PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
profiles for people in your line of work for some inspiration, and make sure your key messages come across clearly.” Think of LinkedIn as a marketing tool for your personal brand. To be successful, you’ll need to do more than simply open an account and paste in your resume. Having a strategy will help you stand out from the competition. Following are tips for setting up or improving your LinkedIn profile, although the information could be applied to any professional networking site. 1. PICTURE PERFECT Your photo is one of the first things people see on your profile. If you don’t upload one, you’re losing out. LinkedIn statistics show that your profile is 14 times more likely to be viewed if you have a profile picture. Plus, people like to put a face to your name. So make a great first impression and upload a professional image. That means leaving the party, beach, pet, and baby photos for Facebook. “You have to think about how you want to be perceived at work. I’ve seen photos be the end of the conversation about a potential candidate,” says Ms. Barron. That doesn’t mean you can’t show your personality or need to be wearing a suit. Just dress appropriately for your industry. “Showcase who you are as a professional,” says Ms. Barron, who has used LinkedIn as part of her recruitment toolkit for several years now.
To stand out, experts also recommend cropping the photo and filling the frame with your face, keeping the background simple and making sure your photo is up-to-date. 2. HEADLINE HELP The area under your name is called the headline. LinkedIn automatically puts in your current employer and job title, but you can customize it for more impact, says Ms. Miller. “Most people simply list their current job title, but there’s room for 120 characters. So expand your headline by including relevant keywords and skills, in addition to your current or desired job title,” she says. Following are a couple of examples from Ms. Miller, adapted from real clients to maintain confidentiality. • Senior Structural Engineer | Construction Project Management | Design Engineering | Client Engagement • Mechanical Engineering Professional | Design, Research, and Analysis | Technical Aptitude | Team Leadership 3. SUM IT UP Following your name and headline is the summary. This is where you tell your story. Make it memorable. Although you can use up to 2,000 characters, many experts recommend keeping it
APEGA Professional Development & Mentoring This summer, we’re working hard to revitalize our professional development and mentoring programs. Coming Soon • Superb Seminars • Clever Conferences • Magni fi cent Mentoring Find out more soon in The PEG and the e-PEG, and on apega.ca. Stay Tuned!
LOCATIONS Edmonton APEGA Lindberg Conference Centre 1500 Scotia One 10060 Jasper Ave. NW
MORE INFO Patrizia Campbell APEGA Professional Development Coordinator pcampbell@apega.ca or Visit apega.ca/Events/pd.html
Calgary APEGA Windsor Conference Centre
2200 Scotia Centre 700 Second St. SW
SUMMER 2015 PEG | 41
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