Tag Archives: social media

LinkedIn Tip: Start With A Powerful Headline

The headline at the top of each LinkedIn profile is my favorite part. Along with your picture, the headline tells me a lot. In a glance, I can see what your areas of expertise are and therefore how we might connect or even work together.

Take your time in developing a powerful, effective headline. Don’t just use your current job title which is the default from LinkedIn. It’s so boring! Instead, identify your skill sets (what you want to be known for) and then list them with a straight vertical line between them. Look at my own LinkedIn profile for an example http://www.linkedin.com/in/kitprendergast.

You can also use a “benefit statement” approach which allows you to put the benefit you bring to others into one sentence. This works particularly well if you are promoting one highly specialized skill like website design, real estate sales etc.

Either way, make sure that your headline is concise, engaging and value-driven. This first impression can make all the difference in opportunities arriving at your door!

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Maximum Success with LinkedIn

Maximum Success with LinkedIn: Dominate Your Market, Build a Global Brand, and Create the Career of Your Dreams, by Dan Sherman, The McGraw-Hill Companies, New York, New York, 2013.

If you are a professional at any stage of your career journey you will find this book invaluable.  LinkedIn has become the indisputable leader in connecting professionals together to maximize business and career success.

Sherman has a delightful way of writing this easy-to-read book.  Each chapter (starting with “Love at First Click”) takes us through how to design our profile so that others can find us easily, know what services we offer, how to contact us and what the final benefits will be in working with us.  Pick up this book and read it over the weekend.  And then send me an invitation to connect.  I always enjoy learning what my colleagues are doing and LinkedIn is the ideal way to do that.  It’s easy, free and powerful!

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I’m On LinkedIn – Now What???

I’m on LinkedIn – Now What???, by Jason Alba, Happy About, Cupertino, CA, 2011.

Alba is well known as a LinkedIn guru and his recent book is excellent. It moves from just giving you the philosophy of LinkedIn to really helping us know which buttons to push to get which results. That’s my kind of book. And it’s an easy read with lots of practical tips.

Once you start working with LinkedIn it’s actually quite fun. I often have an individual’s profile up when I talking with them on the phone because I can see their picture; what they have done in the past, are doing now and possibly what I can do for them in the future. And when we know that 90% of HR professionals and recruiters are using LinkedIn to look us up to give us that dream job, we want to look our best. Pick it up and read it tonight!

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Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies

Job Searching with Social Media for Dummies by Joshua Waldman, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2011.

There are lots of books out there on social media but this is the first I’ve seen that specifically addresses social media and the job search. It’s well written (like many of the Dummies books) and tackles one social media resource per chapter. It even covers personal branding and the nuances of weaving your brand into your internet presence. And of course, my favorite chapter is on LinkedIn.

Waldman keeps it simple, strategic and smart. Perfect for professionals like me!

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Keep It Simple, Strategic & Smart

It’s so easy to become totally overwhelmed with the latest in all the social media buzz. My suggestion is to keep it simple, strategic and smart and, most importantly, working for your specific career needs. I suggest starting with the free version of LinkedIn. This is where the professionals and the organizations that hire professionals gather. Begin with these three strategies.

  1. Build a solid, engaging profile which includes a photo of you smiling and looking interested in meeting people.
  2. Identify who you want to be in contact with and start to “invite” them to connect with you. Be generous in inviting others so you can build a robust network of people you want to stay in touch with or who know people you would like to know.
  3. Strategically select 1 -2 groups that interest you and become a regular contributor to the online discussion between the members.

Give yourself time every couple of days to familiarize yourself with the resources within LinkedIn. It’s amazing how your growing network puts you into contact with a wealth of job opportunities.

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