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Maximizing Your LinkedIn Profile Professional Headline
I've seen too many job seekers label themselves on LinkedIn as "Unemployed." Or they put the current, or former, job title in that space. Wasting a golden opportunity!
LinkedIn offers many opportunities for you to customize your Profile for personal marketing when you are in an open job search.
In addition, using the right words (the keywords in the jobs you are targeting) will increase the probability that your Profile will appear in a recruiter's search for someone with those skills.
Which one of these sends the most positive message about Mary Smith? Which one tells recruiters more about what she could do for an employer?
Example 1:
A. Mary J. Smith
Unemployed
----- or -----
B. Mary J. Smith
Seeking new position in Strategic/Product Marketing, Professional w/5 Years Experience in Market Assessment and Competitive Positioning
Please note!If you are still employed, do NOT be this open about your job search! It could cost you your existing job. This is a recommendation ONLY for people in an open job search. See How to Use LinkedIn for Your Stealth Job Search if you are currently have a job.
Example 2:
A. Mary J. Smith
Marketing Professional
----- or -----
B. Mary J. Smith
Strategic and Product Marketing Professional: Specializing in Market Assessments and Competitive Positioning.
Would you contact A or B?
If you were a potential employer or someone looking for a new contact, which person looks more interesting/appealing in the results of a LinkedIn search or at the top of a LinkedIn Profile - A or B?
While both "Professional Headlines" (in LinkedIn lingo) are accurate, the A headlines -"Unemployed" - describes a temporary situation or - "Marketing Specialist" - offers a generic job title.
The B headlines provide not only more information and more interesting ideas but also more keywords.
LinkedIn gives you 120 spaces to use for your headline, so you have plenty of room.
If your Profile looks more like A than B, change it now.
Bottom Line
If you are a professional working in the United States, you need a LinkedIn Profile. LinkedIn Profiles are the cross-geography, cross-profession, and cross-location white pages of the 21st century.
Recruiters and employers use LinkedIn relentlessly, so job seekers who ignore the opportunity provided by LinkedIn are missing a major personal marketing and business venue. Use LinkedIn and leverage the tools they have provided you for a shorter and more successful job hunt and a more successful career.
About This Author:
Online job search expert Susan P. Joyce has been observing the online job search world and teaching online job search skills since 1995. A veteran of the United States Marine Corps, Susan is a two-time layoff “graduate” who has worked in human resources at Harvard University and in a compensation consulting firm. In 1998, NETability purchased Job-Hunt.org, which Susan has edited and published since. Susan also edits and publishes WorkCoachCafe.com. Follow Susan on Twitter at@jobhuntorg and on Google+.
