USE LINKEDIN ALUMNI

Why is this important?

Let’s say you are a recent graduate who has moved to a new city and is looking for a job. If you don’t know anyone in the new city, you’re going to find it extremely difficult to find help in getting a job.

That’s where Linkedin Alumni steps in. With a few clicks you can connect with any alumni that’s residing in the same city and if things go well, might help you set up a job interview at a few places that he knows of.

Linkedin Alumni also comes to help when you’re planning to change careers, but don’t know anyone in the new sector. Reaching out to someone who’s an alumni of the same university you went to means you instantly have something in common and makes the reaching out process much easier.

You can use 6 filters to narrow down your search and find the desired alumni you wish to connect with. These are listed as below –

1. Where they live (geographic location)
2. Where they work (company)
3. What they do (job function)
4. What they studied (major)
5. What they’re skilled at (LinkedIn skills)
6. How you are connected (1st and 2nd degree connections, group members, and so on)

How to use Linkedin Alumni:

MENTOR MATCH

LinkedIn Is Testing A New Feature That Matches You With A Mentor. It’s a great way to seek guidance from an experienced individual from your domain. What makes it even better is that it’s free so that you don’t need to pay a hefty amount for professional advice. The service (which started with a small test last month) will be available first to users in San Francisco and Australia.

How it works?

Why is this important?

Your LinkedIn profile is a 24/7 information resource for the recruiters who are looking for talent. So when you’re looking for a job, you need to make sure that your profile showcases the best in you.

Framing your responsibilities in such a way that it showcases that you have achieved something substantial will go a long way in improving your chances of getting a job.

You can considerably improve your profile by implementing a number of things, namely-

• Completing your Linkedin Profile.
• Keeping a professional profile photo.
• Writing an attention grabbing headline. Also, a summary that highlights achievements.
• Having recommendations on your profile that highlight specific strengths.

Having done that, a lot of people struggle when deciding what accomplishments to add to their linkedin profile to catch the attention of the recruiters.

A lot of people say that they don’t have any accomplishments. It’s untrue in almost all the cases. To find out what accomplishments you have, ask the “so what?” question to every job responsibility you list.

For example,

Before: ‘ordered supplies and maintained inventory of supplies’

After: ‘Increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness of supply ordering and inventory, keeping spending below budget while ensuring that staff had proper tools to fulfill responsibilities.’

See the impact you created?

Another good tip is to find similar profiles in your domain and look for accomplishment bullet points that others have put into their LinkedIn profiles.

Once you find a few bullet points you can use, customize them so that they match your needs.

How to search for accomplishment points from comparable profiles :

Why is it important?

Words are so incredibly important, especially when search is a big part of the equation. Using the right keywords in your profile is the difference between being found and being invisible. Using the right keywords will expose you to more potential connections and opportunities.

Are you looking for a job? Hoping that your profile comes across more recruiters during Linkedin search?

Now it’s possible. All you need to do is implement the right keywords at the right places in your linkedin profile. Once done, visitor traffic is bound to double in no time.

Also, keywords that are listed in the headline carry much more importance and help you rank higher than other users for the same terms.

For example,

Instead of ‘Digital Marketing Associate at ABC company’, adding ‘Digital Marketing Associate. Worked on Facebook Advertising, SEO & SEM campaigns and Email Marketing. Google Analytics Certified’ will help you rank for keywords such as Facebook Advertising, SEO, SEM, Email as well as Google Analytics.

Besides the headline, adding keywords to your Job Title, Summary, Projects, Certifications, and Honors & Awards will significantly boost your ranking.

How to get found in search with keywords :

PERSONALIZE YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE URL

Why is this important?

A custom URL is not just professional, but also induces a sense of familiarity. It makes it easier to remember your profile(which is an important aspect in the process of networking).

In this fast moving job market, it’s not just enough to have the perfect resume, but it’s imperative to have a polished resume as well. If you have had a keen eye on your LinkedIn profile, you would notice that LinkedIn has given you a custom URL with lots of gibberish towards the end – meaningless letters, numbers and backlashes. This gives an unprofessional outlook.

A custom URL is not just professional, but also induces a sense of familiarity. It makes it easier to remember your profile (which is an important aspect in the process of networking). 

