One of the first groups that really wrapped their arms around LinkedIn was the HR crew, and specifically the recruiters. On LinkedIn, where everyone is posting what amounts to their resume on their profile, it's like being a kid in a candy store. If you are looking for candidates, LinkedIn is the place to find them. I've gotten to work with professionals from all fields, industries, and departments on how to maximize their LinkedIn presence. That includes a lot of HR folks. I've even run a booth at LinkedIn's TalentConnect conference to work one-on-one with recruiters on refining their profiles. So I've seen a lot of … [Read more...]
The First Person vs the Third Person LinkedIn Profile
Because social media and LinkedIn are so new, we're still developing some basic standards on how to write our profiles. One question that has come up frequently in my years as a LinkedIn trainer is about the perspective that should be used when writing the profile. Should you use the first-person or the third-person when crafting your message? Should you use "I, me, and my" or should you use your name? This is especially important in the Summary and Experiences sections, which are open fields where you can communicate directly with your reader. Use First Person Language In the beginning, I would have said that either direction is … [Read more...]
On LinkedIn, Show and Tell Should Be: Show, Don’t Tell
LinkedIn profiles are really cool. Think about it; you get to have a website that it as all about you. It highlights your experiences, your skills, your education... your story. But most of us aren't that experienced in telling (and writing) our story. So we get flustered when we are putting together our profile. One of the most common traps people fall into when writing their LinkedIn profile is that they approach it just like they were writing a resume. This has a lot of negative effects, but one of the biggest mistakes is that people fall back on using resume-speak: the jargon and empty phrases that are used when putting together a … [Read more...]