Using LinkedIn to Build Your Online Resume, Reputation &

Connections

Herman Tumurcuogluhttps://ca.linkedin.com/in/expertonlinereputation

What is LinkedIn ?– Social Media Platform– Online Resume– Referral Generator– Contact Manager– Business Development tool– Company Information Directory– Industry Q&A Platform– Job Hunting Site/Recruiting tool– Much more!

What is LinkedIn ?

It’s big.As of March 2015, LinkedIn reports

more than 364 million acquired users in more than 200 countries

Why use ?

Estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics say that over half of all jobs are found through networking. Up to

80% of executive level jobs are never even posted.

“Of the U.S. recruiters and HR professionals surveyed, 75% report that their companies have formal policies in place that require hiring personnel to research applicants online.” 79% actually do it.

“Of U.S. recruiters and HR professionals surveyed, 70% say they have rejected candidates based on information they found online.”

The LinkedIn Tour

Without logging in, there is not much to do

You can search.. but the results are hidden behind the login

Other tools are hidden in the footer of the page… but are much more useful after logging in

Creating a LinkedIn ProfileStep 1: Name & Email

Tip!Use a non-work email address.

This will ensure that the primary email on the account

is always yours. You can & should add your work email

later.

Creating a LinkedIn ProfileStep 2: Basic Professional Profile

Options change depending onemployment

EmployedA business ownerLooking for workWorking independentlyA student

Creating a LinkedIn ProfileSteps 3-6: Find Initial Connections

Tip!Skip it. Why connect

before you have set up your profile?

Optimizing your LinkedIn Profile

LinkedIn helps you fill your profile out by giving you tips & the option to upload your resume.

Start by editing the “basic profile” section

Optimizing your LinkedIn Profile

Keep your Display Name your full name – you WANT people to find you.

By default your headline is your job title – expand it into something more descriptive of what you are. You have 120 Characters!

Tip! Avoid titles like “guru” or “expert” – especially if you are looking for work.

Optimizing your LinkedIn ProfileNow it’s time to add a photo!• Your connections will see your face in their

stream – you will be more memorable

Choose a photo that best represents you professionally.. This is not Facebook.. and really not MySpace• No pictures of you as a baby, no selfies.. • A headshot is best – LinkedIn has a tool that

lets you crop an image easily• Light background is preferred

You can choose who gets to see your photo• My Connections – people who are directly

connected to you• My Network – people who are connected to

those connected to you• Everyone – everyone! (Best option if you want

to be found)

Optimizing your LinkedIn ProfileFill out your current & past positions• You can have more than one current position• Start with the current position you already

enteredNote – you can import your resume and have this filled out, but I prefer the manual approach.

Fill out the description with real tangible information on what you do / have done.• Helps your network understand your role• Shows recruiters & HR managers more detail

on your background• Makes you more visible in the search results

Fill this out for all past positions that are relevant to your goals.

Optimizing your LinkedIn ProfileAdd your Education History• You can add multiple schools/degrees• “Degree” & “Field of Study” are flexible –

make sure you take advantage of that• Fill out the activities & notes to highlight

accomplishments and associations

Optimizing your LinkedIn ProfileClicking “Add Websites” Brings up the Additional Information form – fill it all out if you can!

You have 3 websites you can add. Take advantage of as many as makes sense - at the very least your company’s site.

Fill out your interests as it relates to your career. Use as descriptive terminology as you can.

Fill out the Groups and Associations section & Honors and Awards if you possibly can.

Optimizing your LinkedIn ProfileYou can add a link to your Twitter account if you would like – as long as you don’t mind it being associated with you professionally.

You should absolutely customize your profile URL• You can include the link in your

email signature, on your website, blog or Facebook.

• Improves your ability to be found on Google

• Claim it before someone else does!

Clicking the “Customize your URL” link brings up the Public Profile privacy settings

Optimizing your LinkedIn ProfileThe Summary Section = extremely important, especially if you run your own company• Basically a cover letter for your profile• Take some time to fill out these sections

For Specialties, use terms that you would like to be found by• Include the acronyms where applicable• List as many as you can – make sure to

refresh this list often as well

Be factual and direct about yourself, but not overly pompous.

Both of these sections are key in being found via search.

