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The end of the year brings a long list of “to do’s.”  Is updating your LinkedIn profile on your list?  If not, it probably should be.

If you have identified with my recent comments on “drift,” an update to your LinkedIn profile can counteract professional drift.

If you are experiencing the drift in your career or on your team, this is a great time of year to release the autopilot and counteract drift.  What would happen if your entire team invested two hours between now and the end of the year focused on updating their professional presence on LinkedIn?

What would be the impact? Would it change market conditions or improve sales?  No, it is not likely to have that type of significance.  However, this can provide the rare, yet needed, occasion for your team to pause and focus on the talent and glorious skills that surround them every day.

This works just as well if you are in transition.  Pause and ask yourself, “What value do I offer to the world?  I am missing sharing something important?”

Whether leading a team or in transition, year-end is the perfect time to do just this.

LinkedIn is a great tool, yet so few leverage it.  When was the last time you really thought about your profile or assessed how you use LinkedIn?  When was the last time you updated your profile?

On a daily basis, thousands of people have the opportunity to stop by, visit your LinkedIn profile and take action.  The potential for making business connections and building relationships is big.

Does your profile inspire “Aww’s” and “Wows” or a quick click away?

Does a reader pause and say, “Oh, it’s beautiful. I didn’t know that!”

The truth is no two people will see or read your profile the same way.  Yet, you can influence what people know about you. You can impact how they interpret your skills and talents via your LinkedIn profile.

You can share the value you, or your team, or your organization has in the marketplace — a value that be may visible or hidden without action on your part.

Have you ever wondered:

• What does the market think of my LinkedIn profile?
• What significant message do my peers or company leaders get from reading my LinkedIn profile?
• How are others influenced when they review my LinkedIn profile?
• What signals or messages are received from my LinkedIn profile?
• Is my message clear?
• How do I come across?  Interesting or scary?
• Does my profile say I am uninterested in my career?
• Am I seen as someone ready for the next level?

If you are seeking significance and fulfillment, don’t over look some of the simple steps that will help you reach your goals. Set aside two hours or so between now and the end of the year and update your LinkedIn profile.

If you want help with your profile, let’s talk.

If you are interested in FURTHER understanding how to review your LinkedIn Profile and quickly assess if your profile needs an update, my Presentation may serve you.

The Year-End LinkedIn Profile Update is now available!! You can REGISTER for it HERE!!!!

This focused review helps you take an objective look your profile and the areas you may need to update.  It helps you understand what may be missing that is impacting who calls you (or doesn’t!) and what opportunities are ultimately shared with you.

Think about it.  Do you have connections that are dropping away or not responding to you?  Or maybe you are just not sure how to most effectively build connections and relationships with the “right” people on LinkedIn.

If it’s time for you to review your LinkedIn profile and begin changing the experiences others have with you online, let’s talk.

Are you ready to align awesome?  Doing the work you love, living your purpose, and making an impact is fun and amazing!

If you liked this post, share it with your friends.  And, don’t forget to share your thoughts below too, I’d love to hear from you!

LinkedIn is a great tool.

Yet you can  harm your online presence with just a few common mistakes.

Fortunately, like skinning your knee, the mistakes are easy to avoid and usually not fatal.  Your profile should always be more helpful than harmful.

Recruiters search LinkedIn for candidates.  Hiring managers use LinkedIn to prep for interviews and decide who lands on the short list.

Your network contacts (new and established) access and use your LinkedIn profile to share information about you, connect with you and decide if they would like to do business with you.  Review your profile.  What messages are you sending?

Check your profile for these 4 common mistakes:

1. Pasting your résumé into your profile.  Personalize your LinkedIn profile.  Use it as a gateway platform to your online presence.  With LinkedIn’s volume and traffic your profile shows up in most searches for you.  Create a compelling summary that gains you favorable attention.
2. Ignoring the details.  Your LinkedIn profile is a 24-7 marketing site for you.  Optimize your profile so it will be found in a search.  Focus on your key skills, the benefits you offer and the problems you solve.  Be selective and highlight the talents for which you want to be known. Include your contact information.
3. Being generic. Your profile needs to pop and paint a clear picture of you.  If it reads like a dry job description, it may be ignored.  Manage your endorsements.  People hire people, not lists of skills.  Include your personality.
4. Dropping in only occasionally. Create a plan to engage in the community and regularly update your LinkedIn profile.  Just as not returning a phone call reflects your lack of interest, so does not responding on LinkedIn.  A slow response reveals much to those who use LinkedIn as a recruiting or sourcing tool.  Drop in often.  Be visible.

Now, edit your profile as appropriate to be in the running for the ‘right’ positions.

Do you think your schedule is too busy for a great, well-managed LinkedIn profile?  You can have a great LinkedIn profile and manage it in just minutes a week.

