Professional networks like LinkedIn can be powerful tools for building your professional brand, finding opportunities and getting attention from employers. But the way employers and candidates alike use LinkedIn is changing — and whether you're a relative newbie or a veteran user, it can be hard to keep up. Plus, it's not just how LinkedIn gets used that's changing. The platform recently rolled out a suite of new tools and capabilities that can enhance your visibility and make all the difference in your job search — that is, if you know how to use them. If career growth and expanding your network are your top priorities, then the following Randstad presentation on best practices for LinkedIn could not be more timely.

1. build your brand
on LinkedIn.

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agenda slide mockup
LinkedIn yesterday & today. 3
terms you need to know. 5
you are your brand. 7
your connections are your network. 9
skills, recommendations and endorsements. 11
what you share is your voice. 13
engagement. 15
social selling. 17
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be human.
“The question is: are we going to corporatize,
industrialize and productize everything, and figure
out how to just crank things up because we can? Or
will we use this moment to be more human, and to
figure out how to be original...”
-Seth Godin
be original.

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LinkedIn
• LinkedIn was a “hunter-gatherer” platform
- you are supposed to connect with EVERYONE
• stoic photos
- your profile pic is over-dressed against a solid backdrop
- you have LinkedIn’s pre-filled starry background photo
• hollow text on your profile
- your headline is your official job title
- you copy n’ paste your basic job description
• meaningless engagement on posts and people
- you “Like” everythingyesterday.

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is human.
5
LinkedIn today

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terms you need to know.
profile - your personal page where you list information like job experience and professional skills
connections - connect with another user to view their profile and content, “My Network”
updates (posts) - you post industry and professionally focused updates to increase engagement
engagements - LinkedIn considers engagements: likes, comments, shares, follow, clicks
groups - spaces in which professionals and experts can share content, ask for advice, post or search
for jobs, and network with others, “professional associations”
notifications - alerts you to updates, activity, latest news about your connections
influencers - LinkedIn defined a select group of business leaders that everyone can follow (Bill Gates,
Sallie Krawcheck, etc.)
algorithm - formula that determines what items populate your news feed based on popularity of the
post, not the user and not in chronological order
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you are your brand.
• make your headline more about you
- potentially not just your official job title
- explain your value alongside your title
- what you are, not just what your job title says you are
• summary
- tell your story as if you were introducing yourself
• be with your employer
- list your current employer and it will connect you to them
• vanity url
- in Settings
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/yournamehere
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your photo is your personality.
• choose a personalized background photo
- free local image
- photo that connects to you
• profile photo
- match your GMail image to your LinkedIn image
- use an image that clearly shows your face
- in the photo, wear what you would wear to work
- use a textured background (ex:, brick wall and a tree)
- use the portrait-mode of a cell phone
- embrace filters
- no group photos, no other-people's shoulders!
8
✘

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your job history is your story.
• tell your job story in your job descriptions
- tell it in paragraphs
- describe what you did, not just list the information
• talk in the first-person
- “I connect with more than....”
• talk in present tense, even for past jobs
- “I recruit and hire people…
• use specific numbers
- “I manage a $200 million portfolio…”
• use keywords not buzzwords
- industry or role specific keywords
- IT solutions, finance
- not popular buzzwords
- “Strategic,” “Track record”
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your skills, endorsements and
recommendations.
• add all of your skills
- skills (ex: video, design, etc.)
- tools (ex: InDesign, Salesforce, etc.)
- accomplishments (ex: 2018 Marketer award, etc.
- certifications (ex: Google Analytics, etc.)
• endorsements of your skills
- endorse others, they will endorse you
• ask for recommendations
- use your “big guns” contacts
- use judiciously, you don’t need 10
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your connections
are your network.
• connect with people that matter to you
- connect with co-workers, and leaders
- explain why you are connecting in the invite
• connect with people who bring value to you
- what do they share?
- if you asked your network a question, would they
- Bb able to answer, provide value in the
answer
can you bring value to them?
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“A new definition of networking -- not
about meeting strangers at awkward
cocktail parties, but instead is about
understanding the network that’s all
around you and acting accordingly.”
-David Burkus

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what you share is your voice.
• use your updates to share content
- updates allow text, links, photos, video
• you can share original content
- write short-form posts
- publish long-form posts
- take a video
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engagements.
• use the engagements to express yourself
- likes, comments, shares,
• Linkedin provides conversation starters
- “Hey, Joe” in messaging
- “Thanks, {______} for your message.”
anniversaries and birthdays
- “Congrats”
- “Happy Birthday, {______}!”
• participate in groups
- consider groups “professional associations”
- they are notorious for sales and spam, don’t do it!
- bring value to a group through sharing and comments
- request value in a group by asking questions
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appendix
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appendix.
Other resources
• https://www.randstadusa.com/jobs/career-resources/personal-brand/8-
secrets-for-building-your-personal-brand-on-linkedin/599/
• https://www.randstadusa.com/jobs/career-resources/personal-brand/3-
easy-ways-to-be-discovered-by-a-recruiter-on-linkedin/362/
• https://www.randstadusa.com/jobs/career-resources/personal-brand/7-
more-ways-you-can-improve-your-linkedin-profile/361/
• https://www.randstadusa.com/jobs/career-resources/personal-brand/5-
steps-to-build-your-personal-brand-on-twitter/363/
• https://www.randstadusa.com/jobs/career-resources/personal-brand/5-
ways-to-improve-your-linkedin-profile/297/
• https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/87/customizing-your-
public-profile-url?lang=en
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appendix.
1. Log-in to LinkedIn
2. Click on the profile picture
or on Me to go to View
Profile
3. Click on the blue edit
pencil to the right of your
profile image
4. Click on the blue edit
pencil to edit the profile or
banner pic
5. Select the picture from
your computer
6. Click Upload
7. Click Apply and Save
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company &
job title
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profile
picture
headline
summary
example.

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platform what works considerations peak activity
suggested
frequency
when, where, and what to publish.
Videos, images and long form
thought leadership blog posts
do well
Chatty content - show your
company's informal side e.g.
photos from the holiday party.
Highly visual content (like
infographics) do well.
Industry news
Encourage your employees to
share job postings on Twitter
for their portfolio companies.
How-to and thought leadership
presentations.
Professionals and work related
content where brands can be
themselves. You want to add
value to your audience's
professional network.
You can't target your posts by
industry, so you'll have to find
other relevant parameters.
Less professional focus and more
news, entertainment oriented; 140-
character limit and short life-span
due to high post volume.
Growing a following takes time.
Best used in conjunction with
LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter or
embed in a blog.
7-9AM
5-6PM
6-8AM
1-4PM
1-3PM
Tue and Wed
24hrs/day
Start with 2-3
times/week. Work
up to once per day.
Start with 2-3
times/week. Work
up to once per day.
2-5 times per day
2-3 a month
linkedin
facebook
twitter
slideshare

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human
forward.