by Bryn Panee Burkhart/ financial times
The secrets and details for a strong LinkedIn profile, presented to F.T. by the career development manager at MIT. What talent hunters and companies look for. The importance of quality contacts and the most useful search tools.
Do companies actually use LinkedIn to hire MBA graduates?
And of course! The most popular professional social network is an integral part of the recruitment strategy for all types of companies, from start-ups to multinationals. The largest portion of LinkedIn's revenue comes from talent search services, which provide companies and talent hunters with specialized search tools to locate highly skilled professionals.
According to LinkedIn, 89 of the top 100 companies in Fortune's recent list use these services. Meanwhile, smaller companies purchase premium subscriptions or may encourage employees to search their personal contacts for finding potential candidates.
The bottom line is that by creating a profile on LinkedIn, you place yourself in a global resume database and there is a chance to find new professional opportunities.
What can MBA graduates do to get noticed by talent hunters?
You must meet all LinkedIn requirements to create a “complete profile»”, which includes adding a professional photo, a headline (the current job position or a clever slogan that promotes your key qualifications), location, work experience, education, core skills, and at least 50 contacts. The website guides users through this process.
The above steps will lead to what LinkedIn calls a profile «All – Star», which is also the highest level one can achieve. The profile level is measured by a circular chart located on the right side of your profile page. According to LinkedIn, the «All-Star» users are 40 times more likely to appear in talent scouts' searches and the ranking of searches is based on how complete a profile is.
How can I increase traffic to my profile?
Companies use Google to check potential candidates, so a search for your name will yield results. By customizing your LinkedIn URL with your name, for example, you have ensured an improvement in your profile's traffic.
A customized URL shows that you are an advanced LinkedIn user and can serve as your digital professional card. MBA graduates who are confident about their LinkedIn profile should add it to their email signature, business cards, and resumes. It is a smart way to increase clicks on their profile.
What other information should I add to my profile?
The summary section (summary) in the profile gives MBA graduates a great opportunity to present an «elevator pitch» and immediately showcase their talents. I advise them to craft the summary by addressing three questions:
*Who am I as a professional?
*What are my strengths and the areas in which I have experience?
*How can I add value to the next job and to my company?
This process requires thorough thinking about how you will highlight your strengths and your value to a broad audience. But my talent hunters say that a good summary encourages them to keep reading a profile, and I have seen several MBA graduates gain a great boost after drafting a good and concise summary.
I advise you to write it in the first person. It is much easier to talk about yourself and your achievements in this way, and talent scouts find it much more interesting. Keep a professional yet personal tone, so that the reader gets an impression of your personality and character.
How can I network on LinkedIn to facilitate my job search?
The contacts with fellow students are very strong and LinkedIn's related tools facilitate them. Search your school and filter results based on keywords, companies, geographic locations and other criteria. This is an ideal way to discover and connect with fellow students who work at companies or positions that interest you. I have worked with various MBA graduates who have used this tool to connect with a company and obtain information about job opportunities before they are posted.
Do I need to have as many connections on LinkedIn as possible?
I suggest you only connect with people you know, as the quality of your connections matters more than the quantity. Why? The power of LinkedIn lies in increasing and gaining access to second-degree contacts, the contacts of your first-degree contacts. I know many MBA graduates who have successfully increased second-degree contacts to advance their job search. I advise you to clean up your contacts list and delete people you do not recognize or trust.
When you invite someone to connect with you, always send them a personal message. It can be as simple as “Hello X, I liked our conversation at the Y conference last week. I hope we stay in touch and let me know if I can help you with something». Building a quality network means you make an effort to connect with people on a personal basis. Also, taking a little time to inform a potential contact that you are able to help them is very important, as networking is not an individual game.
*Bryn Panee Burkhart is the career development officer at MIT Sloan School of Management
Source: planet-greece.blogspot.com
