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How to Build a Brilliant Linkedin Profile

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Clayton Wehner
Clayton Wehner

The document provides tips for building an effective LinkedIn profile in 20 steps: update your basic info and photo; write a compelling summary and background; customize your URL; add sections and media; connect with contacts; request recommendations; engage with your network by commenting, messaging, and joining groups; use LinkedIn search, jobs, and privacy settings; and keep your profile complete, typo-free, and regularly updated.

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How to build a brilliant Linkedin Profile Clayton Wehner
What is Linkedin? • World’s largest online professional network • Started in 2002 in the living room of founder Reid Hoffmann • Currently has more than 10,000 employees with offices in 30 cities globally • Currently has more than 467 million members in over 200 countries and territories (8 million in Australia) • 2 new members per second • Linkedin was bought by Microsoft last year for US$26.2 billion
This is Linkedin HQ in San Francisco
Awesome Perks for Linkedin Staff • Free food – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks • Free drinks, including alcohol any time of the day • On-site barista • Wellness centre, masseurs, group fitness classes and gym • Meditation rooms • Vending machines with computer equipment • No limit to annual leave – take what you like!
Why should YOU have a Linkedin profile? • It’s your online CV, personal brand and portfolio • It’s a place where you can get independent validation through recommendations/endorsements = trust • It’s the first place that hiring managers and recruiters go to find talent • It will show up when someone searches your name in Google • It’s a great way to cultivate and manage a network • No need to keep a contact book – you can reach all your contacts through Linkedin • It’s a great place to ‘spy’ on other people and on companies
How to Build a Brilliant Linkedin Profile
How to Build a Brilliant Linkedin Profile
Do you have a Linkedin account? • If yes, please login! • If no, then there’s no time like the present…please create one
Keep the basic info up to date • Name – just your first and last name; no nicknames or funny stuff • Headline – highlight your expertise and your value proposition, not your current job (120 characters) • Location – make sure it’s correct • Industry – choose the one that most appropriate • Contact information – email, phone, website
Make sure your photo is professional • If you have a photo, your profile is fourteen times more likely to be viewed • Use a professional head shot, with you in professional attire • Do not use old photos, casual photos, photos that you would use on a dating site…
Write a great summary • This is where you ‘sell yourself’ to people viewing your profile; it’s your elevator pitch • 2000 characters max • Build on the professional headline above and provide more detailed information about your key skills, experience and education. • First or third person? Just keep it consistent • Avoid jargon • Don’t ‘oversell’ • Make it sharp, snappy and easy to read
Avoid ‘weasel’ words
Add a background photo • You can brand your profile by adding a background photo • Makes your profile look more interesting • Use an image (PNG, JPG, or GIF) with a resolution of 1400px x 425px
Use keywords from your industry • Search is such an important part of the online experience and it applies to Linkedin too • You should include words and combinations of words in your profile that will be searched for by prospective employers • Use these keywords in your headline and summary in particular • Using the right keywords will expose you to more potential connections and opportunities
