Having an Online profile on a networking site is almost
mandatory today for professionals looking for (changing) jobs.
Almost every potential employer ensures to check your online
presence before short-listing you for the job. What they’re looking for is your
online professional presence. And in today’s world, you need to have one out
there for them to find. For most professions, an online professional profile
will only help you. And the best place to go to build one is LinkedIn. (While
they would surely go through your Facebook pages as well, they may not conclude
much from it given it’s more of a social networking site than professional networking).
LinkedIn is the most common site that the employers would screen through as
part of their evaluation of whether to hire you or not.
Here are some important tips of what to take care of while
designing and maintaining your online professional presence on Linked In.
1.
Complete
your profile – for most, the basic requirement is to complete your profile.
Do not just set up a page and forget about it. Completing it and keeping it
updated is very important. That should you’re active and conscious about your
online image. And do not forget to attach your pic as well. It’s there for a
reason.
2.
Describe
your job – There’s a difference between what you’re interested in and what
you actually do. Most profiles I’ve seen describe what they’re interested in. Fine,
it’s good to mention that. But do highlight what you’ve been doing in your
career so far.
Describing your profiles can be in many ways. You may list job titles only, and
then put the description in the summary at the top of the overall profile. Or
you may describe each job, as if building a résumé. Either of these works, you
just have to do one of them so people know what you actually do for a living.
3.
Get
recommendations – Getting recommendations helps you indirectly pitch to an employer
that you’re a people’s person. You’ve taken people along with your successes.
It helps your employer know what you’re good at. While it’s not advisable to
get your profile flooded with recommendations, some good ones must always be
there. Seek recommendations from your colleagues (past and present) and set
them up on your profile. LinkedIn gives you enough liberty to not approve and
show a recommendations if you don’t like it. There’s isn’t much to lose asking
for recommendations.
4.
Don’t Lie
– A lot of people lie and create profiles with incorrect information. This
is a strict NO. Not only you may be caught, it will surely put you in the soup sooner
or later.
5.
Differentiate
between social and professional networking – Understand the difference
between social and professional networking. You can add friends on Facebook and
you should only connect with people on LinkedIn if you share a professional
network. Don’t think of it as a dating platform. Don’t just go on hunt for opposite
gender.
6.
Post your
interests, awards and achievements – You don’t have to be a Mr or Miss
Universe to post stuff on your page. Your employer should know what are your
interests and achievements. These could be smaller achievements such being a
head boy in school or participating in college plays or being a part of a project
at work. Remember not to over-do though.
7.
Don’t metamorphose
your profile completely – updating your profile does not mean you should
transform your profile top to bottom completely. This may make an employer
suspicious. Make changes as and when they come. Besides, your contacts get a
notification about the changes you make to your profile.
8.
Get
connected with groups – LinkedIn provides opportunities to get connected
with groups of your interest. Most groups these days are open groups and do not
require an approval. Getting connected with them helps you demonstrate to your
employer that you actively pursue your interests and helps you build up your
network stronger.
Comments
Post a Comment