UChicago Alumni Association - LinkedIn for Job Search, Networking and Career Building

Anne Marie Segal, AM ’96
March 14, 2019
LinkedIn® for Job Search,
Networking and Career Building

About LinkedIn
LinkedIn is simply the most powerful online tool for job search
and career building today, and it keeps evolving.
There are a host of reasons to be present on the platform, build out
your LinkedIn network and maintain a profile is clear, current,
consistent, compelling and optimized.
Professionals in certain fields benefit more from LinkedIn than others. If
your colleagues (and/or clients) are on LinkedIn, it is the place for you.
Note: I receive no compensation from and am not affiliated with LinkedIn.
© 2019 Anne Marie Segal. All rights reserved.

How LinkedIn “Fits In”
Out of four main spheres in career-building and transition, and
LinkedIn may touch one or all of them.
• Vision / Direction
– Career / Life
• Organization / Optimization / Effectiveness
– Time / Energy / Resources
• Presentation / Branding
– Resume
– LinkedIn and Your Greater Online Presence
– Interviews
– Networking / Other Career-Related Communications
• Leadership / Thought Leadership

Why LinkedIn Matters
Recruiting / Job Search Tool (with ATS, AI and ML)
Lead Generation (your leads + others finding you)
Credibility / Verification (presence / profile)
Platform (thought leadership / “mini-blogging”)
Research
Networking / Referrals and Recommendations
“Rolodex”
The elements above may take different priority levels for each of us,
and entrepreneurs and others obviously have additional uses (client-generation, etc.)

LinkedIn: By the Numbers
Source: omnicoreagency.com/linkedin-statistics (as of 12/6/18).
LinkedIn Users 590M
US Users 154M
Active Monthly Users 260M
Senior-Level Influencers 61M
Decisionmakers 40M (incl. 11M Millennials)
Students / Recent Grads 40M
Earners of $75K Annually 44%

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
New Way: Want-Ads that
(May) Want You
LinkedIn is a superdatabase that
employs artificial intelligence and
machine learning – working in the
background - to power many of its
important features, including to
determine which candidates
match open roles.
Old Way: Want-Ads

LinkedIn’s AI/ML: Want-Ads that Want You
Open Candidates is a powerful feature LinkedIn has added to its
platform to match candidates with jobs.
“Candidate spotlights” include:
Open • Likely to Respond • Company Connections
Engaged with [Company’s] Talent Brand • Past Applicants
By identifying signals from [LinkedIn members who have turned on]
Open Candidates, as well as member actions (i.e. connections or
viewed jobs), we’re able to gather the data that surfaces candidate
spotlights such as “likely to respond” or “open to new opportunities.”
Source: John Jersin, “How LinkedIn Uses Automation and AI to Power Recruiting Tool,” available at:
https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/product-updates/2017/how-linkedin-uses-
automation-and-ai-to-power-recruiting-tools
See also: linkedin.com/help/recruiter/answer/68102/linkedin-recruiter-insights-overview?lang=en

Applicant Tracking Software (ATS) Systems
Recruiter System Connect (RSC) integrates LinkedIn profiles with many
leading (but not all of the 200+) ATS systems, allowing recruiters to export
and view candidate profiles and streamline the recruiting process.
For example, companies can use RSC to power their “Past Applicants”
spotlight and see the best candidates based on prior interactions stored in
the company’s ATS.
Image credit: LinkedIn.

Open Candidates Feature:
Benefits and Choices*
*Tread cautiously if currently employed.
If unemployed, use
Open Candidates.
Don’t write: “Open to
new opportunities.”
Don’t take all open
invitations to connect:
You will confuse
LinkedIn’s algorthms
by having irrelevant
connections.
See Robert Hellmann’s article:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/roberthellmann/2017/01/09/
looking-for-a-job-dont-tell-linkedin/#2b62b20c1e75

Lead Generation for Job Search Candidates
• “Open Candidates” (renew each 90 days)
• Headshot
• Headline
• Job Titles
• Skills
• Keywords/Narrative (gear to audience, match
overall personal brand)
• More AI/ML – your contacts, activity, etc.

