In 2006, I trained my MBA class on how to use LinkedIn.
Back then virtually no one was on. And those that were on formed some kind of a tight-knit community. I remember landing in Vietnam on vacation, knowing only my college friend. I used LinkedIn to schedule 10 meetings with local business leaders.
Using the network, I arranged a breakfast meeting with the COO of the Mercedes plant, 2 vice presidents of the newly built Ikea, a top broker in one of Vietnam’s many stock markets and so forth. These experiences demonstrated to me the power of LinkedIn when used correctly.
The following are 3 mistakes Job Seekers tend to make when using LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Mistake 1: Not Representing Yourself as a Confident User
The most common manifestation of this mistake is when people neglect their profile health. Most audiences I speak at have one thing in common…Their profiles aren’t 100% complete.
This is like showing up to a job interview Naked. Why would you do that?
I understand it takes time to fill it out correctly, and writing a profile doesn’t happen all at once. But there is no reason it should take longer than a week to get yourself a nice looking profile.
When I was requesting meetings with top business leaders in a foreign country, I knew they would be carefully considering their decision on my request and my profile.
Please Please Please get your profile to 100% if it is not already.
Imagine requesting a meeting from a hiring manager at your target company. And when they look at your profile, it is clear to them that you are not taking your network seriously.
There is no one to blame but you, and no, it’s not the economy either.
My philosophy is: not everything is my fault, but when it is, then there is no one else to blame but me. When I point my finger, I need to make sure I can do so with 100% confidence that I’ve done everything I could.
LinkedIn Mistake 2: Not Stating Your Intentions Up Front
A few weeks ago, I received the following LinkedIn “In-Mail”
Hi Joshua,
I obtained your name through the Boston University MBA LinkedIn Group. I graduated from the School of Management last year and I am in the process of making a career transition. It would be helpful for me to ask you questions about your experiences as an Sales Account Manager for Cisco. I am not expecting to discuss a particular employment position but I would appreciate being able to talk with you on an informational basis.
I thank you in advance.
Regards,
This is the perfect email format. Let’s look at the key elements
- She told me how she found me, the BU Group.
- She gave me just enough background info about herself so I can know why she chose to reach out to me, her graduation date and her career transition.
- She told me the topic that she wanted to discuss with me.
- She made sure I knew she wasn’t trying to solicit me for a job, and she didn’t sound desperate.
- The email was short and to the point, clearly respecting my time.
I got back to her right away and made sure to answer all of her questions. I suggest your requests for info interviews keep to a similar format.
LinkedIn Mistake 3: Letting a Robot Speak with Your Voice
LinkedIn does a fabulous job telling you who you might know. When I log into my account, I can see old colleagues’ whom I haven’t spoken with since 2006 or earlier. I can see some jerks I used to work with who took pleasure in kicking puppies. But I don’t see people whom I’d like to connect with in order to grow my business.
The direction of your network is in your hands. You need to make sure that you steer it in a direction that is strategic to your job search. Make sure to connect with people who are in industries that interest you, in companies you might like to learn more about or even in geographies that you would like to move to.
On a similar note, when connecting with folks, NEVER use the built in message:
I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn.
You are not a robot. Don’t talk like one! Use your voice and personalize your request to connect. Not doing this is the fastest way to banality. To stand apart from other job seekers, you need to be different in ALL of your communications. Use every chance you get to demonstrate your personality and motivation.
Where those tips useful for you? Do you have more tips to share? LinkedIn pet-peeves? Please comment below to share with me and the other readers.
![The 20 Most Connected Words on LinkedIn [INFOGRAPHIC]](https://i0.wp.com/careerenlightenment.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/linkedin-words.png?resize=440%2C264&ssl=1)
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tomthom5 Yes. Don’t use your headline area in LinkedIn for your job title. Use the headline to do the branding. That’s where those first 3 seconds count.
Joshua,
My current job title is misleading (I work at a large University). Any thoughts on how to better brand myself on social media so I don’t get passed over in those first 3 seconds?
Thanks,
Roger
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Great post in linkedin network, you are not only get connections with people, you are impacting people to make them remember you and interested in you. That’s why you use linkedin.
Joshua, I am interested in your feedback on people’s LinkedIn connections. Many people I know accept invitations from anyone – mostly people who use the robot language and don’t state their clear intentions. So, often, when I ask someone for an introduction, they don’t really know the person AT ALL, nevertheless well enough to give me a tidbit about them prior to introduction. How is this good networking?
As always, great advice, Joshua. As an executive recruiter, LinkedIn is a very key step in my initial screening process. If your LinkedIn profile doesn’t show you well, I will move on to the next candidate, someone who’s better at the game. I also agree that personalizing a request to connect is imperative, and love the example you share.
