It's been around since 2003, but I didn't join until 2012, kind of around the time when it was gaining a fair bit of hype online. 'Get Linkedin or Get Left Out' they said, so I was like O.K.
I'll admit straight off the bat that I'm not the most media savvy person the world has ever seen. I recently experienced something of an online identity crisis and tried to join Tumblr, only to realise that a) I don't know what it is b) I don't know what it's supposed to be used for and c) I've far surpassed the age demographic of the majority of the site's users.
Needless to say, whilst Linkedin was clearly always going to be of more use to me than Tumblr, I always ended up neglecting my profile because I didn't really feel like I knew what I was doing.
On Monday Newcastle University held an interactive workshop in collaboration with the London Alumni Branch to help students get to grips with Linkedin. At the 'LinkedIn Lab' we were given the chance to ask a 'Lab Doctor' questions about our profiles and how to improve them. They also offered a professional photography service for those looking to gain a more professional looking profile picture. I bottled out of this because I hate getting my photo taken (as if the cat face thumbnail doesn't make this obvious) but I wish I hadn't. Talks were also given by London Alumni Branch chairman Sam Waterfall and Linkedin 'guru' Charles Hardy.
Since starting this blog and using twitter for more academic and professional purposes, the benefits of social networking platforms for sharing ideas and networking with other students and academics have become more obvious. Hence, progression into Linkedin made sense. Anyway, as I found this session so useful, I thought I'd share with you some of the top tips I took away from the Linkedin Lab.
1.Ensure your 'headline' is attention grabbing and precise. Writing 'student at whatever university' is too vague, and won't help you to stand out. Think keywords and include searchable terms to increase your visibility.
2. Your 'summary' in Charles Hardy's words, is your 'elevator pitch'. There's a 2000 character allowance and he recommends you use it to tell your professional story. Note the word 'story' here. Go first person narrative all the way.
3. Complete your profile. Users with 100% completed profiles are 40 times more likely to gain opportunities through Linkedin.
4.Giver's gain. That's what they told us. Endorse your contact's skills and write recommendations for them. They should return the favour, helping you to increase your professional kudos.
5. If your curious about what your professional profile picture says about you, try getting it rated by others at PhotoFeeler but be warned, this is not the place for those whose egos bruise easily!
6. Not looking for job opportunities right now? Doesn't matter. Start now, be future focused and build your professional network whilst you study. When the time comes to look for jobs, you'll already be well connected.
My profile is still 'under construction' as I continue to learn more about how to improve it, but if you would like to view my profile, follow this link!
Kath
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