Simplify Your LinkedIn URL

When you first set up your profile on LinkedIn, you will automatically be assigned a URL or web address that anyone can type in to access your public profile on LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn URL is a combination of your first and last name plus some numbers and letters, and random slashes "/" for reasons unknown.

It's a valid address - meaning if you type it in, it works, but the tricky part is making sure that people type it in correctly. If you're a job seeker, I highly recommend including this in your address section at the top of your resume. I'd also recommend adding this to a business card. With both options (resume and business card), a fellow LinkedIn user may either search for you by name on LinkedIn, or they may try to type in your LinkedIn address to access your profile, or possibly to invite you to connect.

Note: You can also include this link in your blog, on your Facebook page, on your Twitter profile, or even in an email footer. However, all four of these methods don't involve the user typing in the web address.

When someone sees your LinkedIn address in print (resume, business card), they type in your address:
example: www.linkedin.com/pub/brenda-demo-meller/2a/412/523
(don't try to access this link - it's a demo account I've set up to illustrate this point and I have not activated this profile to make it accessible yet)

What if the user types in the wrong combination of characters? What if they forget a slash mark? What if they transpose the numbers, get frustrated, and decide it's not enough effort to figure it out? Or worse, what if they assume that YOU are the one making the error and they decide it's not worth their effort to troubleshoot your typo?

Step 2: hover over "Profile"  and select "Edit Profile"

Simplify Your LinkedIn URL
People like things simple. Simple is good. When it comes to your LinkedIn profile, simple can mean the difference between someone accessing your profile (and eventually hiring you) and taking you out of consideration.

So let's simplify that LinkedIn URL.

1. Log into your LinkedIn account. If you need help accessing your account, visit the LinkedIn homepage at www.linkedin.com
2. In the top menu, hover over "Profile" and select "Edit Profile"
3. Under your Public Profile, click "Edit" then follow the link to "Customize Your Public Profile URL"
4. Customize your public profile URL. My recommendation is to make this as simple as possible: first name and last name, with no spaces.

   

   Step 3: click "Edit" next to your public profile address

   The nice thing here is that LinkedIn will cut out all the random letters and numbers that were automatically assigned to you when you first set up your LinkedIn account. Plus the telltale sign of a beginner that most advanced LinkedIn users will notice: the extra slash marks combined with "pub."
5. Click "Set Custom URL" and you're done. It's important to note that your previous LinkedIn URL address will no longer be valid. So, my recommendation is to do this as soon as possible before you start using your LinkedIn address on resumes and business cards. Otherwise, it will require you to reprint everthing. 
6. BONUS TIP: Omit the http:// when you type your LinkedIn URL on your business cards, resume, etc. It's not necessary and helps to simplify things even further.



Step 4: Simplify Your LinkedIn URL with your first and last name, no spaces.

That's it! You can now start using this new and simplified URL whenever and wherever you share your LinkedIn address. Haven't shared your LinkedIn URL anywhere yet? Here's your chance: reply to this blog and comment on this posting, and include your LinkedIn URL. It's a great, quick way to gain instant visibility outside of your network.

And when you see someone else's LinkedIn URL posted here, visit their profile on LinkedIn and send them an invite to connect. Reminder: make sure you tell the person that you read their URL address here to give them a frame of reference as to why you want to connect.

Personalize Your Invites for More Contacts

When you're getting started on LinkedIn, you learn many things from trial and error. Or by poking around the site. Or by asking friends and connections for their tips. And sometimes LinkedIn gives you advice along the way, but sometimes the LinkedIn system has pre-populated fields -- like the message invitation text -- which appears to be completely acceptable and foolproof, but could actually slow your efforts to expand your LinkedIn network.

This post is dedicated to helping you learn why to personalize your invitation, and offer some tips on how to personalize from various areas in the site.


