This document provides an overview of a LinkedIn workshop. The workshop will cover creating a professional profile on LinkedIn, networking on LinkedIn, and searching for jobs. It will discuss how to showcase qualifications, build a professional network, and use LinkedIn for career exploration, research and job opportunities. The goal is to help participants understand how LinkedIn can help build their professional brand and online presence for networking, career development and job searching.
3. What we will cover in this session
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Your Professional Profile on LinkedIn
1. What is LinkedIn?
2. How can LinkedIn help you?
3. Your “Professional Presence”
4. Get started: Create your profile!
5. How to network on LinkedIn
6. Where to search for Live Jobs
4. LinkedIn is the world’s largest
professional social network
LinkedIn is a social media platform for your professional self
410M+Members across the globe
5. 5
I’m eating a #donut
I like donuts
Here’s a video of me eating a donut
Here’s a great photo of my donut
Here’s a donut recipe
I’m listening to “Donuts”
6. 6
• My skills include donut eating
• I’m qualified in donut making
• I work in the donut industry
• I’m looking for a job at a donut company
• I’m connected to donut experts
• Here’s a video / photo / recipe for donuts
7. 7
Purpose of LinkedIn
1. Recruiting
2. House your Professional Network
3. Build Career Identity
4. Research
5. Job Search
8. LinkedIn can help you in specific ways
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How can LinkedIn help you?
• Create and showcase your online “professional presence,” including:
• Your education and work qualifications (where have you worked? What do you study? What
activities do you do?)
• Your skills (what are you good at?)
• Your potential (where do you aspire to work? What’s your dream job?)
• Build your “network” of people to keep in touch with, and who can help you:
• Find a job
• Find a mentor to learn from
• Share useful information that will help you succeed in the working world
• Research career paths, evaluate your options, and apply for jobs
• Check out different companies, the jobs and the people who work there
• Check out universities and courses, and the careers graduates go into afterwards
• Follow companies, sectors, and interesting, influential people in areas of interest
Internship &
Job
Opportunities!
11. A brand is a company’s promise
to its customer
It tells customers what they can
expect from the company’s
products and services
And it shows how its products are
unique from its competitors’
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What makes a good “brand?”
13. How do you want
people to see you?
YOU get to decide
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Creating your “professional” brand
You can shape your
“brand” by how you
present yourself to others
Your brand is your promise
to those around you
It tells people what they can
expect from working with you and
being around you
And it shows how you are unique
from other people
14. Your professional brand includes who you are now
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Show why you are the right choice
Your work experience and
the specific skills you
learned in each job
How you are to work
with, as told by the
people you know
Your areas of expertise,
wisdom, and thought
leadership
Skills Network Information
15. 16
Your online brand
Of employers have rejected a job
candidate because of information
they found about that person online*
70%
FACT:
16. Passive vs. Active Candidates
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Of people hired on LinkedIn are passive
candidates
70%
FACT:
17. Your online brand
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Of employers say that positive online
reputation influences their hiring decisions*
85%
FACT:
22. Write an attention-
grabbing headline
Explain what it is you do, and/or what
you want to do!
Show your passion and interests
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23. Inspire the Viewer to Read More!
Step 1: Say What you are
Step 2: Say Who you help
Step 3: Say How you make their life / work
better
Bonus Step: Give Proof that you are credible
•“Aspiring Urban Planning and Real Estate Professional”
•Executive Recruiter|Speaker|Author|who helps you create a better career. Featured on Fox|CBS|CNN
•Fundraising consultant who helps major non-profits raise more money. Clients include the Red Cross and
YMCA.
•Personal Trainer who helps high school athletes get stronger and faster. Certified by the American Council
on Exercise.
24. Write a
compelling Summary – Tell
Your Story
This is your Elevator Pitch
Reference some of what you have done, some
of what you are doing now, but focus on your
future potential and aspirations
Keep it concise; no more than 2-3 paragraphs
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25. Experience
Include dates & Description
Tell me about what you did and why
you enjoyed doing it.
