LinkedIn. How to Present Yourself & Promote Your Professional Brand Faculty of Social Work Employment Preparation Series

Transcription

1 LinkedIn How to Present Yourself & Promote Your Professional Brand Faculty of Social Work Employment Preparation Series Career Development Centre

2 Purpose of Today s Session Recognize the key components of a strong LinkedIn profile Understand how to effectively present and distinguish your skills online Know how to use LinkedIn as a networking and job search tool Understand how to effectively use LinkedIn for career research Be aware of additional social networking resources available through the Career Centre

3 Why Bother? 2015 research by CareerBuilder 49% of hiring managers use social media to research job applicants (an additional 12% plan to start) 57% of hiring managers reported not hiring or hesitating to hire a candidate because of something negative 32% of hiring managers reported finding something positive that led to a job offer

4 Introducing LinkedIn

5 Google yourself! Where to Start? Evaluate your Online Presence Is what you found helpful to your professional image? Will the information support or contradict your resumé and interview claims? If you found nothing, is that really helpful to your professional reputation?

6 What s Next? Take Charge of your Social Media Strategy Create a LinkedIn profile! Support and Expand on your Resume Claims Define your Professional Brand Tell your Story Use Industry Keywords

7 What is your Brand? Perception and Differentiation What are your skills and values? What are your strengths? What makes you unique? What descriptors are you using? What are your goals? How can you add value for an organization? What makes you stand out? Your student status/job/employer is NOT your brand!

8 Your Profile

9 Creating a LinkedIn Profile Goals Familiarize yourself with industry language Evaluate how to make good use of this language (keywords) in your profile Differentiate yourself what makes you different from classmates? Think about what someone would input when searching on LinkedIn

10 Keys to a Strong Profile Include an appropriate Photo Write a creative and engaging Headline Create a compelling Summary Include industry Keywords Add your Skills, Experience, Education & Certifications Establish and maintain your Network

11 Use an Appropriate Photo Who do you want to connect with? Only you (no other body parts, people, or pets) Match industry tone how do you want to be seen? No selfies, please Don t forget to SMILE!

12 Developing Your Profile: Write a Creative & Engaging Headline Mentoring; Educating; Writing; Consulting; Supervising; Counselling; Art Therapy Counsellor Mental Health Professional Working towards MSW Individuals, Families & Groups MSW Candidate specializing in counselling and facilitation for people with multiple barriers and disabilities Coaching professional passionate about helping leaders to achieve their goals. Greater Toronto Area. Psychology Graduate, Specializing in Survey Design. Interested in Market Research and Analysis

13 Create a Compelling Summary Tell your story Who you are, what you ve done, where you want to go next Use first person Contextualize education, training, experience to show the reader what s next in your career Consider including a specialties/skills list Don t forget: Think about who you re writing for and tell them what they should do after reading your profile

14 Sample Summary I m a Registered Social Worker in Halifax, NS. I am passionate about and provide counselling and therapy to parents who are feeling overwhelmed trying to raise their teen. I have a Master of Social Work from Wilfrid Laurier University and have completed postgraduate training in a family systems therapy. I ve been providing counselling to adolescents and their families for over 8 years. I counsel teens individually and in groups, and at other times counselling sessions involve parents or other family members. I help parents regain confidence in their parenting abilities and feel more in charge in difficult situations with their teenager. I assist parents and their adolescents in overcoming hurtful and harmful patterns in relating to each other within the family system. I work at increasing understanding, respectful communication, and accepting responsibility for one s own behaviour. For further information, please visit my website at

15 Sample Summary I ve always been intrigued by clever marketing campaigns and consumer behaviour. Currently I am completing a semester abroad in England, where I m studying global business and marketing. Back home, I am pursuing a Bachelor of Business Administration at Wilfrid Laurier University. My interests in human behaviour and social culture have led me to complete a Psychology minor to complement my business and marketing studies. After graduation, I plan on connecting my new knowledge in marketing and psychology to better understand and predict consumer behaviour and marketing trends in the fields of advertising and marketing for a multinational corporation. I hope to connect with colleagues and other professionals who share a strong interest in Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, Consumer Insights, and Market Strategy. Specialties: Marketing Advertising Social Media Strategy Sales Market Research Public Speaking Project Management Communication

16 Add your Experiences, Skills, Education & Training Support and expand on your resumé, but don t repeat Create connection or relevance; speak to transferable skills Use accomplishment-based statements with keywords Consider adding files, links, media, etc. Headline awareness Default to current title Add industry-relevant Skills Searchable terms (use keywords) Add Education & Certifications Consider LinkedIn s suggestions when describing Education

17 Consider LinkedIn s Advice Sections are suggested Consider how you organize sections (what will intrigue readers, what about your background do you want readers to engage with first?)

18 Connect

19 Your Network:

20 Establish your Network Start with whom you know but NOT by inviting your address book to connect Always customize Invitations Phone awareness Connecting standards vary - be strategic Not a one time project

21 Further Your Connections: The Alumni Tool Where they work What they do What they studied What they re skilled at Where they live Connection level

22 Building your Network: Explore Groups Join and participate in Professional/Interest Groups Join up to 50 Strategic visibility Look for active members/discussions Learn, connect and raise your profile Ask questions, make comments, share experiences, talk about issues, recommend connections Customize your digest Receive s daily, weekly or not at all

23 How to Connect Step 1: Review Their Profile Information in the Summary Advice for Contacting

24 Options: Get Introduced, Connect Click connect only when on their profile (otherwise, the generic LinkedIn connect message will be sent) InMail available with paid subscription (not recommended) Get introduced (depends on connection level & quality)

25 Customize all Invitations Approach professionally Remind them of how you met or provide them with information about why you re reaching out

26 Connecting on Mobile Devices

27 Further Your Network Follow companies and professionals Maintain your account Adjust for optimal results Try different approaches Actively post and participate Links, articles, comment and like Consider publishing Monitor your online presence

28 Settings

29 Review your Settings Strategically

30 Broadcasting your Updates Strategically turn on or off Second option in profile section

31 Viewing Other Profiles Select what others can see Great for career research Remember this is reciprocal

32 Your Public Profile & URL Select what level of information the public can see Personalize your URL

33 Additional Resources

34 LinkedIn Resources LinkedIn for Students LinkedIn Blog Follow LinkedIn on LinkedIn YouTube channel

35 Professional Development Day Wednesday April 6th Career Planning Marketing your Transferable Skills Resumé & Cover Letter Development Job Search & Networking Strategies

36 Additional Career Resources Appointments in Kitchener March 29th Book an individual appointment at x 4495 or on navigator Drop-in hours, Monday through Thursday, 1 3 p.m. for quick questions Visit wlu.ca/career to access - Career Workshops - Employment Guidebooks - Schedule of Career and Employer Events

37 Connect with us! x 4495 careercentre@wlu.ca wlu.ca/career facebook.com/lauriercareercentre linkedin.com (Laurier Career Centre