How to personalize your LinkedIn URL:

RE-ORDER YOUR FIRST 12 ENDORSEMENTS

Why is this important?

Reordering endorsements is a must and should for a good LinkedIn profile. Displaying random people as the first of the endorsements might not be the best way to endorse your skills, as there might be an important person whose endorsement would actually add value to your profile, like your colleague or your boss.

LinkedIn ranks your skills based on the number of endorsements that you have received. Also, LinkedIn displays the most recent people who have endorsed your skills in the first 12 endorsements. This might not be the best way to endorse your skills, as there might be an important person whose endorsement would actually add value to your profile, like your colleague or your boss.

How to reorder your Endorsements:

Why is this important?

Recommendations that highlight your work, personality, professionalism and character traits, which really make you shine, are much more effective than a disorganized recommendation, with facts scattered haphazardly. Giving a proper structure to your recommendation is as important as getting recommendations from the right people, because then, people/ recruiters know that they can bank on you when given a task.

Even though LinkedIn says that just 3 recommendations gives your profile a boost, having more than 3 recommendations is actually a cherry on the cake if you have a eye catching profile.

• Make sure that your recommendation has a stunning first line.
• Next, the person writing the recommendation for you must clearly mention the kind of relationship they shared with you in order to clarify that you have worked with them closely.
• Ask them to add a quality that makes you stand out from the crowd.
• Also, describing your overall personality, including you soft skills, given you an edge over the others.

Quick Tip:  Gather all your recommendations in a PDF and add them as content in your Summary.

Why is this important?

If you just mention “Software Development” as your skill, it’s ambiguous. It doesn’t answer these questions: What software have you developed? Was it used in someplace productive? What knowledge and techniques did you apply? How much time did you take to develop it?

Instead of just stating the skill, elaborate on the exact work that you did and how it was useful by answering the Wh questions (What, Where, When and Why). This sounds more believable and adds reliability to your LinkedIn profile.

For example, try to quantify the impact of your work, like “Trained 400 junior consultants” or “Improved the efficiency of the project by 20%” or “The product developed was integrated in the project”.

You can also make use of endorsements and recommendations to show that there are people who vouch for your skills. While a LinkedIn Recommendation offers an in-depth insight of you and your skills, a LinkedIn Endorsement is just an acknowledgement of the skills you have.

DON’T OVERUSE THESE BUZZWORDS

Why is this important?

Putting in such vague words in your LinkedIn profile adds nothing to your effectiveness as a professional. If you write that you were a “responsible” leader, immediately one question arises- What did you achieve being “responsible”? Did you follow deadlines and instructions to a T? Or, did you make sure your teammates were doing their jobs properly? Or, did you manage time and resources efficiently? It doesn’t answer such quantifiable questions.

“Responsible, strategic, creative, effective, patient, expert, organizational, driven, innovative, analytical” are just some of the most commonly used words which add nothing positive to your profile.

One reason why these words do not work is because they are vague. Instead, describe the work that you have done in detail and let the reader decide if you have been responsible enough or judge how creative you were.

AUGMENT NEW SECTIONS TO YOUR PROFILE

Adding different kinds of sections makes you stand out from the crowd, especially from people who have the same monotonous sections across their profiles. Adding “Volunteering Work” or a “Hobbies” section gives you a holistic profile, showing that you are an all rounder.

Bored of the clichéd sections in your profile?

LinkedIn allows you to add new sections to your profile, which can make your profile stand out from the crowd. Add new sections like- “Awards”, “Volunteering work”, “Hobbies and Passions”, “Achievements” etc. All these eventually lead to more connections and a strong network.

HOW TO WRITE THAT PERFECT SUMMARY?

Why is this important?

Considering that the Summary section is the first section that people see in your profile, it has to be nothing less than stunning. (Although LinkedIn gives you an option of moving sections, keep the Summary section in the first. The summary is your chance to create a splendid first impression. No matter how brilliant your profile is, if the viewer isn’t impressed with your summary, he/she will not bother to look at the rest of your profile.

