Building a Powerful LinkedIn in 10 Steps

LinkedInUGBA 198

Haas School of Business

UC Berkeley

LinkedIn at a Glance

• Launched in 2003

• 300+ million registered users

– 187M monthly active users

• Who use LinkedIn?

– Job seekers, professionals, college students

– Recruiters, talent acquisition, hiring managers

– Sales force, B2B (business to business) companies

Why LinkedIn?

• Earlier you start the better

• Building and developing your BRAND

• Credibility and reputation– Recommendations are POWERFUL

– Skill endorsements strengthen credibility

• Internships and career exploration– Search hiring mangers before interview

– Reach out and network with people in your industry and prospective companies (customized invitation)

Best practices – Beginner

• Profile Photo

– Clear, casual, professional

• Headline

– Describes who you are (3W’s: Who, Where, What)

• Education

– Market UC Berkeley, awards, major, courses taken

• Branded Link

– Get a personalized link for your LinkedIn Profile

Headshot & Headline

“Fourth Year Undergraduate | UC Berkeley”“UC Berkeley Grad Looking for Opportunities in Sales” “UC Berkeley Student Passionate about Marketing”“Software Engineer at Twitter”

Headshot

Headline

Location Industry

Branded Link

Education

School

School

Major, Concentration

Relevant Courses Taken

Honors and awards

Expected Graduation

Expected Graduation

Best practices – Intermediate

• Summary

– Describe who you are, skills set, passions, interests,

CTA (call to action), contacts

• Work Experience

– Showcase your present and past work

• Volunteer Activities & Causes

– Showcase your passion for service and leadership

Summary

Background: School, Class Level, Career

Interests

Present and Future Plans

CTA:Call To Action

Contacts

Work Experience

Company

Title

Duration | Location

Projects, honors and awards,

recommendations

Role Description

Logo

Volunteer Activities & Causes

Title

Company

Duration | Field

Role Description

Logo

Best practices – Advanced

• Recommendations

– Modern day version of letter of reference

• Skills & Endorsements

– Leverage your strengths and skill set

• Portfolios: videos, slide deck, websites

– Visual is powerful

Recommendations

Title

Company

Recommender’s Info

Recommender’s Info

Recommendation

Recommendation

Relationship

Relationship

Skills & Endorsements

Endorsers

Up to 50 skills

Top 10 Skills

Embedded Portfolios—Summary

PDFs, slide decks, websites

Embedded Portfolios—Experience

PDFs, slide decks, websites

Call to action

• Start connecting!

– Golden # of connections: 500+

– Golden # of skill endorsements: 99+

• Include LinkedIn link on resume

– Use bit.ly

• Ask current/former supervisors for recommendations

• Keep your profile updated every semester

• Leverage visuals and multi-media

• Think about long term goals