So you have your social media profile....but how do you create a strong professional profile?
If you are like me, your social media accounts are accessible for friends and family only. My colleagues don't need to know where I holiday or my obsession with cat videos.
And that is fine..... but the first thing someone does when they hear of you, whether for a job interview, as a client, vendor or business partner is look for your online presence. Its the go-to activity.
This can be a good thing. It means we can use our professional profiles to showcase ourselves professionally and standout (and if you are job-hunting it will also help you connect with contacts who might be able to help you with your job-search or moving up the ladder). There are many routes you can take, from creating a blog, bio or personal website. But the foundation of this at the moment still remains LinkedIn.
Catching up with Julian Childs (Career Coach & Business Advisor - Email: Twitter: LinkedIn ) he shared with me some information to help you get started with creating a strong LinkedIn profile.
6 tips to create and maintain a strong LinkedIn profile
- Create a strong first impression with your images
Use an appropriate personal and background photo. There are services such as www.linkamee.com or just use some of your own creativity.
**Remember to save file names as something relevant as this will help for SEO (appearing in searches) - Headline – Make it stand out and be clear
The character count recently increased from 120 to 220 so this presents a good opportunity to promote yourself. Here are two resources to help you get going. Resource 1 and Resource 2. Remember your headline is like a elevator pitch and about creating a strong first impression. - Choose your LinkedIn profile address
Edit your LinkedIn URL, use it widely and consistently to signpost your profile from all appropriate communications. Here's the step by step process on how to customise it. Something simple and easy to remember is key. - Be clear and strategic about information you provide and participate in
Firstly, commence your “About” summary with clear contact details.. e.g. Email address, Mobile No.
This section should be relevant and give your audience some direct actionable information, so concentrate on creating as much information about you as possible by citing appropriate skills and experiences from past and current clients, managers, and colleagues. If you are doing the CareersKitchen program, you can incorporate your personality theme and competencies here! - Become active
Start uploading, re-sharing or signposting to credible relevant articles, blogs, white papers, surveys, events and collaborative peers. Original posts are also very powerful, especially if they create discussions and position you as an expert or active in your field of interest. Just remember that LinkedIn is mostly focused on professional topics... So don't upload your TikTok dance videos ;-) - Network via your Alumni
The LinkedIn Alumni Tool can harness the power of “old school ties”. Fellow alumni are often more open to connecting and are a great place to start building and or expanding your network. Here's a little video of how to use the Alumni tool.
How do you future-proof your career?
@CareersKitchen, we would love to hear how it is going for you!
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