Here are a few things you should follow –

• The first sentence must accentuate who you are and what skills you possess that will help you add value to others.
• Your summary must first contain the kind of work that you been involved with, projects that you have taken up and/or your professional achievements. Next, talk about your soft skills to give a multidimensional perspective of your profile.
• An efficient way to write a summary is to include appropriate words so that people in your domain can relate to you. One small tip would be to look up established people in your industry and taking a note of the important words that they regularly use. Using these words in your summary will give you an extra edge.
• Only the first 220 characters (in a PC) are visible at one go to the reader. It is imperative that the initial few lines create an impact so that the reader is forced to click on the “View More” option.

USE A PROFESSIONAL PHOTO

Why is this important?

It is important to remember that LinkedIn is a professional networking platform, unlike Facebook or Instagram. Leave no stone unturned in showing your professionalism in LinkedIn. It goes a long way in creating a good impression amongst your connections.

The phrase “A picture is worth more than a 1000 words” is especially true in LinkedIn. Some recruiters say that they don’t even bother going through a profile if it lacks a “professional” photo.

So what exactly is a professional photo?

• Your photo should resemble the way you look.
• 60% of the photo must contain only your face. Your neck and a little of your shoulders must be seen.
• Wearing a formal dress is essential. It adds to the overall professionalism of your profile.
• Your photo should include only you. (And not any ancillaries like your pets, your parents )
• Use a bright colour for background of the profile picture like red or orange.

Research says that it takes only 100 milliseconds for a person to form an impression by just having a look at another person’s photo. When you smile (with your teeth), it invokes a feeling of trust and credibility. So, wear your best smile in your LinkedIn profile picture.

CALL TO ACTION

Why is this important?

This hack makes sure that you are projected as someone who is proactive. Be sure to respond to the messages you get via your call to action. That way, you are pictured as someone who is agile and hard working.

Your summary is an important part of your profile, where you tell who you are, what you have done, the skills which you possess, the domains you are interested in and so on. But that is not enough. If anyone wants to contact you after reading your summary, they should an easy way to do so. The easiest way is to leave your contact information like your email at the end of your summary.

Do not try to sound desperate by asking the readers to contact you if they have any job openings. Instead, be creative:

“I’m always up for a challenge. So, if you have one, contact me at [email protected]”

CRAFT A CLEVER HEADLINE

Why is this important?

Your LinkedIn headline is crucial as it is one of the first few things that are visible in your profile. Apt keywords in your headline draw in more viewers to your profile.

A headline is the first 1-3 lines that appear below your name in your profile.

Your LinkedIn headline is crucial as it is one of the first few things that are visible in your profile. Apt keywords in your headline draw in more viewers to your profile.

• Avoid using the word “I” in your headline. Usually, a recruiter who is seeing your profile is more interested in what value you can add to them.
• Avoid writing out your contact information in your headline, as it is not meant for that.
• Don’t just describe your job title in your headline. Elaborate how you can be of use to the viewer.
• Creativity always wins.

Why is this important?

No matter what you use Linkedin for, I’m sure you’re tired of getting requests with the message “I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.”​​​​​​​

If you are connecting with someone you don’t know very well, you can use this opportunity to remind them of how you met. And if it’s someone you don’t know at all, you can personalize your connection request as this will be your only opportunity to convince them to accept.

Personalizing your connection request helps in many ways.

For example,

If it’s a recruiter, you can talk about where you saw his/her profile and how you’re interested in what they have to offer. You can also mention what you’ve done in the past and what kind of opportunities you’re looking for.

Or

If it’s someone you admire, start by referencing projects they’ve worked on or achievements they’ve made. You should also include an ask—the reason you’re reaching out. Maybe you want an informational interview, or a way to see what he or she is working on, or the opportunity to help him or her with a project.

Point is, you should always personalize each of your connection request to get desired results.

For additional tips on what kind of personalization do you add while connecting with Someone You Met at a Networking Event, An Alumnus or even Someone You Want to Work With, click here.

How to personalize your connection request:

CONVERT YOUR LINKEDIN PROFILE INTO A RESUME

Why is this important?

This is a handy hack when you are on the go, and you suddenly realize that you need your resume, but you don’t have any saved copy of it. Just go to your LinkedIn profile and convert it into a resume within minutes.