LinkedIn: Job Search Terms and Functionality
Job posts: check out CONNECTIONS AND ALUMNI >

LinkedIn for Job Search
• Search for jobs within LI platform
• Check “Jobs You May Be Interested In” and “Jobs In
Your Network” on jobs page
• Get email alerts for job posts
• Research companies and see connections at each
• “Easy Apply” button
• “Featured Applicants” (LI premium – to be discussed)
• Networking building, connections and posts

Research: Companies & Connections

Profile: Network Connections’ View
Consider how your profile and banner will
appear in all formats, including mobile.

Recruiters’ View: Snipets & Search Terms
Open Candidates - Past Applicants - Connections
Some helpful links to understand how recruiters use LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/help/recruiter/answer/68099
https://www.linkedin.com/help/recruiter/answer/68101

LinkedIn Profile Fields (Edit Mode)
See also “Profile Fields” handout.

Public Profile Settings
Choosing what shows up in a public search

Headshot Goal:
Balance of Professional and Welcoming
- > < -
Images to avoid:
too relaxed, tense or
unsmiling, bad or
uneven lighting and
the obvious crop (to
remove another
person from the photo)

Headline, Job Titles & Skills
Your headline, job title and skills are given extra “weight” in the
LinkedIn algorithm (to match you with searches of candidates)
• Headline: Make it descriptive and engaging with an appropriate
tone and keywords; also it should match your brand (e.g., don’t label
yourself something you no longer want to be)
• Job Titles: Combine actual title with descriptions if helpful (not just
Vice President, for example, but include Marketing | Latin America,
even if not “technical” title)
• Skills: Include a wide range of skills (up to 50) across: Top Skills
(you can list three), Industry Knowledge, Interpersonal Skills, Tools
& Technologies, Languages and Other Skills

Skills (and Endorsements)
There are 50K+ skills on LinkedIn (with redundancies). As a writer, I
keep a growing master list of hundreds of skills, some of which are:
Full directory (not search friendly): linkedin.com/directory/topics-a
• Logistics
• Negotiation
• Operations
• P&L
• Patent Litigation
• Pharmaceuticals
• Private Equity
• Procurement
• Python
• Spanish
• Start Ups
• Talent Management
• Audit Committee
• Business Strategy
• Cash Flow
• Commercialization
• Concept Generation
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Energy Derivatives
• Entrepreneurship
• Facility Management
• GDPR
• Legislative Testimony
• Loan Portfolio Analysis

LinkedIn Summary: Why is it so Hard?
Why is it so hard to write a great profile? You are not alone. Here
are some of the stumbling blocks, even for great candidates:
Fear
Inexperience
Lack of time
Lack of drive
Lack of inspiration
Lack of perspective
Another common stumbling block is holding multiple roles and/or
considering multiple targets and not knowing how to address them both
in a single summary. We will get to this!
Embarrassment
Distractions
Confusion
Poor writing skills
Poor proofreading skills
Impatience

LinkedIn Summary
Make drafting easier by outlining key reference points:
• Audience(s)
– What they need? Why should they hire you?
– Repeat for multiple audiences, if applicable
• Personal Value Prop / Branding
– If multiple role or targets, decide what comes first and what
is the complementary aspect – or are they close enough to
cover together?
• What and how much to share?
• Narrative / Tone
• Keywords (gear to audience, match to brand)
See examples in handout.

How to Write Your Profile Summary
1) Follow any process that has brought you success in the past, or
2) Try this:
• Review your resume and other career documents. Highlight most
important points to communicate about you, including accomplishments
or special skills relevant to your audience.
• Make rough notes about points to cover, such as value prop and keywords.
• Choose a structure/order/length (max. 2000 characters).
• Locate and print out 3-5 profiles with elements you wish to emulate, circling
the portions that resonate for you and apply to your audience.
• Write what comes/keep writing – no perfectionism allowed at this point.
• Determine what flows/works best and drop it into a new document.
• Revise and seek feedback as needed.
See examples in handout. Don’t post or rehash your resume on LinkedIn!

Examples of “Straddling”:
Career Evolution, Multiple Roles or Targets
From new graduates to seasoned professionals, it is extremely
common to have more than one target role or audience, such as:
• Recent Graduate – considering two types of roles or undecided
• Academia or Non-Profit & Industry
• Executive & Board of Directors
• Individual Contributor & Management
• Consulting Clients & Full-Time Job Search
• Current (Safe) & Dream (Risky?) Roles
• Career Changer
Some specific examples:
• Attorney & CEO, COO or Business Role (current role + open to possibilities)
• Business Mgmt. & Risk Mgmt. (hold dual roles, both highly specialized)
• Programmer/Coder & Musician (different fields – can they tie together?)