Personalise your Linkedin URL • The default URL that you are given when you create an account is an unwieldy combination of letters, numbers and backslashes. • You can customise your URL so that it reads a little better: eg. https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonwehner/
Add sections to your profile •Work experience •Education •Volunteer experience •Skills •Publications •Certifications •Courses •Projects •Honours and awards •Patents •Test scores •Languages •Organisations •Interests
Create and share media • You have the option to add links, documents, photos, videos, and presentations to all sections in your profile • You can write articles on Linkedin • You can share items on Linkedin – make sure that they’re business related
Connect with others often • Connect with every existing business contact you have • Connect with people after corresponding for the first time • Connect with people after meeting for the first time • Consider connecting with people in your wider network (eg. 2nd or 3rd level connections) • Consider connecting with people you don’t know – but write a clear justification in your invitation
Personalise every invitation to connect • “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” • This is the default message – it is very impersonal and your invitation will likely be ignored • Make your invitations personal – mention where you met or provide some shared context
Go through ‘people you may know’
Ask for recommendations • Positive recommendations from other people on your profile can be very powerful • You should ask people that you have worked with for recommendations – use the ‘Ask to be recommended’ button • A good way to get a recommendation is to write one for them, and then ask for one in return
Tidy up your endorsements • Your connections will endorse you for your business skills • If you don’t want an endorsed skill to appear, you can remove it • Take care – you might not want some of those skills!
Read your feed and engage regularly • Glance through your home page feed and engage with any posts that are interesting by ‘liking’ or commenting • Use the notifications page to engage with people in your network – eg. congratulate people on new jobs
Use Linkedin Messaging instead of email
Check out who’s viewed (‘stalked’) you
Join Linkedin Groups • Linkedin has thousands of thematic ‘groups’ where you can engage in conversations, ask questions and provide advice. • Find the right groups and become an active participant in the discussions • Don’t sell overtly; use the group to demonstrate your expertise
Use Linkedin Search • Looking for someone? There’s a good chance they will be on Linkedin • Linkedin’s normal search function is pretty good for searching names in a particular locality • LinkedIn’s advanced search helps you find people by job title, school, relationship, location, industry, current/past company, profile language, and non-profit interests  - and combinations of these
Search for jobs • Linkedin has become a ‘jobs board’ in recent years • Many employers advertise directly on Linkedin • Visit https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/ to search
Manage your privacy settings • Remember the ‘who viewed my profile’ function?? • Unless you change your own privacy settings in Linkedin, people you visit will know that you have seen their profile • You can change your settings to remain anonymous, if you wish
Make sure your profile is complete • Keeping your profile fresh and up-to-date will increase your credibility. • You will not appear in Linkedin search results if your profile is not complete • If you’re looking for even more things to improve your profile, try this massive infographic: https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/01/build- your-linkedin-profile-from-start-to-finishwith-this-massive- visualguide/
Check your profile for typos and grammar • A good Linkedin profile can be brought undone by a single spelling or grammatical error
And we’re done! Any questions?? Clayton Wehner contact@bluetrainenterprises.com.au

