In this ever expanding era of social media squashing all
ideas of anonymity, it is hard to keep a professional image. Yet we all have figured it out at this point,
either have a clean social media account you can be proud of, abstain from the
platforms all together, or use a pseudonym or alter ego. However, there are some social media platforms
that are solely for professional
networking purposes. This, of course, means LinkedIn.
For those of you that do not know, LinkedIn is like Facebook and your resume colliding. In creating a profile, you display all of your accomplishments, past work experiences, interests and skills, just like would be found on your resume. The social media part of this equation is that you add a picture and then ‘add’ other people you know to your ‘network’. The more connections you have, the more people can see your profile and can contact you with potential job opportunities. That being said, you should want your absolute best foot forward on this site, because you never know who is watching with possible prospects.
For those of you that do not know, LinkedIn is like Facebook and your resume colliding. In creating a profile, you display all of your accomplishments, past work experiences, interests and skills, just like would be found on your resume. The social media part of this equation is that you add a picture and then ‘add’ other people you know to your ‘network’. The more connections you have, the more people can see your profile and can contact you with potential job opportunities. That being said, you should want your absolute best foot forward on this site, because you never know who is watching with possible prospects.
My LinkedIn profile has a picture of me, my job history, my
education history, my interests, references and a link to my blog [for writing
samples]. The picture of me is from a
personal dinner I went to, but it is still appropriate, and all information
listed on my profile is appropriate, accurate, and up-to-date. I solely use my LinkedIn to network, and keep
my resume relevant. This is a tool to
sell yourself to potential employers; you want to market yourself as best as
possible.
While casually searching the ‘people you may know’ tool, I
noticed a lot of people are not quite sure how LinkedIn works . . . or how the ‘real world’ works, for that matter. This being the case, I felt it was my civic
duty to educate the masses a little bit and write this blog.
In terms of uploading a picture, you should absolutely
upload one. As all jobs do not deal
with clients directly face to face, but over the phone, it is nice to be able
to put a face to the name/voice.
However, make sure the picture is appropriate. If you would not want your boss to see the
drunken pictures from you and your ‘Frat Bros’ trip to Vegas, do not put them
as your picture. This is not Facebook,
you can only upload one picture, and
it is your one and only attempt to make a first impression. That being said, you want the picture to be
of YOU, not you and someone else. The
picture should also not be so cropped and distorted you are indistinguishable,
or there are other people’s body parts in the picture. It takes 5 minutes, put on a clean shirt,
stand alone and take a picture for LinkedIn.
The exception to this rule is that you can take a picture of you doing
something in your field. For example, if
you’re a teacher, maybe your picture would be you in front of your class. But mainly, just stick to a regular headshot;
and if you must do a selfie[1],
please do not take one in a mirror. You
are not a child [I hope].
Try to keep your profile up-to-date. If there are volunteer opportunities you’ve
been working on, find somewhere to add it.
If you studied abroad several times, add those schools and programs
under education. All work/professional
experiences you have accumulated should be listed on your profile/Resume because that will give people a well-rounded
picture of who you are and hopefully open more opportunities. While you may have done some side projects or
volunteer efforts that were not relevant to your current job, a potential
future employer may see this as an asset.
Keep your resume and your profile as recent as possible; you never know
who you may impress.
While you may be very happy at your current job, I know I
am, LinkedIn is still a good source to have.
It is not just for potential new employers, but with making new
connections you could pick up new possible vendors or clients. In this day and age, social media is a very
powerful tool and it is everywhere. Although
there is no reason to air all of your dirty laundry on the internet, it
is also not a good idea to completely abstain from it; use it to your
advantage. If you do not want to meet a
new employer, perhaps you can bring in a new client for your company or at the
very least make some new connections to help others. Even if you just use this forum to keep
people current with your professional whereabouts, it is a good thing to be a
part of.
I mean really, isn't it the rule of thumb nowadays that if
you do not have a social media thumbprint, you do not exist at all? Do not fear technology, my dear
professionals; embrace it. Just remember, once you put something on the
internet, it is eternal. So be wise,
because with great power comes great responsibility.
Good luck out there!
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