Why You Really Aren’t Using LinkedIn and Why You Really Should Be Using LinkedIn

 

Why You’re Really Not Using LinkedIn & Why You Really Should Be

You are afraid to be seen, be heard, and be judged.  The end. Keep reading, though.  We can talk about you getting your mindset right another time.

This is not the end of the article.  It’s the end of your excuses.

You’re no longer allowed to say:

• I just don’t get LinkedIn.
• LinkedIn is hard to understand.
• LinkedIn is just one more site to join.
• No one I know uses LinkedIn.
• I’m not a business leader or thought leader.

Before I go into my rant about all the reasons you really should be using LinkedIn, let me completely destroy all of your excuses once and for all.  If your own unique excuse is not listed above, contact me with yours and I’ll happily destroy that one, too, free of charge.

Please watch as I purposefully and authentically destroy your excuses for not using LinkedIn:

• I just don’t get LinkedIn.

  • You can. Get it now.  Install the app: iOS or Android and then use it.  That’s how you learned all of the other 8,000 apps you installed this year, right?

• LinkedIn is hard to understand.

  • But Snapchat, the new Instagram with Snapchat upgrade, and the weekly updates and changes on Facebook aren’t. You figured those out, you can figure out LinkedIn.

• LinkedIn is just one more site to join.

  • It’s one more site to join to assist you in growing your network and exposing yourself to other opportunities.  You can’t be serious about owning your career if you’re not serious about being seen / considered for other jobs that align perfectly with your career.  Yes, LinkedIn is one more site that you needed to join three years ago.

• No one I know uses LinkedIn.

  • You mean no one you know of any professional influence uses LinkedIn? If no one in your circle is using LinkedIn and you’re trying to grow professionally, then your first order of business should be getting on LinkedIn and adding new people to your “circle”.

• I’m not a business leader or thought leader.

  • Yes, you are. If you’re the janitor or the CEO, you are a business leader and a thought leader because you have so many thoughts / ideas about how your team, department, company, or industry should be run and you’re leading people every day whether it is conscious and intentional or not.  (Whole new topic that we can discuss another day).  No matter your job title or salary, recruiters and hiring managers want to see that you are engaged about the work you do.  They want to see your ability to communicate, participate, and be seen (CONFIDENCE SELLS).

Now that you have solemnly sworn on those stacks of resumes you’re not taking to interviews because no one is calling you back about…

Let’s chat about how and why you should be using LinkedIn if you’re serious about taking charge of your career path.

 

1. Complete your profile.

   You have a few things listed, but not everything and you don’t have a picture. Recruiters have access to powerful software that is looking for you based on title, keywords, location, skills, etc.  Every field in your profile can be used by recruiters to identify you as a qualified candidate. Make sure your city, state, and zip code are filled in.

2. Have a confident and clear headline.

   I coach my clients to put the title of the job they want in their headline and back it up with a micro elevator pitch.  Use this to show your passion for what you do.  When you’re being considered for a role, employers want to know that you’d be interested and engaged.

3. Corroborate your cover letter and resume.

   Your resume and cover letter should be validated by your LinkedIn page.  If you say you’re passionate about the industry or company, then you better be following that company, liking industry related articles and leaders, and participating in relevant groups.  This is how you establish the ever so popular “know, like, and trust” factor with a potential employer.  Make sure your resume job titles and dates are correct and mirror each other.

4. Get endorsements and recommendations.

   Thanks to Amazon, we’ve all been conditioned to do our research and check for reviews before we purchase anything.  Employers are humans and they’re doing the same.  Having endorsements of your skills and recommendations of your work from other bosses, customers, or co-workers will weigh more in your favor than your own bragging about yourself.  Don’t work so hard to establish credibility only to destroy it with incorrect information (Background checks are still being run.  Remember that.)

5. List everything that you know.

   Once again, your skills and knowledge and accomplishments can be searched by recruiters.  Make sure you have all of your skills listed.  Also, make sure you’re listing all software, techniques, or niche industry jargon.  You want your profile to be as relevant to as many searches as possible, but focus on listing the skills you truly know are aligned with your career path.  I know how to work a cash register, but it’s not relevant to where my career is or where it’s going.

 

Now, go get on LinkedIn – show up, participate, apply for jobs, and network.  If you’re still unclear and would like the expertise of a life & career coach who rocks at empowering hard-working employees to get unstuck so they can move purposefully, authentically, and actively in their work, life, and dreams…

I know a girl.  Her name is Kandis Webb.  You can connect with her on LinkedIn or schedule a complimentary Clarity Chat with her.

#WorkLifeDreamsBalance

THE END.