LinkedIn101Tips - Tip #2 Profile Details

LinkedIn101Tips - Tip #2 Profile Details

What should you include in your profile details on LinkedIn? Less than you think.

Your LinkedIn profile should basically resemble your resume. However - you need to consider a limited approach here. Your profile is used for 2 things. It tells others who you are and what you do (have done). And, it IS your resume. Remember the old rule that a resume should be limited to one page? Same idea here...keep it short enough that someone wants to keep reading.

1. Headline - have one! Make an eye catching headline that tells people what you do, why you are here, or what your goal is on LinkedIn. You can also use the open networking feature for your photo. There's no need to put no bitcoin, not dating, etc... Let's face it - there's a million things you could list that you aren't here for. Just scroll past, delete, and remember that you are going to get unwanted connections, messages, etc - it's just a fact.
2. List the companies you worked for and your title. If you held multiple positions there you can list them out by time period. But be careful of the next tip here for identifying your previous employment.
3. Time. List the years you worked for a previous employer - including for different positions at one company. BUT. And I stress this - if you have a resume filled with 4 months here, 6 months there, etc. DON'T list that. It is an immediate red flag. Sometimes - it's ok to NOT list a position/job that didn't last long. In that case - perhaps just listing your full time at a specific employer is a better idea.
4. Consider omitting part-time jobs or even ones that only lasted a short time. It can be alarming for hiring managers to see that you've had 10 jobs in the past 5 years or switched job titles 5 times in the past 2 years at one company. Remember, listing your jobs doesn't come with context when in a list format.
5. You do not need to include EVERY last detail of what you did at each job. This is particularly true when it comes to general duties that EVERYONE does at work - ie; answer phones, emails, etc. Don't list miniscule tasks that have nothing to do with the scope of your job. In fact - you really don't need to list any. Your title should be telling of what role you had.

Your profile here is what people know about you - outside of actually messaging and having interaction. So don't limit it to work. Do you volunteer? Are you a member of any organizations? Do you coach youth sports? Are you licensed at anything in particular? Have you won any awards? Add the details of anything outside of work that you do to show a broader picture of you. But keep it relevant to a professional/adult level. While I'm sure your parents are proud that you won the junior high school talent show - it's probably irrelevant at this point.

The things that you do OUTSIDE of work can be great networking topics on LinkedIn. There are a lot of charitable pages, craft/hobby pages, youth sports organizations, etc. Don't forget to join those pages and connect with people that may be outside of your professional industry. You can often make great connections, find clients/vendors to work with, etc when networking with people that share your same personal interests!

6. My last tip. Do not use your profile space to write personal thoughts, complaints, etc. I see many profiles where the individual has a paragraph about how unhappy they are at work or why they think they cannot find a job - do you really think potential employers want to see that? If you remark about that from a current/past employer you will likely do it to a future one. Leave out your personal grievances about anything - bitcoin, work, dating, etc. Keep your profile to the point and POSITIVE.