For the first three articles in the series, check out HowTo LinkedIn #1: Creating your unique URL, HowTo LinkedIn #2: Write a killer headline, and HowTo LinkedIn #3: Connect with the people you know.
If you’re following along, by now you have a few contacts and a brief, catchy statement about who you are. Next, we’re going to flesh out a bit about what you’ve done.
It’s good to have your resume handy for this part for reference. But please don’t copy-paste here. Your LinkedIn profile should be just a taste of what you’ve done, not the full menu.
First, you should know that how you list your previous employers affects your networking ability. LinkedIn has built-in functionality that will help you find past colleagues based on the company name and employment dates. Same with education. So, list your past positions and reconnect.
To get started, if you’re not already there, select “Edit My Profile” under “Profile” in the left navigation. Then, for each position you want to add, simply click on “Add Position” next to experience.
What do you write? You want to give people a snapshot of what you’ve done without too much detail. Try briefly listing your top three job responsibilities followed by one stellar accomplishment. If the company you worked for is relatively unknown, you may also want to include a snippet about the firm for context. Here’s a sample:
Directed creative efforts and distribution for all communications for boutique intellectual property law firm. Researched and wrote copy for e-newsletter. Partnered with HR on internal communications efforts. Implemented benchmarks for online readership. Increased subscriber list by 125% in first year.
This gives enough information to understand what your role was without boring the reader. And, the results focus in the last line gives you a leg up if you’re networking for a new job.
Continue to add positions until you’ve fleshed out your past experience. In general, as with a resume, you only want to go back 10-15 years. We’re sure you delivered a mean pizza in your college days, but if it’s not relevant, leave it off. You can add your education by clicking “Add Education” in that section.
Concise summaries of your recent work will show you’re committed to being an active participant in the LinkedIn community, and will help provide additional credibility as you network online.
Related posts:
- HowTo LinkedIn #6: Linking out
- HowTo LinkedIn #1: Creating your unique URL
- HowTo LinkedIn #2: Write a killer headline
- HowTo LinkedIn #5: Add a photo
- HowTo LinkedIn #3: Connect with the people that you know
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