From Harvard Extension: "Optimizing Your Linkedin Profile: A Checklist Post by Extension Blog Share on facebookShare on twitterShare on emailShare on stumbleupon June 5, 2013 Linkedin has become an incredibly important tool for networking, professional development, and, of course, your job search. This checklist, created by Linkedin trainer and career/life coach Sabrina Woods, can help you make sure you are on top of your game and highlighting your strengths effectively. She also provides a review of the platform’s latest updates. Woods is the associate director of career services at Northeastern University and a career workshop leader for Harvard Extension School. Write a professional headline Your professional headline can be your current job title (e.g., Marketing Assistant), your career goal or focus (e.g., Engineering Graduate Student focused on Medical Device R&D), or your current status/industry (e.g., Communications Professional | Writer & Editor | Creative Writing Instructor). Get tips about your headline in this Forbes article. Include a photo Make sure you are wearing professional attire in your photo. Create a custom public profile URL You can use your custom public profile URL on business cards and in your e-mail signature. List contact information Contact information might include an e-mail address, website link, or a Twitter account. Be active Sharing an update is a perfect way to publicize new accomplishments, share industry information, or pass along a great blog post. Write a professional summary You might think of your summary as a brief commercial about yourself. Be sure to include industry-related keywords. Add sections You’ll find them on the right hand side of your profile. Consider adding sections such as Courses, Honors, Languages, Projects, and Volunteer Experience. Fill in your experience Fill out the experience section (a version of your résumé) using targeted keywords and accomplishments. Highlight skills and areas of expertise Add skills and expertise to your profile through the “More” tab. This section is very important now that other Linkedin connections can “endorse” these skills. Solicit recommendations and endorsements Recommendations and endorsements from past supervisors, coworkers and others who know you well enhance your profile. Add media links to your profile Through media links, you might upload a recent PowerPoint presentation related to the industry you are targeting. Or add a video or website link. See this SlideShare presentation for examples and this Linkedin blog post to learn more about how to visually enhance your profile. What’s new on Linkedin It seems, every time you turn around, Linkedin is making changes. Here are some of the recent updates you should know about. Linkedin contacts—a new way to track your connections This new web- and app-based tool will help you to pull together your e-mail, calendar, and mobile address book all in one. This product feature is currently in limited release. After further testing, it will be available for everyone. For more details, see this Mashable blog post and the information from the Linkedin Help Center. New privacy policy and user agreement While it is a bit cumbersome to read, it is worthwhile to take a peek at the new user policy. One line in particular caught my eye: “We may modify, replace, refuse access to, suspend or discontinue Linkedin, partially or entirely, or change and modify prices for all or part of the Services for you or for all our Members in our sole discretion.” I doubt the folks at Linkedin are going to wake up one morning and decide to stop this service. But it is important to know that they can, and do, change or take away features at times. See more details at Privacy Policy and User Agreement. Navigation bar changes Linkedin has changed the way you navigate and access links. And in some cases, you have to go to a new URL to access the content you want.
Posted on: Sat, 13 Jul 2013 01:39:45 +0000
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