LinkedIn: These Tips Will Keep Your Profile Working for You 24/7!

Career Blog

Published: May 22, 2019 by Greta Snyder

Congratulations to all SJSU iSchool students, staff and faculty on a fantastic semester! I remember the thrill of approaching summer break in Undergrad; the stress in the air, some of us studying frantically while enviously watching those students who had already completed finals drive off into the sunset blasting Tom Petty’s “Free Falling” out of their rolled-down windows. Online learning can sometimes dull the impact of all your hard work and perseverance. Please take a second right now to give yourself a celebratory pat on the back, a chance to take a deep breath, and dedicate a few hours to reflect on your learning and how you can share all of your accomplishments with the world!

Next? Use LinkedIn to stay connected and professionally “present and visible” so you can get away this summer! If you put in the time now, then you can escape into a book or the great outdoors, while your profile is diligently working to expand your presence in the LIS community.

In my last posts, I covered the SJSU iSchool career workshop on LinkedIn hosted by the unparalleled Jill Klees, the SJSU iSchool Career Consultant. In this post I will share some of my experience updating my profile and additional helpful advice and insights based on the most crucial strategies Jill shared.

Key Words to Unlocking New Experiences

Jill made the genius suggestion of looking at job descriptions that interest you for key words to use in your experience section. I found a super helpful article from The Muse, an excellent online resource featuring worthwhile job search and career advice articles, that suggests a helpful way to identify these key words: use a free online word cloud tool (such as Wordle or WordCloud) to visualize which words are most emphasized and frequently used in job postings that interest you.

Be Descriptive

Tell a story, share what you are passionate about! As this insightful article from Forbes points out, “your profile is not a resume or CV. Write as if you are having a conversation with someone. Inject your personality. Let people know your values and passions.” Why not put in the time to make your profile as awesome and unique as you are? Here are some useful suggestions for how to approach writing your summary with focus, purpose and voice.

Share Accomplishments

As Jill emphasizes, your profile should focus on accomplishments and not just list your job positions. Recruiters and others in the field want to know why you stand out! Do the hard work for them and create a highlight reel.

Here are some top pointers from how to turn your job duties into accomplishments:

  • Make a list:  start by compiling a list of what sets you apart.
  • Use numbers: quantify accomplishments to make them clear.
  • List the benefit:  make what you can bring to an organization more tangible.

Create Links

Something I have been thinking about a lot lately for assignments or projects is to remember to ask myself “how can I share this after the semester?” Once you get the momentum of what you are capable of going, you will impress yourself, and future employers, with your infinite adaptability.

Start really motivating yourself to think outward and forward, such as:

I would love to hear about any tools that you have found helpful; please comment below or email me!

You have to become way more intentional about how you can actively share your work and interests. Ask yourself what tools do other students use that impress you, what could you do to position yourself and your work as exciting and accessible? We all live in a hash-tagged, linked-to, technically innovative and constantly creative world so focus on what you value and how you can share your insights and passions using these adaptable online tools.

Become an Author

To end on a great suggestion from The 31 Best LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Seekers:  become an author. This will give you a chance to share your voice and perspective about what’s happening in the field while also showing off your prowess for content production and writing. Ultimately blogging and posting is a great way to get noticed and demonstrate consistency and follow-through.

Find out more about LinkedIn’s own publishing platform and while you’re at it, consider this summer as a great time to start your own blog or add a bunch of content to your current one!

Showcase Your Excitement

Make sure your LinkedIn profile shows off your passion, enthusiasm and interest in learning and connecting. By using posts to announce what you are excited about, to share news of interest to the LIS field, or to thoughtfully (and appreciatively) comment on posts from leaders and industry innovators, you can demonstrate your awareness of, commitment to, and unique voice within the profession.

Read More

In a previous post I highlighted SJSU iSchool Student Danielle Dantema who attended an SJSU SAAC event at The Huntington. Danielle’s article on the event is now published! Read it here.

Next week I will focus on diverse ways to keep learning this summer and how to nail your LinkedIn headline and more about joining groups.

Thanks to Jill for motivating me to update my profile; watch her workshops on LinkedIn:

Upcoming Career Development Opportunities

Jobs in Handshake (requires login to Handshake)

Interviewing 101

Why are they asking those weird questions? (Seriously, who really know what kind of tree they’d be?) Consider this a variation of increasingly popular behavioral interviews – and find out how to handle them here.

Comments

Post new comment