Dos & Don'ts Regarding Linkedin?

jungleman

I'm currently completing a Masters in the field on G.I.S, and want to create a Linkedin page. I'm just thinking it might be good to set one up now, make a few connections, and make myself visible in this area before I go out into the big bad world of actual employment (I'm not counting my part-time retail job in that).

From any of your experiences, what should I do or not do when creating a Linkedin page?

It doesn't have to relate to the field of GIS, but I'd be interested to learn about things you have seen or come across in Linkedin profiles that either impressed you, or left you thinking "no way in hell would I hire that person".

Any help, stories, or anecdotes are welcome!

seamus

Do:
Put up a professional photo. It doesn't have to be a sullen face in a business suit, but it shouldn't be you with a big stupid grin and a bottle of Heineken in one hand, or you and your kids and your dogs, or a nice photo of a sunset. It should be picture of you, looking relaxed, with a friendly smile on your face.

Put up good details about what you've been doing workwise and college-wise. A headline stating that you're doing a Masters in GIS is 20% of the way there. Include details of the coursework you've done, any projects or theses you have or are doing. Keep it concise - get the keywords across without rambling. Very much like a CV, use bullet points and lists to make it easier to read what you do.

Use keywords, specifically product/technology/framework/methodology names and make sure you spell them correctly. Recruiters and automated searches are looking for keywords.
"I am good with Microsoft DBs" will get you far less attention than putting, "Microsoft SQL Server Administration experience".
Likewise, "Project Management certification" is not as good as "PRINCE2 & PMP Qualified".

Accept all connection requests that are made. It's gaming the system to make yourself appear better in search results (more connections == better), but recruiters do it all the time. Use the "people you may know" feature to add everyone you have ever dealt with in any way, friends and colleagues alike.

Don't:

Don't treat it like facebook. Status updates should be related to the work you're currently doing, or a project you're undertaking, or some business conference you're attending. A status update about Irish Water and Denis O'Brien is the quickest way to get yourself out of the running for a role.

Don't join any groups that don't have a professional slant. The "Cat lovers of Middle Earth" group won't reflect badly on you, but it's superfluous stuff that a potential employer doesn't need. Keep that sh1t to facebook.

Separately; check your facebook privacy settings. A former manager of mine got a CV in for a guy to replace me. Looked him up on facebook and his last status update was, "Fnck it, got fired again. But it wasn't my fault this time!".

If you're a prolific user of Twitter, remove your real name and any photos that can be used to link you to it.

jungleman

That's actually really helpful, especially about the keywords. Thanks a million for that.