Career Management Alliance Blog

You have a “brand” new resume that targets the job you want next, illuminates your brand and pivotal strengths, and clearly defines your value proposition. You’re ready to use it for the jobs that interest you. Why stop there? Put it to work in other ways, like powering your LinkedIn profile (or other online social/professional networking profiles).

Along with colleagues and friends searching LinkedIn to make connections, recruiters and hiring managers are scouring profiles for talent. Lots of people are checking out LinkedIn profiles for various purposes. Build a branded, value-driven profile that will instantly attract attention.

If you’re already Linked In, your existing profile may need re-tooling to align with your current job search and incorporate your personal brand and all the other great things in your new resume. Following the suggestions of Jason Alba in his book “I’m On LinkedIn, Now What???”, here are some ideas to boost your profile for greater impact.

Starting at the very top, pump up the contact section:

~ Brand Your Professional Headline (directly below your name)
This is probably the very first thing people will read about you. There are many ways to approach this, but be sure it’s eye-catching and powerful. Although you’re only allowed something like 120 characters, you can say a lot in that amount of space. Here’s an example of one I wrote for a C-level client:

Senior Global Operations Leader – Entrepreneurial Startups, Corporate Turnaround, and Change Management
 
~ Personalize your public profile URL (immediately above the “Summary” section). The default URL ends in an indistinct jumble of letters and numbers. Change that to your name. Revising it’s a cinch:

1. On the “Edit My Profile” page, next to your existing “Public Profile” URL, hit “edit”.
2. At the top of the page you’ll see “Your Public Profile URL”. Click the edit button next to it.
3. In the box, type in “yourname” and hit “set address”.

Your link will look like this: “http://www.linkedin.com/in/yourname”

Now you have a personalized link to pop into your job search communications. People will know just where the link leads them and can access compelling information about you with one click and without having to open attachments.

~ Down to the “Summary” section, working from a text version of your resume, you can copy and paste chunks of information into this and following appropriate sections of your LinkedIn profile. It’s really as simple as that.

Your resume starts with a hard-hitting profile section which hopefully includes a personal or leadership brand statement. This is how to lead the “Summary” section. Keep in mind that, like your resume, you want to immediately capture the attention of readers in this first section containing major content. There aren’t many options to enhance the formatting, but you can break up the chunks into shorter, brand-focused statements of value so that they clearly stand out. You can also use various characters right on your keyboard for bullet points, such as: *  ~  >  =  -  <>

If your resume profile has sub-headings (like “Key Areas of Expertise” or “Critical Contributions”), set them up similarly in the summary section of your LinkedIn profile.

~ Under the “Additional Information” section, highlight your commitment to community and interesting hobbies or past times. The companies you’re targeting are interested in your passions and want to see the whole picture. Chemistry and good fit are very important to companies these days. Slices of your personal pursuits can help reinforce whether you’ll fit their corporate culture.

~ Plug in appropriate information from your resume for the “Experience” and “Education” sections. Keep building on recommendations within each job you’ve held. Nothing supports your brand and value better than what others have to say about you.

Posted by Meg Guiseppi

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