TIP: Skip the Import Step
So let's start at the beginning, when you first sign up for your LinkedIn account, there are several steps in the process: signing up, receiving a confirmation email, clicking the link to verify your account, and setting up your profile. LinkedIn also offers you a quick and easy way to Invite people to connect with you on LinkedIn. This page looks like this:

Who You Already Know on LinkedIn - the tricky "Import" Feature

Personally, I never think it's a good idea to use this particular LinkedIn feature for several reasons:

1. There may be people in my email contact list whom I do NOT wish to invite to connect with me: my Dad who is not and will never be on LinkedIn, my great aunt who would have no use for such nonsense, my friend whom I am already connected to through their work email (so I wouldn't want to send them ANOTHER invitation to their personal email, which they may not have connected to a LinkedIn account), a few fellow members of Toastmasters that I know aren't active on LinkedIn, etc. etc. 
2. LinkedIn accesses my personal email box and stores that information. I'm obviously open to sharing information on the Internet, but anytime a site asks to store my personal information even when I'm not using the site, it makes me nervous.
3. If you follow their simple, step-by-step instructions, it will automatically send those individuals a impersonal invitation, the infamous, "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn." With the growing popularity of LinkedIn, you might receive this message a few times a week. And if you can't quite place the person who is inviting you to connect, you're likely to ignore it. 

TIP: A Personalized Invitation is ALWAYS Better than the Standard Invite
aka "Optional" should not be "Optional"

"Personalize EVERY invitation," suggests Brenda Meller.

I always suggest that LinkedIn users take a few moments to personalize EVERY invitation. As in EVERY invitation. This includes EVERY invitation. (Yes, it's that important). How do I personalize, you ask?

1. Start by deleting the standard invitation text. Consider it garbage: "I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn." Whenever I receive an invite with this text -- and I don't know the person offhand, I typically respond back with three words, "Have we met?" This gives the person an opportunity to explain how they are and why they want to connect. HINT: most people won't do this. They will simply ignore or delete your invitation and you've lost the opportunity to gain a new connection.
2. Insert a greeting appropriate for the person, "Hello John" or "Dear Michelle" as an example.
3. Give the person a frame of reference how they know you. Ex: "It was nice meeting you at the Troy Chamber breakfast this morning." OR "Hope you've been doing well. It's been a while since we worked together at PMH." OR "We sat next to each other at the expo on Tuesday and exchanged business cards."
4. Invite them to connect. Ex. "I'd like to connect on LinkedIn." OR "Let's connect on LinkedIn so we can stay in touch."
5. BONUS: extend an offer for assistance. It's always better to offer something FIRST before asking for their assistance when you may need it later. Ex: "Let me know if there is anything you need."
6. Your signature name. This is the only part of the pre-personalized LinkedIn text that I leave in.

An example of a personalized invitation on LinkedIn. ~Brenda Meller

The simple technique of personalizing every invitation will help you to increase the number of connections by providing you a higher likelihood that the intended recipient will read and accept your response.

Plus, you've started the dialog with this contact with some friendly conversation, which will go a long way in making LinkedIn more useful to you in the future.

Finding Jobs on LinkedIn

What you might now know about me is that I found my job at Walsh College on LinkedIn. I started my job search in 2008, right about the time the economy was really starting to soften up. The job market was already becoming more and more competitive, and I dreaded the Monster/Hotjobs job search process.

Don't get me wrong - those are -- or rather, were -- wonderful sites. In the past I had used them extensively and almost exclusively for my job search, and I'd landed two jobs through Monster. But, just as our cassette players evolved to CD players which evolved to MP3 players, so has the job search market.

At the  time of my job search, I knew I had to do something different. So I stepped up my job aggregate searches (I found www.indeed.com to be very helpful) and also my efforts on understanding and using LinkedIn for my job search.

And one magical day, I found a job on LinkedIn for marketing manager at LinkedIn. I read the posting, felt I was a perfect fit, and followed the process to apply for the job (send your resume to HR@(insert email here), etc etc... you know the routine). But then I took it a step further, and I made a direct connection with the person who posted the job, who was the hiring manager. I sent him my resume and cover letter and it went directly to his email box -- rather than through HR and as a result, mine was the first resume he received for the job. The next day, I received a reply back with a request to come in for an interview. And the rest is history.

