LinkedIn Profile Optimization For Dummies. Donna Serdula

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СКАЧАТЬ two types of accounts on LinkedIn: the free and the paid version. The free account is a good starting point for most users. It allows you to do almost everything the paid version does, only in limited numbers and with limited visibility. For example, a free account can only message people within his or her first-degree network, whereas Premium users have access to InMail and the Open Profile option, which enable them to communicate with people outside their first-degree network.

      There are various types of paid accounts ranging from $29.99 per month (Premium Career; https://premium.linkedin.com/jobsearch) to $825 per month (LinkedIn Recruiter; https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions). The higher the price, the more you are able to do with LinkedIn.

      Although the free account is a good starting point, if you plan on using LinkedIn for prospecting, recruiting, heavy searching, or to communicate with professionals outside your first-degree network, upgrading is necessary.

      Premium account members get a badge on their profiles that identifies them as paid users. This badge is a great way to signal that you are a serious LinkedIn user and someone who is responsive to opportunities.

      The Premium plans have many selling points that make the monthly or annual fee reasonable. One of my favorite features of the Premium accounts is the ability to see the full 90-day list of Who’s Viewed Your Profile and insights into your audience, such as where they work and their job titles. You also get access to the Open Profile option, which enables you to freely communicate with other Premium members outside your first-degree network.

      Depending on the Premium plan you choose, you may get additional search filters, more search result listings, job and applicant insights, more saved searches and unlimited profile searches, and company page business insights.

      My recommendation is to start with the basic, free account. Once you start using LinkedIn more frequently, you will begin to feel restricted by the limits of the free account and upgrading will make sense.

By making sure your profile picture, headline, and current job listing are optimized and compelling, you are ensuring that when recruiters or others looking for a person like you sees your listing, they will be sufficiently impressed to click your profile rather than another person’s profile.

      Looking through pages and pages of LinkedIn search results is a daunting task. It’s important to make sure your search result listing showcases you in the best light. For example, many recruiters and hiring managers actually skip past profiles that do not have a profile picture. The omission of a profile picture typically means that the LinkedIn user doesn’t take the social network seriously, provides little detail to his or her career trajectory, and won’t respond when an InMail message is sent. (InMail is a message that you send to a member not directly connected to you. Only Premium members have the ability to send InMail messages.) By including a profile picture, you are proving that you are a serious LinkedIn user and networker. I show you how to upload a profile picture in Chapter 6.

      Let’s see what your full search result listing looks like by performing a name search for you:

      1 Type your name into the LinkedIn search bar and click the magnifying glass icon (or press Enter or Return).While you are typing, LinkedIn may provide you with suggestions from a drop-down list. Do not choose any of these suggestions. Upon pressing Enter or Return, search result listings appear.

      2 Find your search result listing.Your search result listing may be the only result, or if you have a common name, your listing may reside farther down the list of search results.

      3 Look at your search result and determine if it showcases you in the best light.Did you upload a professional profile picture? Is your headline engaging? Read through the chapters in Part 2 of this book to learn how to optimize these different areas.

Look at Figure 2-4 to see the difference between an optimized and an unoptimized search result listing and the differences between a free and a paid user listing.

FIGURE 2-4: An optimized search result versus an unoptimized result.

Understanding the Importance of Keywords

      To appear in search results, you must identify what words people are using to find a person like you. What words would they type into LinkedIn search to find you? These search terms are your keywords.

      

Your profile never appears in search results for terms that do not appear in your profile. In order to appear, your profile must contain those keywords people use to search.

      How many keywords do you need? I suggest choosing five to ten main keywords to pepper throughout your profile. When you try to rank for too many keywords, you lose keyword density and you end up not ranking for anything.

      Keywords don’t have to be just one word. A keyword could be a phrase. For example, profit and loss may be three words, but it is considered one keyword.

      Keywords must be descriptive and exact. Problem-solver and dynamic professional are not good keywords. These words are too general and can describe anyone from a top executive to an office manager. Good keywords are specific and reflective of key skills, strengths, core competencies, specialties, and abilities that differentiate you.

      Here are some questions to help you determine your keywords:

       In what industries have you worked?

       What positions have you held?

       What certifications have you earned?

       What skill sets were listed on your last job description or resume?

       What computer applications do you know?

       What languages do you speak?

       What services do you provide?

       What topics are you an expert in?

       What products do you sell?

       What additional strengths or skill sets do you have?

      Answering these questions provides you with a starting point. Now that you have a few keywords, the next step is to use one of several online keyword tools to find additional, related keywords.

      The following is a list of keyword examples to get you thinking. These are real meat-and-potato keywords. Highlight or star the keywords that seem to fit you and your role. Once you have that list, use the keyword tools described in the next section to dive in deeper and find more keywords that fit you.

       Accounting

       Account reconciliation

       Auditing

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