How Important IS LinkedIn to My Career Growth, Really?

????The burning career question of the week:

My colleagues spend a lot of time on LinkedIn, but to be honest, it’s not really my jam. How important IS LinkedIn to my career growth, really?

(This article is the first in a 2-part series on creating a killer LinkedIn profile).

The LinkedIn profile page is the foundation for your personal branding.

Period.

Building your personal brand is crucial in today’s professional landscape.?

Building your personal brand contributes to:

• Visibility: Building your brand makes you stand out in a crowded marketplace.
• Credibility: A strong personal brain establishes you as a legitimate expert in your field.
• Opportunity: Open doors to new opportunities like job offers, partnerships, or landing new clients.
• Networking: Enhances your ability to connect with like-minded individuals and expand your professional community.
• Value: Clearly communicates what you bring to the table, making it easier for people to realize your value.

Undoubtedly, there is value in building a strong LinkedIn profile and maintaining an active presence on the social platform.

But who has time? ?

We don’t get around to building a solid message or enhancing our profile because we are busy.

It is also a little (ok, a LOT) intimidating. There is so much to know, so many nuances.

Where do you even begin? ??♀?

The answer is to start slow and steadily build your content.

Here’s how to begin:

1/ Personalize your URL: When you create a LinkedIn profile, your URL will be auto generated with a series of letters and numbers.

e.g., https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/heather-maietta04h9f6esp9gi

This is not appealing or easy to remember. However, it is super easy to edit. To get started,

a.?Go to your LinkedIn home page

b.?Click on the “Me” icon

c.?Find “Edit public profile & URL” on the top right side of the page

d.?Choose “Edit your custom URL”

e.?Click on the “Edit” icon

f. Type in your new custom “URL”

g.?Click “Save”

e.g., https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/heathermaietta

Done! ?

2/ Profile Picture: Your profile picture is a focal point of your page. The photo needs to be a high-resolution headshot that looks like you. Make sure you’re the only person in the picture (no selfies), avoid distracting backgrounds, and wear something presentable. Here is a great video on photo editing.

3/ Banner Photo: Your banner is prime real estate to grab people’s attention and is often used to depict your brand and call-to-action. Depicting a strong brand requires you to decide what you want to be known for. Canva is an excellent resource to create a unique, custom banner (most templates are free). Make sure your banner is legible on desktop and mobile (60% of people view profiles via mobile).

Here are a couple of examples:

4/ Headline: Your headline should capture the reader’s attention in 2-3 lines. There are no rules that say your headline needs to be your current job title; I encourage you to think bigger! Craft a headline that represents what you specialize in or your expertise. What do you stand for or represent? Your headline should also contain a call to action if you want people to act when they visit your profile.

Here are a few examples:

5/ Name Pronunciation: Using the IOS mobile app (not available on desktop), click on your image, click on view profile, click on the pen icon to edit, click record pronunciation, tap and hold the record button to record your name, tap apply when you are satisfied, and click save. Here is a short video to show you how.

6/ Summary/About Section: The summary or about section should be an overview of you as a professional. It should be a compelling story that grabs the readers’ attention, not a repeat of your resume. The about section focus will vary depending on the intent of your profile (do you deliver a service? Do you have expertise to highlight? Are you a spokesperson for your industry? etc. Great profiles vary in length and scope but one thing they all have in common is they are interesting and give the reader a clear picture of YOU and your Brand.

Here are a few profiles with compelling "About" sections:

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/abihannah/

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/gilljaspreet/

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/heathermaietta/

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/andrewsridhar/

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/costas-k-gian/

7/ Jargon: A.K.A. Buzzwords. They are meaningless. Refrain from using them at all costs. Words like strategic, experience, passionate, expert, creative, innovative, leadership. Using jargon won’t convince people that you possess these skills or qualities. Your profile needs to demonstrate your competencies through compelling accomplishments and support materials. In the second part of this 2-part newsletter on building a compelling LinkedIn profile, we will discuss ways to use visuals to enhance your profile. As you get started updating your LinkedIn profile this week, here is a list of the most commonly used buzzwords to avoid.

Next week I’ll deliver part of this 2-part newsletter on building a compelling LinkedIn profile.

?? Your goal for THIS WEEK is to update the sections of your profile discussed here!

??Let me know in the comments section what progress you made and share your newly updated profiles with the group!

?? Message me if you are ready to take your LinkedIn profile to the next level.?

Heather

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If you’re ready to work together to update your LinkedIn profile, book a DISCOVERY CALL with me!

Until next week, thanks for reading!

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?? To learn more about me and what I do, visit my WEBSITE!

?? If you have a burning career question for me to address, submit HERE.

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