Job Search Tip - Set Up a Professional Profile on LinkedIn

LinkedIn continues to grow like wildfire. If anything, the economic downturn caused folks to place even more emphasis on building their career networks. There is no better way than LinkedIn. And when you join LinkedIn, there is no more important activity than building a great profile!

What makes a great profile?

To a large extent, that depends on your personal career goals. Today, we are focusing on the profile as a way to build the excellent career you seek or to find a job. Focusing on this the right way is a synergistic process that will help you find and land the job you are after and to later make that job an important stepping stone on the way to a great career.

So let's get started? Have you signed up for LinkedIn. I hope so! If not, do so now and come right back. If you have, sign in now. You'll see "Profile" on the menu bar. Click on this and let's get going! Next choose "Edit Profile". Now we are on our way!

Carefully step through your profile. Provide detailed information just as you would include in your resume. Provide job titles, companies worked for, specific assignment responsibilities, measured achievements, and so forth. Tell it like it is and do not exagerate. Remember on LinkedIn folks can quickly identify past colleagues and associates to verify the facts.

Include education, training, interests, other background and so forth. Go all the way to the beginning of your career. Leave nothing out. The objective is to provide as complete as information as your resume. Next, reach out to past associates and ask them to give you a clear thorough recommendation. If they'd like you could even draft it for them.

Sit down and carefully and in detail reviewing your initial input. See if you can't identify other points to enhance in the experience section. The more measurable facts you can identify the better. Next, switch to view profile and see what others are going to see. Perhaps consider having someone else do a quick review of your profile. Take their insights and make another round of revisions. This is an effort worth 2 or 3 reviews and editing sessions.

Make sure the settings are as you'd like with your groups showing, websites, and so many other feature properly displayed. Once your profile is optimized, you are ready to begin your Internet Age job search. Good luck and good hunting.

Peggy McKee 

careers, Jobs Indonesia, Indonesia Vacancy