1) Creating a LinkedIn profile is free and only takes a little time. 2) When creating your profile, select your industry, current and previous positions and employers from drop-down lists, and provide accurate dates. 3) Fill out your educational background and skills to maximize your profile completion for better searchability. Then personalize connection invitations for your network.

1. No LinkedIn profile? No problem.
If you do not have a LinkedIn profile it only takes a little time to create one. There is no
cost to create a basic account. And we went through the exercise of creating one with
your colleague Martin Couture (NBAD – Quebec) on Thursday, May 3, 2012.
Go to LinkedIn by entering https://www.linkedin.com
Note : Always use https:// when accessing Linkedin on your desktop, laptop, iPad
and/or mobile device as it is more secure – which is critical when working for a
financial institution.
Complete the fields on the Join LinkedIn Today. This link on the LinkedIn Learning
Center for new user is also helpful : http://learn.linkedin.com/new-users/
1. Once you enter your name please enter you industry of preference from the drop-down
box.

2. 2. Enter your current title/position at National Bank and when you start typing where you
work a drop down list of options will appear. Please select the correct company name
(i.e. National Bank of Canada)
3. Enter your current title/position at National Bank

3. 4. Enter the month and year you started your current position.
5. Enter other positions you previously held with the correct position title and company
name selected from the drop-down list.

4. 6. Enter the start and end dates (month and year) for your previous positions.
7. Select the correct company name from the drop down list. This is important versus
typing in the name yourself. If the company name does not appear in the drop down list
then please enter it yourself.

5. 8. Enter the start and end dates with your previous positions.
9. Enter your educational accomplishments (Masters, Undergraduate) at a College or
University level. Unless you went to a private elite high school (UCC, LCC, Eton) that is
known internationally and has an alumni network – leave that out of your profile.

6. 10. Enter the official degree/diploma that you received and the major if applicable
11. Enter when you started and completed your education at that institution.

7. 12. Enter other educational institutions where you studied (where applicable)
13. Enter the degree/diploma from those insitutions.

8. 14. Enter the years of start and completion. (Always be honest and accurate in the dates
that you provide.)
15. Take a look at how your competitors have created their profiles. Do some research
and leverage their best ideas and concepts. Click on the Company tab at the top of the
page and search accordingly.

10. 16. Enter your skills/expertise in terms of keywords that relate to your industry and what
your target clients would type if looking for you. You can enter up to 50 of them.

11. 17. Enter the languages that you speak. You can edit this module to specific your degree
of proficiency.
18. Always keep an eye on the completion bar for your profile as you should strive for
100%. Anything less is unacceptable and impacts your ability to be found by clients on
LinkedIn and through search engine such as Google.

12. 19. Go into your settings (click on your name at the top right of the page) and ensure you
have made your profile fully accessible via the search engines. Why? Because this
makes it easier for potential clients to find you. This means more money.
20. Click on ‘Profile’ at the top of the page and select ‘Edit Profile’. Select how you
wish to be contacted and your contact preferences. It’s a good idea to deselect some.

13. 21. Deselecting ones like « Career Opportunities » and « Job Inquiries » unless your
function involves a high degree of Human Resources and/or Staffing work.
22. Click on edit profile and select three websites to link to your profiles but use the
« Other » option in the drop-down menu. DO NOT USE THE DEFAULT OPTIONS
FOR COMPANY WEBSITE or BLOG. Then enter the actual name for that website
and correct link. Therefore : Other – National Bank of Canada - http://www.nbc.ca/

14. 23. Enter your interests (leave out any content related to sex, religion, politics) and other
groups/associations and relevant awards that interest your target audience.
24. Once your profile is complete and you have added a professional photo (such as the
one from the Halifax Conference) – you can start adding connections.

15. 25. Send personalized invites (do not send default ones) to your connections in your
network. NOTE : The LinkedIn app for iPhone and iPad does NOT allow you to
personalize invites to connections and only sends the default invite.
26. You will also be prompted to connect with others in your network. Do not click
connect as it will send the default invite. Click on their name and then click on the
connect tab in their profile so you can send a personalized invitation.
Created : May 9, 2012 (S.Ahmed, M. Couture, F. Robert)