This is NOT copy & pasted from
your resume.
Add a human element to your
resume.
26. Include Volunteer
Experiences & Causes
Source: https://iwww.corp.linkedin.com/wiki/cf/display/PRT/Value+statements+for+Profile+Editing
41% of Hiring Managers consider volunteer
experience equally as valuable as professional
experience
41%
27. Note Projects or
Presentations you have Done
These can be Academic or Professional
Tell me about what you did, how you did it,
why you did it and what you learned.
Pro Tip: Attach your Presentations!
28. Ask for recommendations that add credibility and flavor
Tips for getting strong recommendations:
Ask former professors, colleagues, clients Remind them of your past projects and accomplishments Recommendations should showcase a diverse set of
skills & strengths
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29. Send personalized invitations to remind people how you know them
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Grow your network
Start at the profile to ensure you have the option to create a
personal message.
If you meet someone at a
Networking event – LinkedIn is an
excellent way to follow up
30. 30
Ask your network for introductions if you’re
looking for a job or just want to learn more
Hi Connie,
I see that you work with Lindsey at LinkedIn. I am interested in speaking
with her to learn about internship opportunities at the company.
Would you be willing to introduce me so I can ask her for her guidance?
Of course, if you are not comfortable, I will understand. Thanks for
considering my request!
Sincerely,
Amy
Amy Gomez
31. Stay Active!
Update your Profile
Join Groups
Status Updates
Blog Posts
Liking Other’s
Updates
32. Research!
Groups
Trends
Companies
Alumni – Great Resource to find
people for Informational
Interviewing!
Professionals in your Field
35. 35
Whether you are finding a job or just want to explore,
search is a powerful tool on LinkedIn!
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See who you know at specific companies so you can
get an inside edge through your connections
This is why
connecting with
everyone you
meet MATTERS!
70% of jobs come
through
networking
37. 37
When you look at a job, LinkedIn provides more
information on other similar jobs
39. In summary:
1. LinkedIn houses your professional identity and network.
2. Use LinkedIn to explore career paths from alumni at different colleges.
3. Explore Companies you are interested in to learn more about their
products, services, people and culture.
4. Use the search tool to explore Jobs that might be right for you.
5. This is not just for job searching – LinkedIn is something you will be
working on your whole career.
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional social network.
2 new member per second
97M unique new visitors
Recruiting – Employers can reverse search for you to find job candidates!
House your Professional Network – Follow up from in-person contacts and maintain those connections.
Building Career Identity = build professional brand
Research – research companies, alumni, career paths, trends and groups
Job Search – Job Board/Company pages
LinkedIn is not only for job search!! If you are using it only for job search then don’t do it!! – It has a bigger purpose and is more dynamic than just for job searching.
Before we jump into LinkedIn, let’s cover what it means to be able to build your professional presence, also known as your professional brand.
What makes the Starbucks brand stand out?
What is the brand known for?
What is the brands promise to its customers?
What do you think of when you think of Coke?
Coke – They are promising that Coca-Cola will be fresh and cool and hydrating. This is what customer’s expect.
What do you think of? – That’s their brand. You have one too. What you put out into the world is what people think of you. HOW DO YOU WANT TO BE PORTRAYED??
The celebrities we just discussed have a certain way they present themselves that contributes to how you view them. And you do as well.
And let’s be honest—no one has just one Brand of themselves they present to the world. You aren’t going to act the same with your teacher as you do with your friends, right? Or even with your friends, your brand can differ. Sometimes you have one friends group that really likes sports, so you always talk to them about the latest basketball game—but another group of friends doesn’t really care about sports, so you talk to them about different things, like school or music. You present yourself differently in different circumstances, and it depends on who you are with.
So, what contributes to your Professional Brand?
It includes your current identity—what you would bring to any future opportunity.
Create something positive online when employers google you!
