Email Memorandum: LinkedIn Best Practices

Memorandum

To: Last but not Least Team Members

From: Taylor Smith, Last but not Least Team Member

Date: February 25, 2019

Subject: LinkedIn Best Practices

Dear Last but not Least Team Members,

The following is a list of ten LinkedIn best practices that I believe should be considered when building your LinkedIn profile, as for many employers this will be their first impression of you, and you want to make it count.

1. First and foremost, take the time to make your LinkedIn profile look good. This may seem obvious, however, it is still important to stress that you must put in the time to make their profile stand out while also looking as professional as possible. A rushed profile suggests laziness, which in turn suggests a poor work ethic.
2. First impressions are everything, and your profile picture will be the first thing potential employers will see. A simple and professional photo should do here, however, action photos work well too, provided the photographer has made the picture presentable. An action shot of you conversing with co-workers about a particular project could show a potential future employer how well you work with others. It could also show confidence, as you are pictured looking comfortable in your role.
3. In a world so immersed in online communication it is important to treat your LinkedIn account like your resume. You should bring to light your greatest accomplishments and use these points as a tool to draw in potential employers that see your accomplishments as valuable assets for their company.
4. Do not simply make your LinkedIn profile and expect the jobs to come to you. You must remain active on the LinkedIn platform, and look to gaining 50 (or more) connections with other LinkedIn profiles. Also, you should regularly update your profile, including: personal information, work experience, skills, status updates, etc. Having a profile that is regularly updated will show the reader that you are not a recluse, you are open to new connections, and you are familiar and comfortable with modern technology.
5. Your headline is also very important, as just like your profile photo first impressions are everything, and your headline is the next place viewers of your page will look to. Here you should not be vague and be direct in stating your current or most recent job position. Also, if you have any university degrees you should mention them here as well. A common way to do this is as followed: “Restaurant Kitchen Manager at Milestones | BA | History Major”. As you can see there is a clear description of the user’s work experience, while also highlighting their academic achievements.
6. Your LinkedIn profile should have a customized URL, and should resemble the following: “LinkedIn.com/in/yourname”. Your LinkedIn profile should be clearly marked on your resume, and should also be a free of generic (and often long) URL the site gives you when signing up. If your URL is already taken try adding your middle initial, or something similar that keeps it looking professional, and is as simple as possible. You want people to feel like it is easy to access your profile.
7. Save the detail for your Summary! Your summary should be the area where you expand on your work experience, academic achievements, volunteering experience, and any other achievements that you feel makes you standout from the crowd.
8. Make sure to stay positive. Having a LinkedIn account allows you to post your own thoughts, as well the ability to share other posts. What you post and what you share say a lot about who you are. Avoid being negative, as unflattering posts have the potential to make people not want to connect with you.
9. Remember to occasionally back up your LinkedIn connections. Even though the site has proven to be quite reliable, we do live in a world where accidents can happen. It could be very detrimental to one’s career advancement if you were to lose all the connections you made after working so hard to get them. LinkedIn has a feature where you can click on their Advanced Settings tab, which will reveal the option to export your LinkedIn connections as a .CSV file. The file contains all of your connections with their email, job titles, and companies they work for. Just as we are taught in university, always save your work!
10. Lastly, Do not go overboard. Even though this memorandum has stressed the importance of detail and to not rush through setting up your LinkedIn profile, it is equally important to not make your profile look too busy. Lose the wordy descriptions and get to the point quicker. The truth is employers do not always have the time to read through every detail on a particular profile. Making your points clear and concise will showcase your ability to work quickly and efficiently. Do not be afraid of some detail in certain areas, but do try to limit it to the areas that really count.

I hope these tips can aid you when you set up your LinkedIn account, and I look forward to connecting with you in the near future.

Sincerely,

Taylor Smith

Works Cited:

Kim, Larry. “22 Top Tips to Effectively Raise Your Profile on LinkedIn. Inc. https://www.inc.com/larry-kim/22-top-tips-to-effectively-raise-your-profile-on-linkedin.html. Accessed on February 25, 2019.

The Muse Editor. “The 31 Best LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Seekers”. The Muse.   https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-31-best-linkedin-profile-tips-for-job-seekers. Accessed on February 25, 2019.

Segal, Anne Marie. “15 Ways to Boost Your LinkedIn Profile”. Forbes Coaches Council. October 12, 2018. https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2018/10/12/15-ways-to-boost-your-linkedin-profile/#38da7b603137. Accessed on February 25, 2019.