This past Tuesday, November 13th, the Temple PRSSA Chapter hosted a LinkedIn workshop with LuAnn Cahn, the current Director of Career Services at Klein College of Media and Communication. Joining her was Karen Demmler, a career coach from the Temple University Career Center. Together, they went over tips on how to improve your LinkedIn profile in order to make the most out of the space. Here is some of the advice they had to give:
What Makes A Good Profile
A Proper Headshot (And Banner) - When someone first views your profile, the first thing they see is your profile photo and banner. Make a great first impression! Throw out that high school yearbook photo or MySpace mirror selfie. If you’re in need of a LinkedIn headshot, the career center offers free photography services for students in Annenberg Hall throughout the week.
Take a look at Christina’s profile header. She has a professional photo and her banner represents a strong interest of hers — politics and social activism. Within the first few seconds of viewing her profile, I know that she is a professional and I even know a little bit about who she is without even reading her summary.
Compelling Headline - This is your tagline - make it compelling but also infuse it with your main keywords so people are able to find you. Think of the industry you plan to work in. Treat yourself like a professional.
Engaging Summary - Talk about you! Truly personalize this section and talk about what you care about and what you want to do in a creative way. You may even think of the summary as your elevator pitch for yourself. Looking back at Christina’s profile, she includes a straight forward but effect summary to properly share with those who visit her profile of who she is and what she’s all about.
Experiences - Always present yourself as a professional, even if you’re just starting out. Show your worth to those that view your profile.
Don’t overlook the descriptions of any experience you list. If your listing past experience, always provide the accomplishments you had there, not what your job description was. That will carry further. Don’t forget to include multimedia! Upload presentations or images and link videos and images. This will provide more than just words and give viewers a more interactive experience.
Good Networkers Only Ask For Information
If you’re looking for a job or an internship, LinkedIn is an incredible tool to do so. If you’re looking to network about an internship or job, it’s not a good idea to send them a message and ask them if they can give you a job/internship. Rather, ask them if they can give you more information on where to apply. You may even ask them if they can look at your resume to see if this is something that they’re company may find appealing in a candidate. Good networkers only ask for information.
Utilize The Alumni Network
Temple University, like many universities, have an alumni network on LinkedIn. Here is your one-stop resource to see if there are any fellow Temple Owls at your dream job or internship. Temple Owls enjoy helping fellow Temple Owls. Just don’t forget, good networkers only ask for information. Asking for a phone call informational interview about how they got to this point, or if they can give you more information about what it’s like to work at that company is the correct way to utilize the alumni network.
All these Owls are at your disposal, take advantage of it!
Always Customize The Invitation
Nothing is more boring and less personal than a blank invitation. If you meet someone at an event or in class, remind them in the invitation. Let them know you would like to connect and build a professional relationship.
Join Groups
Other than the Temple University Alumni Network, there are thousands of groups you can join where you can interact with other professionals in your field.
This blog post was written by William Careri, General Body Member.
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