Optimizing your LinkedIn profile for professional communication network building

Optimizing LinkedIn for building professional communication networks

STC Membership can elevate your career
 The Society for Technical Communication (STC) is a professional society
for the advancement of the theory and practice of technical
communication.
 Promotes the profession
 Provides a network of peers
 STC Chapters: geography-based communities
 Special Interest Groups (SIGs): virtual communities with shared interests
 MySTC: members-only social network
 Professional publications
Sept. 2012 STC Intercom article by student member!
 Exclusive Job Assistance
 TechComm Body of Knowledge (BOK)
 Meetings, web seminars, workshops, conferences, infrastructure…
Society for Technical Communication (STC) Palm Beaches Chapter 1


STC Palm Beaches Chapter
 The STC Palm Beaches chapter provides
learning, networking, and employment
opportunities for technical communication professionals in SE Florida
Serving Monroe, Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, and Martin counties.
 Our STC Palm Beaches Chapter overall goals:
Promote technical communication excellence
Provide relevant continuing education
Provide opportunities for practical skill building (volunteer for best results)
Provide local community resources
Support future technical communicators
 Chapter members and non-members alike are welcome
Join the STC Palm Beaches Chapter group on LinkedIn
Attend STC Palm Beaches Chapter events



Barrie Byron
 More than 20 years in the professional communication industry
 STC Associate Fellow
Only 2 percent of STC members attain this distinction
 Active member and volunteer leader in many organizations
STC Palm Beaches Chapter
STC Philadelphia Metro Chapter
STC Greater New York and Philadelphia Regional TechComm Competition
 Toastmasters International
Advanced Communicator Gold (ACG), Advanced Leader
District 38 Public Relations Officer (150 clubs, 4,000 members)
Princeton Toastmasters VP Public Relations
 LinkedIn enthusiastic and charter member
Active participant



Improve your profile on the world’s largest business network

The world’s largest business network
 2002: Founded
 2003: Launched
 2006: Profitable
 2012: Reportedly worth $1.575 billion
 2012: More than 175 million registered users in more than 200 countries
and territories (was 135 million in November 2011)
 Are you in?



Networking is having 2-way conversations
 Networking is simply having conversations with people that you know
As job seekers, networking might be perceived as looking for a job
As knowledge seekers, networking can be finding answers to the questions we
have
As professionals, networking is staying engaged with our connections
 LinkedIn, and all networking, is a 2-way conversation
Respond and react
Initiate and customize
Personalize your communication,
always use a person’s name and
address their interests and
mention your common interests



My favorite things that LinkedIn lets us do
 Connect with former colleagues, even when contact
information and email addresses change
 Communicate with relevant LinkedIn members, even if you are not
directly connected
 Track relationships and visualize our professional network using LinkedIn
maps
 Sort connections by geography, tags, industry, company, and so on
 Document our growing skill base (the stuff we know and are good at)
 Verify our track record
 Validate our reputation and articulate our individual qualities
Recommendations and testimonials about our contributions
Clients, colleagues, presentations, publications,
and so on



LinkedIn: it’s more than our connections
 Profile
 Contacts
 Companies
 Groups
 Jobs
 Events
 Questions
 Discussions
 News, blogs, answers,
applications… and more!



Companies
 Follow companies
 Conduct advanced searches
Geography, industry, hiring, size, connection relationships
 Review careers section, statistics, connections
 Perform blind, "reverse," and company reference checks
 Dynamics and staffing
 Where did employees come from?
 Where did former employees go to?
 Check your prospective manager's recommendations
 Research the company (news, departures)
 Find the person who had the job that you are
interviewing for



Your profile: enhance your search engine results
 Do a web search on your name; then optimize your profile to improve
search results
 Add your website, blog, twitter, and other links to your LinkedIn profile
 Add your volunteer leadership roles to current positions
 Include your name or descriptive terms in the link
Websites barriebyron.wordpress.com
not blog
not Personal website
Your descriptive link creates instant search-engine optimization
 Ensure that your public profile setting is set to “Full View”
 Use LinkedIn applications to share more information (blogs, slide shares,
publications)



Jobs: Increase the relevancy of your search
 Jobs > Find Jobs
Sign up for email alerts
 Look for jobs by company
 Prepare for job or knowledge quest interviews
Find out about the people that you are meeting
 Gauge the health of a company
 View company statistics
 See who is viewing your profile
 Keep your status current
 Participate and communicate with your network
 Read and participate in LinkedIn Job Search questions and answers



