To find out more about how to create a powerful job search profile, see Chapter 11.
FIGURE 1-1: A job search profile.
Reputation management and branding
It’s a Google world. At one time, if you needed to find out information, you headed to the library to search the encyclopedias and other reference materials. Now, all you need to do is pull up a web browser and perform an Internet search to get more information than you could ever read or use.
This easy access to information has some side effects. People are doing more research than ever before and they are researching you! Going to the doctor? Most people search the Internet for the doctor’s name to see the results that pop up in a search engine. Executives who find their names appearing in press releases or in magazine articles may find that views to their LinkedIn profiles skyrocket by readers wanting to know more about them.
Job candidates’ names are entered into search engines all the time by hiring managers looking to discover more than what is provided in the resume. Similarly, hiring managers’ names are searched by job candidates wanting to learn more about their potential new employer.
LinkedIn profiles rank high in search results. Not only is it usually the top result when a person searches for your name, but also it’s sometimes the only result, as most people don’t have a personal website. You create your LinkedIn profile. You choose what people learn about you. You have total control over how people perceive you. A reputation management profile is one that showcases your successes, honors, awards, and accomplishments, and leads people to see you as a credible, impressive professional.
Sales and prospecting
LinkedIn is more than just a job search tool. LinkedIn is a compendium of professional profiles with industry and contact information, which makes it a terrific prospecting tool for sales professionals. However, it’s not just for sales people looking for prospects. People use LinkedIn to search for service providers and consultants who can help them.
Most people prefer to do business with someone they know or someone with whom they share a connection. When searching LinkedIn for a service provider, you see how you are connected to that service provider through the degrees of connection. This ability to see shared connections provides a level of trust and comfort.
A sales and prospecting profile shines the spotlight on not just the salesperson, but also on that person’s products, services, and company he or she represents. Most important, the sales and prospecting profile focuses on prospective clients and their needs, and solidifies the salesperson as someone clients can feel confident in working with. See Figure 1-2 for an example.
FIGURE 1-2: A sales and prospecting profile.
Figuring Out Your Target Audience
Knowing your goal is only half the battle. Now it’s time to figure out your target audience. One of the most common mistakes people make with their LinkedIn profiles is using it to tell the story they want to tell. Instead, you need to use your profile to tell the story your audience wants to read. Write for your target audience first.
When you are looking for a job, your target audience is typically recruiters, hiring managers, and human resources professionals. In almost every case, they are armed with a job description. Recruiters want to know that you have the skill sets and experience required to fulfill the job. They also want to know that you are professional, respectful, and capable of doing the job. You want to make it clear in your profile that you are the perfect person for your desired position. After reading your profile, the recruiter should feel confident in your skills and abilities.
When you are on LinkedIn for sales and prospecting, your target audience is your client and prospective client. They are less interested in hearing about your sales expertise and more interested in knowing that you understand their industry and their needs, and can provide solutions to their issues. As you consider your target audience, think in terms of the solutions you offer them and provide them the information they need to feel confident with you as a potential partner.
The sales world has changed in the age of Google and social media. Buyers now educate themselves, researching products and services online. They even research the salesperson, wanting to make sure they are reaching out to someone they can feel comfortable working with. Knowing that you are under a magnifying glass, make sure you provide your target audience with the information they need to feel confident in you and your products or services.
When the goal of your LinkedIn profile is reputation management and branding, your target audience may not be as clear cut as it is with a job search or sale and prospecting. To figure out your audience, you need to determine the type of person you want to cater your profile toward. Is it the executive team and colleagues at your company? Audience members who watched you give a presentation? Readers of articles you wrote? Private equity investors? Once you pinpoint the type of person who you want to target, consider what that person needs to know to take that next step forward.
Do you want your target audience to connect with you on LinkedIn? Perhaps you want them to visit your website and download a white paper. You may want your target audience to email you to request your resume. Your target audience could pick up the phone and call you. Figure out what that next step is so you can build it into your profile as a clear call to action.
Creating a Compelling Tone
LinkedIn is a social network, and writing an impersonal profile filled with business jargon doesn’t mesh. Social networks are all about you interacting with your network. And because your network will check out your profile, it’s imperative that what they read is from your pen. You don’t want to push people away by creating distance between you and your reader.
A powerful LinkedIn profile is written in first person narrative form (“I”). Draw readers in by writing about yourself in the first person. Writing in a conversational, natural tone is a great way to connect with your audience and start forging an easy rapport.
As important as it is to write in first person, you also must be careful not to overuse “I.” There is nothing worse than a profile where every sentence starts with I. In my profile, I sometimes use the second person narrative form (“You”) because it brings your reader in even closer by speaking directly to them, and it eases the potential overuse of “I.”
Here is an example of stilted, hard-to-read resume speak:
Creating a clear strategy for leveraging resources to produce the maximum number of insights