With over 175 million users worldwide, LinkedIn has proved itself to be more than just a virtual resume. Instead it acts as a resume, cover letter, references document, database of your contacts throughout your life and a place where you can learn, share and interact in a professional manner and is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to personal branding. Here are 3 ways to creatively showcase your personal brand on LinkedIn.
Headline: Don’t be afraid to get creative with your headline. Besides your photo, your headline is the first thing that others will see when they view your profile page. It’s important to describe, in under 10 words, what you do. This can be a challenging exercise, but boiling down to the essence of what you do is important. This headline not only showcases how you define yourself as an executive in your field; it makes you easier to locate when people conduct keyword searches on the site and in search engines.
Story: LinkedIn is not only a place that allows you to display your resume; it’s also your place to shine and explain to the world what you do. By telling your story, recruiters who stop by have all of the information they need to make an initial judgment of whether you should be recruited. Not to mention that completing your profile helps LinkedIn analyze your page so that it can send great job suggestions your way.
Visibility: Displaying a strong personal brand takes getting exposure whenever you can. Some of the ways you can increase your visibility on LinkedIn are: consistently update your LinkedIn status and to regularly add to your expertise, provide a link to your LinkedIn profile on your blog, email messages and Facebook and Twitter pages, join relevant LinkedIn groups and participate in meaningful discussions.
What are some creative ways you’ve been able to brand yourself on social media? #SoundOff and follow me on Twitter @JayNHarrison.