by Petra Fisher | 14 April 2020 | LinkedIn Profile |
Linked In & Mixed Tapes: or how to write a LinkedIn profile that gets you found for the right reasons! When I was younger, my brother used to make me mixed tapes. By the time I had 200 of them, I decided to set up an Access database so it was easier to find the right tape.
My first attempt was not the best.
Sure, I had entered information in the database, but not thought about the information I wanted to PULL OUT. Say, all tapes with a song by Nick Cave or Black Flag. Or which tape had the most songs in one genre?
Had I thought of that beforehand, then I would have entered more details from each tape in the database.
LinkedIn is a database as well!
Stop yourself before you start to blindly copy/paste your resume into the required fields.
Sit down and think about what your profile visitors need to get out of reading your profile. In what searches does the information on your profile need to show up?
Then rewrite each and every job on your profile, yup even the one 20 years ago. You want to shift the focus in each description from responsibilities you had to the skills and expertise your clients need to know and believe about you NOW.
Think about how you can add keywords that are important TODAY to descriptions of the past.
As one participant of my guided online course stated: “Petra makes you think, really think, about what you stand for and why you are on LinkedIn”
So here you go, write down what knowledge, skills and experience your next client expects you to have. Now make sure your profile proves that you do!
⬇ ⬇ ⬇ Give us an example in the comments of how you can make an ‘old’ job relevant! ⬇ ⬇ ⬇
by Petra Fisher | 4 April 2019 | LinkedIn Profile |
Putting my money where my mouth is. Recently I gave some talks about adding personality to your LinkedIn Profile. Stressing its important to Stand Out to Fit In, as you don’t want to talk about a dream assignment only to find out later you and the prospective client can’t stand each other. Or how about that dream job you’re recruited for only to find out you and the company culture are a complete misfit?
It is ok when people run a mile
You want to Stand Out to Fit In. Only attracting clients / company cultures where you get along like a house on fire. When you first meet it needs to match. I advocate a LinkedIn presence that sends people running a mile. This means people that are brilliant to work with will flock to you.
Two out of three ain’t bad
I can’t lie, I can’t tell you that I’m something I’m not (first one to comment who sang this earns brownie points). I upped my game by adding a new position to my profile. Influenced by Mike O’Neil and Lori Ruff’s “Rock the world with your online presence” (book, no affiliate, no commission) I even snuck in a musical quote.
Whaddaya think?
Check out my ‘role’ on LinkedIn (4th down under Petra Fisher Consulting) and share your thoughts in the comments below. I don’t expect you to add a ‘job’ as I did. Just tell me how YOU stand out to fit in and where/with who do you want to fit in? Love to have a bit of a chat about this.
I do expect you to add personality to LinkedIn.
If you are a boring dreadful person, write that way. Are you casual or formal? Let your choice of words and images reflect this. Make your values blatantly clear or let them shine through. It is easy to find the person with the right skills and experience, make sure they know YOU are the only one who is a brilliant match.
Are you my brilliant dream person to work with?
Mind you, if we don’t have any matches, we can always work together on the principle of opposites attract. When you do reach out to me, love to hear how many matches we have:
☐ I drink tea, lots of tea. Earl Grey. No coffee for me, ever.
☐ Mad about Nick Cave. Love most good old punk rock as well.
☐ Books over TV anytime. Chaim Potok. Nick Earls. Terry Pratchett. Maya Angelou …
??
Cats & Hopper (Edward Hopper that is).
>>> Do you add personality to your LinkedIn Presence? Share in the comments so we can chat about it!<<<
by Petra Fisher | 3 October 2018 | LinkedIn Profile |
LinkedIn outdid themselves again! Now when you check who viewed your profile, you can go straight to the INTERESTING views. With a free LinkedIn account you only see your last 5 visitors, which is quite manageable. On a paid account you get to see all profile views 90 days back. How convenient to now only have to look at 40 people instead of 1,191 (still upset with those 9, you know who you are, who didn’t view).
WHAT MAKES PROFILE VIEWS INTERESTING?
Only the algorithm gods know for sure, but this is what I noticed. LinkedIn shows us senior industry leaders (now I need to figure out what makes one an industry leader) and people who work at companies you follow.