Adding LinkedIn Connections• Connections are the real

power of LinkedIn • Based on the “6 degrees

of separation” concept - but limited to just 3

• People you connect directly to are your Connections (“friends”)

• People 2-3 degrees away are your “Network”

Adding LinkedIn ConnectionsAdding Connections• When you add a connection, they will get an

email and a LinkedIn InMail like this:

Tip! You can customize the message in the email – which you should

always do. It’s a much more personal connection, and a lot

more likely to be accepted.

Adding LinkedIn ConnectionsAdding Connections• Once they have accepted, you will be able to

see their connections – which is a great way to add people you know.

LinkedIn ConnectionsConnections Tips:• After you meet someone you can reinforce the relationship by

sending a connection request with a personal note.• Maintain your relationships. Watch your network’s activity,

and communicate with them regularly based on updates.• Use the “My Connections”

interface to tag contacts and manage contact info

LinkedIn Status Updates

• Status updates are 140 character messages that appear on your profile & in your connections’ stream.

• The update is semi-permanent – it will stay on your profile until replaced or cleared

• Linkedin has partnered with Twitter to connect the two services – the result is a lot of noise from Twitter.

• You can adjust visibility settings on who can see your updates.• Your connections’ updates will appear in your stream – you can

reply privately to them as well as comment publicly

LinkedIn RecommendationsOne of the most useful features of LinkedIn – Yet often neglected.

• Instant reference for anyone searching for you.

• Your public profile displays the number of recommendations you have received.

• Full recommendations only appear to those within your Network – if you choose.

• Recommendations you have written will appear on your public profile, as well as the private profile of the recipient.

LinkedIn GroupsGroups are like Clubs within LinkedIn• There are a few standard group types:

– Alumni: former members of schools, universities, fraternities or sororities.

– Corporate: membership often composed of current or past employees from the same company.

– Conference: membership often composed of people attending similar or the same trade show or conference.

– Networking: membership often composed of people with networking as one of its primary goals.

– Non-Profit: membership often composed of people in support of a similar cause or value.

– Professional: membership often composed of people with similar industry interests.

– Other: ?

LinkedIn Groups

Why join Groups?• Find people with similar

careers, businesses or interests

• Members are ordered by relationship to you

• This can and often does lead to business referrals

• Keep up on news related to that specific group’s focus

• Engage in discussions specific to that group – gain insight & credibility

LinkedIn GroupsFinding Groups to Join• The official group of your current or past companies.• Your connections’ groups.• Groups of people/companies that you aren’t connected to,

but would like to be.• The Groups directory

– Search for topics that interest you or locations

• Can’t find a group that fits?Create one!– A great way to almost

instantly become crediblein your field

LinkedIn Company Profiles• You can see detailed

information about a company, partially written by a representative of the company, and partially built using demographic & profile data– Company overview (original

source is Capital IQ, but can be overwritten by employee)

– Previous employers– Demographic & educational

data– List of all employees in your

network– Changes in employee profiles

(promotions, hires, departures, etc.)

– Job postings

LinkedIn Company ProfilesTips!• You can follow companies.. Which

means changes to their Company Profile will show up in your stream on your homepage– Add the companies you know well,

and where your connections work– Add companies you are interested

in – Job openings are posted!– Competitors – watch to see what

talent they are gaining & losing• Use the Company Search to find

companies by location & industry– You can see connections and job

postings right from the search results

Finding Work Using LinkedIn• First and foremost, build out your profile & connections before you need them to find a job… hit the ground running! Fill out all applicable positions like you would a resume– Get recommendations for as many people as you can.

– Fill out the summary & interests to reflect your job search and career goals

– Connect to anyone you worked with in the past

– Join any groups that align with your industry and goals – participate on those groups too!

Finding Work Using LinkedIn• Use the your Status Updates to let your network

know that you’re on the market.– Update this status often, even if it is with the same update,

so you will appear in your Connections’ streams frequently.

• Ask for recommendations – don’t be shy– When you ask for a recommendation, ask them to keep an

eye out for you.• Visit the Company Profile page on LinkedIn to get

more information on..– See what current and former employees are in your

network – you can leverage these people!

The End! Questions?Herman Tumurcuoglu