Wednesday, November 18, 2020

Seven Tips To Improve Your LinkedIn Presence As An Entrepreneur

 Chris J "Mohawk" Reed

LinkedIn gives wannabe and current entrepreneurs an amazing platform to achieve their entrepreneurial goals, not just locally, but regionally and globally, too. It is a catalyst to become a successful entrepreneur if used wisely. Here are seven tips on how you can become a rock star entrepreneur using LinkedIn.

1. It’s who you know, not what you know.

My grandad told me this when I was 9 years old, and I have never forgotten it. It describes being an entrepreneur on LinkedIn perfectly: It’s all about who you network with, who your first connections know and who your second connections know. That’s your network: millions of potentially interesting people who you can help and who can help you.

The more you curate your connections, the more you will see the power of your network. The more you say yes to people who wish to connect both online and offline, the more you will see the power of knowing the right people who can help you directly and indirectly. It’s all about who you know on LinkedIn. Embrace it.

3. Authentic personal branding is the key to success.

Being authentic comes in many shapes and sizes. For me, it’s wearing my mohawk, wearing my black rock t-shirts and ripped black jeans, and saying what I honestly feel, without caveats on who I might offend. For others, it’s wearing a suit and not "saying boo to a goose," as the phrase goes. Others just like a plain white t-shirt with blue jeans and to pick and choose their moments to say something.

The key is to be yourself. People will see through you if you're not. This applies to how you come across on LinkedIn with your personal brand, too. People can tell if you’re putting on an act. People find authenticity refreshing and are more likely to buy from you if you're authentic than if you're a great pretender. Be yourself and be authentic. As Oscar Wilde said, "Be yourself. Everyone else is already taken."

5. Your posts on LinkedIn are not Shakespeare.

I’m always amazed that people spend weeks or months agonizing over their posts. It’s not Shakespeare. In 10 years' time, no one is going to look back and say, “Do you remember that post on LinkedIn that mohawk fellow did in 2020? Wasn’t that something?”

Your post is read (if you’re lucky), and it might spark a thought or smile. Someone might comment (if you’re very lucky), like it or share it. Then they move on. Another post or photo or video catches their attention.

Your post may go viral for a week or so, but then everyone moves on to something else. You build up your personal brand, but people forget the posts. So don’t overanalyze your post. Just get it out there. Then move on to the next one.

See all seven tips and the complete Forbes article

 

 

 

Wednesday, November 4, 2020

5 Ways To Supercharge Your LinkedIn Profile In 15 Minutes

 Steven McConnell

You have probably noticed that very lucrative jobs are being advertised on LinkedIn these days.

It can be tempting to hit the “Apply Now” button and potentially be in the running for a job with better conditions, more interesting challenges, better perks and more responsibility.

However, if your LinkedIn profile looks boring and neglected, then doing so is unlikely to get attention of recruiters.

The good news is, you can significantly increase your chances of getting a job through LinkedIn if you invest some time to breath life back into your profile.

If you have time to do a comprehensive revamp of your profile, that’s great.

But if you’re short on time, you can still add a healthy dose of professionalism to your profile in less time than it takes you to grab a coffee.

4. Rewrite Your Summary.

When you’re writing your profile you try to showcase your skills – because that’s what you think recruiters care about, right?

That’s true, but it’s also true that one of the key factors which recruiters use to make hiring decisions is culture fit.

In other words, potential employers want to know if your personality will suit their team and whether your motivations are in line with philosophy of the company as a whole.

It means you must ensure that your summary communicate a healthy dose of your personality. Unlike a resume, it shouldn’t sound dry and mechanical.

5. Publish A LinkedIn Article (BONUS).

OK, this is a bonus because it should take you longer than 15 minutes.

However, I’m including it here because it will add huge amounts of authority and credibility to your personal brand.

LinkedIn recently opened its publishing platform to every one of its members. It which means you can now publish blog posts directly on your profile.

If you’re a manager at a law firm, for example, you could write an article which discusses the intricacies of moving from in-house to private practice and provides solutions to common problems. A recruiter who is taking a closer look at your profile is likely to notice it and take a closer look to find out more about how you think.

See all 5 ways and the complete LifeHack article