are called for an interview, you want to be as prepared a possible. Looking at the profiles of the people you’re interesting with is a great way to get a feel for them. You might find some connections or interests you have in common; knowing this information may help calm your nerves before the big day!

Leverage referrals and recommendations. If the job is listed on LinkedIn you can request a recommendation or referral from someone who works there. Most employers are more likely to hire someone they “know” or knows someone they know, so having a recommendation or referral from someone inhouse could be a real plus.

Take advantage of LinkedIn Premium. LinkedIn offers a free trial of its premium service. Try it and see if its features work for you. Transitioning military members get free LinkedIn premium for one year. Make sure to take advantage!

Make others take notice. Establish and reinforce your credibility as an expert in your field by publishing articles on LinkedIn Pulse. You can also upload recent white papers you have written or PowerPoint presentations you have made. Be sure to get clearance from your manager first…you don’t want to get in trouble for sharing what they might see as proprietary or confidential information!

7 Things You Can Do to Finally Get Started with LinkedIn

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LinkedIn is used more in the private sector but there are many federal agencies (the US Department of the Army is the largest LinkedIn user in the world) that won’t interview you for a job if they can’t find you on LinkedIn. Instant pass.

I often encounter federal employees that still haven’t heard of LinkedIn or who don’t have profiles; so whether you’re actively looking for a job or not, there is no excuse for not getting started.

Here are 7 quick things you can do to get going:

Create a profile and customize your LinkedIn URL. Here’s how: https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/87?lang=en. Having a custom URL is a great differentiator.

Include a photo. People want to know what you look like. Please make your photo professional. Your photo should show your face (rather than your whole body). No extra arms hanging over your shoulder or beer cans in your hand. And if you are transitioning from the military, your photo should be a civilian one—don’t forget to smile; you want to look approachable and friendly.

Put together a strong Headline. This is the line under your name. LinkedIn will provide a default headline (your job title) but this can (and should) be edited to be more representative of who you are. You can make this your branding statement or use it to target jobs you’re interested in. You can even separate thoughts or concepts by using symbols such as: ► or * or │ or ▪. Be sure to use symbols that are common across Word. You are allotted 120 characters for your LinkedIn Headline. Here’s my LinkedIn Headline as an example: Federal Human Resources Training & Job Search Expert. Here’s another: Program/Project Management ► Business Development ► Operations ► Aviation /Air Advisor ► Pilot ► Trainer.

Create a strong summary. You have 2000 characters to create a strong statement about who you are. Don’t just copy and paste your Skills Summary from your resume. Show some personality but be sure to include your qualifications and experience so that your profile will “pop up” in the algorithms. If you are transitioning military, be sure to translate your military experience into “civilian-speak”.

Populate the Experience section. Include your jobs from the last 10 or so years (going back 30 years not required or recommended). Again, this should not be a copy and paste of your resume. Show quantifiable results and use the key words from the industry you are targeting. And military transitioners: don’t forget to translate!!

Include skills on your LinkedIn; again, this is a great way to be seen in the algorithms. Only include skills that are associated with your target position(s). And make sure to capture them all. If you’re not sure what skills are appropriate, take a look your ideal job postings and identify the common words across them. Wordle may help: www.wordle.net.

Create connections. Reach out to people you know to up your connections. Show you’re an active user. And, when you connect with people, send them a personalized (not the default) connection request. Aim for 300+ connections.

We can fight the growth of social media, or we can use it to our advantage. LinkedIn a targeted toward professionals who want to find a way to stay in touch and keep up with colleagues and trends in their industry. Why wouldn’t you take advantage of this free, powerful tool?

LinkedIn Profile Checklist

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How Good is Your LinkedIn Profile? If you are a do-it-yourself-er, you may want to see how your LinkedIn Profile stacks up. Check out this self-assessment worksheet for LinkedIn:

Profiles that are considered “complete” by LinkedIn’s standards receive 40 times more “opportunities” (contacts from prospective hiring managers and recruiters) than incomplete profiles, according to LinkedIn’s research. LinkedIn has its own criteria for “profile completeness.”

These are the items you need to have on your LinkedIn account in order to have a “complete” profile, according to LinkedIn:
• Your industry and location
• Up-to-date current position (with description)
• Two past positions (under “Experience”)
• Your education
• Skills (minimum of three)
• Profile photo
• A minimum of 50 Connections

A picture is worth 1,000 words. Is your LinkedIn profile photo giving the right impression?
• You have a photo on your LinkedIn profile
• The photo is appropriate for a business profile (not a glamour shot)
• Face is clearly recognizable (in focus, close up, looking at camera)
• Photo is high resolution (sharp, clear)

For your LinkedIn profile to help you reach your personal and professional goals, you must be able to communicate what makes you exceptional and compelling — this is your personal positioning, or “brand.”

