Jazz Up Your Profile, and Make Smarter Connections on LinkedIn – August 2018

Brand Career Management Monthly Tip Sheet

Hello Everyone,I receive a lot of questions about making new connections on LinkedIn. Many people get stuck on what to say in their invitation, but personalizing your invitation can be the difference between someone accepting it or not. Don’t skip this step (and see the article below with some scripts for this)! There are other questions surrounding LinkedIn invitation etiquette and safety, so the resources in this issue will be focused on these topics.

 

The Tip of the Month offers a way to make your profile more visually interesting to potential connections. Having a strong profile will help someone decide if they want to connect with you. Making your profile more visually appealing could provide the incentive for the person to read more of your profile and possibly accept your invitation.

Be sure to personalize your next LinkedIn invitation, and have fun making new connections.

Warmest regards,
Paula

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LINKED IN – TIP OF THE MONTH

Jazz Up Your LinkedIn Profile with Symbols

While you can’t create a symbol within the LinkedIn system, you can cut and paste them into your profile. You might add icons to your Headline (under your name), your Summary, or in a description about a past or current job.

Symbols can be a great way to enhance your profile. They make yours stand out from other profiles (because most people don’t use them) and they add visual variety for the reader. It’s also helpful when you can tie a symbol to your industry, to reinforce the message about what you do.

Here are three posts to utilize for adding icons to your profile. Each one offers symbols that you can cut and paste into your profile.

USEFUL ARTICLES WITH LINKS

The posts below share advice and tips on connecting through LinkedIn. They cover sending and accepting invitations, along with tips on spotting LIONS and fake profiles.

When reaching out to grow your network, it’s important to personalize your invitation (especially if you have never met the person). What should you write? Aja Frost shares a great post in The Muse with templates to get you started.

On the other end, when receiving invitations from others, it’s a good idea to make a policy for yourself. You can make exceptions as needed, but having a guideline to follow saves time and energy. Leah Fessler from Quartz at Work has done the tough part for you. She shares a great flowchart to help you decide if you should accept a LinkedIn invitation.

It’s hard to talk about growing your network on LinkedIn without discussing LIONS (LinkedIn Open Networkers). Melonie Dodaro’s post on Top Dog Social Media explains why she doesn’t connect with LIONS and walks you through the facts about LIONS to help you decide what to do.

Finally, another post by Melonie on her blog, shares how to spot a fake LinkedIn profile. I think everyone would agree that this is not a major issue on LinkedIn, but it’s good to be aware of this and take necessary precautions. I’ve seen some questionable profiles and avoided them.

UPCOMING EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

I will be speaking at the Broadneck Branch of the Anne Arundel Public Library on Figuring Out Your Next Career Move on Monday, September 17 from 7 pm to 8:30 pm. After August 31st, you will be able to register for this free session by calling 410-222-1905.

The 3rd Edition of The Essential Guide to Career Certifications is an electronic publication featuring 50+ career industry credentials. Each entry includes the certification name and area of focus, a verified link to the training provider’s website, costs involved, program length, eligibility criteria and renewal requirements.

Purchase it online at TheEssentialGuidetoCareerCertifications.com and gain immediate access.

Paula Brand - MS, GCDF, CPRW, JCTC

Paula Brand – MS, GCDF, CPRW, JCTC, Global Career Coach & Consultant | LinkedIn Expert | Speaker, Trainer, Facilitator
As an experienced Career Counselor & Coach, my mission is to inspire you to manage your career by embracing LinkedIn! Reach your career goals faster by letting me show you how to use LinkedIn more effectively. By staying on top of the constant changes, I can save you time and make this process much easier.

Write to: paula@paulabrand.com or call me at 443-254-8173.

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