Fatal LinkedIn Errors decrease LinkedIn Interaction

id-100147860Are you committing fatal LinkedIn errors?

LinkedIn has the least amount of interaction compared to Twitter or Facebook, but there are multiple ways of making it more interactive than it initially appears.

Fatal LinkedIn Errors: Fail to fill out your LinkedIn summary

LinkedIn’s profile integrates sections that work together. You need to complete all of the sections and write it professionally to make it work for you.

Think of the summary section as your sales flier. When you don’t complete the summary, you (the Product) leave out your value. The summary promotes the value you bring to an organization. The Specialties area is meant to be a keyword section much like you incorporate in your resume.

What message are you wanting to share in this section? Job listings. Don’t just post the place and your title. What value did you bring to each position? Don’t know, can’t think? Ask someone who knows you well and whose opinion you value to help you brainstorm.

Give tidbits of your value and accomplishments on your LinkedIn Profile. Your profile is not static and you can get back in there and edit whenever you want.

Fatal Error #2: Don’t Connect

Though I mention this frequently, many people fail to connect with people to increase the benefits from LinkedIn. People who open a profile and sit there without connecting have lost a viable resource. Start by connecting with people you know who are using LinkedIn. LinkedIn gives suggestions from similarity in the fields you fill out.

Fatal Error #3: Use the standard invitation

The “I’d like you to join my professional network on LinkedIn” sounds great the first time you get the invite but after getting it from everyone inviting you, it gets stale quickly.

Make each invite personal. Erase those words or add on to them. LinkedIn limits invitations and the character count is very short. Using creative strategies and personalization though you can still make the invitation inviting. I try to think a connection or memory that the person I am inviting brings to me.

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2 Comments

  1. TJ on October 27, 2009 at 9:53 am

    Will have to re-read this one. Again!



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Julie Walraven

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