LinkedIn did not get me the job -- but it did get my foot in the door. Once I got that interview, it was up to me.

Since then, I've been using LinkedIn more extensively than ever and have even given many presentations on using LinkedIn for Job Search and for Your Business to groups large and small. And since then, I've learned a lot of other ways you can search for jobs on LinkedIn as well as recruit for candidates using LinkedIn.

Job Seeking? Try these three tips:

1. Search the "Jobs" tab on LinkedIn. It's the most obvious tip but some people don't realize LinkedIn offers a job board. It's much different than the other job sites because you can see who in your network WORKS AT THE COMPANY or knows someone who works there. And what better way than to apply for a job than to make a connection with the hiring manager, or someone with a connection at the company. It's always better to send a "warm" resume (provided to the hiring manager by someone who knows you and can vouch for you professionally) than to apply blindly and keep your fingers crossed.
2. Join "Groups" within your industry of interest/experience. There's a weird phenomenon going on right now where people are scared to post job postings because they fear they will be overwhelmed with job applications. I call this the "Titanic" effect. Even though there were lifeboats and extra seats available, the lifeboat captains didn't want to go back to rescue others for fear the lifeboats would be overturned by the hundreds of people who were desperate for the seat. So what is now happening is people are "just asking around" to find candidates, and they are trying to find them through their network, in Groups on LinkedIn, and in other corners that might be talent-rich but avoiding the masses. Groups on LinkedIn offer members the ability to post jobs in "Discussion" boards as well as within the Groups' "Jobs" board. And guess what? Jobs posted within groups aren't necessarily posted in the jobs section on LinkedIn.
3. In your status update, remind your network WHAT you are seeking. I have over 1,300 connections in my network on LinkedIn and many of those connections are job seekers from workshops where I've spoken. There are probably a few dozen I can remember offhand where I can recall the profession they are seeking. There are probably another hundred or so others who have made a huge impression on me at the event, or afterwards through our conversations on LinkedIn, but I can't tell you offhand what job they are seeking - which saddens me because I hear of opportunities in my network every week! That's why I always ask people to remind me what they are seeking. I might not know about an opportunity today, but who knows what next week or next month will bring. Here's an example of a status update I would recommend: 
1. ...is seeking business development / sales positions in metro Detroit area. Let me know if you hear of anything.
2. ...is looking for engineering positions on the west side of Michigan.
3. ...is looking for social media positions with a sports organization. Know of any openings in your network?
4. ...is seeking purchasing manager positions in a non-profit organization. Please keep me in mind.
5. ...is experienced in project management and seeking to move into technology. Please let me know if you hear of any opportunities.
6. ...is in career transition seeking marketing manager / marketing director positions in the film industry. Know of any openings?
7. ...is an experienced web designer offering freelance support. Let me know if you are in need.
8. etc etc. etc

In creating today's  blog, I scanned through days of status updates and found ONE candidate reminding me of the type of work he is seeking:

• Peter Fulda Mechanical engineer with extensive experience developing mechanical systems and components in switches and electronics modules.

But, ironically enough, I found at least a dozen updates from connections seeking specific candidates, like these:

Shelli Gutholm

Rita Smieska

Derek Mehraban

Laura Rosen

• Derek Mehraban My company Ingenex Digital Marketing is looking for a Digital Operations Manager. Qualified?  
• Shelli Gutholm TORONTO web analysts, want to work on one of the most innovative projects/agencies in town? apply here! http://tinyurl.com/34ygu8v
• Laura Rosen, PHR Looking for an Asst for a home based real estate and online sales business in WB, MI. Ideal for a college student-9-20 hrs per wk. If interested, let me know. 

  
  
  Rita Smieska Purchasing Manager for Michigan company. High profile position for Tier One supplier needed. 
    

If you're a job seeker qualified for one of these roles, feel free to reach out to these individuals. And please tell them Brenda Meller sent you.

I hope these tips help you in your job search. And do your job-seeking friends a favor - please share this blog with them!

Keeping Your Profile Fresh

It's very easy to fall into the typical pattern of setting your initial profile on LinkedIn and then leaving it as is. For months and even years. 

