Today, in my PR tactics class, Katie Felten (@katiefelten) with MKELive came to speak to us about the power of LinkedIn. Because of a class assignment, I've had a LinkedIn account for about a year now, but never knew to the extent of how to fully use it. I'm not really sure how to include all of my notes into paragraph form so instead, I am going to bullet the notes I took. Hope you enjoy and gain as much insight about LinkedIn as I did. (:
- Top 3 things that is crucial on LinkedIn
- Make sure the picture you are displaying is a head shot and is professional looking
- Make your title bar is interesting and tells about who you are, not just have it list your current position
- Make your summary about yourself POP
- Keep the same display picture in all business related social media sites - that way professionals can associate you and find you easily (Facebook is not included)
- Post updates! Keep updates (or statuses) on LinkedIn professional and business related - example: Looking for an internship with a nonprofit org. for spring semester!
- On your profile, there is a section where you can display other websites that you are related to or connected with - put links on them to blog, volunteer pages, etc. HOWEVER, change the link name to something other than mywebsitepage, myblog, etc.
- Get recommendations from previous employers when you can - great way to establish yourself and give credibility
- Join groups that are related to the industry you want to get into. Joining groups not only ups your connections, but also a great way to reach out and get yourself recognized
- Build up connections that you are passionate about - find people that have similar interests in you (yoga, Starbucks, social media, etc.)
- Join local groups like Big Shoes Network
- You don't need to be connected with someone to contact them - use the Introductions page (you get 5 free ones)
- Use LinkedIn's search bar - it is a great tool to use - USE IT!
- Have personality in whatever you do - make yourself stick out!(My favorite part of her advice)
- FINALLY, Schedule in at least 1 hour per week to work on LinkedIn.
I want to really thank Katie Felten again for this great advice and for coming to our campus (UW-Whitewater) and for speaking to my class!
Find Me (Amanda) on LinkedIn!: AmandaGabel
I love that you bulleted your points! It makes it super easy to read. Plus nice plug about wanting an internship with a nonprofit. (I like how you slide it in their under the radar, sneaky!) I agree she is the LinkedIn Queen, but no worries I am sure Knabe will have us up there in now time!
ReplyDeleteI feel like after reading your blog I was there with the speaker! I'm going to have to add Katie to get more tips on Linkedin! I've already learned it's a great tool for meeting new people in the professional world!
ReplyDeleteGood summary! I agree with Erin...very easy to read. Plus, I still like your fishies :) I was never too sure on how to fully use LinkedIn, but now I do! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.
ReplyDeleteHaha that little graphic is so awesome, and so true! I must say that I was one of those people that underestimated the power of it until this class. But I really liked the points you made and the format of this blog, it's very easy to follow. Like your information shows, Katie knows her stuff! And I'm glad I got to hear her speak this year.
ReplyDeleteWow! I think you covered everything. That is a long list. But they are all very good points. I liked your first paragraph because that was exactly how i felt about LinkedIn.
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job of covering everything that Katie had to say! I love how you created a list instead of just rambling in sentences, definitely broke up your blog! (Oh, and your graphic is too cute too!) I think the whole class learned some valuable information from Katie!
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