- Senior Leader in your industry
- Senior Leader in another industry
- Works at a company you are following
LinkedIn got quite carried away. Each viewer now also has “other highlights” where you can see how many connections you have in common and what groups you have in common. Sure was the highlight of my LinkedIn experience today!
WHY I LIKE IT
I like any insights I can get my hands on. LinkedIn stuff I mean, can’t remember the last time I checked the analytics on my website. Might give me better business insights, but people watching is much more fun! Even though I haven’t got the foggiest yet what makes someone a ‘senior leader’ in this respect, I DO KNOW that according to the info LinkedIn has they do SOMETHING better than others.
In an earlier post on this topic, you can read how to treat the “Who viewed your profile” information. Who cares who viewed your profile. As far as I am concerned, any additional information is a good thing. To be honest, I also like the idea that if I view your profile I’ll be considered a “senior leader in my industry”. I hope I am.
>>> How will you use these new insights? <<<
by Petra Fisher | 20 September 2018 | LinkedIn Profile |
Have you seen the talking LinkedIn Profile? Recently I noticed people replacing the logo on their company page for a gif which resulted in moving logos on personal profiles. I was not impressed. How about this though… have your profile picture talk to your visitor! How do you like that?
LINKEDIN PROFILE TALKING HEAD
IS IT REAL?
This is a little video I recorded with a free tool called Loom. It is actually two recordings in one. You know, like instruction videos where people record a PowerPoint and record themselves talking. I recorded my computer screen which shows my LinkedIn Profile and recorded myself talking. Funny thing about Loom is that recording yourself takes place in a circle. By placing that circle over my profile headshot I created the ILLUSION of a LinkedIn Profile with a talking head.
IS IT ALL TRICKERY?
If it is trickery, depends on your intention. If you pretend that a talking LinkedIn Profile picture exists it is all trickery. It is brilliant though to record video messages that are LinkedIn related. You can talk about an area of your profile you want people to pay attention to. You can record a video introducing yourself. You can even have a special message with a pumpkin or Santa hat for the holiday season.
MORE LINKEDIN VIDEO TIPS
You may also like to read this handy article: 4 Things you need to know re video on LinkedIn
- Directly upload video on LinkedIn.
- Places where you can add video to LinkedIn.
- Fun ideas for video on your profile.
- Always add value.
>>> Has your LinkedIn Profile video? Tell me what it is and add a link to your profile! <<<
by Petra Fisher | 15 April 2018 | LinkedIn Profile |
On the first day of spring, 21 March 2018, my friend Angus Grady told me something was up. The way he viewed LinkedIn Profiles had gone all topsy-turvy. Two weeks later I understood what he meant. By now this new LinkedIn Profile Look is visible to most people; time to have a closer look.
CRAZY THING ABOUT NEW LINKEDIN PROFILE LOOK
It is all about who’s LOOKING. So when you didn’t have it yet, all looked unchanged, yet when someone else looked at your profile, they might see the new LinkedIn Profile Look. The reason this matters most is your background image (LinkedIn Banner). It used to be obscured by your profile picture in the centre, but now it covers the left. To make matter worse: at time of writing, there is a discrepancy between mobile and desktop. The image is this post is a desktop view, on mobile your headshot still covers the centre of your banner.
9 CHANGES TO BE AWARE OFF
You’ve just read all about change #1, your pretty face has been shoved to the left. Below the list of 9 changes, you can read all about numbers 2 through 9.
- Headshot moved, implications for banner image.
- Your headline moved to the left.
- The blue button has new meaning.
- More is more or less the same.
- Your current position is also easier to spot.
- You have the option to NOT show education on the top card.
- Contact info is no longer hidden.
- Slightly longer preview of your summary.
- Up to 5 media visible with summary; without clicking “Show more”.
YOUR HEADLINE MOVED TO THE LEFT.
Why does this matter? Depending on the length of your headline it might look funny. On desktop mine now has one word all by itself on a 3rd line. It used to be two lines and centered instead of left aligned. Not much you can do about it. It will look different on various devices people view on.
THE BLUE BUTTON HAS NEW MEANING.
When on your own profile, this now holds the options to add sections to your profile! I like how that now all lives in one easy to find spot. When visiting someone’s profile it still holds the option to message or connect (depending on your relationship).
MORE IS MORE OR LESS THE SAME.
