Recently, I have been getting more requests for assistance with LinkedIn profiles. It seems like not so long ago a LinkedIn profile was a great option in your job search strategies - today, it is essential part of both career acceleration and job search success.
If your existing LinkedIn profile is simply a copy and paste of your resume, you are missing out on a unique opportunity to market yourself strategically to employers and recruiters. Here are key strategies to take your LinkedIn and other social media profiles to the next level.
1) Include A Targeted Headline
Unless you add a strong headline to your LinkedIn profile, your current or most recent job title will appear - maximize that space and develop include content that positions you for ideal target jobs. For example:
Senior Marketing Executive - Driving Consistent Revenue Growth for Hospitality & Service Industry Companies
2) Make Your Summary An Interesting Read
-- Use active, first-person language to engage employers, recruiters and other professional contacts from the beginning.
-- Highlight at least five or six top career achievements that cover the scope of your core competencies, leadership capabilities and performance indicators.
-- Quote a powerful statement from a leader you admire, include "selling" sentence from a recent performance review/management review or incorporate your own personal brand statement. For example:
“I serve as the bridge and voice between IT and business. It is important to recognize that physical technologies that are ready to implement are not “leading edge” and will probably be replaced within a few years” – Anthony Jordan
3) Increase Online Visibility With Keywords
It is important that your LinkedIn profile is search engine optimized - under the specialties sections, go heavy with relevant keywords, industry language and technical jargon that would increase your chance of being found through searches.
4) Condense Position Descriptions
You don't have to overwhelm the LinkedIn profile with every detail of your current and past positions - instead pull of key business impacts for each company where you worked and follow up with the top two to three job-related achievements.
Another strategy is to separate out the key leadership challenge or corporate objective that answers the question "why were you hired for that position?" For example:
Technology Leadership Role: Recruited to merge IT functions into central shared services and create a lean, agile company by eliminating duplicate business processes, streamlining IT tasks, and improving service performance.
Keep in mind that once an employer or recruiter has reviewed the profile and is interested in talking to you further, you will need to send a more comprehensive, two-page resume.
About Writer
Abby M. Locke (http://www.premierwriting.com/) is a career marketing strategist and leadership brand coach who partners with 6 figure executives and professional MBA women to help them achieve true career mastery and success through cutting-edge, career branded communications, innovative job search campaigns, and proactive career management tools.
If your existing LinkedIn profile is simply a copy and paste of your resume, you are missing out on a unique opportunity to market yourself strategically to employers and recruiters. Here are key strategies to take your LinkedIn and other social media profiles to the next level.
1) Include A Targeted Headline
Unless you add a strong headline to your LinkedIn profile, your current or most recent job title will appear - maximize that space and develop include content that positions you for ideal target jobs. For example:
Senior Marketing Executive - Driving Consistent Revenue Growth for Hospitality & Service Industry Companies
2) Make Your Summary An Interesting Read
-- Use active, first-person language to engage employers, recruiters and other professional contacts from the beginning.
-- Highlight at least five or six top career achievements that cover the scope of your core competencies, leadership capabilities and performance indicators.
-- Quote a powerful statement from a leader you admire, include "selling" sentence from a recent performance review/management review or incorporate your own personal brand statement. For example:
“I serve as the bridge and voice between IT and business. It is important to recognize that physical technologies that are ready to implement are not “leading edge” and will probably be replaced within a few years” – Anthony Jordan
3) Increase Online Visibility With Keywords
It is important that your LinkedIn profile is search engine optimized - under the specialties sections, go heavy with relevant keywords, industry language and technical jargon that would increase your chance of being found through searches.
4) Condense Position Descriptions
You don't have to overwhelm the LinkedIn profile with every detail of your current and past positions - instead pull of key business impacts for each company where you worked and follow up with the top two to three job-related achievements.
Another strategy is to separate out the key leadership challenge or corporate objective that answers the question "why were you hired for that position?" For example:
Technology Leadership Role: Recruited to merge IT functions into central shared services and create a lean, agile company by eliminating duplicate business processes, streamlining IT tasks, and improving service performance.
Keep in mind that once an employer or recruiter has reviewed the profile and is interested in talking to you further, you will need to send a more comprehensive, two-page resume.
5) Don't Forget To Include The Extras
For those items that you had to leave off your resume because of space limits, you can take advantage of the opportunity to mention them in your LinkedIn profile - for example, any related publications, speaking engagements or board involvement that would increase your candidacy for the job.
About Writer
Abby M. Locke (http://www.premierwriting.com/) is a career marketing strategist and leadership brand coach who partners with 6 figure executives and professional MBA women to help them achieve true career mastery and success through cutting-edge, career branded communications, innovative job search campaigns, and proactive career management tools.
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