They want to see what type of person are you? – Get a better idea of who you are, because a resume can only tell them so much.
Meaning they are not actively looking for a job…but instead, were PREPARED! Stay head of the curve, be ahead of your peers…!
The person you represent online is just as important and the person you represent during a live interview.
Having a positive LinkedIn gives you a competitive advantage!
You can help but look at her eyes.
Human Element – We are attracted to people’s humanity. Your LinkedIn can be the human element to your resume.
- Target your profile to your industry – don’t make it too general or too specific
A strong profile on LinkedIn isn’t just your resume online, it is a living representation of who you are and who you want to become.
The strongest profiles on LinkedIn are:
Complete (and we’ll tell you what this means)
Dynamic (they’re more than just your resume copied and pasted—they include a personal summary, headline and your contributions outside of work)
Reinforced by social proof (you have at least 50 connections, some of which have endorsed you for skills or written you a recommendation)
This is where you can show your passion!!
Picture! Always, Always, Always have a picture. – One of the biggest mistakes you can make is not having a picture at all or having an inappropriate picture.
Your profile is the front page of your story. The headline is a great way to show your value and passion in one quick line.
Scott’s is very searchable – keywords
Hook them in
These can be applied to your summary too
Adding a summary of 40 words or more makes your profile more likely to turn up in a future employer’s search. A good tip is to ensure your summary includes keywords featured in desirable job descriptions for your field. Describe your experience and tell the world why you work in your chosen career. Avoid buzzwords (examples: strategic, team player, creative) and focus on your career accomplishments.
Who you are, What you do, Who you help, How you help them, Why you love helping them.
Always include dates and job descriptions for any kind of experience. – THIS IS NOT COPY & PASTED FROM YOUR RESUME
LinkedIn supplements your resume by adding a human element (Afghan woman)
Adding causes and volunteer experience is a great way to round out your professional identity. Almost half of all hiring managers say they view volunteer experience as equivalent to formal work experience.
You can attach/upload presentations using slideshare!
And last but certainly not least in this section: Ask for recommendations.
There are few things that can help your job search as much as someone vouching for who you are and why you should be hired.
Ask some of your connections – like former coworkers and clients – to write recommendations of your work. Getting a strong recommendation usually requires asking for one, so don’t be afraid to make a delicate request. Reassure someone that these can be short paragraphs, unlike the college recommendation format, and can take less than 10 or 15 minutes.
“Hi Connie, I see that you work with Linsey at LinkedIn. I am interested in speaking with her to learn about internship opportunities at the company. Would you be willing to introduce me so I can ask her for her guidance? Of course, if you are not comfortable, I will understand. Thanks for considering my request!”
Remember: This is a professional platform. No politics or personal posts.
Remember: LinkedIn is not only for job searching – can & should be used all the time.
Staying active is how you continue to grow your professional brand.
LinkedIn’s Job Search tool essentially provides a database of over 2.5M jobs and we are adding more every day.
Click on “Jobs”, “advanced search” and then “More options” to find open positions by keyword, title, company, zip code, function, industry, years of experience and date posted.
You may also find it helpful to browse the list of “jobs you may be interested in” that will pop up when you go to this page. They are customize especially for you based on information in your profile (yet another important reason to keep it up to date!).
You can easily click on the name of the job to read the full job description, have the opportunity to contact the job poster, and even to apply. You can also click through to read more about the organization on its Company Page.
Most importantly, this screen shows you if any of your first or second-degree connections work at this company. Again, return back to the lesson of asking your first-degree connections for their insights as well as an introduction to someone who works there – possibly even their hiring manager. Remember: 70% of jobs actually come through networking so find out who you know!
So wrapping up – the Top 5 things…
If this feels overwhelming – dedicate an hour a week to “LinkedIn” things to work on updating it and staying active
So, using these tips and tricks, you can become a LinkedIn All-Star…
And use the site as a platform for your career growth and success.