Today's post is to remind you to refresh your profile, including a few areas you may want to update.

1. Visit your public LinkedIn URL. For me, that is http://www.linkedin.com/in/brendameller. Do this without logging into LinkedIn so you can see your profile as others see it. Print this page and circle the items that have changed over time.



Oh yeah, I remember her!

2. Picture this: When you initially set up your LinkedIn profile, you may have been a bit leery of using a photo. Now that you understand the technology and the value of networking online, you may want to add a photo in. Or (more for women), your profile photo may be out of date due to a new hairstyle. I went from a shorter haircut to a longer style and noticed that people connected to me on LinkedIn said they didn't recognize me right away.
3. Is your profile sticky? Are you using websites and/or a Twitter feed? Personally, I rotate different websites into my profile every few weeks. Sometimes I post my company's website. Other times, I post my membership organizations' sites. And occasionally I'll post links to my SlideShare presentation slides. Or, I'll even post my blog websites. The point here is to have a LinkedIn profile page that includes multiple links to click.
4. Are you memorable? Your LinkedIn status update can help. Chances are, if you connect to me I will be one of those people who are always top of mind for you. This is because I frequently (once every 3-5 days) update my status on LinkedIn. Sometimes I post jobs I'm hearing about through my network. Othertimes, I post events for Walsh College. And occasionally, I'll post events I'm attending that day or simply words of inspiration.
5. Read your Professional Summary statement. Does it inspire you or bore you to tears? If it's the latter, change your summary statement now. Today. Look for other people on LinkedIn with similar job titles if you need inspiration.
6. 
   

   

   Hint: how do you describe yourself to friends?

   Highlight your volunteer work. Do you have any volunteer positions that aren't listed on your profile? Why not?! Add them in. I do this and it helps to further demonstrate my areas of interest. As an example, I recently became president of the Warren Toastmasters club and added it to my profile. At least half a dozen people commented on this to me, either via LinkedIn or in person.

And that's your 15 minutes on LinkedIn for today! 

Hide or Seek? Sharing Slides Using SlideShare

LinkedIn has an application directory that you can select to add to your profile. I'll admit I don't use every application that's offered - just the ones that appeal to me. 

Having some experience presenting social media to job seekers as well as the professional community, I'm always on the lookout for new tips as well as to learn from my peers. One way I do this is by searching through presentations that the LinkedIn community has uploaded to SlideShare.

To Hide or to Show?

As a LinkedIn user, you have the ability to upload your presentations and then either make them viewable/downloadable or invisible by others. Personally, my thought would be "why bother" to upload unless you're planning to share your resources. But, there are some who may want to maintain all rights and ownerships of their content, so there may be the occasion where you cannot download slides from this directory.

How to Seek?

To find the application directory and add Slideshare to your LinkedIn profile:

1. From the top menu bar, go to "More"
2. Hover over "More" and then click on "Application Directory"
3. Click on "SlideShare Presentations" and follow the instructions to add it to your profile

Then, once you are on SlideShare, start using it immediately! The fastest way to do this is by a keyword search. What are you interested in? Perhaps more tips on LinkedIn? Then enter "LinkedIn" in the search box and click "Search."

Within seconds you'll find thousands of results. 

Want to make those results more meaningful? Click the tab titled "Your Connections" and you'll instantly have access to all Slideshare presentations shared by your network.

Happy searching!

Oooh, I know, I know! Pick me! Pick me! (Answers on LinkedIn)

Remember in school how the teacher would ask questions about a lesson or assignment and then wait to see who from the class would raise his/her hand?

I know! I know! Pick me! Pick me!

Were you one of those over-achievers who always tried to answer the questions?
 
Were you always slinking a bit lower in your chair at those times, hoping the teacher wouldn't call on you?

Or were you someplace in the middle -- answering questions when you knew the answer, but not enough to make your classmates snicker at you and call you teacher's pet? (aw, come on.... I'm not the only one, am I?)

