Put together by: EBONI WILLIAMS-SANKOE ohio EMPLOYment SUPPORT PROGRAM PROGRAM SUPPORT SPECIALIST Building a LinkedIn profile

Session Agenda How Do You Get Started? Networking / Connecting Questions and Answers

EMPLOYER SUPPORT PROGRAM Resumes Applications Cover Letters Interview Preparation Targeting Your Dream Job Thomas Korth 217-761-3971 thomas.j.korth.ctr@mail.mil

Social Media Drives Hiring How Employers use LinkedIn: - 96% Searching - 94% Contacting - 92% Vetting - 93% Keeping tabs on candidates

LinkedIn – How Job Seekers Use it in 2016 LinkedIn is where they do most of their job-seeking activity: 40% contacts referred me for a job 34% contacts shared a job opportunity 32% made a new professional connection 32% contacts provided an employee’s perspective on a company

What is LinkedIn? Founded in 2003 LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network It has over 425 million members and growing

Why use LinkedIn? It’s a great career management tool Network with other professionals Helps you find jobs and employers find you Target audiences are transitional military, college students, and professionals

Why use LinkedIn? Gain access to experts in your industry: Use the Q&A to ask a network of professionals questions or advice Join LinkedIn groups specific to your industry for group discussions and news

How is LinkedIn Different From Other Social Media Sites? It allows you keep your private life separate from your professional life LinkedIn is information rich and not a photo and personal sharing system

5-Step Quick Guide For Getting Started On LinkedIn

How to Get Started Go to the LinkedIn website: www.linkedin.com and create a profile

Creating a Profile Be detailed about your education, internships, volunteering, jobs, study abroad Be authentic and include a strengths summary Use key words in your profile that are relevant in your industry or desired field Check spelling and grammar

Creating a Profile Your headshot is the first impression Use a professionally taken photograph headshot that shows you in the best light

Creating a profile Create a Headline to grab the reader’s attention The headline appears under your name and next to your picture Do not limit yourself to the default job title and employer Use the 120 characters to market yourself Don’t use a title, be creative & describe yourself

Creating a Profile Complete experiences and use keywords Use key words in your profile and experiences that are relevant in your industry or desired field Top 10 overused buzzwords on LinkedIn profiles 2013: Responsible Strategic Creative Effective Patient Expert Organizational Driven Innovative Analytical Be detailed about your education, internships, volunteering, jobs, study abroad

Creating a Profile Complete an interesting summary (shows up higher in the profile) Take advantage of the 2000 characters Tell people who you are How to contact you Why they should hire you Core competencies Add your email Be sure to use proper capitalization and grammar

Creating a Profile Customize your public profile URL Make your URL easier to remember Can be edited under profile settings

Creating a Profile Join Groups Create business circles and connections Gives you a platform to seek advice Gives you the opportunity to showcase your expertise

Creating a Profile Add Other Profile Information Volunteer Experiences & Causes Certifications Education Honors & Award Skills Section – tell things you are proficient in Languages, test scores, patents & others…don’t put in basic courses like Accounting 101

Creating a Profile Call to Action Would be different for everyone Profile shows what you have done and a call to action gives the reader further instruction on how or why to contact you Can show sample work or direct reader to your own personal website Examples An author or aspiring writing can show their publications An artist can showcase their portfolio Tell the reader why to contact you .. Interview, job, advice… Failure to include contact information could result in missed opportunities

Quick Fixes To Improve Your LinkedIn Profile The Minimal-Effort Profile Add specifics (such as your full work history for the last 10 years, certifications, or skills) The Default Headline When you specify the details of your current job, LinkedIn will ever-so-subtly include a checkbox that is already set to “Update My Headline to (your job title)”. If you leave this information as is, site users will see “Bob Jones, Vice President Finance at ABC Company” throughout all your activity. However, if you uncheck the box and then edit the Headline available when changing your name field, you’ll have the chance to advertise your career level and competencies with “Bob Jones | VP Finance, Controller, CFO | Growth, Capital, Funding, & Technology Strategies.” The key in altering your Headline is to use terms that will trigger your hit rate for both your job target and current position (and potentially your industry). Inject a brand message related to your success, as in these examples: Martin Forester, IT Director. SAP, Infrastructure-Building, & User Responsiveness. Manufacturing & Medical Devices Claire Wilson | Enterprise Account Executive Accelerating Channel Sales to $40+ Million in Managed Services Markets

