Today’s post is part three of my “Land Your Dream Job Series,” in which I take you through every step of the career search success process. You would probably not believe the number of people who do not include an active professional online profile as a tool in their career search success arsenal. In today’s technology-driven environment, as a job seeker, you should take advantage of all of the perks of having an attention-grabbing online professional profile that makes recruiters and hiring managers want to know more about what you bring to the table. Remember, your online professional profile’s objective is for you to appear in as many recruiters’ and hiring managers’ searches as possible. So how do you make this objective reality? You break the online professional profile code, that’s how. Although you can use almost any online profile platform as your professional profile, LinkedIn® is the premier professional online profile platform.
Don’t worry. I haven’t forgotten that, because of many people’s Fear of Writing (FOW), they are deathly intimidated by the prospect of building their online professional profile. Don’t be one of them. Let me help you.
The seven steps to breaking the online professional profile code are: 1) Adhering to the rules of online etiquette; 2) Developing a Strong Headline 3) Showcasing your professional and educational backgrounds; 4) Connecting with like-minded professionals; 5) Sharing information; 6) Writing posts and articles; 7) Do something different.
Develop your own hardworking online professional profile that can help you build professional credibility and land your dream job.
- Adhere to the rules of online etiquette – First of all, this means that your professional online profile should be separate from your social online profile. Remember, though, that although you may follow my advice by separating your professional and social online profiles, the contents of your social online profile can negatively impact you professionally. I know of a young lady who wanted to be a model after college, so she posted some pictures online that later caused an employer to rescind a job offer in the business world after her modeling aspirations subsided. I’ve also heard of candidates who lost job offers when pictures of their excessive drinking and/or participation in other questionable activities came to their potential employer’s attention. It may sound cliché, but, “What happens in your corner of the world wide web can potentially be shared all over the world wide web.” It is also important to not criticize other people’s ideas, get into arguments, or refer to others using derogatory terms. You must treat everyone with respect. Online conflicts are not a pretty look and your participation in such can quickly ruin your professional integrity and give employers the impression that you do not always exercise sound judgment. You don’t want that.
- Develop a “telling” headline – You can add a headline to your LinkedIn profile. I encourage you to take advantage of this option that is available to free and paid accounts. Your headline should your profile viewers immediately know what your career aspirations are. For example, my headline is “Human Resources Subject Matter Expert,” because the practice of human resources is my career and I endeavor professionally every day to learn more about my chosen field of expertise. If you are seeking your first opportunity in your chosen career field, you could the word “Aspiring” to the beginning of your headline to let recruiters and hiring managers to know where your career interests lie.
- Showcase your professional and educational backgrounds – Your online professional profile should not be a regurgitation of your resume. Instead, it should be a quick-glance representation of the most career-impacting highlights of your career. I recommend focusing on the ten most recent years of your employment history. And instead of listing all of your duties and responsibilities for each job, provide a two to three-line high-level summary of your position’s function, or ideally, list your top two to three accomplishments for each position that shows that you solved a problem for your employer; developed or improved a process, procedure, or program; and/or saved your employer money.
- Connect with other like-minded professionals – My mom often said that “birds of a feather flock together.” That can be positive or negative. For professional purposes, you want it to be positive. So, when you receive invites to connect and when you invite people to connect with you, ensure that you include a good balance of entry-level and seasoned professionals…as well as career field influencers. This will give you a good mix of less-experienced professionals whom you may be able to help grow in the field; more experienced accessible professionals who may be able to help you continue to grow in your field; and less accessible, possibly world-renowned professionals who may offer webinars; conferences; training courses; and/or sell products and services related to your career field; and can indirectly help you to take your professional game to the next level of success. You should aspire to become one of the best in your specialty and you do that by constantly interacting with others who have the same goal.
- Share information – When you come across articles, upcoming webinars, classes, new laws, regulations, statutes, or trends related to your field, share them via your professional online profile. Also, if you speak at a conference or write a whitepaper related to your field, share them via your online professional profile. Participate in forums related to your career field and discuss, along with other field professionals, trends, topics, and challenges related to your career field. This will enable you to grow your knowledge of your specialty and create more valuable professional connections. Also, join professional associations and, at some point become certified in your field. Some employers give just as much, or a high degree of consideration, to professionally-certified candidates as they do those with advanced levels of education.
- Write posts and articles – Don’t underestimate the amount of professional knowledge that you possess and could be sharing with others…from your own platform. Consider building your own website or start a blog and share your wealth of knowledge with others. On your professional profile, provide a summary of your newly-written posts and articles to build your professional following and to serve as a resource to those professionals who could benefit from your wealth of field related knowledge. You may be able to explain field related information with others in a way that makes it easy to understand. Your audience will definitely grow if your readers like your writing style and find you relatable. Even consider creating a digital portfolio of your work products that do not divulge trade secrets or other confidential information related to your employer. You will likely be surprised at how quickly you will become an influencer in your own right.
- Do things a little differently – Studies show that many people love videos. You could incorporate video into your online professional profile by creating a short, recorded introduction of yourself. You could even periodically record your blog post (vlog) instead of writing it, or do both so that you can appeal to two segments of your audience…those who like to read and those who like to watch, and/or those who may have a need for one medium versus the other.
I’m certain you agree that it is imperative for you to stand out from the often-crowded field of candidates seeking their next big professional break. Follow these steps to break the online professional profile code, catapult your online professional profile to the next level, and become that shining star.
For even more detailed information on how to launch a successful career search and live your best career live, view my free Career Search Rx Masterclass videos which consist of five videos full of career content that you can use. Access video #1 at https://www.screencast.com/t/ELMWeLTZk.
Career Search Success to you! Go get your new job!
