A complete LinkedIn profile demonstrates that you take yourself seriously as a professional within your industry. It also helps you to optimise your position in LinkedIn search results and according to LinkedIn; users with complete profiles are 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn.
Take a look at my 10 Tips below to help you to create or build your existing LinkedIn profile.
TIP 1 Name and Current Position
When creating your LinkedIn profile you can include your maiden name, nickname or a previous name. You can also edit this section within your existing profile. Note that your Public Profile will not display the Former/Maiden Name field, so any searches performed on Google using this information will not produce any results.
You MUST include a current position and therefore if you are not currently working then it's recommended that you state that you are "Actively seeking new employment" If you hold voluntary positions then you can include this work too.
TIP 2 Are you in the right Location and Industry?
What is your main professional location in other words where do you work? When creating a LinkedIn profile it's common for people to include there home postcode. Instead it's highly recommended that you include the area you are looking to work.
What is it that you do? Many people include the Industry that they work in rather than the role they perform, it's important to be recognised for what you do.
TIP 3 Description of Current Role
I would recommend that you don't just copy and paste your CV into the experience of each of your roles on LinkedIn. Instead write a brief paragraph as to what you have achieved within that role.
TIP 4 Include a Picture
You MUST have a profile picture and a smart headshot is perfect. Whilst your photo doesn't need to be taken by a professional it does need to represent you as a professional within your industry.
TIP 5 Two Past Positions
According to LinkedIn Including your two most recent positions will make your profile 12x more likely to be found. Most of us will find it easy to include two previous positions, however for those who have worked for the same organisation for a number of years then ensure that you include your various positions separately. If a graduate or someone who has only just started working then if possible include Internships, Summer Placements or part-time work.
TIP 6 Education
Remember to also include any Professional Qualifications that you have achieved.
TIP 7 A Strong Profile Summary
Utilise the allocated 2000 characters to your benefit. What is your Goal? What can you offer? Where can you add value? What are you looking for?
TIP 8 Include Your Skills
You can include up to 50 skills and there is a feature which also allows you to include your level of proficiency, choose from the drop down: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced or Expert. You can also include your years of experience.
TIP 9 Start Connecting
In order to complete your 100% profile you are required to have 50 or more connections. LinkedIn informs us that we should only connect to those people whom we know well. Whilst this is a good policy in theory, it can be quite difficult in practice. I recommend that before making connections on LinkedIn that you take the time to decide how you wish to use the LinkedIn service. Are you looking to use LinkedIn as a place to store all your contacts as you would an address book or are you looking for job or business opportunities?
TIP 10 REMEMBER!
Double check your spelling! What type of impression do you want to give the reader to your profile? What makes you different, why should they make contact with you?
"Don't say anything online that you wouldn't want plastered on a billboard with your face on it"
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step whether you are returning to work after raising a family or redundancy, looking to move internally with your existing employer or externally with a new organistation.
Showing posts with label CV and LinkedIn Profile Creator. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CV and LinkedIn Profile Creator. Show all posts
Monday, 12 March 2012
Tuesday, 21 February 2012
How To Become Indispensable Within The Workplace
10 Tips to Avoid Redundancy in 2012
TIP 1 Where do you really add value? - Start identifying where you can add value. Why should an employer pay you a salary with added benefits if you can’t even identify what your transferable skills include? Start thinking about how your employer receives a return on their investment (ROI) by employing you. If you find it difficult to recognise where you add value then ask the people who know you well, you might be surprise by their response!
TIP 2 Recognise your transferable skills – your transferable skills are what make you indispensable. They are essential to your career success and it’s important for you to reflect on these and to be able to develop them, add to them and speak about them confidently. More often than not we can take our skills for granted without recognising that they are in fact what make us unique. Being aware of our Transferable Skills can help us to identify where we add value to the work place. The greater your skills, knowledge and experience the greater the prospect of being indispensable.
TIP 3 Be aware of your Personal Brand - What does your name say about you? If you were to put your name into a Google search engine what information could your employer find out about you? Ensure that you’re creating a professional impression online. If you are a user of Facebook ensure that you switch on your settings so that only those you are connected to can see your posts. DO NOT allow anyone to ‘tag’ pictures of you on their page if they could be seen to be inappropriate!
TIP 4 Create a LinkedIn Profile - A 100% complete LinkedIn profile demonstrates that you take yourself seriously as a professional within your industry. Become an expert within your field by joining relevant groups, start actively taking part in discussions by sharing your industry knowledge.