Ensure that:
• Information in your LinkedIn profile is concise yet comprehensive and provides a good representation of your career and qualifications
• Keywords relevant to your job target are woven throughout your LinkedIn profile (helping increase your ability to be found online)
• This profile answers this question: “Would I want to hire someone with this profile?”
• The profile is attention-getting and persuasive

Do you make these mistakes with your LinkedIn profile?
• Profile is focused on a single job target. 
(Mistake: An unfocused profile tries to be “all things to all people”)

• Profile is written from the correct point of view. 
(Mistake: An informal profile written in third-person, or a formal profile written from the first person point of view – most LinkedIn profiles should be written in first person.)

• You use all the content sections available to you 
(Mistake: Not including information in all relevant sections 
— i.e., Honors & Awards, Languages, Certifications, Courses, Patents, Projects, Publications, etc.)

• Your Profile includes several positive Recommendations 
(Mistake: Not asking for Recommendations; not having enough Recommendations on your profile)

12 Easy Things to do to Get Your LinkedIn Ready for the New Year

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While things are slowing down at work, you can use your time to get your LinkedIn Profile ready for 2018! Here are 12 simple ideas you can use to freshen up your LinkedIn profile, and to take advantage of LinkedIn’s latest changes.

  1. Profile images are now displayed in a circle. Check that yours looks good and adjust it, if necessary. Use the LinkedIn Photo Editor function to zoom, crop, and/or straighten — and, if desired, apply filters.
  2. Create a new background image for your profile page. The size should be 1536 x 768 pixels – Canva.com has templates that you can use.
  3. Double-check your privacy settings. Go to “Privacy & Settings,” then click on “Privacy” and check each setting.
  4. Re-populate any information that may have been removed with the change to the “new look” — for example, putting your contact information at the bottom of the Summary section, or adding information to the “Volunteer Experience” section.
  5. Check the first 2-3 sentences of your Summary. Are they attention-getting? Would they entice someone to read further?
  6. Review your Work Experience section. Do you want to re-arrange what is showing up as your current position?
  7. Get familiar with where you can find your “Groups” now — either bookmark http://www.linkedin.com/Groups or explore the “Work” tab on the main navigation menu.
  8. Try the “new look” LinkedIn search function on the main navigation menu. Type in a person’s name, company, or Group and explore the filter functions.
  9. Visit the Notification area and update your connections. It’s much easier to manage now.
  10. Familiarize yourself with the Messaging function. Respond to messages with a personal response, instead of a “canned” reply.
  11. Proofread your entire LinkedIn profile carefully!!
  12. Make a point of visiting LinkedIn and using your account on a regular basis.

BONUS: Take a minute right now and backup your LinkedIn Profile (both “Save to PDF” and creating a full data archive). You want to make sure you have a copy of all your hard work!

10 Ways to Improve How you Network

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We have all heard that networking is important but most of us would rather not do it. Here are 10 easy things to make networking easier

  1. Attend conferences and meetings that really interest you. This way you’re more likely to interact with people who have similar interests which will make it easier to talk to people.
  2. Organize your thoughts first. How will you answer questions about your interests? What specific talents, skills, and connections can you bring to the table? Practice saying those things out loud.
  3. Help others. Once you listen to what others have to say, you may begin to see how someone you know may be able to help that person. Be a connector!
  4. Follow up and follow through. Do what you said you would do; if you told someone you would be in touch, do it. If you said you would introduce people, do it. Send people you meet LinkedIn connection requests (with a customized invite, of course).
  5. Be approachable. Smile and be pleasant. To everyone. Enough said.
  6. Listen more than you talk. Everyone likes to be listened to. Listen actively, while looking at the person talking and not over their shoulder. Ask questions. Put your phone away.
  7. Always have business cards. If your organization won’t give them to you for free, buy them yourself—they’re not expensive. If you meet someone, offer your card and tell them that they are welcome to follow up. You’re likely to get one in return. Follow up on LinkedIn.
  8. Use people’s names. When you meet them, as you are separating, and throughout the conversation as appropriate. This helps make your connection more personal and you’re more likely to remember them if you run into them again.
  9. Network in different ways. These include casual contacts at official network events, professional associations, and online networks. Each serve their purpose and you’ll be more effective (and get to know more people) if you explore different networking venues. Be visible.
  10. If you’re still not sure, check out these resources (and of course, there are many more available as well): How to Work a Room, Susan RoAne; Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi, and Networking Like a Pro, Dr. Ivan Misner.

BONUS: Networking doesn’t have to be a special event. Any conversation you have has the potential to be a networking opportunity! Its about establishing and maintaining connections with people, not just meeting them.