While you are hard at work networking, meeting new people, and finding opportunities in your job search, wouldn’t it be nice if you could have a virtual resume stands with you ready and willing to tell your story? Your LinkedIn profile does exactly that!
Think of your LinkedIn profile like a placeholder or an advertisement. It is your movie double or identical twin. It represents the “you” you want the world to see while you are out.
I check you out before I call you back. I check out people in the news, guest speakers at conferences, relatives, and friends. I especially check out people who send me email.
I like seeing your picture and learning a little about you before I call you back. It makes me feel like I know you a little. I don’t want you to be just a cold impersonal name. I know where you went to school and a little bit about what you want and what you like. You are human.
Some of the profiles I see are vague and incomplete. I conclude that those folks are not interested in connecting or maybe there are not technologically adept. I draw conclusions based on what I read. Everyone does.
Are you using your LinkedIn profile to your advantage? You don’t have to be in a job search to care about what your LinkedIn profile says about you. Since it is a virtual representation of you, what message do you want to send?
Here are some ways to use your virtual resume to your advantage whether you are searching for a new job or not:
- Use a picture that makes you look friendly, open, and interesting. Avoid goofy photos from that New Year’s Eve party you attended last year. Maybe it is time to invest in a professional photo?
- Your summary should say something about who you are. The default is your current title. Are you more than your title? What else do you want me to know?
- Make yourself visible to more people. Comment on items you read, participate in Groups, and post articles you find interesting. It doesn’t have to take more than a few minutes a week. Being out there enhances your virtual and real reputation.
- Use accomplishments instead of responsibilities when you describe your former jobs, especially your last job or two. You want me to know what you have done, especially when it supports what you can do it the future.
- Recommendations make you sound human. People who respect you use their own words to describe you. This adds credibility and dimension to your profile.
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