Email me to learn more about effectively managing your LinkedIn profile.  I will send you a video link and a fun tip sheet.

The recent news of high-profile data breaches has IT professionals reminding us of the importance of protecting our personal information.  Data breaches are costly to both companies and individuals.  If you have ever experienced a personal data breach you know how much time (and hassle!) it takes to clear up the situation.

Where is your career data stored?  Is is current?  Is it secure?  Can you access it with ease?

If you are exploring a new position or promotion, you are busy.  A commonly overlooked task is ensuring the security of your career data.  Knowing the location of your data, ensuring it is current and accessing it with ease is important.  When you can access your information quickly, people view you as prepared, organized and on top of your personal matters.

Since you are already gathering tax information this time of year, set aside a bit of additional time to gather, update and secure your career data.  Then, when you get “the call” you can quickly provide all the information requested.  You will be glad you invested the time to ensure your online career data is current, secure and accessible.

Your LinkedIn account is a good place to start.  Next, move to your email and company directory bios.  Finally, create a list of all your online accounts and move through the list.  Use the following six steps to assist you:

1.  Change your password.  Use different passwords for different sites.

2.  Review and update your “Privacy Settings.”

3.  Update your email or digest settings; turn off those you don’t need or use.

4.  Verify your contact information.  Update as appropriate.

5.  Check your links to websites and other accounts.  Update as needed.

6.  Read your profile.  Update as needed.

Final tip — take out your calendar and add an appointment in 90 days to review your information.  Maintaining your career data by setting regular appointments creates a simple habit that reduces stress and worry.

Does your LinkedIn profile need a little TLC?  Contact me to set up a LinkedIn profile review.

LinkedIn is a great tool.  Yet, if you are making some of the most common mistakes, your profile may by hurting you more than helping you.

Recruiters search LinkedIn for candidates.  Hiring managers use LinkedIn to prep for interviews and decide who lands on the short list.  Your friends and network contacts (new and established) access and use your LinkedIn profile to share information about you, connect with you and decide if they would like to do business with you.

What message are you sending?

Here are 4 common mistakes to avoid if you want to be in the running for the ‘right’ position:

1. Pasting your résumé into your profile.  LinkedIn is not a job board, rather it is a gateway to your online presence.  With its volume and traffic, your LinkedIn profile will show up in most searches for you and for the job you do.  Create a compelling summary that gains you favorable attention.  Ensure your prose encourages people to read your summary, click your links and learn more about you.  People hire people they know, like and trust.  Use your profile to become trusted and to build relationships.  Job opportunities will follow.
2. Ignoring the details.  Your LinkedIn profile is a 24-7 marketing site for you.  Be sure you optimize your profile, so it will be found in a search.  List, at minimum, your past three job titles and link to your past employer(s) Company LinkedIn page’s (if they have one). Focus on your key skills, the benefits you offer and problems you solve. Be selective and highlight the talents for which you want to be known.  Manage your endorsements — looking like a ‘Jack or Jill of All Trades’ does not enhance your value.
3. Being generic.  Your profile needs to pop and paint a picture of you.  If it reads like a dry job description, it may be promptly discarded.  People hire people, not lists of skills.  Include your personality.  Create an emotional connection.  Use facts to tell your story and demonstrate your experience and value.
4. Dropping in only occasionally.  Create a plan to regularly engage in the community and update your LinkedIn profile.  Just as not returning a phone call reflects your lack of interest, so does not responding on LinkedIn.  A slow response reveals much to those who use LinkedIn as a recruiting or sourcing tool.  If you are shopping for a home and pass a house with neglected gardens, what is your first thought?  Do you perceive it to have a lower value or be a bargain due to its need of repair?  The same principal applies to LinkedIn.

Do you think your schedule is too busy for a great well managed LinkedIn profile?  You can have a great LinkedIn profile and manage it in just minutes a week.

Email me to learn more about effectively managing your LinkedIn profile.  I will send you a video link and a fun tip sheet.

Listening is a mix of art and science.  The investment is low, yet few job searchers really listen to the companies they are targeting.  Are you listening? You know doing research on potential employers is important.  You know how and where to research companies. Do you think research trumps listening? Too often I hear, “I have done the research and know the company, so why listen?”  OK, I get it.  You know your target market. You have narrowed your list of companies.  You are focused on those who have problems you can solve.  But, do you know if these companies want to solve the problems you’re best at solving?  That is one good reason to listen. What if by listening, you discover that all the companies you are targeting don’t want or need to solve the problems you solve.  What will you do?  Will that change your next action? The real value and impact of listening is saving time.  Listening helps you shift your actions and improve your results. Can you think of other reasons to listen? Here are a few:

• You may discover other problems or wants you can help solve
• You’ll hear about new products or services that are about to launch where you’re experience would be valuable
• You’ll learn about changes in the marketplace or competition that enhances your value

Where do you “listen” to your target companies?   One of my favorite places is industry blogs.  Another helpful place to listen is LinkedIn.  Did you know there are 3 Million LinkedIn Company Pages and Counting? What is your top reason to listen to the companies that you follow?   Where is your favorite place to listen? Please post your answers below and share your great listening tips with others.