More Related Content

How to Build a Brilliant Linkedin Profile

  • 1. How to build a brilliant Linkedin Profile Clayton Wehner
  • 2. What is Linkedin? • World’s largest online professional network • Started in 2002 in the living room of founder Reid Hoffmann • Currently has more than 10,000 employees with offices in 30 cities globally • Currently has more than 467 million members in over 200 countries and territories (8 million in Australia) • 2 new members per second • Linkedin was bought by Microsoft last year for US$26.2 billion
  • 3. This is Linkedin HQ in San Francisco
  • 4. Awesome Perks for Linkedin Staff • Free food – breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks • Free drinks, including alcohol any time of the day • On-site barista • Wellness centre, masseurs, group fitness classes and gym • Meditation rooms • Vending machines with computer equipment • No limit to annual leave – take what you like!
  • 5. Why should YOU have a Linkedin profile? • It’s your online CV, personal brand and portfolio • It’s a place where you can get independent validation through recommendations/endorsements = trust • It’s the first place that hiring managers and recruiters go to find talent • It will show up when someone searches your name in Google • It’s a great way to cultivate and manage a network • No need to keep a contact book – you can reach all your contacts through Linkedin • It’s a great place to ‘spy’ on other people and on companies
  • 8. Do you have a Linkedin account? • If yes, please login! • If no, then there’s no time like the present…please create one
  • 9. Keep the basic info up to date • Name – just your first and last name; no nicknames or funny stuff • Headline – highlight your expertise and your value proposition, not your current job (120 characters) • Location – make sure it’s correct • Industry – choose the one that most appropriate • Contact information – email, phone, website
  • 10. Make sure your photo is professional • If you have a photo, your profile is fourteen times more likely to be viewed • Use a professional head shot, with you in professional attire • Do not use old photos, casual photos, photos that you would use on a dating site…
  • 11. Write a great summary • This is where you ‘sell yourself’ to people viewing your profile; it’s your elevator pitch • 2000 characters max • Build on the professional headline above and provide more detailed information about your key skills, experience and education. • First or third person? Just keep it consistent • Avoid jargon • Don’t ‘oversell’ • Make it sharp, snappy and easy to read
  • 13. Add a background photo • You can brand your profile by adding a background photo • Makes your profile look more interesting • Use an image (PNG, JPG, or GIF) with a resolution of 1400px x 425px
  • 14. Use keywords from your industry • Search is such an important part of the online experience and it applies to Linkedin too • You should include words and combinations of words in your profile that will be searched for by prospective employers • Use these keywords in your headline and summary in particular • Using the right keywords will expose you to more potential connections and opportunities
  • 15. Personalise your Linkedin URL • The default URL that you are given when you create an account is an unwieldy combination of letters, numbers and backslashes. • You can customise your URL so that it reads a little better: eg. https://www.linkedin.com/in/claytonwehner/
  • 16. Add sections to your profile •Work experience •Education •Volunteer experience •Skills •Publications •Certifications •Courses •Projects •Honours and awards •Patents •Test scores •Languages •Organisations •Interests
  • 17. Create and share media • You have the option to add links, documents, photos, videos, and presentations to all sections in your profile • You can write articles on Linkedin • You can share items on Linkedin – make sure that they’re business related
  • 18. Connect with others often • Connect with every existing business contact you have • Connect with people after corresponding for the first time • Connect with people after meeting for the first time • Consider connecting with people in your wider network (eg. 2nd or 3rd level connections) • Consider connecting with people you don’t know – but write a clear justification in your invitation
  • 19. Personalise every invitation to connect • “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.” • This is the default message – it is very impersonal and your invitation will likely be ignored • Make your invitations personal – mention where you met or provide some shared context
  • 20. Go through ‘people you may know’
  • 21. Ask for recommendations • Positive recommendations from other people on your profile can be very powerful • You should ask people that you have worked with for recommendations – use the ‘Ask to be recommended’ button • A good way to get a recommendation is to write one for them, and then ask for one in return
  • 22. Tidy up your endorsements • Your connections will endorse you for your business skills • If you don’t want an endorsed skill to appear, you can remove it • Take care – you might not want some of those skills!
  • 23. Read your feed and engage regularly • Glance through your home page feed and engage with any posts that are interesting by ‘liking’ or commenting • Use the notifications page to engage with people in your network – eg. congratulate people on new jobs
  • 24. Use Linkedin Messaging instead of email
  • 25. Check out who’s viewed (‘stalked’) you
  • 26. Join Linkedin Groups • Linkedin has thousands of thematic ‘groups’ where you can engage in conversations, ask questions and provide advice. • Find the right groups and become an active participant in the discussions • Don’t sell overtly; use the group to demonstrate your expertise
  • 27. Use Linkedin Search • Looking for someone? There’s a good chance they will be on Linkedin • Linkedin’s normal search function is pretty good for searching names in a particular locality • LinkedIn’s advanced search helps you find people by job title, school, relationship, location, industry, current/past company, profile language, and non-profit interests  - and combinations of these
  • 28. Search for jobs • Linkedin has become a ‘jobs board’ in recent years • Many employers advertise directly on Linkedin • Visit https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/ to search
  • 29. Manage your privacy settings • Remember the ‘who viewed my profile’ function?? • Unless you change your own privacy settings in Linkedin, people you visit will know that you have seen their profile • You can change your settings to remain anonymous, if you wish
  • 30. Make sure your profile is complete • Keeping your profile fresh and up-to-date will increase your credibility. • You will not appear in Linkedin search results if your profile is not complete • If you’re looking for even more things to improve your profile, try this massive infographic: https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/01/build- your-linkedin-profile-from-start-to-finishwith-this-massive- visualguide/
  • 31. Check your profile for typos and grammar • A good Linkedin profile can be brought undone by a single spelling or grammatical error
  • 32. And we’re done! Any questions?? Clayton Wehner contact@bluetrainenterprises.com.au