Choose Wisely
Much of the advice given to job seekers on LinkedIn is designed to help recruiters size you up. This is only one goal of a LinkedIn profile if you’re looking for work. I’ll outline two kinds of LinkedIn profiles that are very different in their focus and approach. Choose the right one for your situation.
Two Kinds of Job Search
There are two primary ways to position your profile on LinkedIn:
- The History-oriented Profile: A profile complete with your detailed job history
- The Value-oriented Profile: A profile that doesn’t give recruiters a reason to overlook you
The History-oriented profile will include a complete and detailed job history like that you would find on a resume. This profile provides recruiters with a wealth of information on what you have done allowing them to infer your value to their company. These profiles are keyword rich and will help recruiters and employers find you when they are trolling LinkedIn to find employees.
The problem is that an effective resume should be customized for each position to which you apply. You can’t do this if you’ve put it all out on LinkedIn. Any fleas in your employment history are there for skeptical recruiter eyes. Gaps in your employment history and short periods of employment are highlighted. Sure you can try to explain these away, but that is what you should do in the interview, not on the resume, which is what this kind of profile is. Furthermore, the titles you held may not accurately reflect the role you played at the companies for which you worked.
If your work history is a sparkling testimony to your steady success, and points directly to the thing you want to do next, this is the profile to choose.
The Value-oriented profile de-emphasizes your history and seeks to emphasize your value to a potential employer. Rather than providing a complete work history, it tells a story of what you do well and uses selected work history to support your statements.
Value-oriented profiles acknowledge that the resume is an imperfect job search tool. In your Experience section, only list positions most relevant to your job search goals. Past jobs are relevant if:
- You had the same title and duties as your ideal future position
- You performed extraordinarily and can tell that story
- You worked for a company that is respected in the industry you want to work
- You learned a rare and valuable skill during that period of employment and can tell that story
Leave anything that raises questions off. Unfortunately, almost anything can raise a question with your readers. Provide only the company name, the dates employed, and your story. Save specific accomplishments and explanations for the resume and interview.
A value-oriented profile uses the Summary to it’s fullest extent. Tell the story of what you do for companies. Emphasize your value. No need to make excuses for issues in your work history. Be clear about your availability. Almost anything goes here. You can list companies, titles that you would LIKE to have, keywords (very important) and any relevant honors you have received.
Think of your Summary as an article about you entitled “Breaking News: I am available.” Refine this summary frequently. Make it interesting and engaging. Consider having a professional article writer edit and revise it for you.
With this approach, and a comprehensive list of keywords in the Specialties section, you will be attracting readers to you, but they’ll have to ask for the interview to get more information on your work history.
And isn’t that what we want: people contacting us about our qualifications?
Get the basics right
Once you’ve chosen the right profile for you, please do the things that will bolster your personal brand. on LinkedIn and make your job search more successful.
Photo courtesy http://www.sxc.hu/profile/bodysoulsp
