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Workwrite Resumes
Feb
5

Your LinkedIn profile made easy

by Jeri Hird Dutcher

Have you been struggling with your LinkedIn profile? Maybe you can’t seem to reach that magic 100% complete stage. Or you’re not sure what should go in the dreaded Summary section.

For an easy-to-follow explanation of how to put together your own LinkedIn profile, I recommend How to Write  a KILLER LinkedIn Profile … and 18 Mistakes to Avoid by Brenda Bernstein ($6.97 for the Kindle version at Amazon.com).

With more than 75% of employers using online searches to research candidates, LinkedIn attracts nearly three-quarters of those employers (2011 statistics), making LinkedIn THE place to show up for your online job search.

Brenda has identified 18 common errors made in LinkedIn profiles, and she explains each one — and what to do to avoid it.

For example, did you know that it’s not enough to put your current job title in your headline? That’s what most people do, and it’s actually what LinkedIn will do for you if you don’t change it. What is effective is to identify keywords important to you field and position and include them in your headline. The book gives a couple examples:

  • Management / Business Consultant | Speaker | Author | Leading Fortune 500 and Small Business Executives & Teams
  • Lease Administration, Real Estate Development Services | Architect | Project Management | Construction Management

Go a step further and add a “unique selling proposition in addition to keywords, like this:

  • Executive well versed in Strategic Planning, Capacity Building, Program Implementation & Partnership Development
More useful tips and tricks you may not know about:
  • Super-Cool Keyword Tip at Loc 245 in Section #2.
  • What comprises a 100% complete profile, Loc 259 inSection #3.
  • Keyword tip for your custom url, Loc 335 in Section #5.
  • How to know how many recommendations are too many in Loc 371 in Section #6.
  • How NOT to invite contacts in Loc 463 in Section #8.
There are lots more, but you get the idea. This is a book you can use as a tune-up guide the first time through. Then, you will use it again and again as a reference as LinkedIn and your profile evolve.
If you have already discovered the book, be sure you have downloaded the new 5th edition that includes:
  • New images and instructions for the recent format changes made by LinkedIn.
  • Updated information on Endorsements and  the Skills and Expertise section.
  • Advice for what to do now that LinkedIn has eliminated Partner Applications.
  • New appendices about overused LinkedIn buzzwords, update instructions, and recommended resources.

Brenda has managed to make a technical process fun to read about and easy to do. If you want to write your own LinkedIn profile, she is the one to lead you through it.

 

If you’d rather walk on hot coals than write your own profile, contact me to do the project for you. That’s even easier!

 

Categories : Online Profiles

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First Place 2010 TORI Best Creative Resume

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Published in Resumes for the Rest of Us, On the Minds of Moms, JobDig, online at Examiner.com, Ezine article expert, selfgrowth.com