We've all experienced the online narcissist. The person who is constantly sharing what they are working on, where they are going, who they are going there with, and what they are eating when they get there. And we think, "I'm so glad that I'm not like them!" I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are. It's not always as extreme, but when I look at how professionals use digital platforms for business purposes, I find they do the exact same thing. Salespeople brag about how good they are at hitting quota and the features of what they sell. Executives have lists of their companies' accomplishments and their rise through the … [Read more...]
The Best Way to Destroy Your LinkedIn Likability
"Should I put my weekly Dungeons & Dragons group on my LinkedIn profile? That question came up in a workshop I was running for a sales team at a large business technology firm. We had been discussing the creation of an authentic personal brand online by bringing the human element into the LinkedIn profile. People want to connect with other people online, not brands or companies, so it makes sense to humanize yourself beyond just your resume bullet points. Look at Your Message from the Receiver's Perspective So the D&D question came up. After the chuckles from his co-workers subsided, I pondered his question. It was … [Read more...]
The 9 Words that Should Never Appear in Your LinkedIn Headline
Updated October 2021 I spend my days thinking, writing, and speaking about the intersection of business and relationships in the digital age. I focus a lot of my attention on social selling, the convergence of old school sales processes with powerful online tools. It's fun being in the midst of this change and evolution. People are experimenting with lots of new ideas and methodologies. Some are successful; some...not so much. We're all figuring it out together on the fly. Not Everything is Pretty on LinkedIn When you do this long enough, you see the good, the bad, and the downright ugly of social media. After seeing another … [Read more...]
Starting Your LinkedIn Profile with the Perfect Headline
Updated December 2018 How do you get people's online attention in a busy world? You might think that's a question that only applies to newspaper editors, content marketers, and bloggers. But it's actually important for all of us to consider...especially when it comes to our LinkedIn profiles. If you want to manage how your network views you, you have to make sure that they actually view you. Why Should You Worry About the Perfect Headline? An important step in this process is leading off with the right headline. Because whether it's a newspaper, a blog article, or your LinkedIn profile, the headline performs a few important … [Read more...]
The No-Sweat Guide to Writing Your LinkedIn Profile Summary (About Section)
Updated December 2018 Along with the Photo and Headline, the Profile Summary is the third of the three most important parts of the Profile. Because it holds a lot of power it also causes a lot of stress. It's a blank canvas of 2,000 characters and there are many different approaches you can take to communicate with your reader. That freedom, however, also means that there isn't a clearly defined process for creating a great Summary. Add to this the fact that many professionals are uncomfortable writing about themselves, and you have a situation where very little time is spent on the Summary This is unfortunate, because it's an … [Read more...]
How to Look Like a RockStar on LinkedIn
Updated December 2018 They say a picture is worth a thousand words. So what are the thousand words of your profile photo saying about you? More and more of our online interaction is becoming visually-based, and how you present yourself is a key component of your online presence. YouTube has over 100 hours of video uploaded every minute and one of the most popular social media sites with teenagers is Instagram. People like to "see" who they are interacting with. It has always been common for people to say, "I can't remember names but I can always remember a face." Because there is only one photo attached to your profile, it plays an … [Read more...]
How to Share Your Experience (and NOT your Resume) on LinkedIn
How do you talk about your past on LinkedIn? It's easy to look at the Experience and Education sections on your LinkedIn profile as the "resume" part of the profile. There's a slight problem, though. No one wants to read your resume. Even corporate recruiters and headhunters don't want to read a resume. But then how are you supposed to talk about your past work life? Your Profile Isn't Your Resume Much of this confusion stems from the fact that the LinkedIn Profile did start as a kind of online resume. In its early days, LinkedIn was a way for professionals in Silicon Valley to keep track of each other because it was an environment … [Read more...]