{"id":1709,"date":"2013-09-03T11:23:29","date_gmt":"2013-09-03T16:23:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kbicblog.com\/blog\/construction-recruiter\/?p=1709"},"modified":"2013-09-03T11:23:29","modified_gmt":"2013-09-03T16:23:29","slug":"how-can-i-make-linkedin-more-useful-in-landing-a-job","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kbicblog.com\/construction-recruiter\/blog\/how-can-i-make-linkedin-more-useful-in-landing-a-job\/","title":{"rendered":"How Can I Make LinkedIn More Useful in Landing a Job?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Your Resume vs. Your LinkedIn ProfileP<\/h3>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

When many people sign up for LinkedIn, they copy the basic details off their resumes into the wizard (e.g., job titles and employment dates) and then leave it at that. With such sparse details, however, that\u2019s the career equivalent of joining an online dating site with nothing but your name, age, and location.<\/p>\n

LinkedIn is often thought of as an \u201conline resume,\u201d but it\u2019s really more than that and should be treated differently from your resume. Ideally you customize your resume specifically for a certain position and employer you\u2019re applying to. Your LinkedIn profile, on the other hand, is a broader view of you as a professional. It should supplement the information on your resume, but not be an exact copy. Also, on LinkedIn you can be more personable in the way you tell the story of your career and what your professional goals are.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/div>\n

Tweak Your LinkedIn Profile for Search<\/h3>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

You can make your LinkedIn profile much more effective if you tweak just three areas: Your photo, headline, and keywords you use in your profile. That\u2019s because these are the only things that show up when an employer or recruiter searches for job candidates, and with over 225 million members on LinkedIn, it\u2019s critical your profile gets to the top of search results for the types of jobs you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n

Profile Photo:<\/strong> The best photo for your LinkedIn profile is one that looks like a professional headshot\u2014that means no blurry images, distracting background elements, or other people\/animals in the photo (you\u2019d be surprised at some of the profile pics you\u2019d find on the networking site). Most important, make sure you have a photo in the first place. Otherwise you\u2019ll look like a generic gray silhouette, which makes potential employers less likely to view your profile or trust you.<\/p>\n

Headline:<\/strong> The headline is that blurb that goes beside your name at the top of the profile. LinkedIn puts in your title and company there by default, but you don\u2019t have to leave it at that. By making your headline more descriptive with keywords that describe your skills, employers can get a better picture of you and you\u2019ll show up better in search.<\/p>\n

For example, instead of \u201cBudgeting Director at Kelly Services,\u201d you can make it \u201cCPA\/MBA | Deliver Timely, Accurate Management Information & Analysis for Decision Support | Budgeting Director, Kelly Services.\u201d (Full disclosure: That\u2019s an example from an infographic about LinkedIn mistakes<\/a> I created with AvidCareerist\u2019s Donna Svei<\/a>, promoting my book about LinkedIn<\/a>. Donna says adding credentials, like the CPA\/MBA is wise to do for many industries and can help separate you from the pack.) My profile headline simply adds a few of the areas I specialize in writing about: technology, personal finance, telework, and “life hacking.”<\/p>\n

Keywords: <\/strong>To make your profile more relevant to potential employers and more easily found, incorporate the most important words associated with your job. For example, keywords like \u201cMySQL databases\u201d or \u201csocial media strategist.\u201d A good way to find those three to five important keywords to pepper your profile with? Copy the description from an ideal job posting and paste it into Wordle.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The best places to put those keywords are your headline, summary, and job titles\u2014but incorporate the keywords as naturally as you can, rather than trying to force them in.<\/p>\n

Enhance the Rest of Your LinkedIn Profile<\/h3>\n

\"How<\/p>\n

The areas we tweaked above will help your LinkedIn profile be more visible. The other sections can be used to showcase your skills and experience.<\/p>\n

Summary:<\/strong> The summary is your introduction to others on LinkedIn. It should sum up, in 200 to 300 words, what makes you unique as a professional: e.g., what you do, what you know, and how you would be an asset to a company. It’s a place to tell your story, even if you just say \u201cI\u2019m a project manager with over ten years experience working in the online media industry.\u201d When you’re job seeking, you can also write the kinds of job opportunities you\u2019re looking for (e.g., want to work with a non-profit or at a startup), list accomplishments you have, and more. A few other tips:<\/p>\n