10 STEPS TO CREATING A PROFESSIONAL ONLINE PROFILE AND BRAND
If you are
looking for a job, a career change or simply to network with people in your
domain of expertise, an effective professional online identity is becoming a
necessity in today's connected world.
Linkedin is a social networking site for professionals.
With 500 million users in 200 countries (figures April 2017), LinkedIn is a good platform to put your
profile, whether you are an active or passive jobseeker.
10 BEGINEER STEPS TO CREATING A LINKEDIN PROFILE
From the page www.linkedin.com,
you will be asked to sign in. If you are not a member, you will find the option
“Join Now”. Click on this and follow the instructions (it is a user-friendly
platform).
Have a relevant Headline for what you do/your expertise/industry.
Example: International Marketing Director Life Sciences.
Under your
Headline, make a summary of your experiences and skills. This should include
the skills and experiences you want to promote.
If you are
looking for a Marketing position, to increase your chances of coming up in searches, keywords found in your headline and throughout
the profile should be relevant to the position. Keywords such as strategic, tactical, budget planning responsibility, marketing
plans etc.
Fill in
your work experience with dates and a short summary of each role to include
where possible responsibilities and achievements. If you have a gap in your work
experience due to following your partner abroad, this can be filled, for example with “followed partner abroad on their expat assignment”. Add any relevant
professional information for this period such as studying, learning new languages, wrote
a book, voluntary work etc...
Don’t
forget to add company logos (if they exist in the Linkedin database) to your
experience.
Add your Education (remember to add, if they
exist, the educational institutions’ logos).
Fill in languages and levels of proficiency (even languages
where you have a basic knowledge).
Join Groups on Linkedin that are relevant to your
area of expertise and interests. This can enlarge your network and keep you up-to-date with what is happening in your domain.
Insert relevant media to promote your expertise.
Be active on Linkedin: This can be done by asking people
to join your network (if they don’t know you, take the time to write a personal
message explaining why you would like them to be part of your network). Also “like”
or "comment" on relevant posts from others and start writing your own articles.
Ask ex-colleagues, managers or clients to give you
recommendations and endorsements.
Give recommendations, endorsements and share content you liked
with others in your network.
By downloading the App to your smartphone, you will be reactive to contacts and messages, as well as being informed of posts and articles.
PROFESSIONAL BRAND
In Marketing
terminology, when promoting a brand or a service, we talk about the 4 P’s of
Marketing: Product, Price, Promotion, and Place. Branding oneself and one’s
career can be based on the same concept, to include some of these
components: promoting a professional profile/image, expertise and experience, as
well as considering the different channels and places to brand oneself.
Nowadays, as
with a product or a service, online has become a huge player in the promotion of
one’s professional profile and brand. However, like all branding tools, the image and
the content you wish to transmit, should be professional, carefully considered and
kept up to date.
CONCLUSION
On
professional sites, the more complete, relevant and clear your profile is, the
more likely you are to be viewed by potential employers and recruiters. Remember, though, that the quality of the
content is more important than the quantity. Keep the content professional and true to who
you are and what you can do. Also, be active in writing and sharing useful
insights in your domain. This will increase your visibility and consideration
as a professional in your domain.
If you
haven’t yet done so, now is the moment to take the time to start creating a quality
online profile and professional brand!
If your profile on Linkedin is done correctly, your professional brand will also, be up and running!
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