Some years ago, I was chatting with
a prospective employer, sharing tales of my experiences and selling him on the many
reasons he should hire me, and doing it by using very specific examples. At one
point in the conversation he turned quickly around in his chair and started
furiously typing. As it turned out, he was Googling me mid-interview to learn
if what I was telling him was true (it was true, and I snagged the job).
If this hasn’t happened to you in an interview,
don’t think it hasn’t happened in one shape or form. Because even if you don’t
witness them doing it, I can almost guarantee they do indeed, Google you.
What are they looking for? Not your Facebook page (although if you
don’t have that blocked, they will definitely enjoy the read). Not your dating
profile (if they did, that‘s actually über creepy). Instead, what they’re
looking for is your online professional presence. And in today’s world, you
need to have one out there for them to find.
For many (and I dare say, most) professions, an online
professional profile will only help you. And until someone rolls in with
something better, the best place to go to build one is LinkedIn.
If you have a profile on LinkedIn already, kudos! But this isn’t
really about that. You should have already created one of those years ago. If
you haven’t, you should Google around for some tips and tricks for building a
great page. Then circle back over here.
This is about using your profile correctly — and to your
advantage. Because in the corporate world, people read into things. Including
the things you’re doing on sites like these. So here are the top eight things
you might be doing wrong on LinkedIn.
1) You don’t have any
recommendations. If a hiring
manager is scoping out your LinkedIn profile and doesn’t see a recommendation,
they might think, “Hmm…no one likes their work,” or “They must not have
impressed anyone,” or even, “Umm, this is a dud networker.”
The Fix: Get some recommendations, duh. If you
haven’t tried it yet, that’s your homework for today. Send out a request for a
recommendation to at least five people you’ve worked with or currently work
with (check your company policy). You’ll be surprised at how willing, honest
and complementary people will be of your work (granted, that’s if you’ve
impressed them in the past – I don’t recommend you sending a request to an
enemy).
2) You get a flood of
recommendations. One word.
Shady. If you get a flood of recommendations one day, we’re all going to know
you’re looking for a job. More often than not, job searching occurs under the
radar. Well, broadcasting a bunch of recommendations all at the same time is
the complete opposite of that.
The Fix: I know what you’re thinking, “I need
recommendations to get a job, but you’re telling me not to get a bunch of
them!” The trick is to always be looking for recommendations, even
when you’re satisfied with your job. That way, when you’re not satisfied,
you’re already set. If you’ve done great work for a client, ask them for a
recommendation via LinkedIn as soon as the project is completed. If you leave a
job for another, ask all your former colleagues to give you a shout out. There
are lots of ways and reasons to get recommendations, get creative.
3)
You lie. This one is pretty self-explanatory, and yet, for
some it’s hard to follow. In all business settings, if you lie, you will
eventually get caught.
The Fix: The best fix
to this one is to just simply not to do it. Karma is…well…you know.
4) You flirt. I don’t think women have a problem with this
one, but men seem to. I know it’s hard to date a modern woman, I get it. We
tend to know exactly what we want, when we want it and how to avoid you if
you’re not offering how or what we want. On the one hand, the LinkedIn profile
might look so juicy and attractive – how could you not write her? But on the
other hand, approaching said modern woman in their professional setting (albeit
an online one), isn’t ok. Even if you craft a message that would blow even
Shakespeare out of the water (although, it’s questionable why you would choose
that route), you probably won’t get a call back. If she’s serious about being
on the site for business purposes, you will have a hard time chipping away at
that. In simpler terms, don’t be a creep.
The Fix: Take your party elsewhere. If you see someone on
LinkedIn that you find attractive, find another way. Or connect to them and
actually be professional and strike up a real networking relationship (I
realize you’re doing this with ulterior motives, but you’ll get better results
and a business acquaintance in the process). There are better places to go to
find someone to date.
5) You don’t describe your job. Hmm, “specialist.” That means so many different
things. And when you don’t describe it, we have no idea what you’re talking
about or what you do from 8-5 p.m. every day. The main point here is that you
don’t want a blank piece a paper with job titles, it doesn’t help you at all.
The Fix: When I chose
this as one of the eight “wrongs,” I actually got conflicting feedback from some
folks about how best to share details about your experience. Some said it was
ok to list job titles only, and then put the description in the summary at the
top of the overall profile. Some said it was best to describe each job, as if
building a résumé. When it comes down to it, either of these works, you just
have to do one of them so people know you actually work.
6) You don’t post a picture. No, it’s not a beauty contest (and actually, if
you use a glamour shot-esque photo, you may get laughed off the interwebs). But
a picture is definitely worth a thousand words. We’re not going to judge you,
we just want transparency from you. If visuals weren’t important in the
business world, you would get every job by simply going through a telephone
interview (wouldn’t that be nice?). LinkedIn is very much the same way. Because
it has the photo feature, you should be using it. We want to see who we’re
working with, networking with and introducing ourselves to – we are visual
creatures.
The Fix: Ask a talented amateur photographer friend to
snap a few pictures of you. Trust me, they’ll be more than willing and you’ll reap the rewards. While you’re at it,
go ahead and use those pictures to create an About.me page. It’s a lesser-known
site, but one where you can make some great connections while also showing off
a bit more personal flair than LinkedIn will allow.
7) You don’t have any “stuff.” You don’t
have to be a renaissance corporate-America person with tons of medals, awards
and lots of extra-curricular activities, but it helps add a little personality
to you if you’ve got some extra “stuff” listed in your profile. Everyone has
something they can add to their profile, a hobby, an award they’ve won, school
organization they led, put something there. If reading this has made you
suddenly realize you don’t have anything to put there because you work too much
– you need to change that. Having a life outside of work makes you marketable.
The Fix: This one is easy. Think about your hobbies, your
organizations, what you do for fun, and list them. It shows that you’re human
and that you enjoy life. Then list any awards you’ve won at work and any
professional affiliations you may have. Then go out and join a few LinkedIn
groups (like this one), start a few discussions and get active.
LinkedIn is an amazing way to network if you take advantage of its offerings.
8) You change your profile top to
bottom. This falls
in line with the recommendations. If you’re making massive changes to your
LinkedIn profile all at once, that tech-savvy employer will get suspicious.
What’s worse, is that anyone you’re linked up to will get a notification that
you’ve changed your profile drastically – so if they don’t notice it when you
do it, they’ll notice it then.
The Fix: Don’t do any major fixes to your profile all at
once, be strategic about it. Make changes gradually and smartly. You have
colleagues who keep an eye on your profile regularly (I promise). If you really
are job searching, don’t give them something to gossip about.
