Download ppt - Leveraging LinkedIn to Get Yourself Noticed (1/2013)

Leveraging LinkedIn To Get Yourself Noticed

© 2012. Content Rules, Inc. All rights reserved.


Context

Content Rules is an 18 year old content development consultancy

I’m the team’s recruiter, matching clients’ opportunities with talent

Content developers = technical writers, trainers, instructional designers,

marcom pros, editors. And project managers, occasionally.

Our jobs are posted at www.contentrules.com/jobs

We’re motivated by credibility, seek to be our clients’ one-stop content

shop

LinkedIn is complex and evolves quickly

My comments focus on its potential for professionals seeking work

Your questions are welcome


I.Orientation

II.Profile essentials

III.Account settings

IV.Getting yourself noticed

V.Scenarios

troduction


Overview

I. Orientation

The profile’s new look, accessing basic features, extending LinkedIn

II. Profile essentials

What’s a “complete” profile, and how to make it work for you

III. Account settings

Controlling who sees what and why, and how often you receive emails

IV. Getting yourself noticed

Using the Groups, Answers, and Jobs features

V. Scenarios

When to use which features


What is LinkedIn?


Linked is…

Your profile – with sections for background, professional experience,

recommendations, (endorsable) skills and expertise, interests, education,

publications, organizational affiliations, honors and awards….

Connections – with invitations, categorization, direct messaging,

searchability by company, industry, location….

Groups – with sub-groups, polls, discussions, new groups….

Companies – with LinkedIn TODAY (customizable news feed)

Jobs – fully integrated with your Connections

Answers – a dynamic knowledgebase and a good way to connect

Applications – box.net, WordPress, SlideShare, Events, GitHub, Amazon


What LinkedIn Isn’t?

LinkedIn is not a social network like Facebook or Twitter

Content is typically career-focused

Users are circumspect and held much more accountable

Credibility is key, and the ‘entertainment factor’ is low

LinkedIn is better organized, more searchable, and its content is ‘deeper’

LinkedIn is more professional and trusted

LinkedIn isn’t a niche player like BranchOut, Viadeo, and XING

In fact, it’s the first site most hiring managers and recruiters visit


I. Getting Oriented – “our interface has changed”

LinkedIn has recently rolled out a new interface for its Profiles

The major sections are still the Summary (picture, title, education,

location, industry), Activity, Background, Experience, Skills & Expertise,

and Education

The picture is bigger, contact information has been moved, and there are

new sections on the right-hand column for:

People similar to the current LinkedIn user

Graphical view of “How you’re connected”

Configurable view of user’s network (company, school, location, industry)

View of what you have in common (w/ same categories)


Getting Oriented (2)

If you view your own profile (from “View Profile” in the main menu bar),

you now get:

A visual representation of how complete (“strong”) your profile is

Cues about who’s viewed your profile, so you can follow up with any

who might seek further information

Visual cues about people you may want to connect with (“People you

may know”)


II. Profile Essentials

Picture

Include one, or at least an avatar image. Men, a side-on image where

you’re not leaning on your hand works best.

Be authentic and make an emotional connection

Profiles with pictures get at least 50% more views

Summary section

Highlight your passions, (career-related) interests, and personality;

cultural fit is at least as important to the best employers as an appropriate

skill set


Profile Essentials (2)

Contact section

Supply as much contact info as appropriate, bearing in mind only your

1st and 2nd degree connections will see it

Specify the URL of your resume, portfolio, blog, Twitter account, etc.

Hint: without helpful info here, you’re a lot harder to take seriously

Customize your LinkedIn URL, and adjust what’s shown to the public



Experience section

Highlight specific actions you took and the impact they achieved

Do not merely catalog your responsibilities

Be sure to use ‘conforming’ Company names, to improve searchability

Skills & Expertise section

LinkedIn displays your claimed skills/expertise to your 1st, 2nd, and 3rd-level connections, but only

gives your 1st-level connections the chance to endorse you. List up to 50 that will resonate with them.

If you’re not getting “endorsements” for specific skills, request such from those who know you well,

or change them to those your connections know

Hint: you can endorse someone for 5 claimed skills by clicking on their picture [here], and you can

endorse that user for all their claimed skills (and even others they haven’t listed) within their profile.

Caveat: LinkedIn does not (yet) index Skills/Expertise tags



Recommendations section

Recommendations boost your “People” search ranking dramatically

Solicit detailed, authentic-sounding input, and don’t hesitate to request

revisions (especially if the recommendation is bland, or has typos).

