Throughout my life, I have been reminded of the importance of setting a good first impression. This not only applies in the physical world but also in the virtual world. Increasingly, people conduct a Google search on you to see who they are going to be working with. What they discover or even fail to find helps to establish that first impression. I recently had the opportunity to apply for a position at a company, and while preparing for the position, I had conducted a Google search on the company and was surprised to find an absence of social media content. There were also no LinkedIn profiles for any members of the interview team. Needless to say, this made me pause.
LinkedIn Profile
In today’s digital environment, I believe it is essential to have a LinkedIn account and profile. A LinkedIn profile is a quick way to help establish a level of trust between you and whoever wants to do business with you. People will not work with you if they do not trust you. Part of your job in gaining new customers is building a trust relationship so they will do business with you. Your social profiles are part of this package. I have included my profiles at the top of my Web site including my LinkedIn profile.
An absence of a social media profile requires the potential customer to work harder to develop a level of trust with you. A good LinkedIn profile puts your qualifications on display. Approximately, 25% of my connections are missing a photo or have outdated titles. I am sure that this is not uncommon across LinkedIn; however, missing pictures and outdated information doesn’t establish the best first impression.
Other than simply having a LinkedIn profile, here are some basic elements you should include:
- Your name – Your name is your brand and you should proudly share it.
- A picture – A friendly picture sets a good first impression. I personally have work to do.
- Title – Include an understandable title, not some obscure title only the company can figure out.
- Location and Industry.
- Summary – Let people know why you are on the planet and how you can help them.
- Skills – Include a list of skills that you have some level of expertise. Members of your community will provide support in attesting to your ability.
- Experience – Naturally, include the different jobs that you have had and what you did.
- Volunteer Experiences and Causes – You may also want to include your volunteer service. You never know where your next contact will come from.
- Education – You should also consider listing your education.
Remember, you are trying to create a good first impression and build a level of trust with your profile. Additionally, everything you include in your profile also helps you to be found. Connections also help for your profile to be found, but I can tell you more about connections at a later date.
There is a lot more I could say about LinkedIn profiles. What do you think I missed? Let me know in the comments.