Multi-Faceted Summaries or Audiences
When your narrative has multiple themes and/or audiences, structuring
and tone are very important.
Structuring:
- How much emphasis do you want to give to each?
- Should they all get “equal play” or should one be the central
theme and another added on?
- Does one support the other or are they completely separate? Is
there a novel way to bring them together?
- Can you support three separate areas (very hard to do) and
does that make the most sense?
Tone:
- If each audience has a certain lexicon or style that works best,
how do you create a cohesive narrative?

Overview of LinkedIn Network(ing)
1st Degree 2nd Degree 3rd Degree
You Kevin Smith Lisa Garcia Gary Andreas
You work
with Kevin
Kevin knows Lisa
from conference
Lisa knows Gary from kids’
summer camp
Steve doesn’t
know Kevin
Lisa knows Kevin
and Steve, not you
Gary knows Lisa, not Kevin or
you
Gary works at Amazon, where
you have an interview, and is a
U Chicago alum
First Degree = You Connected with Them
Second Degree = Connected to One of Your Connections (Not to You)
Third Degree = Two Degrees of Connection Between You (No Closer Connection)
All can see your profile, plus those in your groups. This is your ”LinkedIn network.”
You also have a public profile which can be set for search engines.

Activity: Posts and Pulse Articles
To get to the right screen, click on the “in” icon at the left of the toolbar.

Sharing Original Content, Video and Links
• Post engaging and timely
news, thought leadership
and information
• Share others’ posts
• Speak to your audience
• Be gracious when sharing
awards or honors
(but do share them!)
• Consider adding hashtags
and/or tagging others
(use #topic and @Name)
• Aim for variety
• Keep it relevant
• Respond to comments

Continued/Systematic Career Building
• Many professionals ignore or minimally engage with LinkedIn
following a career transition.
• If you want to continually evolve in your career, this is (most likely) a
mistake.
• Any day, the right opportunity can arise. (Will they find you?)
• Make engagement on LinkedIn a habit, not a chore.
• Find ways to delight in the engagement.
• Help yourself move in the direction you wish to develop.
• Don’t forget to change your password periodically!
LinkedIn can work for you, but only if you
invest in making it work.

Further Resources
“15 Ways to Boost Your LinkedIn Profile,” Forbes
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/10/12/15-ways-to-boost-your-
linkedin-profile/#3a410bbb3137
“LinkedIn Profile Pictures: Do They Make You Want to Connect?” Segal Coaching Blog
https://annemariesegal.com/2017/05/25/linkedin-profile-pictures-do-they-make-you-want-to-
connect
There is also a plethora of resources on Inc., Forbes, Business Insider and other sites.
Search for “maximize LinkedIn profile” or another relevant phrase.
UChicago Career Advancement Resources
https://careeradvancement.uchicago.edu/job-search-resources
Image credits in slides above:
Main image of Anne Marie: © 2018 Alejandro Barragan. All rights reserved.
Additional images of Anne Marie: © 2018 Anne Marie Segal. All rights reserved.
Other images sourced from Adobe Stock Images (slides 2-3) and LinkedIn (remaining slides).

Presenter
Anne Marie Segal, JD, CCMC, CPRW and NCOPE
Executive Coach, Career Strategist and Resume Writer
Background: 15 years in law and finance, prior to coaching
Education: J.D., NYU Law School; A.M., University of Chicago; and
B.A., Loyola University of Chicago
Upcoming Seminars: annemariesegal.com/seminars
Books: Master the Interview: A Guide for Working Professionals and
Know Yourself, Grow Your Career: The Personal Value Proposition Workbook
Articles and Media Quotes: annemariesegal.com/press
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annemariesegal
Website: annemariesegal.com
This presentation is not legal advice.

Thank you for joining today’s
broadcast
To find out about upcoming programs and to view
previous webinar recordings, visit
www.careers.uchicagoalumni.org

UChicago Alumni Association - LinkedIn for Job Search, Networking and Career Building

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (20)

Similar to UChicago Alumni Association - LinkedIn for Job Search, Networking and Career Building

Similar to UChicago Alumni Association - LinkedIn for Job Search, Networking and Career Building (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

UChicago Alumni Association - LinkedIn for Job Search, Networking and Career Building