On your own profile more lets you save your profile as PDF or share your profile. When visiting someone else’s profile more gives these options as well as options to recommend, ask to be recommended, disconnect, block or un-follow.
YOUR CURRENT POSITION IS EASIER TO SPOT.
In the old LinkedIn Profile Look your current job title, company, educational institute, location and number of connections were all more or less one long sentence directly under your headline. In the new LinkedIn Profile Look there is a neat, organised clear list of the most important parts of your profile.
YOU HAVE THE OPTION TO NOT SHOW EDUCATION ON THE TOP.
Generally, I advise listing all your experience and education. They show your professional development and by writing clever descriptions you can use keywords all through your profile. At the same time, I am all for personal choice and options, so YAY for the ability not to show education in the top section of your LinkedIn Profile.
CONTACT INFO NO LONGER HIDDEN.
This one I LOVE. It used to be hard to find. Now it is in clear view. Make sure you utilise this piece of LinkedIn Profile real estate to the max. Read all about the hidden gems of your contact details on LinkedIn right here.
SLIGHTLY LONGER PREVIEW OF YOUR SUMMARY.
This is a great improvement! Your summary is where you present yourself to the reader who made it past your pretty picture and great headline. Beware that people checking you out via the mobile app will still see less than those using the desktop version. If you need some help structuring your summary, you might like to read this post.
UP TO 5 MEDIA VISIBLE WITH SUMMARY.
YAY media with the summary is no longer hidden behind the “Show more” link. Not only is it directly visible with the new look LinkedIn Profile, there are also MORE media items visible without scrolling. I’m sure you’ve heard that thing about a picture vs 1000 words. You can also upload video, presentations, PDFs or links to websites. Mind you, not all displays pretty.
>>> Tell me in the comments: have you updated your banner? What other changes have you made?<<<
by Petra Fisher | 19 January 2018 | LinkedIn Profile |
How up to date and complete is the contact section on your LinkedIn profile? When I took a screenshot for this post I found out – shock horror – that the 3 links to my website, the information with address, and Skype were all missing. Yikes. Especially since I did something clever with 2 out of those 3 entries.
THERE ARE 8 HIDDEN GEMS IN CONTACT
- Profile URL (make it clean and lean)
- Websites (add description)
- Phone (more on that later)
- Address (here I got real clever)
- Email (more on that later)
- Twitter (remember twitter?)
- IM (I put my Skype name here)
- Birthday (if you like congrats)
LET ME WALK YOU THROUGH
LinkedIn Profile URL
By default, LinkedIn adds some gibberish after your name. Not a pretty sight. Please clean it up by just typing in your name.
Websites
You can add THREE websites to your profile. They can all link to the same website! Link to the home page, the services page and the contact page for example. Make sure to go for “other” instead of “personal” or “company” the other field allows you type a short description that appears after the URL (in brackets).
Phone
If you are happy to be contacted to by phone, do add the number. Now remember: these gems are HIDDEN. The contact bit sits in the right sidebar AND people need to click “show more” double whammy hidden. Add the phone number (with a call to action) to your summary as well.
Address
Sure, you can add your business address. But it is a free text field, so you can just type any message you like here! Whoppaaa… get creative and clever people.
Email
Same story as the phone number. Nuf said.
Twitter
If you are on Twitter, add it here. It becomes a clickable link on your profile AND it is visible ABOVE the contact section as well, without having to click on “show more”
IM
Here you can add ONE messenger service. Options are: AIM, Skype, Yahoo!Messenger (do people use that?), ICQ (whoohoo its back! Born in 1996, 7 years before LinkedIn, WordPress or Skype), Google Hangouts, QQ, WeChat (cannot be serious about Chinese market if you are not on WeChat).
Birthday
This is so cool! You connections send you messages. True, often just the default LinkedIn one, but hey, they DO put in the effort to click that. Or (makes me feel real special) people use the LinkedIn trigger and then replace the default message with a personal birthday wish!
>>> Tell me (in the comments) are you using all 8? Why/why not? <<<
by Petra Fisher | 18 September 2015 | Networking |
What is the first thing a sales rep does when he enters your office? He has a good look around. He is looking for a common interest. A personal common interest to break the ice and start the conversation. (more…)
by Petra Fisher | 11 December 2014 | LinkedIn Profile |
Moving sections around on LinkedIn isn’t new.
