Is Your LinkedIn Profile a Dud?

LinkedIn-Logo-2CToday’s post is courtesy of Connie Hampton, who is our guest on our next show. We’ll be talking about LinkedIn profiles, all the recent changes LinkedIn has made, and how you can use them to your best advantage. Whether you’re a job seeker, in transition or an entrepreneur or business owner, you’ll be sure to take valuable information away from the tips Connie will share so you can expand your network & build better business relationships. Click here to learn more about our show & to tune in.

 

By Connie Hampton

Most jobs are filled by personal networking.  But if you want a recruiter to call you, we have to know that you exist.  Make it easy for us – Fill out your LinkedIn Profile! Recruiters are on LinkedIn every day. Even if you are not now looking for a job, keep your profile current. Since most jobs last only about 5 years these days, having a LinkedIn profile is essential. And everyone you interact with professionally will look you up online.  Google returns LinkedIn Profiles on the first page.

 

Recruiters search by keywords.  Some of those are job titles at particular companies.  Some are by industry and title.  Many are by keywords, skills and expertise.

 

You need to:

  • Have a professional head shot – It can be taken by a friend on a cell phone camera, but it needs to be of you, in a professional outfit, hair combed, and a smile on your face.  Think – this is the first impression.  How do you want to be perceived?  First impressions count.  You will want to be looking left so that when it is on the Profile you are looking toward your name and content.
  • Your headline section does not need to be your current or last title, but it should contain your most descriptive keyword, one that the general public would understand.  Don’t look desperate; don’t use this to say “looking”.
  • Your summary is where you can shine, show what you like to do and use those keywords.  Use them naturally, don’t spam by repeating the keyword multiple times in a row.  Remember that you are writing to create a professional impression.

If you don’t know how to find your keywords, check out my YouTube video on using http://www.linkedin.com/skills/to learn how to find the ones that belong to you.  Knowing your keywords can be a challenge, especially if you are staring at a blank screen and trying to capture them out of thin air.

  • Your experience is proof that you can do the things you have described in your summary.  Use the space.  Use keywords and, if you can, use numbers – for example, “managed 6 people doing (keyword)”.  Avoid passive verbs, use active ones. PAR statements (Problem, Action, Result) are the most effective way to capture this.
  • If you choose to use the Skills and Expertise section (and I encourage you to do so), ask your first degree connections to endorse you for those skills that you want to highlight and which they know that you have – the person that worked at the next bench will know that you can do PCR (or whatever) but a recruiter will only know that you said you could.

The more you can complete your profile, the more people will know about you.  You want a job that suits you, not one that requires you to do only the things you don’t like to do.  Use your LinkedIn Profile to showcase your interests as well as your skills, but put volunteer experience in the Volunteer section.

 

If you find yourself polishing your resume before you have identified any open positions, use that effort on your LI Profile instead.  Sending a generic resume to job boards and openings is like making multiple copies, stuffing them in empty bottles and tossing them in the ocean in the hope that someone will rescue you.  We know that recruiters look in LinkedIn, not in the ocean.

 

Remember that less than 20% of jobs are filled through job postings and less than 5% by recruiters.  You do need to have a web presence on LinkedIn, but even more, you need to use it to grow your personal network and number of friends, colleagues and contacts.

 

Connie HamptonAbout the Author

In 1997, Connie Hampton founded Hampton & Associates because she saw a need for lower-cost, higher-quality executive searches that returned far more precise results — especially in biotechnology and life sciences.

Connie is passionate about her work and brings specialized expertise to the research and interviewing process for each open position. Connie is a member of many biotech and pharmaceutical industry groups and is active in international recruiting groups. She has been a member of the San Francisco Bay Area Recruiters’ Association (BARA) since 1999.

Connie enjoys coaching job-seekers who don’t match her clients’ needs — teaching them how to refine their own search process and move forward.  In 2011 she started Network Polish Kit to help professionals in the biotech/biopharma world manage their careers and take the next step.

Connie brings to her recruiting and coaching work a knowledge base from her time in a successful sales career in legal, paper and chemicals that dates from before her move to into executive search and research and her training at CTI in coaching.

She also has raised 3 very competent children, an anthropologist, a physicist and one on her way to an MD.  Connie herself graduated from Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA, BA cum laude in religion.

 

Connie has generously offered a limited number of complimentary LinkedIn Profile review sessions. Book a review of your LinkedIn Profile here

 

About the author, Kelly

Kelly Galea is a creative, multi-passionate entrepreneur and luminary blessed with a unique combination of wit, grit, intellect and intuition. She helps you navigate the work-life maze of ever-shifting priorities and transform your life through holistic self-discovery techniques and immersive, fun and magical mini-quests. Working with Kelly will inspire you to unveil, express and celebrate your vital personality and lifestyle preferences to create a more harmonious life.

Leave a Comment