4 LinkedIn Basics Every Executive Needs to Know Now
Since its inception, LinkedIn has grown to more than 500 million users in 200 countries and is the preferred social network for recruiters and employers who are searching for top-level talent.
A complete LinkedIn profile showcasing your leadership skills, business acumen, and ability to overcome challenges can open the door to high-level speaking engagements, board inquiries, and next-step career opportunities.
Most executives have taken the first step by creating an account, but then never revisit or fully leverage this powerful social media platform to grow and engage their target audience and, ultimately make them stand out from others in their industry. Here are 4 quick tips that will transform your LinkedIn profile into a connection magnet.
Complete Your Executive Profile
A 100% complete profile increases your visibility and can connect you with opportunities you might otherwise miss: public speaking engagements, board-level inquiries, or recruitment for your dream job.
Essentially, LinkedIn is a database that pulls and indexes keywords from your profile to paint a picture of your brand – that is who you are and the value you offer. To rank higher in search results, a robust Profile is necessary.
Focus your Profile on your target audience’s needs and integrate keywords throughout your Headline, Summary, and Experience sections.
Before you start writing, Define Your Personal Brand
Your personal brand is what you stand for and is projected time and again by how you act, how you serve others, and the value you embrace and deliver. You have your own unique story and expertise to share with the world.
No one else can replicate the way you think or your individual expertise and, at the executive-level, it is expected that you can clearly communicate your strengths and the unique attributes you bring to your industry.
You will highlight your personal brand throughout your LinkedIn profile and especially within the Summary section. Your summary is your “about me” page that touts your professional brand and is a critical component in igniting interest from the reader and making them want to learn more about you and your experience in 2,000 characters.
Your Summary should be an engaging narrative that highlights your career. Remember, this is not a repeat of your resume, but rather gives the reader more context into how and why you are great at what you do. To get started, be honest and introspective when answering these questions:
Who are you when you are at your best?
In which areas of work do you excel?
What are your key motivators?
What do others compliment you on?
What types of roles/tasks drain you? Energize you?
What is the #1 thing you want your connections, recruiters, or potential employers to know about you?
What are your top 3-5 career accomplishments that you would like to do more of?
Using a human-voice narrative (your LinkedIn profile summary statement is less formal than your resume), write short, impactful sentences that highlight your value and accomplishments and end with an invitation to connect.
Your Headline + Headshot
Your Headline is what appears below your name and is a top-rated indexed field. After you’ve identified your target audience + your personal brand, you can distill what you are known for down to a 120-character headline by weaving together your value, industry expertise and keywords.
CIO: Global Technology Leader │ Charting the Course for Business Aligned IT Solutions │ Minimizing Cybersecurity Threats
When it comes to your headshot, keep it professional. Preferably your photo should be a close-up (shoulders up) of only you in professional attire and in a business setting. LinkedIn profiles with a professional headshot receive 14x more profile view than those without.
Embrace Networking: Connect + Engage
Online networking has opened the door to more opportunities to connect with like-minded industry leaders. By taking the time to connect and interact with others in your industry, you will be better positioned to unearth valuable opportunities – source partnerships and land new clients.
Generate interest by engaging with your connections on a regular basis. Write articles, share content, and like or comment on other people’s posts to position yourself as a thought leader in your area of expertise and increase your visibility.
By taking the time to fully leverage the power of LinkedIn you will be better positioned to build a strong network of key people in your industry, provide value to your connections, and reach out and offer to others advice and inspiration.
If you need help sprucing up your LinkedIn profile, contact our executive resume writer at 321.704.7209.
