Tips to reap the rewards for the New Year using LinkedIn!

Leslie Alderman provides her tips for getting the most out of LinkedIn.

 

Leslie Alderman provides her tips for getting the most out of LinkedIn.

When it comes to social media why do we obsess about posting inane events like what you cooked for dinner on Facebook or what you’re watching on TV? When it comes to your next opportunity or a promise you made to yourself for 2013 about getting out of that dead end job we forget about our professional profile!

I coach people who have left organisations due to restructures. It is a challenging and rewarding career. Yet so many highly intelligent and educated people I work with are either not on LinkedIn or just have a title and company name with an odd looking photo.

I get it, you’re engrossed in your job, working hard and barely have time to come up for air! The last thing you want to do is think about your professional profile. That tap on the shoulder can come at any time and before you know it you’re packing a box and heading out the door.! Even in this day and age, people get upset and are taken by surprise when their role has been made redundant. With the US having faced its fiscal cliff there may be more changes to come so put yourself out there and get ahead of the game!

The goal posts have changed in the employment market and if you’re on Facebook and ignoring LinkedIn you are doing yourself a disservice. Your professional profile needs to reflect all your skills and experience and it’s an investment with great returns!

Now I don’t work for LinkedIn, nor do I receive any financial gain spreading the word (sounds almost religious) but with 3 million users in Australia if you’re not in it or not well presented your competitor may win that job!

Here are seven top tips for your profile on LinkedIn:

1. Remember recruiters and organisations pay a monthly fee to tap into LinkedIn as a tool to source talent. If you’re not on it you will be missing out on that exciting job or promotion you wanted!

2. Have a great photo. The picture where you are about to head out to the pub on Friday night isn’t the right look.

3. Have a mix of high level information as well as the detail about projects and responsibilities including the results. Don’t just list your roles and company!

4. Cross check the additional sections like publications and awards you can include which will increase your overall impact.

5. Request lots of recommendations where people write about how good your work is. You can vet the responses, send them back for edits or ignore them if you don’t like them. Request more recommendations than you need as not everyone replies.

6. Ensure your connections are quality not quantity! Go through the "People you may know" and connect with people you have done business with, internal clients, external clients, associates and old work colleagues.

7. Join industry groups and participant in discussions or send an update to your connections. This will increase your activity posts and keep you in front of your industry.

So put yourself out there and reap the rewards of new possibilities for the New Year!

About the author

 

Leslie Alderman Consulting was established in 2010 and provides programs in Career Management, Salary Negotiations, Sales Training, Executive Coaching and Speaking engagements. Previously Leslie was a Partner with Chandler Macleod Consulting managing the national career services division, Executive Consultant at Proteus Career Solutions and Ernst & Young Consulting. She can be contacted on 0419 262 540 or [email protected]

 

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