Get LinkedIn:How to Maximize your Profile

March 7, 2012Lisa Snedeker

Director of Communications and Public Relations, School of Law

Gretchen EdwardsAssistant Director of Digital Engagement, University Advancement

Your facilitators

Lisa Snedeker brings more than 25 years of media/ communications experience to her position as the law school's communications and public relations director. Before coming to Wake Forest, Lisa worked as a reporter and editor for The Associated Press, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the Las Vegas Sun and The Fayetteville (N.C.) Observer, among other newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets. She has a BA from Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College in Indiana and a MA from the University of Illinois at Springfield.

Gretchen Edwards promotes alumni advocacy and engagement through web based media and electronic tools as the alumni office's assistant director of digital engagement. She began her work at Wake Forest sponsored by Cisco, where she liaised between the company and the institution to foster the adoption and assess the effectiveness of collaborative technologies within the University community. She graduated from Wake Forest in 2010 with a BA in History, and minors in Journalism and Global Trade & Commerce Studies.

How to ask questions

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Learning objective

After attending this session, you will know how to maxmize

your LinkedIn profile.

Skills you will learn

To maximize your LinkedIn profile you need to know:

1. How to write a good summary<2. How to clearly describe your skills<<3. How to fill out each section with polished content<4. How to take advantage of LinkedIn's many applications<5. How to update your profile going forward

But first, register for LinkedIn!

Helpful hint

Consider having your LinkedIn profile open and ready to edit in

real time during this webinar!

Helpful hint

We'll be using LinkedIn profiles of alumni as examples

How to write a good summary

1. How to write a good summary:

● Clearly describe your top 3 - 5 skills● Add specialities to your summary● Use an upbeat and highly professional tone to

describe yourself in the first person● Illustrate your energy, confidence, and enthusiasm for

your work ● Use keywords to optimize Search Engine Optimization

(SEO) for your personal brand

Example

How to clearly describe your skills

2. How to clearly describe your skills:

● Keep sentences concise and powerful; about 15 - 20 words long

How to clearly describe your skills

2. How to clearly describe your skills:

● Take advantage of the "skills sections" to highlight your key skills

How to clearly describe your skills

2. How to clearly describe your skills:

● Make your profile aesthetically pleasing○ Customize your public URL to your real name

How to clearly describe your skills

2. How to clearly describe your skills:

● Make your profile aesthetically pleasing○ Customize the names of your websites

How to clearly describe your skills

2. How to clearly describe your skills:

● Make your profile aesthetically pleasing○ Use bullet points, dashes, or one of your

browser's special characters to denote your points

How to fill out each section with polished content

3. How to fill out each section with polished content:.

● Explain and add details about your current roles, achievements, leadership and projects. Use active verbs and specific information whenever possible.

● Write from the potential employer’s or client's viewpoint

How to fill out each section with polished content

3. How to fill out each section with polished content:<

● Include only three or four of your most important and relevant accomplishments for each past position to prevent your profile from becoming too long.

● Drag and drop sections in order of importance to you.

● Edit, edit, edit. Print out the PDF version of your profile to check for spelling and grammar mistakes.

How to fill out each section with polished content

3. How to fill out each section with polished content:>

● Obtain at least three recommendations to complete your profile.

How to take advantage of LinkedIn's many applications

4. How to take advantage of LinkedIn's many applications:

● Make a resume automatically○ LinkedIn: Resume Builder

How to take advantage ofLinkedIn's many applications

4. How to take advantage of LinkedIn's many applications:

● Apply for Jobs with LinkedIn○ Have you seen the LinkedIn button?

How to take advantage ofLinkedIn's many applications

4. How to take advantage of LinkedIn's many applications:

● Turn your resume into an infographic○ vizualize.me○ example

How to update your profile going forward

5. How to update your profile going forward:<

● Consider inserting applications:○ Use the Reading List by Amazon○ Include your blog posts with the WordPress or

BlogLink so your connections stay up-to-date with your projects, events and thoughts

○ Use the SlideShare or Creative Portfolio Display apps to display your best presentations or documents

How to update your profile going forward

5. How to update your profile going forward:

How to update your profile going forward

5. How to update your profile going forward:

● Update your profile's content frequently● Make it a habit to update your status with links to

articles you’ve written or read about your projects, business, or specialities

Review

1. How to write good summary

2. How to clearly describe your skills

3. How to fill out each section with polished content

4. How to take advantage of LinkedIn's many applications

5. How to update your profile going forward

You know how to maximize your LinkedIn profile!

Questions

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Contact

We look forward to hearing from you!

Lisa Snedeker● on LinkedIn

Gretchen Edwards● on LinkedIn