Over the past seven years, since its inception, LinkedIn has become a veritable boon for professionals in how they manage their career. When used properly by the professionals (vs. recruiters and employers) it can provide them with a powerful career-enabling tool that was previously missing. So, in this blog I am going to share a “typical” success story of my client who, after learning how to manage this tool well, derived the benefits that would otherwise be out of their reach. I am also providing some tips for you to make effective use of this valuable resource:
In the case of one client, Sally, she was at her company for over five years and had done stellar work to demonstrate her competency and loyalty to the employer. Yet, when time came for a way to acknowledge her contributions she heard the same refrain from her boss at the time of her annual performance review: The company is doing poorly; the economy continues to be sluggish, so we are being conservative in our pay raises; we cannot promote you just yet, as there are others ahead of you in line for their next promotion; etc.! She liked her job and liked the environment her company provided her with flex hours, telecommuting, short commute, and generous benefits. Thus, she was reluctant to go looking for other places to work just yet.
So, when she heard the same woebegone story at her review time from her boss, two years in a row, she approached me for guidance. Knowing her situation and her preferences, we decided to do something creative in how we could get her management to pay attention to her needs for a deserving raise and a promotion. We decided to use her LinkedIn Profile as a way of communicating her intentions clearly to her management.
So, a few months after her review, she decided to completely redo her profile and showcase her accomplishments. Her Summary narrative was spiced up with her accomplishments and with her influence in changing the way the company developed new products under her leadership. She also posted a professional headshot, with a great headline that trumpeted her value. Additionally, she asked for others from her past to post her strong Recommendations about her leadership, loyalty, and technical expertise, announcing at the bottom: Contact Sally for New Career Opportunities, Reference Requests, and Getting back in touch.
Within a week of updating her Profile this way, her manager with a sheepish grin approached Sally. He asked her for a meeting and in that meeting he asked her if she was unhappy in her job. Sally realized what was going on and what triggered this response. So, she played cool and told her boss, that she enjoyed working in her job but felt that the company did not appreciate her true value. When her boss asked pointedly if she was looking for other opportunities, she responded by saying if someone were to approach her with a good offer she might consider it, unless the company does something about it now!
Within two weeks of that meeting Sally received a special—and unexpected—raise that brought her salary even above where she wanted, with a promise of a promotion before the next review cycle. The best part of this great story is that Sally did not even have to go looking for a job and threaten her boss for a raise or a promotion as a counter to her new job offer.
So, what is the lesson: If you love your job and like how you are positioned at your current place of work, but are not being recognized for your value, try this Sally approach of showcasing your LinkedIn Profile by making it market ready. How well this works would surprise you!
After witnessing many such Sally stories here are my suggestions for you to leverage LinkedIn to advance your career:
- Make sure that you have a strong Profile Summary with a great headline and a professional picture (headshot).
- Have a well-crafted Specialties list below your Summary.
- Constantly increase your network by inviting more people (the right kind) into your network.
- Get Recommendations from people who matter: previous bosses, customers, suppliers, peers, direct reports, and others.
- Select the right attributes in Contact information. Avoid using Career Opportunities as a choice when you select the options for others to contact you. It is much better for you to be passive candidate if you really want recruiters to contact you. In the case of Sally, she really did not want anyone contacting her, but just wanted the right people to know that she was market ready. It worked!
- Actively participate in exchanges that take place on LinkedIn by frequently visiting your Home page.
- Do a search using LinkedIn’s search criteria and see where you show up in results. Reshuffle your Profile and other text so that you land on top of the first page with the right search string. This is important if you really want to market yourself in a passive way.
- If you are afraid that a complete makeover of your LinkedIn Profile may jeopardize your current job (the flip side of what you are trying to accomplish), then manage your Profile by changing it frequently and slowly, so as not to raise any suspicions.
- Always keep your résumé current in case someone calls you from having read your Profile.
- Be always market ready!
Good luck!