The very lovely Emily Miller, LinkedIn Tutor and Coach, has a beautiful soft Kentucky accent. She is a delight to listen to.
Even better, Emily has agreed to share her specialist knowledge on how to make effective use of your LinkedIn profile, so that you can go back to work with confidence. Really this is not an interview, more a masterclass in how to use LinkedIn effectively.
This one of only two pre-recorded interviews. I much prefer the freshness of doing my interviews live, but occasionally, scheduling and technology logistics mean that it makes more sense to record in advance. And I was happy with that because I had tested sharing the recorded interview and it all worked beautifully. In fact, being the detail person that I am, I had tested it more than once, more than twice even.
So I was annoyed when ‘on the day’ the video just would not be shared. How irritating is that … but no matter, I already had the recording and it was a simple matter of putting it up live immediately rather than waiting until after the scheduled webinar had finished. Having spent more than 25 years’ working in technology, hitches like that don’t make me nervous or upset. It’s just one of those things and I’m working with Citrix now to figure out why it’s stopped working for me.
Anyway back to the lovely Kentucky Girl, Emily. Of all the interviews I have conducted, this is the one where I wrote the most notes. Emily is so knowledgeable and had so many really valuable tips. Let’s start with why you might want a LinkedIn profile when you go back to work.
Quite honestly – nowadays, if you are looking to go back to work, change job, earn a promotion, freelance, or promote your own business to other businesses, it is essential to have a profile on LinkedIn. And not just any old profile. Your profile needs to be professional; effective; strong; and working hard for you. In today’s market, prospective employers or prospective clients WILL check you out on LinkedIn first. So it makes good sense to ensure that your profile truly reflects who you are and what you do. In essence, LinkedIn is a networking site. Don’t do anything on LinkedIn that you wouldn’t do in a real-life networking event. For example at a real-life networking meeting, would you introduce yourself by your job title or by what you do? Would you jump right into pitching your business or would you first strike up a conversation?
I have been using LinkedIn for years however there have been quite a few updates in that time with what you can do with your profile. Not only is it important to pay attention to your profile, the headline, the public profile URL, your experience, keywords, skills … however do remember that LinkedIn is a great way to network by joining groups and getting involved in the discussions; especially if you have been on a career break for a while. Joining industry groups will help you feel your way back into your career and see what the latest trends and challenges are. In the video, Emily steps you through all of these sections of your profile and explains how to maximise your profile’s potential.
Get your LinkedIn profile right and this will boost your confidence because you will know that it reflects who you and what you do.
I learned loads from talking to Emily and I think you will too. The video (like all the interviews) was available on catch-up for 48 hours. Alternatively, you can buy The Confident Mother complete library for just £47.00 and you will be able to listen to all the interviews at your leisure, long after the online conference has finished.
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