New Year - Update Your Linkedin Profile For That Dream Job

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Whether you are actively searching for a new job or networking for your current job, updating your Linkedin profile is essential. It is your live active resume, it is the story you tell your business world about who you are and what you do. As recruiters, we love a good story. Here are several guidelines we suggest to tell your story well on Linkedin: Get ClearGeneral readability of your profile is important, and so is the story you tell. For most of us, telling our story takes great introspection and effort. Here are some questions to help guide you to clarity about your story and make it easier.

  • What are your top 3-5 personal qualities? What do you like about yourself?

  • What are your top 3-5 skills?

  • How do you want to use all of these in your future job?

  • How do you currently use them in your position and at your company?

Use the answers to the last two questions to write your Linkedin profile overview. It is the critical part of telling the story. Celebrate SuccessesGo through your work experience descriptions. Are you just saying what work you did or are you telling the exciting story of how you improved your former company? In each job experience highlight key achievements as the first thing. Be as specific as possible, give metrics if available or share the result of the work they did. Celebrate your successes and be proud of them, you worked hard.Be SearchableRecruiters and future employers are searching for you. Make sure they kind find you. Use keywords for your industry, skill set and the job name that you want, not just the one that you have in your profile.Use a Professional Photo/VideoGet a professional photo taken. It is worth it to tell your story with an image. Your profile shot should reflect the overall message you are sending. Give the photographer your description and see if they have ideas for how to help communicate your top qualities. There are too many profile photos that discredit because they tell a story that shouldn’t be told. Build Your ReferencesReach out to former and current co-workers, clients, vendors, and encourage them to endorse you and write a reference for you. When you ask, be specific about what you want to communicate. You can tactfully say something like, “remember project X that we worked on together? Would you be open to posting a reference on Linkedin on my profile about working with me on that project?”These are little things that can make the difference in getting noticed and lead to your dream job. After you update your profile, connect to us and we’ll help you find the job for you.

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It's A New Year for Small Biz Owners - 4 tips to Refresh Your Linkedin

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