If you have been active on LinkedIn and have put a fair amount of time in crafting a stunning profile, then save your profile as a PDF format to get your resume in a matter of seconds.

Just choose a resume template, edit it, and export it as a PDF that you can print, email, and share.

How to convert your linkedin profile into a resume :

Why is this important?

Open Candidates is an excellent feature especially when you are currently working at a job, but are looking for other options elsewhere. It enables you to hunt for better opportunities without risking your current job.

Looking for better job opportunities? Open Candidates is your solution. With Open Candidates, you can privately signal recruiters that you are open to exploring new jobs.

Here is how you can do it:

USE OPEN PROFILE TO SEND MESSAGES TO PEOPLE YOU ARE NOT CONNECTED TO

Why is this important?

When you are job hunting, and you come across a recruiter who may be interested in your profile, this feature is advantageous as it lets you send a personal message, hence allowing you to contact that person privately. It is also handy when you come across someone in your same field of interest, which might be a good professional collaboration. In that case, you can send in your message via Open Profile, even if you do not share a first degree connection.

In LinkedIn, you can only send messages to two kinds of people:

1. Your first degree connections and
2. Your group members.

Open Profile is a feature of LinkedIn Premium, where it lets the users to get in contact with any other LinkedIn user. In other words, if a user is a part of the Open Profile, anybody can send them a message even if they aren’t connected. Even a non premium LinkedIn user can send a message to those who are a part of the Open Profile network.

Here’s how you use Open Profile to send messages to people you are not connected to:

Why is this important?

Linkedin gives a lot of importance to status updates. A single status update can occupy up to 80% of the feed screen.

And more importantly, Job seekers get noticed when they share status updates regularly. LinkedIn reported that job seekers who updated their status weekly were 10 times more likely to be contacted by recruiters.​​​​​​​ (source).

It’s fascinating how something so small — a LinkedIn update — can have major impact.

A LinkedIn status update showcases your professional status, including all these features:

• Your photo
• Your name
• Your title
• Your business
• The update itself
• Massive images
• Visible engagement metrics

And according to LinkedIn’s own research, if you post every weekday (about 20 posts per month), then you will reach 60% of your unique audience.

The secret is in sharing status updates that appeal to your network and potential employers.

You can post status updates on different topics such as Industry news, Trends or Fun Facts in your core industry.

Why is this important?

Effective conversations lead to stronger connections and better work relationships. It makes your presence felt when you send efficient and appropriate messages. Utilize LinkedIn messaging to have a stronger network and a great rapport with your connections.

LinkedIn has introduced a messaging feature with a new chat interface, which lets you have conversations with your connections, much like any other messaging apps. You can send stickers, GIFs, and emoticons. This is a strategic move by LinkedIn because now users will be active on LinkedIn for a longer time.

Here are some of its features:

• You can use this new chat feature on your home screen itself, making it user-friendly. A pop-up window opens and you do not have to leave the current page for further communications with your connections.

• You can reply personally to anyone who sends you a connection request. This gives a personal touch and the person will find a sense of familiarity with you. The next time he/she finds something relevant to your industry, they will not hesitate to inform you about it.
• Email and push notifications have been enabled so that you did not miss out on anything.
• There is also a tailor made “People you may know” section added to your inbox.

AUTOMATE YOUR GROUP POSTS

Why is this important?

Groups are where like minded people from one domain interact with each other and share posts which they feel are useful for everyone. Being active in these groups will help you create a strong presence in your domain.

When it comes to Linkedin, the right third party applications can save time and automate your LinkedIn experience.

Hootsuite and Buffer are good services that can automatically share your posts.

A) Hootsuite

When it comes to social networking support, Hootsuite has wider coverage. With Hootsuite you can –

• Auto post to: Facebook groups / profiles / business pages, LinkedIn company pages / groups, Google+ pages, Twitter, Foursquare, WordPress, Mixi.
• Ability to share from: Youtube, Flickr, Instagram, Tumblr, Blogger, StumbleUpon and much more.
• Auto post updates from RSS feeds.
• Schedule multiple posts in bulk.
• Determine how people share their posts. For example, if someone shared a post from your site using Hootsuite, you’ll be able to track that they used Hootsuite to reshare your post.
• Monitor activities of multiple social accounts – all at once in one dashboard.

