With over 1 million members, LinkedIn is a growing
professional networking site used by companies, hiring managers, job seekers
and those currently employed as a way of making connections, gathering
information and following trends. Gabriella Calzolari, director of recruitment
and selection at Northwest Mutual, gave workshop attendees a good overview of
how to use the site to your maximum advantage.
By joining an industry, alumni or common interest group, you
can easily make multiple connections and learn what your peers and their
organizations are involved in. Your LinkedIn profile should not be an exact
copy of your resume; instead, Gabriella suggested listing your top five
strengths for which you want to be recognized. Asking for and giving
endorsements of skills helps to boost your profile as well.
Other tips that Gabriella offered were to be anonymous when
looking at employers' profiles, reorder the way in which others will view your
own profile, and include a professional head shot so you'll be more
recognizable. Also, be sure to include nicknames, previous names and
alternate spellings of your name(s) to make it easier for people to find
you. For job seekers, she noted that it's a good idea to include your
status in your title so that recruiters and potential employers will be
aware of your availability. Some companies have even made it possible to
apply for a position directly from LinkedIn, a time-saving and easy shortcut to
the often cumbersome on-line application process.
As for formatting, bullets make your profile easier to read.
Don't make it too long, and list your accomplishments instead of your duties
and responsibilities. You can also post articles and quotes to make your
profile more interesting.
Finally, Gabriella recommended following companies and
people you admire, and looking at the LinkedIn pages of employers. She
concluded her presentation by answering questions and offering one-on-one help
to those who would like it.
Posted by Cynthia Carlson
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