- If you’re not already on LinkedIn, you definitely need to be. Linkedin is a business social network that allows you to connect to people you know. Fully take advantage of the free profile by entering all your professional information and enhance that with your interests and experience..
- Conduct a search for companies in LinkedIn you think you might like to work for by using the advanced search parameters, then look for contacts you have within that company.
- Review jobs posted on LinkedIn regularly.
- Send a message to your inner circle asking for help in finding a new or better job; ask for recommendations and introductions to valuable contacts.
- Buy your domain! You should own www.yourname.com
- Once you own your domain use it to host your resume and/or to begin blogging about your professional interests.
- Create a Google profile to help manage what people find when they search for you using Google.
- Use Twitter and LinkedIn to post status updates relevant to your industry.
- Make sure your professional headline in LinkedIn isn’t merely your title and that your Twitter bio reflects your industry smarts and career aspirations.
- Look for opportunities to network in real life while you’re networking online. Cement key relationships by meeting in person.
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that I hate nose-pickers. If I see someone picking their nose in public, I will tweet about it, tell you where I am and what this person looks like. I am the Nose Picking Police. I don’t know why nose picking is so popular, but it clearly is. By the way; note to nose picking drivers everywhere — WE CAN SEE YOU. Here are 12 things to do today to further your career and improve your online profile using LinkedIn, instead of sitting around picking your nose.
- Upload your e-mail contacts from all sources.
- Get your profile to 100% by completing all of your information and adding a photo (of your face . . . and a recent shot.)
- Develop a keyword-rich professional headline — the headline is NOT your title but should be searchable phrases to attract people to you.
- Rename the default Website and Blog settings to personalized names including the name of your company and what it is that you do.
- Add your Twitter account and the Tweets application — follow your connections on Twitter.
- Write a recommendation for a colleague, partner or friend (and hope they return the favor).
- Google thyself — do you like what you see when your LinkedIn profile shows up in Google results?
- Delete connections you’ve accepted that are with people with whom you don’t truly have a business relationship.
- Add your skills to your profile.
- Join a group that interests you.
- Manage how often you get updates or notifications (I have it set up so I don’t get ANY notifications — preferring to log in to the site and see what’s new there.)
- Write updates regularly, sharing articles of interest, blog posts and upcoming events.
Look out nose pickers — I’m watching you.
More helpful LinkedIn advice.
I don’t often address LinkedIn here on WTF? Friday, but some work today in the business network platform sent me to a profile that stopped me COLD.
Check this out:
Now, I’ve edited to protect the innocent idiot, but seriously, WTF? Did this woman employ her cat to complete her LinkedIn profile? Spelling, people. It’s not that hard. Note to Congressman ____________, check your employees’ LinkedIn profiles. Fire accordingly.
If you’re new to LinkedIn, step back a bit and review an earlier social media assignment. Perhaps this one or this one. If you’ve been using LinkedIn for a while, casually or even strategically, you need to know about
a new, profile-enhancing feature on the platform.
You can now add sections to your profile to more easily clarify items like certifications or organizations to which you belong. Here’s a list of the section options offered by LinkedIn:
- Certifications
- Courses
- Honors and Awards
- Languages
- Organizations
- Projects
- Patents
- Test Scores
- Volunteer Experience & Causes
To add any of these items, log in to your LinkedIn account, select Profile, then edit Profile from the top menu. Scroll down past the main part of your profile and just after that you will see a green plus sign and the Add Sections option. Click on that and follow the instructions to add individual sections and enhance your profile.
This is a great addition to the platform, as previously certifications and volunteer engagement was jumbled up with skills, in summaries and within interests. Give it a try!
I can’t stress this enough: LinkedIn is an important tool to manage your social network, but only if . . .
- You care about your online reputation
- You are a business person who wants to be successful
- You want to help others reach their goals
If none of that matters to you, just stick to MySpace or better yet, go to great lengths to make sure you have no online presence whatsoever.
Since you’re here, though, that says to me that you care about your social network — you recognize that you have one, that it benefits your business and you (personally and financially.)
Here’s a brief plan to get you started improving your social network:
- Once a week, schedule time to write a recommendation of someone in your network. LinkedIn has a built-in function for this, but other ways to do this include a blog post, a meaningful #FollowFriday recommendation on Twitter, a post on a business’ Facebook page or offering a testimonial quote to a business to use on their website.
- Once a month or when a project has been completed for a client, ask for a recommendation (see all the recommendation options above.)
- Weekly, pull the business cards you collected at that last networking event from your jacket pockets and your bag and enter those new contacts into your system. Personally, I like to enter contacts into Outlook, my main warehouse of contacts and periodically export those contacts to LinkedIn and Facebook to move my network to the virtual space. LinkedIn and Twitter have kindly integrated so you can easily discover and follow your business contacts who tweet.
- Once a month, find a networking event and go to it. No networking events in your area? (OK, I don’t believe you, but whatever) Start one!
- Twice a month, step out of your comfort zone and invite someone in your network to meet you for lunch, coffee or drinks.
- Every day (I mean it!) engage with your network by responding to questions, sharing content from members of your network (linking to blog posts, re-tweeting, etc.) Be helpful by introducing members of your network to one another.
Stick to a plan for improving your social network and your social network will help you improve your career and your business success.