LinkedIn has become a vital resource for finding employment opportunities. Many companies and recruiters use LinkedIn to source and attract applicants for open positions in their organizations. Increasingly, employers are researching applicants on LinkedIn before deciding to interview or hire them. Even if you are not actively seeking new employment, LinkedIn can lead to new opportunities that you may have never considered. This presentation was originally created for the Special Libraries Association, North Carolina Chapter, and covers the following: • How to create a professional LinkedIn profile • How to use your profile to effectively network online and in person • How to “passively” job search and indicate openness to new opportunities

1. LEVERAGING LINKEDIN FOR
CAREER SUCCESS
Laura Fu
NCSLA
Wednesday, April 5, 2017

2. WHAT IS LINKEDIN?
• Largest professional networking site
available today
• Connects you with other professionals
and keeps you in contact with your
network
• For exchanging knowledge, ideas and
employment opportunities
• Professional way to promote your
personal brand online
• Comprised of personal network, jobs,
messaging interface, groups and
companies

3. PROFILE BASICS
1. Profile photo
2. Headline vs Job Title
3. Profile Summary
4. Contact and Personal Information
5. Media and Pulse
6. Experience, Education, Volunteering
7. Skills & Endorsements
8. Recommendations
9. Accomplishments
10. Groups and Companies

4. 1. PROFILE PHOTO
• Don’t leave the generic LinkedIn avatar
• Your photo makes you real, gives recruiters a face to the name
• Doesn’t need to be professional, but keep it clean
• Great way to be recognized at networking events
• No headshot? No problem! Have someone take a photo of you in front
of a plain background like a brick wall
• Don’t be afraid to show your personality

5. 2. HEADLINE VS JOB TITLE
• Your headline shows in search results
• Defaults to current job title and employer
• Be descriptive and use keywords to make yourself stand out
• People may not understand your job title or know your employer. Use terms they’ll
recognize.
• Recruiters are searching for skills, so use those
words in your headline
• Seeking work? Say so in your headline!

6. 3. PROFILE SUMMARY
• Describe yourself and what you contribute to an employer
• Briefly discuss your experience and accomplishments
• Include your email address here so non 1st degree contacts can contact you
• Posting your email here is a free way to let people contact you, but be mindful that
that means anyone!
• Use industry keywords to help recruiters
find your profile

7. 4. CONTACT AND PERSONAL INFO
• Add as much information as you’re willing to share
• This is visible to your 1st degree network only
• Add your social media to demonstrate your personal brand but
remember to be careful what you post on social media!
• Create a personal LinkedIn URL instead of default
• Adding a birthday will notify your connections to wish you a
happy birthday

8. 5. MEDIA AND PULSE
• Upload PowerPoints or videos. You may do so in
the summary or specific to a job
• Add YouTube links or Slideshares
• Great way to liven up your profile and show
examples of your work
• Pulse is free template-based blog
• Click “Write an Article” from your feed to begin
• Use editor to create your blog and check metrics

9. 6. EXPERIENCE, EDUCATION, VOLUNTEERING
• Add all your job and volunteer experiences and education
• Include PT, temp or jobs outside your field – it shows your
willingness to work and accounts for possible FT employment
gaps
• Link your employer or school so that coworkers and
classmates can find you
• Linking to a company/school page brings up the logo and
links you to others, increasing findability

10. 7. SKILLS & ENDORSEMENTS
• If you don’t have any yet, add some
skills that describe you. Then ask your
network to endorse you
• Opt to share new skills in your feed
with your network/followers
• Re-sort the order that skills display;
only top 3 show by default
• Endorse others so they’ll endorse you!

11. 8. RECOMMENDATIONS
- Only ask for recommendations from those
who can truly provide one
- Give recommendations! It’s a great way to
get one back
- To request or give a recommendation, click
the ellipses in your connection’s profile

12. 9. ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- List relevant courses, honors & awards,
professional organizations, certifications,
languages or publications
- Fill this out to show your personality and give
variety to your personal brand
- If you use Duolingo, post your fluency level
directly from app/website
- Include link to read publications

13. 10. GROUPS AND COMPANIES
• Follow companies or groups related to your
career or interests
• Their public posts will appear in your feed
• Company/Group/School pages list members
and alumni so you can search
• You can message people in a shared group,
even if they’re not a first degree connection!

14. “MY NETWORK”
• Your connections
• Pending invitations
• Suggestions (based on employers,
schools, mutual connections and
email)
• Always include a message when
requesting a connection
• Don’t Connect from here because
it doesn’t offer the option for a
message
• Only connect with people you
know. Follow people you don’t
know

15. CONNECT VS. FOLLOW
Connect
 For people you know; be selective!
 Allows them to see your contact
information
 Connections become 2nd degree to
your network
 Connections can endorse you
 Allows free InMail
Follow
 Allows people to see your public posts
 They cannot see your private posts
 They will not be 2nd degree to your
network
 You will get notification of new
followers; great way to get your name
out there

16. CONNECT

17. FOLLOW

18. TIPS AND TRICKS
1. Message a non-1st degree connection in Groups
2. Searching for people without knowing their name
3. Searching for profiles in Google
4. See a connection’s activity (posts, likes, shares, comments)
5. Allow others to see your name and headline after you view them
6. Messaging unsolicited connection requests
7. Exporting LinkedIn Data
 Exporting connections – Full CSV of your connections
 Download all your LinkedIn data – ZIP file of all data

19. 1. MESSAGE A NON-1ST DEGREE
CONNECTION IN GROUPS
 Send private message even if you’re not
a 1st degree
 Must be in a shared group
 Search or browse for name under
”Members”
 Click ”Message” to the right of their
name

20. 2. SEARCHING FOR PEOPLE WITHOUT
KNOWING THEIR NAME
 Find a hiring manager or employee by role
 Review employees with job title for which
you’re applying
 Find a company or school page
 View alumni or employees

21. 3. SEARCHING FOR PROFILES IN GOOGLE
 Search all of LinkedIn via Google
 Bypass LI’s search limit
 “site:www.linkedin.com [keywords]”
 Easier to manage and filter than LI’s search interface

22. 4. SEE A CONNECTION’S ACTIVITY
 “Articles and Activity” listed beneath
summary
 View someone’s shares, likes and articles
 Look up an old post or comment
 Similar to Twitter or Facebook profile
 Recruiters can look back at your activity

23. 5. PROFILE VIEWING OPTIONS
 Me > Settings & Privacy > Profile Viewing Options
 Allows people to see that you viewed their profile
 Gets your name out there; a hiring manager may
see you’re researching them!
 Turn off to remain anonymous
 Likewise, see who has viewed your profile

24. 6. MESSAGING UNSOLICITED
CONNECTION REQUESTS
 Received a connection request from someone you
don’t know, and there’s no message?
 Message them asking how they found you or how
you can help
 Opens a dialogue; maybe they were referred to
you
 If no response in a few weeks, you may ignore their
request
 My Network > Invitations > Manage All, Click
“Message”

25. 7. EXPORTING LINKEDIN DATA
 Download CSV of connections
 Download full Zip file of all LI data

26. READING AND RESOURCES
 21 Hidden LinkedIn Hacks Revealed
 The 22 Worst LinkedIn Sins
 Want Your LinkedIn Profile to Stand Out? Don't Include These 10
Overused Words
 23 Quick LinkedIn Tweaks to Make Your Profile Shine [Infographic]
 How to Craft the Perfect LinkedIn Profile: A Comprehensive Guide
 How to Use LinkedIn as an Intern
 LinkedIn Help Portal