LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies, 2nd Edition

LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies, 2nd Edition

by Donna Serdula
Released April 2020
Publisher(s): For Dummies
ISBN: 9781119651420

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Book description

Give your LinkedIn profile the makeover it deserves—and get the attention you deserve 

Look at your profile: you know it could be a little better. Too many LinkedIn users are just posting a basic resume and hoping for the offers to come flooding in, missing out on the incredible opportunity the platform offers to properly showcase their talents, products, and services to 610 million professionals in over 200 countries. LinkedIn is way more than a resume tool—to display your professional past and present—it’s also your career future and personal brand. Used to its fullest extent, it helps you demonstrate the unique value and culture you provide, the skills and aspirations that make you different, to get the outcomes you truly want. But how’s it done?

Profile branding expert Donna Serdula pioneered the concept of LinkedIn Profile Optimization and through her Website, LinkedIn-Makever.com, has helped over 5000 professionals use LinkedIn to achieve increased success. In this guide she applies that experience to help you use all of LinkedIn’s capabilities to meet your goals, whether they be job search, reputation management, or sales—including how to:

  • Create a memorable, successful profile
  • Optimize personal keywords
  • Showcase your experience, accomplishments, and unique value
  • Use LinkedIn features to grow your network and more

You never get a second chance to make a first impression—and people are Googling you right now: Get a fresh online look and get results!  

 