I have a blog with some LinkedIn tips from an executive recruiter’s point of view at http://work.lifegoesstrong.com/five-steps-powerful-linkedin-profile.
Thanks for sharing Leslie. It’s nice to get a recruiter’s perspective!
Great list. Also, I’d say, add your voice.
The biggest difference between a LinkedIn profile and a resume is that your LinkedIn profile is intended to help you build and maintain interpersonal relationships. It’s not a dating profile, but it should still be in your personal voice, not the abstract third person. Be yourself.
#1 can be so difficult. I deliberate over what to say and how to say it. To make matters worse, if you are applying for two jobs that aren’t the same, the message could be off. While my profile isn’t 100% finished, I think it’s really helpful to know exactly what you are looking for and what your core competencies are before starting to write. Without those, I find my profile to wander between a bunch of mediocre skills.
Josh, I agree with your views on the profile picture. I was using that example as a way to demonstrate the limitations of LinkedIn (I do have a picture on my profile).
I know employers need to stick to their standards, but if their pass/fail threshold is 100% with regards to LinkedIn profiles, they may be missing out on some excellent candidates like myself. 😉
Thanks for your feedback. I’m looking forward to your future posts.
Josh, I agree with your views on the profile picture. I was using that example as a way to demonstrate the limitations of LinkedIn (I do have a picture on my profile).
I know employers need to stick to their standards, but if their pass/fail threshold is 100% with regards to LinkedIn profiles, they may be missing out on some excellent candidates like myself. 😉
Thanks for your feedback. I’m looking forward to your future posts.
If you profile is not 100% you may not appear in the search results that are limited in a free/basic account. You need to give yourself a fighting chance by at least having 100% completion. Recruiters may pay for an upgraded account allowing them more searches in their results, but the common HR person isn’t going to pay for the upgrade.
Hi Dee, I didn’t know that about the LinkedIn’s free accounts. Yet another reason to get to 100%. Thanks. This is great info to mention in my future classes.
Anything less than 100% is a fail? I think that’s a little unfair given some of the limitations of the website. There is information required of me to receive a 100% complete profile, but I don’t necessarily want to share that information. My profile is at 95%, and everything a potential client or employer could ever want to know is there. I know some people aren’t comfortable sharing their image on the Internet… but in order to get a 100% complete profile, a picture is required. Perhaps you’re being a little too strict?
David, Thanks for sharing your impressions. You are right that a machine, ie. LinkedIn, isn’t always perfect. And that you can still use it effectively without the proverbial 100%. And for someone like you, that advice may not be applicable.
In regards to a profile picture, I am going to take a harder stance. It is statistically proven that recruiters will have reservations if a candidate withholds their photo. The fastest way to the “maybe” pile is to not have a photo.
You can see my blog post on Why Your LinkedIn Profile Photo May be Killing Your Job Prospects.
Anything less than 100% is a fail? I think that’s a little unfair given some of the limitations of the website. There is information required of me to receive a 100% complete profile, but I don’t necessarily want to share that information. My profile is at 95%, and everything a potential client or employer could ever want to know is there. I know some people aren’t comfortable sharing their image on the Internet… but in order to get a 100% complete profile, a picture is required. Perhaps you’re being a little too strict?
David, Thanks for sharing your impressions. You are right that a machine, ie. LinkedIn, isn’t always perfect. And that you can still use it effectively without the proverbial 100%. And for someone like you, that advice may not be applicable.
In regards to a profile picture, I am going to take a harder stance. It is statistically proven that recruiters will have reservations if a candidate withholds their photo. The fastest way to the “maybe” pile is to not have a photo.
You can see my blog post on Why Your LinkedIn Profile Photo May be Killing Your Job Prospects.
#1 is particularly important to do on a regular (at least quarterly) basis. You never know when opportunities will present themselves or the ones you miss because someone in your network doesn’t know that you fit the bill.
#1 is particularly important to do on a regular (at least quarterly) basis. You never know when opportunities will present themselves or the ones you miss because someone in your network doesn’t know that you fit the bill.
Joshua, I’m guilty as charged, particularly on #1 and #3. I’m not currently looking for a job, but it’s a heck of a lot better to sort it now than to have to scramble if something should cause me to need the visibility. Thanks for sharing.
.-= Mike Stankavich´s last blog ..Home Networking Versus Voluntary Simplicity =-.
Joshua, I’m guilty as charged, particularly on #1 and #3. I’m not currently looking for a job, but it’s a heck of a lot better to sort it now than to have to scramble if something should cause me to need the visibility. Thanks for sharing.
.-= Mike Stankavich´s last blog ..Home Networking Versus Voluntary Simplicity =-.