Today's 15 minutes a day on LinkedIn will focus on the wonderful section of ANSWERS on LinkedIn.com.
A quick how-to:

1. To find the "Answers" section, find the "More" tab on your top LinkedIn menu bar, then mouseover to find "Answers" and click on this option.
2. From here, you'll be at the home page for ANSWERS.
3. Scroll down a bit until you see the "Browse" section on the lower right of your page. Within this category, LinkedIn lists questions by category.
4. Click on the category which most closely matches your professional experience. For me, this would be "Marketing and Sales."
5. Look through the questions for that category, and when you find one that you know the answer to ("oooh, I know, I know!" == remember those school days?), then click on the question title. This will link to the page with details about the question.
6. Click the "ANSWER" button.
7. Type in your response. If there are websites that support your response, include them. Or, if you have a blog... include the blog link.
8. Optional (for you over-achievers): type a note to the person who answered the question. You might want clarification on the question or perhaps just want to establish a dialog with this person.
9. Click to post. That's it!

The next step involves the person who posted the question. They will get a chance to review all responses, and hopefully at some point in time close the question.
 
Then, LinkedIn will ask them to rate all responses which they thought were "GOOD." Kind of like getting a "GOOD" sticker on your homework in school.
 
Next, LinkedIn will ask them to select one response from all those that were "GOOD" as the "BEST" response. Kind of like getting your project posted on the wall in front of the classroom.
 
When your answer is selected as the "Best" for that category, you gain an expert rating in that category. The more expert ratings you gain, the more visibility you get on your profile through the "This Week's Experts" in the Answers homepage on LinkedIn.
 
Wonderful - but how do you increase your odds of gaining those "BEST" ratings?

1. EMBRACE YOUR INNER EXPERT. Answer questions in categories where you have expertise. Think of this: when do people come to you for professional advice? What topics do they ask you about?
2. AIM LOW. Browse through questions in that category and look for those with no responses, or only a few responses. Your chances of getting selected as "good" or "best" increase when there is not much competition.
3. CAMPAIGN FOR YOURSELF. When you submit your answer, write a note to the person asking the question. Ask them if they feel your response is good, to please indicate this to LinkedIn when they close the question. Or, if your response was the best, to do the same. I know this might seem a bit odd... but hey - you gotta believe in yourself! I've found that if you don't ask, the answer is always NO. But sometimes if you do ask, you'll get a yes response. Plus, some users on LinkedIn don't understand the value of Good/Best responses yet and you'll help to educate them.

At the end of this assignment, hopefully you'll be:

• Finding questions where you know the answer..."OOh! I know, I know!"
• And, gaining yourself some expert rankings... "Pick me! Pick me!"

And hopefully this will get you to the head of class. See you there!
Has this technique worked for you? Please share your success story or example here. Plus, share your LinkedIn URL.

How's Your Virtual Rolodex?

Today's 15 Minutes a Day on LinkedIn will focus on the contacts and business cards you've acquired over the years as a means to build your connections list on LinkedIn. 

Think of LinkedIn as a virtual rolodex. I know that for me, I have a binder FULL of business cards that I may occasionally reference, but typically when I need to contact someone quickly, I use their contact info on their LinkedIn profile. 

Why? 

1. I can access their contact info anywhere with web access: home, work, library, etc. I can't bring my business card binder with me everywhere.

2. If they are active on LinkedIn, I typically get a response within a day or two. Sometimes within a few hours even. I know that the LinkedIn INBOX is typically very business-focused and you only receive a handful of new messages there per day. Compare that to your work email (hundreds of emails per day) or home email (dozens of emails per day; most of which is junk, jokes, e-newsletters that I'll never read). Therefore, the odds of my message being opened and read is pretty good.

\

Ooh, I remember him...

So for today's 15 minutes on LinkedIn, spend some time flipping through your Rolodex or stack of business cards that you've collected over the years. 

Remember your first manager Sue? She's now the VP of Marketing at that big agency across town. And remember the client you worked with so closely for eight years at ABC Company? He's now in senior management. 

You never know where your contacts may be, and chances are, they are on LinkedIn. And now thanks to LinkedIn, you can stay connected.

Brenda