Are you memorable on LinkedIn? Have you made an impression or do you blend in? Would you like to know how you can stand out to distinguish and differentiate yourself?
Have you developed a personal brand? What is a personal brand?
In Fast Company magazine, Peters (1997) wrote an article called “The Brand Called You,” so this article is thought to be the origin of personal branding (Lipschultz, 2016; Marin & Nilă, 2021; Pérez & Gringarten, 2020).
Your personal brand is your professional reputation which can include an online persona and can be displayed on social media platforms like LinkedIn (Lipschultz, 2016).
According to Marin and Nilă (2021), LinkedIn surpassed the effectiveness of a resume for building an online image, so this is critical for job seekers to know.
Not everyone is a job seeker, so self-employed, business owners, employed, students, veterans, or anyone over 16 can create a stand-out LinkedIn profile to be memorable.
BANNER
Do you have the boring LinkedIn default grayish-green banner?
Do you have a cityscape that only means something to you and has nothing to do with your work?
Do you have a beach or mountain scene that has nothing to do with your professional life, and do you think that will bring you a job or client?
Need I ask more questions like this? Maybe it’s time for some self-reflection.
When you are driving down the highway, what makes a billboard memorable? Might it be a combination of a picture and words?
Your LinkedIn banner is YOUR billboard, so make sure you customize it!
If you missed recent workshops on this topic, there are more upcoming opportunities to learn, so check the bottom of the Great Careers Network events page.
HEADLINE
Are you using the default job title and company where you work as your headline (because you did not uncheck the button)?
Are you stating you are the Owner/Founder or President or CEO of the name of your small solopreneur business because you are into titles? Would people type that into Google, or would they type keywords?
Do you tell people what you do, who you help, how you help, and why they should care?
You have 220 characters to make an impact, so be memorable!
Think about your elevator pitch when you go to networking events. Is it memorable, short, and sweet to pique interest, or do you have diarrhea of the mouth taking several minutes to tell your life story?
Read this article on Tips on How to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch, especially pay attention to Steve Woodruff’s 15-second Memory Dart concept.
Read the article How to Boost Your LinkedIn Headline Score.
Apply those concepts to your LinkedIn headline.
What vivid image can you create in your banner and headline with a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? In other words, how do you make yourself unique and stand out?
You will find upcoming workshops on analyzing headlines on the Great Careers Network events page.
CONTENT
Are you a lurker on LinkedIn seeing people posting articles, carousels, polls, newsletters, quotes, stories, events, LinkedIn Lives, LinkedIn Audio, and more?
A tiny percentage of people are actively posting on LinkedIn. Are you one of them, or are you a lurker?
Every three months, there is a free three-hour LinkedIn Part 2 of 3 workshop focused on publishing and posting. You will reap what you sow. If you sow nothing, expect nothing.
You can schedule posts on your personal and company page, so take advantage of this feature.
Post content on LinkedIn!
IS THERE MORE?
Of course, there is much more, but these three items will be a good start.
References
Lipschultz, J. (2016). Recruiters’ Selection Process Starts (and ends) with Personal Brand. Career Planning & Adult Development Journal, 32(2), 33-40.
Marin, G. D., & Nilă, C. (2021). Branding in social media. Using LinkedIn in personal brand communication: A study on communications/marketing and recruitment/human resources specialists perception. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 4(1). https://doi-org.libproxy.gmercyu.edu/10.1016/j.ssaho.2021.100174
Pérez, C., & Gringarten, H. (2020). Personal Branding: An Essential Choice in the COVID-19 Era? Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (1947-2900), 12(2), 83-92.
NEXT STEPS
- Subscribe to my newsletter on LinkedIn for bright ideas to manage your career.
- Join as a member at https://greatcareers.org/membership of the #1 business networking association on the Philadelphia Business Journal’s Book of Lists three years in a row!
- Register on the events page for upcoming online career education events.
- If you need a resume or LinkedIn profile to get you to your next step, book a call to chat!
- ➡️ Follow #GreatCareersPHL & Great Careers Network
AUTHOR BIO
Lynne M. Williams is the Executive Director of the Great Careers Network, a volunteer-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides career education and networking connections for 1) job seekers in career transition, including veterans, and 2) employed and self-employed for career management. She is also the President of ChemPharma.net and is on the leadership team of the Thought Leadership Branding Club.
Aside from writing keyword-focused content for ATS resumes and LinkedIn profiles, Lynne is currently writing her doctoral dissertation on LinkedIn for Job Seekers. She is a contributing author on “Applying to Positions” in Find Your Fit: A Practical Guide to Landing the Job You Love, along with the late Dick Bolles, the author of What Color is Your Parachute?, and is also a speaker on career topics.
This article is also published on: vista.today, montco.today, delco.today, bucksco.today, and in the author’s LinkedIn newsletter. A list of articles can also be found in a Google doc.