Check out the look and words of a newspaper headline.  It is designed to help sell newspapers and get readers to at least scan the article.  Your LinkedIn headline serves the same purpose.  It helps you be found, favorably communicate what you do and why someone should care.

If your current headline is relevant and doing its job, leave it alone.  On the other hand, if it is advertising you are out of work and begging for a job,  its time to change it.

Those interested in interviewing you will look you up online.  Your photo and headline will determine if they read or scan your profile.  Your headline may be the only thing they read.  Does it make a favorable impressions?  If not, they may just move on.

Your LinkedIn headline communicates your brand and gets your profile read!

Which profile would you read?

Your photo is critical.  People are visual.  A LinkedIn profile without a photo seems as if something is missing.  In fact, something is missing – your photo!  Today everyone needs a good professional head shot.

If your head shot is old, consider updating it.  If you are still a “no photo” hold out with one of these excuses  …

• no time to schedule a portrait appointment
• hate having my photo taken
• have a head shot but don’t like it
• worried about age discrimination
• or …  <add your excuse here>

Here are the top four tips to getting a great head shot:

1. Look at the work of potential photographers.  Do you like it?  If not, keep looking.  They are not the photographer for you.
2. Like their work?  Interview them.  Ask questions, learn about their style, studio and rates. Tell the photographer about your photo’s use and the look you are seeking for your head shot.  Do you click?  Will you enjoy working with them?
3. Set an appointment — do it a good time of day for you — then do some planning.  Think about hair, clothes, and the look you want.   Love the clothes you wear for your head shot.   I thought this was interesting advice because in a head shot you don’t see much of the outfit.   One photographer pointed out that if you don’t like what you pick to wear, it will ‘show’.  Another  photographer had a note in the studio that said “If you don’t like the outfit – neither does the camera.”  Great point!
4. When you arrive for your appointment think “Showtime!”  Be on-time, listen to the photographer, be coachable and have fun.  If you drop the self-consciousness and enjoy the session, odds are you will get a great head shot.

Have a comment?  Post it below.

The folks at LinkedIn have been busy!  By now you have experienced the homepage make-over, the changes to company pages and the endorsement features.  You may also have noticed a drop in your completeness percentage — mine recently dropped 5%.  And, most recently, you’ve been given the opportunity to connect with “Influencers” — a select panel of 150 thought leaders to follow right from your homepage.

LinkedIn is a great tool.  It is important not only to use it, but also learn about the new features and leverage the ones that  improve your results.  Consistently managing your profile will enhance your personal brand and further your career goals.

So, how do you maximize your profile and all the new changes?

1.  Use your homepage to connect with and to be valuable and visible to your network.  The LinkedIn homepage recommends news of interest to you, shows new status updates and provides an easy way to directly engage with your network from those updates.  You can comment or send a message in seconds.  You can filter and customize the view of the page.

2.  Take advantage of the new streamlined design of Company Pages.  Company updates and connections are easier to locate and are now available on your phone.  Navigation and career opportunities are more engaging and the company can personalize the experience if they wish to do so.

3.  Make the most of the new Endorsements feature.  LinkedIn is touting this newest feature as “Kudos with Just One Click.”   Though the jury is still out on the value of this feature, the premise is that anyone can recognize someone’s skills or expertise with just one quick click.  When you visit a profile, a pop-up box will appear asking, “Pssst, Cindy – Does John have expertise in these areas?  Click the Skill button to endorse them!”  I think it is a bit cheesy — time will tell if this feature truly adds value or not.  This feature may help you if your profile is on-brand and focused.  If not, it may cause confusion and harm if you have 50 skill items listed (i.e., no clear focus).

4.  Finally, as I noted above, you may have noticed a drop in your profile completeness.  I would encourage you to manage your profile and not allow LinkedIn to pressure you to do what is good for their data collection efforts.  When you see their gentle nudges, ask yourself, “Is this good for my brand?” and “Does it help my target audience?”  If the answer is “no,” move on.

If you are interested in more information on all the recent changes, the LinkedIn blog topics tagged with ‘new LinkedIn Features’ have more details and tips.

Remember, a quality profile is critical to your personal brand, career management and your career opportunities. You can leverage LinkedIn and its power with focus and about 15 minutes a week. If you need some help with your LinkedIn Profile let’s talk about a Fast Track solution for your LinkedIn challenge.