Search: for people like you, where do they work?
 Find people with educational and work experience like yours to see
where they work
 People > Advanced search
Zip code
Key words
Job title (current or past)
Company (current or past)
School



Apply for the job
 Apply Now button
Use LinkedIn to apply
Add a personal cover letter
Reuse the same posted resume
 Apply on Company Website button
Follow established company procedure
 Track your activity and job applications
Spreadsheet: date, contact, title, what you
said in your letter



Participate: Comment on status updates
 Send congratulatory messages for new jobs
and other status updates
 Status updates appear on the Home > LinkedIn Home page
Enable or disable status update notification emails
 All social media is (or should be) a two-way conversation
 Comments and “like” are good ways to stay in touch
Don't be pushy about promoting yourself
It's more important to let your contacts know you're around and active
Make it about them, you are commenting on their status



Profiles: Models
 Incomplete profile (my mom)
Only a few connections
Auto-generated URL
No: job title, job history, recommendations, groups
 Complete profile (mine)
Connections, recommendations, groups, events,
discussions
100% complete
Current
Frequent status updates
Yours?



Complete your profile, add custom touches
 Work to maintain a “100% complete” profile
 Ask for, and give, recommendations (be specific)
 Use a quality description in your title
(your “personal brand”)
 Keep status current, post updates
 Avoid mention of religion, politics, sex
 Use a business-appropriate photo
 Stealth mode job searching: Your name > Settings > PRIVACY
CONTROLS > Turn on/off your activity broadcasts



Invite and respond with a personal touch
 Customize each LinkedIn invitation
Avoid the generic “canned” message
Craft a custom, personal invitation message, mention how you met
“It was great working with you at ABC Company. I invite you to join my
professional network on LinkedIn.”
 After the invitation is accepted, send a personal response “I am pleased
to connect our professional networks on LinkedIn” and offer to help them
 It’s about them, not you
 Use the Notes section to keep track of how and when you met, when you
connected on LinkedIn, shared interests; consider adding Tags



Action items to improve your profile
1. Strive for 100% complete
2. Customize your URL www.linkedin.com/in/barriebyron
3. Craft a qualified “title”
4. Write a detailed, current, personalized essence-of-you summary
5. Use results-oriented job descriptions
6. Grow your network: build your connections (30K max), communicate
7. Give detailed, thoughtful recommendations (give 25)
8. Ask for recommendations (strive for at least 25)
9. Join groups: at least 5, and up to 25
 College alumni, hobby, past employers, school,
technology, industry, professional association,
networking, STC, and so on



Student profile tips for your interactive business card
 Suggested headline: Communications Student, Florida International
University
 Suggested industry: Writing and Editing
 Business-appropriate photo
 Lock down your Facebook or make G-rated
 Highlight education and professional affiliations
Major, minor, GPA, honors, awards
STC and other professional organization membership status
Volunteer leadership
Internships
 Use keywords in specialties
 Link out to external sites, show writing experience
Blogs, website, twitter


Academic professionals and faculty profile tips
 Groups: join all that apply
Educational institution groups
Alumni groups
Professional groups
 Specialties, keywords
 Headline, industry
 Consider linking out to your online portfolio
 Blog or other online content
 Publications
 Increase your search results
academia.edu the academic alternative ranks lower in search results



Getting “in” and resources
LinkedIn levels of membership
 Free is good! Free is great!
 Job Seekers



Additional resources
 LinkedIn Learning Center http://learn.linkedin.com/what-is-linkedin/
 Answers http://www.linkedin.com/answers/
 LinkedIn Maps http://inmaps.linkedinlabs.com/faq
 Privacy http://learn.linkedin.com/settings/
 Password: be secure! Unique password. Security breach June 2012.
 STC Palm Beaches Group www.linkedin.com/groups?gid=1897153
 Industry thought leader blogs



Other social media tools + keep in touch
 Google+
 Email
 Provider-agnostic (gmail, ymail)
 Professional
 Self-describing address
 Twitter
 Facebook: ensure your profile is private or keep it G-rated clean
 Pinterest, others

Questions?
Keep in touch. Connect and converse often!
www.linkedin.com/in/barriebyron


Optimizing your LinkedIn profile for professional communication network building

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