Quick Fixes To Improve Your LinkedIn Profile The No-Networking-Wanted Approach Take steps to be findable and reachable Join groups (a lot of them!) that represent your career goals Select the types of messages you’re willing to receive option under Settings to fully open, ensuring you’ll receive both introductions and InMail (LinkedIn’s internal e-mail) Look at the contact information -it’s buried all the way down at the bottom of your profile-it’s important Did you add a phone number, e-mail address, or both?

Top 3 LinkedIn Profile Errors Failing To Use All The Space Provided Work history only includes titles, or you skipped sections like Interests or Specialties Mistaking A Resume Summary For A LinkedIn Summary Write a more personalized, bullet-point account of your background and qualifications Break up the text visually so employers can quickly scan through for key words, and consider adding decorative bullet symbols for easier readability

Top 3 LinkedIn Profile Errors Presenting Data Inconsistent With Your Traditional Resume The problem arises when your job history, education, or achievements appear differently online than on paper To spot discrepancies: print out both your resume and your LinkedIn profile, reviewing the facts you’ve listed Must deliver the same value proposition message as your resume Getting hired today requires a strong online identity!

Keep Profiles Updated Make Any Updates to Your Profile As you would update your resume, you should also keep your LinkedIn account updated with your updated resume, contact information or profile information Be Active Participate and interact often, the more you interact the more contacts you make, growing your network

Networking Begin Establishing a Network Your best network is with those you know and trust already Explore Career Fields (Alumni Paths) Search Alumni by major, employer name, career keywords, interests, etc. Explore and Follow Employer Pages Use as a research tool, look for job postings, announcements for opportunities

Connecting to Others Connect with people in industries that interest you Limit of 100 profiles to search by With companies that you want to learn more about Geographies that you would like to move to When connecting, NEVER use the built-in message: “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”

Connecting to Others Accept everyone, but invite strategically Don’t just invite everyone who pops up on “people you may know.” Invite to build your network the way you want to build it Diversify your contacts Use your network – announcements or questions are ok Update regularly

Connecting to Others State Your Intentions Upfront Good Morning Steve, I obtained your name through the National Guard Employment Enhancement LinkedIn Group. I am in the Air Force Reserves and I am in the process of making a career transition. It would be helpful for me to ask you questions about your experiences as a IT Specialist at Cardinal Health. I am not expecting to discuss a particular employment position but I would appreciate being able to talk with you on an informational basis. I thank you in advance. Regards,

Searches Find one person and search their contacts to have a richer search Job search feature Search by zip

Things To Immediately Do On LinkedIn Put Up a Photo Join About 45 groups. You’re allowed up to 50 groups on LinkedIn Post Discussions on Your Groups on a Regular Basis Participate in threads with useful remarks not self-promoting Let It Be Known You Are An Open Networker, don’t’ just connect with the people you know Accept all or almost all connection requests, at least from individuals. (not corporations or those with no photo) Get Recommendations (Endorsements) Proactive recommendation seeking involves reaching out and asking someone to recommend you. Passive recommendation seeking involves recommending someone, at which point LinkedIn asks them to recommend you back. The latter is actually a bit more effective. If you have endorsements you will appear higher in the search!

Example Profile

Example Profile

Example Profile

Example Profile

Example Profile

Example Profile

4 Clues Your LinkedIn Strategy Is Working Your Search Appearances And Profile Views Have Increased The People Viewing Your Profile Are In Your Target Industry People Are Reaching Out To You—Both On And Off LinkedIn Opportunities Start To Come In

Employment Support Program Questions & Answers Thomas Korth Employment Support Program 217.761.3971 thomas.j.korth.ctr@mail.mil