TIP 5 Dress for success - Far too many people underestimate the importance of the way they look and how they are perceived by others. It takes only 5 seconds to form an opinion about an individual. It is an unconscious process and as much as it may feel unfair, image does matter within the work place.
TIP 6 Are you prepared for redeployment? With many organisations making redundancies, it’s common for employers to request for their employees to apply for their existing role. In the event that this was to happen to you, do you have an up to date CV? Many Internal applicants pay less attention to the content and presentation of their CV and fail to even update it on a regular basis. They believe that it won’t make a difference when applying for internal roles, however, what they fail to realise is that this is their first opportunity to make a great first impression
TIP 7 Build Rapport – It’s important that you build a good rapport with your manager, work colleagues and those you have yet to meet. Ask yourself "What do people really think about me when they meet me for the first time?”. Why not ask your partner, friends or colleagues that you work with?
TIP 8 Remain positive and enthusiastic – When times are hard and companies are making redundancies it’s easy to get caught up in the gossip and the negativity that everyone else is feeling. Yes, it’s depressing to hear of redundancies but remember to remain professional and encouraging to other colleagues within the organisation.
TIP 9 Who knows you exist? Building your network takes time and effort and means speaking with strangers, people who don't even know that you exist within the organisation. Utilise your existing contacts to help you to build new relationships and always show enthusiasm and willingness to help as you never know who might notice!
TIP 10 Become a sponge for information - Speak with your peers within the other departments to help you to develop a wider knowledge of the organisation. Having a familiarity with the various products and services provided by the company can only benefit you to become even more indispensable.
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step whether you are looking to move internally or externally.
TIP 1 Where do you really add value? - Start identifying where you can add value. Why should an employer pay you a salary with added benefits if you can’t even identify what your transferable skills include? Start thinking about how your employer receives a return on their investment (ROI) by employing you. If you find it difficult to recognise where you add value then ask the people who know you well, you might be surprise by their response!
TIP 2 Recognise your transferable skills – your transferable skills are what make you indispensable. They are essential to your career success and it’s important for you to reflect on these and to be able to develop them, add to them and speak about them confidently. More often than not we can take our skills for granted without recognising that they are in fact what make us unique. Being aware of our Transferable Skills can help us to identify where we add value to the work place. The greater your skills, knowledge and experience the greater the prospect of being indispensable.
TIP 3 Be aware of your Personal Brand - What does your name say about you? If you were to put your name into a Google search engine what information could your employer find out about you? Ensure that you’re creating a professional impression online. If you are a user of Facebook ensure that you switch on your settings so that only those you are connected to can see your posts. DO NOT allow anyone to ‘tag’ pictures of you on their page if they could be seen to be inappropriate!
TIP 4 Create a LinkedIn Profile - A 100% complete LinkedIn profile demonstrates that you take yourself seriously as a professional within your industry. Become an expert within your field by joining relevant groups, start actively taking part in discussions by sharing your industry knowledge.
TIP 5 Dress for success - Far too many people underestimate the importance of the way they look and how they are perceived by others. It takes only 5 seconds to form an opinion about an individual. It is an unconscious process and as much as it may feel unfair, image does matter within the work place.
TIP 6 Are you prepared for redeployment? With many organisations making redundancies, it’s common for employers to request for their employees to apply for their existing role. In the event that this was to happen to you, do you have an up to date CV? Many Internal applicants pay less attention to the content and presentation of their CV and fail to even update it on a regular basis. They believe that it won’t make a difference when applying for internal roles, however, what they fail to realise is that this is their first opportunity to make a great first impression
TIP 7 Build Rapport – It’s important that you build a good rapport with your manager, work colleagues and those you have yet to meet. Ask yourself "What do people really think about me when they meet me for the first time?”. Why not ask your partner, friends or colleagues that you work with?
TIP 8 Remain positive and enthusiastic – When times are hard and companies are making redundancies it’s easy to get caught up in the gossip and the negativity that everyone else is feeling. Yes, it’s depressing to hear of redundancies but remember to remain professional and encouraging to other colleagues within the organisation.
TIP 9 Who knows you exist? Building your network takes time and effort and means speaking with strangers, people who don't even know that you exist within the organisation. Utilise your existing contacts to help you to build new relationships and always show enthusiasm and willingness to help as you never know who might notice!
TIP 10 Become a sponge for information - Speak with your peers within the other departments to help you to develop a wider knowledge of the organisation. Having a familiarity with the various products and services provided by the company can only benefit you to become even more indispensable.
Nikki Hutchison, founder of Chilli Pepper Global http://www.chillipepperglobal.com/ advising you on every aspect of the job seeking process guiding you step by step whether you are looking to move internally or externally.
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