Ensure the recommender doesn’t merely catalog your responsibilities

The more, the merrier – and you control which recommendations

display

Contact [user] For section

If you’re not looking for work, uncheck “job inquiries” and “consulting

offers”



A “complete” LinkedIn profile includes:

your current job and two previous jobs

your educational background

a profile summary

profile picture

your specialties (Experience)

at least 3 recommendations


Profile Essentials (6) – SEO considerations

LinkedIn ranks “People” search results using these fields:

Professional Headline

Titles

Summary and Experience

Industries

To appear closer to the top, be ASAP (as specific as possible) in the first 3

fields, and use popular search terms (especially for titles):

Information Engineer Technical Writer

Web Copy Creator Marketing Writer

Structured Content Consultant XML/DITA Expert


Profile Essentials (7) – SEO considerations

“Search Engine Optimize” your profile using “Advanced People Search:”

1. Complete the Title and Location-related fields (e.g., Technical Writer, within 50

miles of 95051)

2. Enter one or more relevant Keywords (e.g., FrameMaker, XML, Agile, networking)

3. Review first ~20 returned profiles for search term matches

4. Revise your profile’s Headline, Title, Summary, and Experience sections, adding

likely search terms (in context) to improve ranking

5. Iterate until satisfied

For clues to marketable search terms, explore:

“Viewers of this profile also viewed…” section (on right column)

Keywords used by competing candidates


III. Account Settings

Adjust privacy and related settings from “Settings” (dropdown from your

name, top right corner)

Add your other email addresses


Account Settings (2) – showing off on LinkedIn

If you have a paid account and are looking for work, tweak your

OpenLink and/or premium badge settings

OpenLink members can receive connection requests from anyone;

members outside your network can thus join it more easily.


Account Settings (3) – controlling who knows you’re looking

If you want to be more visible, turn on “activity broadcasts”

No, you can’t selectively hide these broadcasts from specific people


Account Settings (4) – good fences make good neighbors

If you have connections you don’t want to find out about each other (at

least through you), tweak “Select who can see your connections”

No, you can’t selectively hide your connections from specific people


Account Settings (5) – Who else did this viewer see?

Display “Viewers of this profile also viewed…” while you’re SEO’ing your

profile, so you can see the context in which your profile appears.

After that, it’s optional – and it can hurt your chances of getting contacted,

especially if the viewer gets distracted by another profile.


Account Settings (6) – the 3 most crucial fields

Tweak your profile’s Headline, Location, and Industry to orient viewers.

Re Location, go “regional” rather than “local” to cast the widest net.


Account Settings (7) – limit what the world sees

Tweak your public profile to constrain what displays outside LinkedIn.


Account Settings (8) – Buried in Emails?

Adjust who can send you email and under what pretenses.


Account Settings (9) – Email frequency

Adjust how often you’ll receive LinkedIn-related email


Account Settings (10) – Frequency of Group-related Emails

Adjust how often you’ll receive LinkedIn Group-related email


IV. Getting Yourself Noticed

Build your network by soliciting LinkedIn connections and introductions

Join and participate in relevant LinkedIn Groups

To connect with knowledgeable contributors, use “More/Reply privately“

“Follow” Companies in your target industry

Contribute to LinkedIn Answers topics on which you’re knowledgeable

Watch (and respond to) job postings from target employers

Hint: Job postings can originate anywhere; you can still use LinkedIn to

find current or past employees who can help you steer your resume

Share relevant status updates, and respond constructively to others’


Finding LinkedIn Members Who Can Help You

Find out who you know at specific companies

Search LinkedIn for people you already know, then click “Similar”

Search “Answers” then use “Connect” button or “get introduced” link

Scour “Viewers of this profile also viewed...”

Use LinkSV.com, then approach officers via their LinkedIn icons

Import your email address book(s) into LinkedIn


How To Request and Work With Connections

Use the “Connect” button and “Get introduced” link

When you ask someone to join your LinkedIn network

Make it clear you’ve read their profile

Give them an incentive (access to your connections, know-how, etc)

Do not settle for the boilerplate text LinkedIn offers (“I'd like to add you to my

professional network on LinkedIn”); customize it!

Do not send “batch” invitations unless recipients are expecting it

When someone accepts your invitation, engage!

Use the “send a message” feature to thank them, provide your contact info, ask

how you can help, offer a relevant service, and so forth.

Tag them


Self-Promotion 101

1. Customize your LinkedIn URL

Add it (perhaps via a View my Profile button) to:Your resume

Your email signature block

Your blog or website

Your business card

2. Create your own LinkedIn group

Lets you broadcast once/week, for free, to all members


Self-Promotion 101 (2) - Recommendations

3. Ask for Recommendations (“Profile” from main menu bar)


Self-Promotion 101 (3) – Contribute Answers

4. Contribute Answers (“Profile” from main menu bar)


V. Scenarios For Using LinkedIn Optimally

Scenario #1

Transitioning professional seeking first formal Technical Writer role

Scenario #2

Mid-career Technical Writer seeking advancement

Scenario #3

Senior Technical Writer seeking parity or better after a layoff


Want to connect?

Andrew Davis, recruiter

408-395-8178 ext. 105

www.linkedin.com/in/synergistech

[email protected]

www.contentrules.com/jobs
