"More LinkedIn Advice To Create to Best Profile in the World" - 03/18/20 Edition
Stephen Says Column
Dear Stephen:
What’s the deal with LinkedIn headlines? The headline is what describes who you are. It is the part right under your picture, separate from your job title. I work for a manufacturer, and my boss is the regional VP of sales for Texas. Yet, under her name she has added to her title “change agent, culture guru, workplace initiator and thought leader.” What’s that about? I know everything is bigger in Texas but does that mean your title should be as well?
This woman is using her LinkedIn like a billboard in Times Square for what she thinks of herself as opposed to an accurate reflection of what her job is. I am not saying she is wrong, I am asking if I am missing something. Does a hyped-up LinkedIn get you
more opportunities if you are looking for work? Should I be describing that I think of myself as a leader as opposed to just my job title?
I am a bit concerned if my bosses were to see a hyped-up headline on my LinkedIn profile. They might think I am out looking, like I suspect my boss is after looking up her title. I am told LinkedIn is the number one resource for not only finding a job but if HR or my supervisor looks at it internally, it may remind them of my value. What are some of your tips for creating a LinkedIn profile that will get a prospective employer’s attention while not making me look like a bragger?
Is It Good to Be a Showoff in Texas?
Dear Confused Cowboy,
I am always happy to talk about people’s LinkedIn profiles because it is an ever-evolving topic. I think LinkedIn is not only a good resource to find a new job but as you noted, it is an important resource for you to get ahead at your current job. Most people do not think of that aspect of LinkedIn.
Let me explain what I mean. If it is time for your review or you have requested a meeting with human resources, chances are they may look at your Linkedin profile. It never hurts to keep your profile up-to-date because it keeps your employer on their toes by showing you any new or additional responsibilities you have taken on since you have gotten your job.
Let’s say you are a salesperson who has taken on a new geography/territory, and you have doubled sales or you have expanded your sales responsibility from the A&D community to hospitality sales as well. All should be reflected in your LinkedIn. It should be a fluid resource that is changing as your job changes.
As far as your specific question about your headline, most people reading this may not even know about the LinkedIn headline feature that is in addition to your current job title. As a recruiter, I find boastful headlines — people describing themselves in the third person or giving themselves a self-described title such as “transformer” or “change agent” — as contrived or pretentious. But that is just me. Some HR executive might think of it as clever, and it might attract their attention. You simply need to know your audience.
I asked a friend who is a sales VP to take a look at this person’s whole LinkedIn profile, and his reaction was quick and decisive: “The person is obnoxious, would be hard to manage and doesn’t even mention her main job function — sales — in all of her gratuitous representations.” So there’s that.
Remember my LinkedIn pet peeves I have mentioned a number of times in this column. I think it is important for your title on your LinkedIn to match your resume exactly and that you actually describe your job. Be sure your LinkedIn reflects internal promotions over the years. An example would be if you started in sales and got promoted to manager. Also, I believe one of the most important things on your LinkedIn is your photograph. Like it or not, every HR person and every prospective employer is going to go there first just to see what you look like. Shallow, maybe, reality, yes. Guess what? They don’t care how old you are, they want to see you look like the professional they perceive in their mind should be working for them. That means, if your
picture is missing, they will be suspicious as to why, and there is no excuse for that today. In my opinion it lessens your chances drastically. What are you hiding?
Almost as bad as no picture is having one showing your spouse or children next to you or in the background. Are they coming to work with you? Just as silly is a picture with you in a tuxedo or formal dress. Sometimes people think their best picture is from the last wedding they went to or the last black tie event. To most employers it screams you’d be a good catering waiter or a woman who wishes she had been in a beauty pageant. I can give you a million other examples, but you get the idea and how important I think this is, and, in general, how important a platform LinkedIn is. LinkedIn isn’t just for people looking for a job, it’s important for you at annual review time, it’s important for people doing the hiring, and it’s important as a social networking tool.
And remember, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Stephen
You can send your workplace questions to Stephen at: StephenSays@bellow.press
Questions selected to be answered, will appear in this column. Please use the subject: Stephen Says for all emails. Stephen Viscusi is a bestselling author, television personality, and CEO of The Viscusi Group, global executive recruiters located in New York. Follow Stephen on Twitter @stephenviscusi, Like Stephen on Facebook and follow him on LinkedIn.
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