So why write about it now? Because plenty of people don’t know about it yet. And … because things have changed recently (December 2014). So just two short tips in this post. (more…)
by Petra Fisher | 4 April 2014 | LinkedIn Profile |
Its as easy as counting to three! Just opt out of LinkedIn suggesting others what to endorse you for! And get rid of the nagging to endorse others whilst your at it!
- Choose if you want to receive endorsements on your skills
- This is where you get really happy!
- Reorganise your skills as explained in taking control over the skills LinkedIn Bingo Card (LinkedIn Endorsements).
>>>What is the first change you will make?<<<
PS You might also like the post by Donna Svei 7 Steps to Make Your LinkedIn Endorsements Believable
by Petra Fisher | 17 May 2012 | LinkedIn Profile |
“LinkedIn slipped in a new look on the world, at least for some (read more on the story below). This is the new LinkedIn Profile Header area as on May 17, 2012. It doesn’t really add anything NEW per se, it just uses the Apple look to make things that were already there a bit more intuitive.” Writes my friend and LinkedIn Diva Lori Ruff on the Integrated Alliances site today.
Where have my LinkedIn Recommendations gone?
Your actual LinkedIn recommendations haven’t gone anywhere. They are still where they should be. But the statement “Recommendations: 19 people have recommended Petra” will no longer proudly display in my LinkedIn Header area once my profile displays the new look. (more…)
by Petra Fisher | 25 April 2012 | LinkedIn Profile |
How often have you clicked the link “Company Website” on someone’s LinkedIn profile?
What about “Personal Website”? “Portfolio”, “RSS Feed”, “Blog” – do you actually click that one? Yet another one of LinkedIn’s hidden gems about to be revealed… It does make me wonder why LinkedIn even provides these options though. (more…)
by Petra Fisher | 21 April 2012 | LinkedIn Profile |
I’m SO NOT asking for recommendations. That’s just not me!
Many people have great difficulty dealing with recommendations on their LinkedIn profile. If they get a recommendation, that’s very nice for sure, but to ask … No, that’s not done. Is just doesn’t feel right. Besides, it looks like bragging on your profile. Something like: “Look how good / great / important I am”.
So what is your purpose on LinkedIn?
What do YOU want to achieve with your presence on LinkedIn? A new job? More leads? Sales? A network for sharing/finding knowledge? Whatever your goal on LinkedIn, don’t forget that it is a NETWORK. Your profile is not a resume. It is a first impression | billboard | marketing spiel | window display | brochure | CV… in short: an instrument you USE when networking.
The advantage/ importance of LinkedIn recommendations.
Whatever your goal on LinkedIn, people do business with people. People they trust. And before someone can trust you, they must be aware you even exist. It’s all about the famous trinity: Know – Like – Trust. A recommendation on LinkedIn helps you in various ways to improve your know you – like – trust factor.
TRUST – You can write a great story about yourself (that’s what your LinkedIn profile is: a self-written story). Once others confirm your story people will start to really value it. A recommendation from a satisfied customer, manager or business partner is a wonderful confirmation of your expertise.
KNOW – How can a LinkedIn recommendation build your reputation? That’s easier than you think! The moment you receive a recommendation (say it comes from me) all your connections will see a status update like this: “Petra Fisher recommends So-and-so …” followed by approximately the first 100 characters of the recommendation. But there’s more… MY 500+ connections get to see this update as well! If I write a strong enough opening (which is partly visible in the status update) then some people’s curiosity might trigger them to check out YOUR profile!
What goes around, comes around…
As you may have concluded from the previous paragraph … it certainly pays to spontaneously recommend other people (me for example, because of my great blog posts ;-)). For starters it is a really nice thing to do and the recipient will at some stage reciprocate one way or another. More so, you bring yourself to the attention of the network of those you recommend. So some strategic recommending is not misplaced! 
A Word of Warning! If you receive a recommendation, LinkedIn asks you immediately to return the favour. DON’T. Look at the status updates that I saw come along … if you sincerely want to recommend someone back, wait a week or two.
>>> I do believe that you should ask someone in person for their recommendation. Just call, or email if you must, but don’t use the automatic feature of LinkedIn. What do you think? <<<