B) Buffer

It’s one of those apps that can help you out in posting stuff to your social networks. You’ll learn how to do publishing posts automatically to your social networking sites and embrace this useful tool. It has a clean and easy-to-use interface.

With Buffer you can –

• Set up buffering patterns for different days of the week. For instance, on Mondays through Fridays, you post an update every 4 am, 5 pm and 6 pm. And on weekends, you can publish update every 4 hours.
• Find out the times of day that your post gets the most engagement and the type of topics your audience like the most.
• Track which updates get the most engagement. Analyze which of your updates get the most reshares/retweets, mentions, clicks and favorites.
• Shorten or not shorten your links. Available shorteners: buff.ly / bit.ly / j.mp
• Use Google Analytics to see how much traffic you get from social media posts.
• Buffer adds content suggestions that you can post to your social networks.

For more info, visit this link.

WHO’S VIEWED YOUR PROFILE?

Why is this important?

Linkedin allows its users to view profiles of 100 people per day. Use it wisely​​​​​​​.

Whenever you view someone’s profile, you end up in that person’s ‘Who’s viewed your profile?’ list. It’s a great a way to show someone that you’re interested to talk to them. And if they check your profile back, you can be rested assured that they are interested in you and should send a connection request with a personalized inmail.

It’s a great way to catch the attention of the recruiters during the shortlisting process by viewing their profile.

Let’s say, you’re looking for a job. You know, Jon is recruiting for xyz firm and is in-charge of shortlisting candidates. You have already submitted out your resume and wondering what you can do extra to stand out.

You, meanwhile, check out the company’s linkedin profile just to be prepared if you ever get called for an interview. You also go through a few more profiles of people who already work there, including Jon’s. Jon, meanwhile, sees your name in his ”Who’s viewed your profile?’ list and goes back to shortlisting candidates. When he does comes across your resume, he remembers your name from before and pays extra attention to your application.

A simple action like checking someone’s profile can considerably improve your chances during shortlisting.

If you’re applying to multiple companies, make sure you check out the relevant Linkedin profiles there.

HAVE A COMMON NAME? FRET NOT!

Why is this important?

In this ever growing population, it is not uncommon to come across different people with the same name. This can give rise to a lot of miscommunication and confusion, if you don’t take any action to distinguish yourself from the pool of people who share your name.

Having a name that is quite popular can be cumbersome. This is especially true in LinkedIn which shows up multiple people when searched for a name. Follow our tips to ensure that the recruiters you are targeting land on your profile easily.

• Have a signature block in your summary, which includes your name, contact information like your email and your current job title.
• You can also sneak in this signature block when you talk about your interests. Add it whenever you talk about your work and are up for some networking. This way, you can glorify yourself from the others.

JAZZ UP YOUR LINKEDIN POSTS WITH MULTIPLE PHOTOS.

Why is this important?

Putting up high quality professional photos, or photos which depict your professional activities go a long way in creating a mental image of you as a proactive person, than just reading out your list of activities/achievements. So the next time people are looking for candidates to do a certain job, there are higher chances of them approaching you because they have seen proof of your work via pictures and images.

Always accompany your LinkedIn posts with relevant images. A post with images receives up to 94% more views than a post without any images. (This is according to LinkedIn’s data)

So, make full use of the multi-photo feature of LinkedIn, which lets you post a maximum of 9 images per post. Flaunt your accomplishments by putting up a photo of your recent project or a new product, or even a conference that you headed.

MiM-Essay Pro Tip: Just because there is an upper limit of 9 images per post, do not make the mistake of flooding your profile with lots and lots of images. Quality triumphs over quantity. Just one high quality image would be sufficient to create an impact than many low quality images.

SECURE YOUR LINKEDIN BROWSING

Why is this important?

In this modern era, you find free hotspots and public WiFi’s almost in all the places. Browsing when connected to public networks can put your phone at risk. Securing your LinkedIn profile is a step in the right direction, as an https connection is a standardized way of telling that your data is encrypted and cant been spied upon by third party users.

LinkedIn supports HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) browsing. Through this, your LinkedIn browsing is safe and secure from malicious users/viruses.

How to secure your Linkedin browsing: