Kim Dority Dority & Associates, Inc. August 3, 2011

Kim DorityDority & Associates, Inc.Technology Boot Camp, ASIS&T DUJanuary 18, 2014Build Career Opportunitieson

1Professional Equity2LinkedIn and Professional EquityBuild your professional brandBuild your professional network

3Building Your Professional BrandThink of your profile information as all the cool stuff I want you to know about me but Im too shy/embarrassed to say out loud.

4Building Your Professional NetworkPeople get jobs most often through personal connections it really IS who you know, and who knows what you can do and LinkedIn can help you quickly and easily expand both

5Bonus #1: LinkedIn can also help you identify, research, and land jobs .Job openingsPotential connections into those job openingsCompany research directly and through previous/current employeesCreate visibility with potential employers 6Bonus #2: LinkedIn is great for stealth job-hunting LinkedIn lets you job hunt both actively and passively, and have visibility outside your employer that doesnt necessarily signal that youre job hunting

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LinkedIn 101 covering the basics

Complete your profileReach out to connect with colleaguesRequest recommendationsJoin relevant groupsPost updates

8Your Profile Page.

Name, tag lineSummary (use keywords!)Work historyDo a smiling photo; dont do the gray icon!Profile Set-Up (Profile > Edit Profile)

Setting up your LinkedIn profile where to start Step 1 of 5

Profile ElementNotes and ExamplesName, Photo, and Brief TaglineBrief statement of your key strengths; example:

Experienced Content Strategist, Content Developer with Special Expertise in Career-Building for College Students (better to describe in general terms than use your current title) use keywords hereActivityAutomatic listing of all your activity on LinkedInBackground (Summary)Your key statement of strengths and competencies; example:

Experienced content strategist and content developer, working with corporations, nonprofits, and higher education institutions to develop information resources and processes that meet strategic goals. Expertise includes print and online content development, project-based research, information project management, and creation of information strategies that drive key organizational strategic goals. Special emphasis on career-related content for undergraduate and graduate students, traditional and nontraditional.

Specialties: Information/content strategies to drive organization goals; print and online content development (organization, research, writing, editing); career content for college students; LIS career design workshops. 11Setting up your LinkedIn profile where to start Step 2 of 5

Profile ElementNotes and ExamplesExperienceYour job history (similar to your resume); use keywords if possible; example:

PresidentDority & Associates, Inc.February 2004 Present (9 years 1 month); Provide information consulting services to for-profit and non-profit organizations, including enterprise information strategy, print and online content development, portal development, and project-based research and writing.

ProjectsKey projects youve worked on at work or in schoolPublicationsBooks, articles, columns, anything youve had publishedSkills & ExpertiseStart to type in the skill you want to include, then LinkedIn will provide potential terms that match up with your term; simply click on to have included on your profile (you can list 50)EducationYour college or university name, dates you attended, and your degree12Setting up your LinkedIn profile where to start Step 3 of 5

Profile ElementNotes and ExamplesAdditional Info-Interests Primarily professional interests, but can also do personal as long as they dont make you seem too weird! Example:

Adult/nontraditional learners; information entrepreneurship; social innovation and entrepreneurship; community gardening; training service dogsAdditional Info-Personal DetailsYou can list your birthday and/or your marital status my choice would be not to,information seems too personal to me for LinkedInAdditional Info-Contact InfoWhat are you interested in being contacted about? Example:

Available for information-based projects, including print and online content development, information strategy, and online/adult learner support. Also available for workshops and presentations related to LIS career development. OrganizationsOrganizations you belong to (can be professional and/or personal, LinkedIn or outside LinkedInRecommendationsList of recommendations youve posted for othersConnectionsAllows you to establish who will be able to see your connectionsGroupsLinkedIn groups you belong to, and whether that info can be seen on your profile13Setting up your LinkedIn profile where to start Step 4 of 5

Additional Elements (Right-Hand Side of Page)Languages You have the option to specify elementary proficiency, limited working proficiency, professional working proficiency, full professional proficiency, or native or bilingual proficiency for whatever languages you listHonors & AwardsProvide name of award or honor, who awarded it and when, plus descriptionTest ScoresMay /may not be important, depending on employer and professionCoursesA way to highlight key areas of competency, intensive studyPatentsCertificationsCan indicate not only the knowledge gained from the certification itself, but also your willingness and ability to continue to invest and grow professionallyVolunteering & CausesA great way to round out your professional reputation/brand by listing other passions and personal interests, especially ones that showcase strengths youd like to be known for14To get started on your profile.Gather your info:Headline (your tagline)Summary, including specialtiesCurrent employment (Experience)Past employmentEducation (anticipated graduation: Spring 2014)Skills (focus on keywords)

And additional info.

Links to your website, blog, booksLinks to Twitter feed or Facebook page (if public)Personal interestsHonors and awards

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A few words about keywords.

What potential employers will be searching for, so be specificTitle, industry, expertise, differentiators (for example, international experience, speak Spanish, licensed)Check LinkedIn Jobs section to see what employers call what you want to doPut keywords in headline, summary, job history, interests, etc.Setting up your LinkedIn profile where to start Step 5 of 5

Setting Your SettingsPrivacy Controls Specify who is allowed to see whatContact infoYour e-mail address (do personal, not employer) and passwordE-Mail PreferencesSpecify what e-mails you receive from whom, and how often (including LinkedIn)Groups, Companies [& Applications NOT]Specify how groups are displayed on your profile, what group communications you receive; view companies youre following; Applications no longer workAccountAdvertising preferences; profile photo & visibility; customize updates seen on your home page; manage security settings; change password; upgrade or cancel accountCertificationsCan indicate not only the knowledge gained from the certification itself, but also your willingness and ability to continue to invest and grow professionallyVolunteering & CausesA great way to round out your professional reputation/brand by listing other passions and personal interests, especially ones that showcase strengths youd like to be known for18

Now start building your LinkedIn presence

Link to friends, colleagues, professional connectionsRequest recommendationsJoin groupsPost updates

19Asking to connect or linkPersonalize your requests to link dont use the automated defaults!

20For example (link request):

[Name], Ive just gotten started on LI and would like to connect with you would you like to link?[Name], I really enjoyed meeting you at/during [event], and would like to stay connected would you like to link?[Name], I really enjoyed the class I took with you and appreciated your support and interest in our success as students. Id like to stay connected with you would it be okay for us to Link?[Name], Ive really enjoyed your posts in the [name] group; Id like to connect with you if youd like.

21Asking for a recommendationAim for 3 per recent job, from bosses or higher-ups if possibleClearly identify what youd like to be recommended forOffer to reciprocate

For example (recommendation request):

[Name], Im working on building my LinkedIn presence, and wondered if youd be willing to write me a brief recommendation based on our work together at [project, organization, company]. Specifically, if you feel comfortable doing so, could you comment on my [strengths]? Id be happy to write a recommendation for you as well; if so, is there any area of expertise youd particularly like me to comment on?based on my work for you at [project, organization, company]. based on my work as a student in your [title] class.

23Where recommendations show up

Join a group (or several)

25For example.

For example, LIS Career OptionsLBuild professional visibility by engaging in group discussionsAsk questionsShare resources (articles, blog posts, book reviews, websites)Share knowledge

Knowledge-sharing the story of LIS Career Options27

A note about Updates

Regular updates keep you visible (and provide camouflage for employed job-hunters)Doesnt have to be all about youEasy way to promote others as well as yourselfComment on others updates congratulate them personally on their accomplishmentsShare information and resources of value to others

A note about updates:

Tell your boss that you are active on LinkedIn for

staying current on developments in your field,

competitive intelligence,

monitoring info to help solve work-related problems, and

stay connected to colleagues who can help brainstorm issues with you

28Bonus #1: Identify, research, and land jobs

Jobs tab

Use LinkedIns job resources

Search the thousands of listings in the LinkedIn Jobs databaseSearch for and follow specific companiesRead up on companies (and interviewers) in advanceCheck for common connections or group memberships with company employeesLook at the new jobs you may be interested in function basically a key word matching service

LI Jobs: You can search using keywords, title, company, and location

Even if youre not yet ready to look for a job, youll benefit from seeing the skills required, whos hiring, what some specific job titles are

You can also save your job searches, sign up for e-mail alerts, and refine the information by

Search on the company to find people who work/worked there, check out their backgrounds (age, skills, education, how long at company, promote from within?)

Contact previous employees: what would they say about company?

30Sign up for e-mail alerts about jobsAt specific companiesBy specific titles or job functionsWithin specific industriesIn specific geographic regionsPosted within a certain time frame

31Bonus #2: The Six-Week Action Plan

Lets put all this in play!

33Week 1:

Read through the Learn About Site Features in the Learning Center, mess around!34Week 2:

Read through the Profile sections, identify the info you need, then gather all of it together35Week 3:

Read the profiles of several people you admire and see what they have put in their Summary statements

36Week 4:

Completely fill out your profile, and add your LinkedIn profile URL to your e-mail signature block

37Week 5:

Research groups that may be of interest, join several, and start monitoring their discussions

38Week 6:

Send out 10 invitations to link and 5 requests for recommendations

39Going forward levels of engagementProfile completedGroups joined, comments contributedWeekly activity updates postedJob monitoring info establishedOptional: start your own group

40LinkedIn etiquette (yep, politeness still counts!)Value peoples time keep your messages brief and on-pointBe specific about what help you are asking for, and let people know you appreciate their assistance in your requestBuild reciprocal relationships offer to help them, or someone on their behalfSend thank-you notes, and let people know outcomesLinkedIn etiquette (cont.)Customize every connection request (who you are, why you reached out and want to connect, an offer to be of assistance, and a thank you for considering your request) then drop it if your request is ignoredDont over-promote yourself or your business; look for ways to promote othersKeep in mind that what youre building is very visible professional equity

And in case youre wondering if LinkedIn is really worth the effort, consider this:Its a passive, low-maintenance professional presence greatest benefit for the least investment of timeIts adaptable to the level of engagement you want or time you haveSomeone else does all the IT supportIts free!

43Recommended Resources

How to Find a Job on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and Other Social Networks, by Brad and Debra ScheppIm on LinkedIn: Now What, by Jason AlbaLinkedIn for Dummies, by Joel Elad

44Questions?

45Thank you for participating!

Kim DorityDority & AssociatesLinkedIn: www.linkedin/in/kimdority

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