LinkedIn is the number one place to build your personal brand, and your personal brand is what makes you unique, relevant and differentiated. It is how you showcase yourself for future career growth.
That being said, it’s essential to nurture one’s LinkedIn profile. Complete your profile. Make sure you can be found by your current position, past positions, schools you attended, what you studied, etc. “Profile completeness not only helps you show up in more searches, but also improves how you show up as matches in our system,” according to LinkedIn.
If you do it right, the LinkedIn opening summary doesn’t have to change when you are looking for a new position.
This is true because this statement is your brand statement; it doesn’t change on a weekly, monthly, or yearly basis.
Step back and ask yourself some questions:
- Is your profile compelling and complete?
- Does it provide a clear picture of you?
- Can you uniquely own it?
- Is it credible?
- Does it match your personal brand?
A professional picture is essential – no selfies! It should be should be personal, personable and written in the first person and state why/how you are unique and the value you bring to an organization along with awards you have earned and you can mention exceptional skills, awards or interests. Add media and content if you have something relevant and short that’s uniquely “you.”
At ExecuNet, we’ve consistently found executives have the most trouble identifying exactly what their unique value proposition is. That is an area our coaches find they have to spend a great deal of time working with Premium members who choose to work with a coach. It’s the single greatest area of need for executive job seekers.
Reppler data stated almost 70% of respondents said they hired someone because of what they saw on a social networking site…things that were reported as making a favorable impression: personality being good fit for organization, presented professionally, profile supported qualifications, profile showed candidate was creative, good references, demonstrated solid communication skills.
“Good references”. Yes, recruiters do notice them. The recommendations section on your profile can have a positive impact on your prospects as a job candidate. Of course, no once would approve a negative comment there, but the weight of the words, the wording, and the gravitas of the person writing can only help. Let’s put it his way… a lack of copy in the recommendations section would be noticed!
Everyone is in transition, always. LinkedIn is basically a 24/7 live global networking event with over 600 million attendees. Is your profile dressed for the occasion?
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