WORKSHOPhttps://uk.linkedin.com/in/martinthomasdissident
Workshop agenda
1. Introductions
2. Why LinkedIn?
3. Managing your profile
4. Building networks
5. Building reputation
6. Job hunting
7. Conclusions & next steps
MY SOCIAL MEDIA?
Digital Brand You
• Personal Branding: the practice of people marketing themselves and their careers as brands
• You are who Google thinks you are
• You are increasingly defined by what you have said, shared, posted & Tweeted.
2. WHY LinkedIn?
Key facts433m users worldwide (20m in UK)… although only ¼ regular users
6.5m active job listings
steady (+10%) increase in daily usage… potentially accelerated post Microsoft deal
not being on LinkedIn is starting to look suspicious
3. MANAGING YOUR PROFILE
Why it matters
94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to search for & check out candidates
you are 40x more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn if you are an ‘All Star’ i.e. have a complete profile
‘I use LinkedIn to verify the facts about their career & get a 360o picture of what they are like and what they think. I tend to look at their profile, the events they have spoken at, what they have published and what they say.’Headhunter, marketing services industry
Click here to find settings
Before you start making changes adjust your settings
Do you want to keep your connections secret to anyone apart from your connections?
Really important to turn this off if you plan to make loads of small changes to your profile
Allows you to anonymise your searches
Appropriate photo Background header image
Personal LinkedIn url
Most important part of your profileUse your professional headline to sell your skills … not simply describe current position
High level of profile completion = ‘All Star’ means you are fully optimised for LinkedIn & other search engines.
Option to view your profile as Public or one of your Connections … you can then choose what you want Public to see
Summary needs to be:• Informative• Engaging (video is useful)• Truthful• Consistent with your
other CV information• Optimised for search
with relevant keywords… as with all parts of your LinkedIn profile
Importance of first 120 characters that willfeature in your professional headline.
Proactively solicit recommendations from former colleagues, clients etc.
Exercise:
• Review the quality your current profile in collaboration with team members
• Devise brief action plan: 3-4 actions
4. BUILDING NETWORKS
Learn to network … to make most of social networks
Exercise:
• What does it take to become an effective networker?
The ‘art’ of networking
• Be interested in other people & they will find you interesting
• Communicate in a way that is relevant to the particular context
• Spirit of reciprocity• Play the long game• Make one new connection a day
Building LinkedIn networks• Requires proactivity
• Make it a (post meeting) habit
• 500+ should be your target, but generally quality beats quantity
Use LinkedIn’s tools
Option to upload xl spreadsheet
Search bar is useful
LinkedIn networking protocolStrangers will generally connect if you give them a reason why it will be in their interest
… equally, don’t feel obliged to accept an invitation from a stranger if they simply use default message
5. BUILDING REPUTATION
How can you get involved?LinkedIn rewards active participation. The more you get involved, the more people are likely to see your profile and the stronger your network will become.
Collaborate
Joining Groups• Really useful part of the LinkedIn experience
providing access to relevant topics and the ability to debate and share suggestions with peers
• You can send direct messages to fellow group members even if they are not personal connections.
Demonstrating thought leadershipLinkedIn has become a platform to demonstrate expertise & thought-leadership… & also pick-up knowledge from others
Create
Short-form content, typically built around a link
Longer-form content
Analyse & learn
LinkedIn’s preferred metric
6. JOB HUNTING
Search Tool
Research tool• Checking-out people you are
going to meet
• Establishing mutual connections
• Checking-out potential employer’s company pages
To pay or not to pay?
7. CONCLUSIONS & NEXT STEPS
Exercise: Create your ‘to do' list
35
Take-outs
Actions
Let’s Connect!
https://uk.linkedin.com/in/martinthomasdissident