What makes someone successful? What draws recruiters to certain profiles online? How can we maximize tools we already have to increase our own revenue and potential for success in the workplace? These are all questions that were answered in the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce’s most recent Webinar Wednesday program. Russ Terry, accomplished coach, motivational speaker, diversity consultant, and founder of Life Coach Radio Networks, joined NGLCC to share his wisdom on an incredibly powerful network – LinkedIn! Russ, who generates more than half of his 6 figure income from LinkedIn, shared a number of strategies with the program’s audience to help them boost their profiles, and in turn, their chances for success. Here are some major takeaways from his presentation.
1. Make sure potential employers can easily find and identify your profile!
Optimize your profile to ensure your credibility and recognizability online. Edit your profile’s custom URL to have it reflect your name instead of the one that LinkedIn randomly assigns to you. This option can be found by selecting the “Edit Public Profile” section on your personal page. It’s also important to include your pronouns on your page, whether in your headline or your name – pronouns should never be assumed.
Put a face to your name! Include a professional headshot along with your profile. Russ says that individuals are 7 times more likely to be found in searches if they include a photo in their profile – why not take advantage of this? Some general do’s and don’ts for LinkedIn headshots:
DON’T
- Have a selfie, messy hair/outfit, have visibly cropped people out of it, appear as a mugshot
DO
- Keep it well lit, have it from the chest up, smile, be creative, have the camera focus on you and not the background
2. Speak directly to potential employers, and speak directly to what you do.
The Headline section of your LinkedIn profile represents a key opportunity to highlight what makes you different, directly engage your desired audience, and to use keywords that will make you more likely to be found in job searches. In this section, use a clause or sentence to describe what you do and how you do it. If you have a lengthy job description, it’s acceptable to use bullet points. The words that you choose here should mirror any keywords from your desired job description, as well as what you currently do.
Similarly, LinkedIn’s new “Services” section allows you to input your specific skills and services that may not otherwise fit or be appropriate for the Headline section. Under your profile page, select the “Add Services” tab to provide more details about your provided services. This will give potential employers a detailed overview of what you do.
The “About” section is another chance for you to expand on your Headline information. The first 2-3 lines of this section are what people first see when they come to your page, meaning that your specific experience can begin to be summarized here instead. LinkedIn’s new “Featured” section follows this, and allows you to upload materials you’ve created for others to view. This is an ideal section in which to host PowerPoints, videos, and more. It can function as a personal portfolio of sorts and eliminates the step of visiting an external portfolio for employers.
Lastly, the Experience section should be curated as an upside-down pyramid, with your most significant or most recent career experience first and your earliest or least significant experience last. Use bullet points for this section and employ present tense action verbs for your current job, with past tense action verbs for past jobs.
3. Engage with your audience!
LinkedIn’s newly remodeled Activity section shows your followers and connections your recent comments, posts, and general activity. Make it a best practice to comment on other people’s posts and updates with positivity, which shows your audience that you are engaged and share good energy with others. In terms of your own posts, place an emphasis on sharing original content that you’ve created at least once a week, saving the rest of the week for resharing other content.
Recommendations are also an important part of engagement. To request a recommendation from someone, first reach out to them how you would normally contact them. Following this conversation, you can request a recommendation from them through LinkedIn. The more connections and recommendations you have, the greater your chances at LinkedIn success.
Click here to view this webinar. For more information on upcoming webinars, visit nglcc.org/webinars.
A note from Russ:
Want to enhance your personal development? I’m doing online webinars open to the public for the 1st time in 5 years! Here’s a link to sign up: https://www.learnitlive.com/russterry
Certified Professional Coach
Founder/CEO, Life Coach Radio Networks
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/russterry
Website: www.russterrycoaching.com
