Writing an Effective LinkedIn Profile: Increase Your Visibility to Employers

1. Writing an effective LinkedIn Profile, making sure it dovetails with your CV and increasing your visibility to employers By Matt Craven, Founder of The CV & Interview Advisors The presentation will start at 1.15pm at end at 2pm. The next workshops start at 2.10pm.

2. UK’s highest quality provider of career / personal branding products Experts on CV and LinkedIn and all things related to finding a job (or contract) A Team of Senior Professionals, Career Coaches & Published Authors Resident expert for many orgs (ACCA, IPSE, CIPFA, BCS, BCI, BECTU). Who are we? A quote from a leading national recruitment business: “80% of CVs are either weak or need improvement”. That means only 20% are good yet 95% of people think their CV is great. That’s a lot people getting it wrong and if you think CVs are bad – what about LinkedIn?!

3. Personal Branding • Brand ‘You’ – it’s all about marketing • What do you cost and what are you worth? • Personal marketing collateral – business case / ROI. We have written 7000+ CVs and LinkedIn profiles (your competition). Clients have reported up to a 500% increase in activity as a result of using our services.

4. LinkedIn - What is it? • History and purpose - business card folder • Professional networking site (it is not social media) • 370+ million members worldwide • The biggest candidate database in the world • Job seekers - seek out companies, hiring managers and jobs • Professionals - research contacts (business behaviour) • Recruiters / Hiring Managers - source candidates • Entrepreneurs - showcase and grow their business • Sales people - find and contact potential clients. It’s not like filling in a form or a Facebook profile. Think of it more like a website where the content is the most important factor.

5. Finding a job through LinkedIn • Search for jobs and apply BUT who in your network works there? • Search for target companies - who in your network works there? • Search for decision makers and add them to your network • Use your network to find other contacts - get introduced • Participate in discussions to build your profile • Find groups where Hiring Managers hang out • Networking: eventually take the conversation off line (talk) • Most importantly - LinkedIn is where recruiters find people. More people found a position through LinkedIn than Monster.com last year and that trend is set to continue.

6. Getting found • SEO your profile with keywords • Write recommendations – they link back to you • Endorse people if you want to remind them that you exist (Hirers?) • Join groups - you can contact / be contacted by group members direct • Participate in group discussions and build your authority • Ask for recommendations (3 x more likely…..) • These work for all types of LinkedIn objectives. 85% of hiring managers will check you out on LinkedIn if you are strong enough to make the shortlist with your CV.

7. Other tricks • Change the default message when connecting • You can use bullet points (Wingdings) • Set up a vanity URL • Move sections around. In the year 2015, you will be considered ‘behind the times’ for not having a LinkedIn profile (or only having a skeleton profile) and you are cutting off a big chunk of the recruitment market.

8. Evidence that LinkedIn works “Last summer you re-wrote my CV and LinkedIn profile as I embarked on my interim career. I wanted to let you know that as a result I've been very very busy - I’ve worked solidly from 1st October, tripling my earnings. From my LinkedIn profile, I was approached by an old colleague and as a result I've been offered a three year contract as an Exec Director in Qatar in the Middle East. I just wanted to update you and thank you for your hard work and advice. I don't think my career would be where it is now without your input.” Having your CV and LinkedIn profile professionally authored is fast becoming an essential box that needs to be ticked by career minded professionals!

9. Your Elevator Pitch • Professional Summary (not Personal Profile) • Have one on both your CV and LinkedIn • Cheap Red Shoes Theory – what are you? • Must convey an overriding value proposition • Include your top skills (aligned with your market) • Avoid clichéd personality traits (nothing personality-based on CV) • Inject philosophy and ethos into LinkedIn (more personality) • Think ‘features and benefits’ / ‘skill and value-add’ • Add Specialities to LinkedIn (Key Skills section on CV). Do you know your brand, your value proposition and the hot skills in your sector. Many savvy job seekers pay us to unlock this precious info and to subsequently write their CV and LinkedIn profile in an effective way.

10. Case Studies • Marketeers know the power of case studies • Focus around your biggest (& most relevant) achievements • Use on your CV and use on LinkedIn (Projects) • Early career people use on CV to push transferable skills • Pick most relevant and most impressive (how many?) • Individual projects not periods of employment • Be a six-line STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Results). Most of us spend 8 hours per day, 5 days per week, 48 weeks per year until we are 65 at work; what price can you put on your career?

11. Popcorn break - what do we do? Create CVs & LI profiles that SIGNIFICANTLY increase interviews Match you up with a senior-level professional (2 hour session) Define your value proposition and go to market pitch Define and optimise your value added skills Create your elevator pitch and case studies Talk through and write your CV and LinkedIn Profile Help you to quantify results of your projects / case studies Create collateral that takes mins rather than hours to tweak Maximise your ability to get a job & increase your salary. Buying career services is not a cost – it’s an investment. Some people pay in excess of £1000 and it’s well known among savvy job seekers that a pro written CV / LI can be a game changer in terms of winning interviews & getting offers.

12. CV Career History All about the information architecture Reverse chronological and start on page one Description of employer (if not well known) Summary of role / reason for being hired KPIs - how is your role measured Duties & Responsibilities Achievements / Key Projects Reason for leaving / perm or contract.

13. LinkedIn ‘Positions’ Description of employer (yes) Summary of role (yes and expand) KPIs - how is your role measured (no) Duties & Responsibilities (no) Achievements / Key Projects (yes) Reason for leaving (no) / perm or contract (yes)

14. The Power of Recommendations • Request through LinkedIn • Use on CV and LinkedIn • Generic versus unique. A professionally written CV and LI Profile costs up to £364 + Vat and is more that one day’s work for us. If you think that is expensive, think about how much plumbers and electricians charge for a day’s work! The average tradesperson in London charges more than £300 per day!!

15. Summary LinkedIn is essential the more experience you have Think of it as your sales website for recruiters Summary must ‘sell’ you and explain what you are Positions should be less detailed than CV Projects section should be used to show case studies Embrace the power of recommendations Invest in your CV / LI to get ROI from your qualifications.

16. What next? CILIP Offers Offers expire Friday 16th October CV & LinkedIn Profile - not £1000, not £364 just £249 + Vat (up to £138 discount depending on your seniority) LinkedIn Profile - £150 + Vat (£30 discount but for only £99 more, you will also get a CV) Post Seminar Pack - £24.99 + Vat (PP slides, CV templates, CV examples, 4 CV writing guides, 2 advanced interview guides, access to mock interview system, CV critique, LinkedIn critique, 10% off voucher, money back if order £249 services by 16th Oct) http://www.cvandinterviewadvisors.co.uk/cilipoct Or email info@cvandinterviewadvisors.co.uk One of our team will then contact you to get the ball rolling