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Introduction
    1. About This Book
    2. Foolish Assumptions
    3. How This Book Is Organized
    4. Icons Used in This Book
    5. Beyond the Book
  3. Part 1: The Strategy Before the Siege
    1. Chapter 1: Determining Your LinkedIn Strategy
      1. Determining Your LinkedIn Goal
      2. Figuring Out Your Target Audience
      3. Creating a Compelling Tone
      4. Using the Different Versions of LinkedIn
    2. Chapter 2: Getting Found on LinkedIn
      1. Using LinkedIn as a Search Engine
      2. Ensuring a Compelling and Attractive Search Result
      3. Understanding the Importance of Keywords
      4. Using Online Keyword Tools
      5. Ranking Higher with Profile SEO
      6. Building Off Profile SEO
    3. Chapter 3: Understanding Endorsements and Recommendations
      1. Showcasing Your Skills
      2. Showing Recruiters What You Know
      3. Obtaining Endorsements
      4. The Importance of Recommendations
  4. Part 2: Getting Your LinkedIn Profile Started
    1. Chapter 4: Optimizing the “Behind the Scenes” Sections
      1. Managing Profile Changes
      2. Turning On Your Public Profile
      3. Creating a Personalized URL
      4. Scanning Your LinkedIn QR Code
      5. Improving Your Profile’s Strength
      6. Expanding Your Network
    2. Chapter 5: Establishing Your Calling Card
      1. Using the Name Field Correctly
      2. Filling Out Location and Industry
      3. Including Your Contact Information
    3. Chapter 6: Impressing with the Right Profile Picture
      1. Why You Need a Profile Picture
      2. Determining If You Need a New Profile Picture
      3. Using a Photo Already Taken
      4. Working with a Photographer
      5. Taking Your Own Profile Picture
      6. Choosing and Uploading Your Profile Picture
    4. Chapter 7: Developing a Compelling Headline
      1. Grabbing Your Reader’s Attention
      2. Adding Flair to Your Headline
      3. Saturating Your Headline with Keywords
      4. Creating a Benefit Statement Headline
      5. Adding Your New and Improved Headline to LinkedIn
    5. Chapter 8: Reinforcing Your Brand with a Background Photo
      1. Finding the Right Image to Showcase Your Brand
      2. Working with a Professional Graphic Designer
      3. Using Online Graphic Tools to Create an Image
      4. Adding a Background Image to Your Profile
    6. Chapter 9: Showing You Are Open for Business or Job Opportunities
      1. Showing You Are Open for Business
      2. Showing You Are Open to Job Opportunities
  5. Part 3: Detailing Your Career Trajectory and Creating the Ultimate First Impression
    1. Chapter 10: Getting Your Experiences Ready
      1. Referencing Your Resume
      2. Determining Which Experiences to Keep and Which to Merge
      3. Creating a Work History for Recent Graduates
      4. Dealing with Employment Gaps
    2. Chapter 11: Creating a Powerful Experience
      1. Adding a New Experience
      2. Creating a LinkedIn Page
      3. Less Is More — Stop Disqualifying Yourself
      4. Editing an Existing Experience
      5. Reordering Concurrent Experiences
      6. Removing an Experience
      7. Examples of Great Experiences
      8. Adding Multimedia to Make Your Profile POP!
    3. Chapter 12: Writing a Compelling About Section
      1. Editing Your LinkedIn About Section
      2. Writing in First Person
      3. Avoiding Resume Speak
      4. Revisiting Your LinkedIn Goals and Target Audience
      5. Catching Your Reader’s Attention
      6. Creating Your Professional Manifesto
      7. Formatting a Sleek LinkedIn About Section
      8. Examples of Compelling and Engaging About Sections
  6. Part 4: Rounding Out Your Profile and the Final Reveal
    1. Chapter 13: There’s More to You than Your Jobs
      1. Adding Your Education, or Lack Thereof
      2. Listing Licenses and Certifications
      3. Adding Volunteer Experiences
      4. Citing Your Accomplishments
      5. Creating a Profile in Another Language
    2. Chapter 14: Following Groups, Companies, and Influencers
      1. Understanding the Importance of Groups
      2. Cultivating Your Following Section
      3. Showcasing Influencers on Your Profile
      4. Following Schools
    3. Chapter 15: Publishing on LinkedIn
      1. Showcasing Yourself as a Thought Leader
      2. Keeping up with Articles and Activity
      3. Understanding the LinkedIn Feed
      4. Looking at the Difference between a Post and an Article
      5. What Happens After You Publish?
      6. Marketing Your Blog Post
    4. Chapter 16: Unveiling and Marketing Your Powerful Profile
      1. Viewing Your Profile from the Mobile App
      2. Viewing Your Profile as an Outsider
      3. Getting Google to Index Your Profile
      4. Your LinkedIn Profile Checklist
      5. Benchmarking Your Profile’s Success
      6. Marketing Your Profile
      7. To Pay or Not Pay for LinkedIn
  7. Part 5: The Part of Tens
    1. Chapter 17: Ten Profile Do’s and Don’ts
      1. Do Use a Professional Profile Picture
      2. Don’t Use LinkedIn’s Default Headline
      3. Do Use Eye-Catching Symbols Sparingly
      4. Do Include Your Contact Information
      5. Do Add Media Samples
      6. Don’t Stuff Keywords
      7. Don’t Go Back 30 Years
      8. Do Get Recommendations
      9. Do Tell a Story
      10. Do Download Your Data
    2. Chapter 18: Ten Tips for a Perfect Profile Picture
      1. Hire a Professional Photographer
      2. Use Lots of Light
      3. Use a Nondescript Background
      4. Dress to Impress
      5. Adjust Yourself
      6. Keep the Camera Close to Eye Level
      7. Say No to the Mug Shot
      8. Crinkle, Smile, and Jut
      9. Use Photoshop Lightly
      10. Crop Your Image
    3. Chapter 19: Ten Tips to Expand Your Network
      1. Import Your Address Book
      2. Import a Contact List
      3. Let LinkedIn Help You Connect
      4. Join One Hundred Groups
      5. Start a LinkedIn Group
      6. Make Connecting a Process
      7. Link to Your Profile
      8. Brand Yourself a LION or Just Connect to Them
      9. Don’t Join Open Networking Lists and Groups
      10. Use an App
    4. Chapter 20: Ten Tips to Leverage LinkedIn
      1. A-B-C … Always Be Connecting
      2. Connect and Stay in Touch
      3. Gather Business Intelligence
      4. Get the News
      5. Get Social Proof and Credibility
      6. Get Past the Gatekeeper
      7. Rub Elbows in Groups
      8. Find Assistance
      9. Showcase Thought Leadership
      10. Network in Your Pajamas
    5. Chapter 21: Ten LinkedIn Profile Resources
      1. Get Inspired and Excited
      2. LinkedIn Headline Generator
      3. Virtual Phone Numbers
      4. Say No to AOL and Hotmail Addresses
      5. Symbol Variations
      6. Stop the Typos
      7. SlideShare
      8. Photographer Directory
      9. Background Image Libraries
      10. Online Image Apps
    6. Chapter 22: Ten Ways to Get Noticed by Recruiters on LinkedIn
      1. Make It Easy to Connect the Dots Quickly
      2. Exhibit Personality and Show a Cultural Fit
      3. Turn On Open to Job Opportunities
      4. Say Cheese
      5. Provide Your Contact Information
      6. Connect to Them
      7. Comment on Their Posts
      8. Post, Comment, and Hashtag
      9. Keep Your Profile Up to Date and Fresh
      10. Invest in Your Future
  8. Index
  9. About the Author
  10. Advertisement Page
  11. Connect with Dummies
  12. End User License Agreement

Product information

  • Title: LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Donna Serdula
  • Release date: April 2020
  • Publisher(s): For Dummies
  • ISBN: 9781119651420