By Wendy Saccuzzo, Career Development Specialist at Riviera Partners & Director of Career Development at Women Who Code. Follow me on Twitter @wendyhays11.
If done correctly, representing yourself on social media is a great way to build your personal brand, which can really highlight your capabilities and areas of expertise. So it’s worth investing some time to get your profile looking top notch. There are a few things to keep in mind when you’re polishing your social presence, the first being that LinkedIn is by far the most important of the profiles when it comes to your career. On average, there are ten thousand possibilities of people finding you through connections on LinkedIn.
Remember LinkedIn might be your first impression with a potential employer and start with the basics: spelling and grammar. Ask someone to proofread your profile for you (and offer to do the same for them). This is a professional forum, and people notice the little details.
Proper keywording is also very important. Spend some time brainstorming what your keywords are, and what the hot skills are for your line of work. Make sure those are represented in your profile so they’ll come up in searches. You may get contacted frequently by recruiters for opportunities that don’t fit your career goals due to outdated keywords. Focus your profile on what you are working toward to get better results.
Another tip: don’t just provide a list of experience; the summary at the top provides an excellent field for you to pitch yourself, and a chance to focus your profile on where you want your career to go. A well-written summary can really make a positive impression.
Finally, don’t downplay areas of expertise–own it. If you’ve been developing a skill for a year or more, sell your experience as intermediate rather than beginner.
Once you’ve got your LinkedIn profile double-checked and ready to show off, it might be worth exploring Twitter as well. It can be a useful tool for sharing your knowledge in a particular area, especially if you have a niche. Just make sure you keep your personal brand consistent across all forms of social media, and that you’re represented accurately.
And remember: always have a professional photo. The buzz on the internet is to consider black and white versus color to garner additional attention.
If you would like to learn more, contact Wendy Saccuzzo for even more insight!