PROFILE MOTTO
It’s profile time in the big city! My MOTTO for this profile: “Do it right or don’t do it at all.” If you do not complete your profile, it’s like sending a colleague or employer half of your CV. It says, “I don’t care.” You want your BEST possible image to be presented to the people who may matter most in your profession and to those who you haven’t even met yet. Your professional reputation is on the line. What you display can be a career maker or breaker. You decide.
Make sure every entry is accurate and spelling, mechanics, grammar, and word choice are impeccable. If possible, type everything in Word first because LinkedIn doesn’t have spelchek. Dig out your CV. You’re going to be copying and pasting a lot.
Snapshot & Photo
Are you ready? Let the games begin. At the top of the LinkedIn page, under Profile, click Edit Profile. You will always start in “Edit Profile” mode to enter new information or change your profile. “View Profile” is what people will see.
Directly below is a blue box. Click Edit.
Snapshot (light blue box): This is your electronic business card. Provide basic information, including Name, Professional Headline (current job title or tagline), Country from dropdown list, Zip Code, and Industry from dropdown list. When you type your zip, LinkedIn translates that into a geographic area under your name. If you don’t enter the zip, the area will just say United States or your country name, which, to other LinkedInners, may convey, “I can’t be bothered to complete this or I don’t care.” When you’re done, click Save Changes.
Photo: On the right side of the box, click Edit. Upload a professional, flattering picture (headshot) so people can easily remember you. [NOTE: Photo must be no larger than 80 X 80 pixels.] When you receive business cards from new colleagues at a conference and invite them to connect, it will be easier for them to match your name to a picture than nothing. Please DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT post a frog, ugly baby, barnyard animal, stuffed toy, or your book cover that you might find on Facebook. This is a professional network. What image do you want to convey to professionals who may not know you or a prospective employer? They want to know you’re for real. Click Upload Photo.
Click your choice for who you want to see your photo. I chose “Everyone.” Then click Save Settings.
Status Update: Ignore the white box below your snapshot and photo. I’ll come back to that later.
My next blog will cover the next white box below to begin your brief profile. I will focus only on your Current job title and description. You can start working on that if you like.
COPYRIGHT © 2010 Ronald A. Berk, LLC
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