Social Media 101: Tactics and Tips to DevelopYour Business Online

Chapter 80. Write Your LinkedIn Profile for Your Future

I was speaking to one of the best upcoming tech bloggers^[254] the other day about LinkedIn, and how I view it. To me, LinkedIn isn't a place to dump a snapshot of where you've been. It's an opportunity to stay connected to people, to demonstrate where you are now and where you plan to go next. To that end, I have a little advice for you to consider applying to your own profile.

First Impressions

First, your headline matters. It's what people see when they accept your invitation, and it's probably the fastest first impression one receives. If you work for a company, put that name in the headline. When I don't see a company name, I wonder whether you're solo.

Your Summary

Here's where I think the most work can be done. When I look at my profile, I think it's a bit long, but I've done the following:

• Lead with what I do most.

• Lead with the type of business I want to do.

• Move into the reasons you'd like to do business with me.

• Move from there into all the nuances of what I do.

In every case within the summary, you should plan to write from the mind-set of the prospective employers (or clients), such that when they read it, they think, "I need to hire this person."

Tip: Refresh your summary every two weeks.

Your Work Experience

Here, I do something you might not expect. I make sure my past experience supports my current and future aspirations. I write the past work experience summary to highlight those functions I performed that will be useful ...