How to Get the Most Out of LinkedIn is often thought of as an “online resume,” but it’s really more than that and should be treated differently from your resume. This will give you some strategies to do so. Adapted from Lifehacker.com

But first, a testimonial: “I’ve used LinkedIn in a number of ways - connecting with people I knew from jobs gone by is one, but lately I’ve used it more to check out prospective candidates applying for jobs at my current company than anything else. It’s really interesting to see how a candidate’s resume and LinkedIn profile match up. In particular, I came across one candidate where their resume was chock full of [overused and cliché] buzzwords and I had all but written the person off, but their LinkedIn profile had a wealth of interesting and personal information about their accomplishments as well as endorsements from previous supervisors and colleagues. It actually made me reconsider the candidate in a lot of ways.” Alan Henry – Lifehacker.com editor Ideally you tailor your resume specifically for a certain position and employer you’re applying to (as we’re doing for this project). Your LinkedIn profile, on the other hand, is a broader view of you as a professional. It should add to the information listed on your resume, but not be an exact copy. Ideally, on LinkedIn you can be more personable in the way you tell the story of your career and what your professional goals are.

What are the most important parts of your LinkedIn profile? Photo Headline Keywords Summary These are the only things that show up in LinkedIn search results. They are the first things potential colleagues or employers will see when searching for you.

Profile Photo Most importantly: make sure you have a photo! Generic gray silhouette ≠ potential employee Should look like a professional headshot as much as possible, in which you look confident and comfortable. No blurry images, distracting background elements, or other people/animals in the photo.

Headline The headline is that blurb that goes beside your name at the top of the profile. LinkedIn puts in your title and company there by default, but you don’t have to leave it at that. Make your headline more descriptive with keywords that describe your skills, so employers can get a better picture of you and you’ll show up better in search.

Keywords To make your profile more relevant to potential employers and more easily found, incorporate the most important words associated with your job. Note: you should be doing this with your resume and cover letters, too. The best places to put keywords are your headline, summary, and job titles—but incorporate the keywords as naturally as you can, rather than trying to force them in. So how do you figure out 3-5 (or more) keywords for your job materials and career?

Finding Keywords using Wordle.net Find a job ad (like this one, for example: http://www.idealist.org/view/job/ss4mbs7JtCH4/) Copy the text that contains the majority of the job description, including essential functions, responsibilities, competencies, expectations, or other content that tells you about both the job and the organization. Paste the text into the Create function of Wordle.net and see what kind of results you get. The size of a word in the visualization is proportional to the number of times the word appears in the input text.

Summary The summary is your introduction to others on LinkedIn. In 200 to 300 words, sum up what makes you unique as a professional: e.g., what you do, what you know, and how you would be an asset to a company. It's a place to tell your story. When you're job seeking, you can also write the kinds of job opportunities you’re looking for (e.g., want to work with a non-profit or at a startup), list accomplishments you have, skills or specialties, etc. It’s also a great place to let your personality shine through by writing naturally and avoiding formal (sometimes trite) job language, such as “mission-critical skills” or “focused team player”.

Other Sections Experience: Education Honors and Awards Note: The experience section most resembles a traditional resume. Here you’ll want to customize the skills and experience to your profession just like you should on a resume. Education Honors and Awards LinkedIn groups you've joined Filling out your profile as much as possible will give potential employers a better sense of your background, strengths and personality. Once you’ve set up your profile, remember to keep it updated and try to stay active on LinkedIn. LinkedIn also offers job listings, company profiles (so you can do that important pre-interview research or find contacts at a company), and discussion boards (LinkedIn Groups) to help you stay connected. By joining groups, updating your status, and growing your network connections, you'll become more visible on the network and connect to people who can possibly help you in your job hunt. After all, something like 80 percent of jobs aren’t advertised, so it’s really all about your network and how you present yourself professionally. Establishing and maintaining an effective online ethos is one way to improve your likelihood of getting a job.