Linkedin is the professional platform for your personality and has the capacity of Google to search for not WHAT but WHO you need to find. Searching for people and services based on specific keywords is made easier if your profile is optimised for the keywords people are searching for.
This is where developing your personal brand, finding the right words that describe who you are, what you do, what you stand for and how you do it will really matter.
To optimise you need to do some research for the right keywords for your industry. Think about what search results you want your profile to be found under.
For me, some keywords are content creation, personal branding, and Keynote Speaker.
Next, it’s important that your job title also uses these keywords. Do a Linkedin search for the job titles you have listed and the keywords you have chosen. Within seconds your competitors should be showing up in the feed…..if not one of you has the wrong keywords.
Next, my favourite step is to get creative but still colour inside the lines, as industry and workplaces continue to identify traditional terms and references for positions. Include the relevant keywords in your job title like social media marketer and think about what your clients are searching for and be specific to the service you’re providing.
Finally, emphasize your keywords in your skills endorsements. Have people endorsed you for the skills and knowledge you want to be known for. This tells Linkedin to pop you up during search results, giving you credibility and reputation.
Looking for some other ideas on keyword optimisation? Check out my human checklist!
What about optimising your soft skills set.
ADAPTABILITY
There is no doubt that have life long learning attitude is advantageous. Individuals require significant re-skilling or up-skilling to keep pace with new technology and evolving business needs, therefore, adaptability is essential.
Employees who are adaptable are more likely to achieve better outcomes as priorities shift. Our RESILIENCE to setbacks allow for strategic adjustments and the optimism and positivity builds confidence in those you are working with.
To qualify this skill to yourself, all you have to do is recall a time when you were assigned a task outside of your job description. How did you handle the situation? What was the outcome? Did you adjust and develop the skill required? Were you able to learn acquire the knowledge needed to deliver what was expected?
COLLABORATION
Collaboration improves productivity. It lifts morale. Brings order to chaos. You are a solution focused person who respects the opinions and insights of others, appreciating their experiences and perspective. You are able to identify and overcome roadblocks where those things differ.
In assessing for collaboration do you help others succeed and drive them towards greater success? Think about the best partner or supervisor you’ve worked with. What part of their style appealed to you? What kind of personalities do you work best with?
PRIORITISING
People who can manage their time effectively and pay close attention to detail ensure things don’t fall through the cracks. Due dates and tight project timelines require constant prioritising. Using the urgent/important matrix means that whilst spinning plates and multitasking are desirable, the finishing line is a focal point at all times. Delivering the outcomes, getting the results and distributing the end goal means opportunities are not wasted. It’s not just about time, but using the time you have effectively and engaging others to complete tasks in the parallel spectrum. Often there are meaningless tasks that need to be done, but not by you.
Think about a project or an event that you planned. Maybe it was an operation you executed. How did you organise and manage those elements and schedule the tasks?
Using the STAR method (situation, task, action, result) allows you to answer your questions in a structured way.
For example,
Situation: was looking to collaborate with another creative for a project in which I didn’t have a certification for.
Task: I provided the information to a colleague based on the requirements for the project to commence and scoped the potential. In response I was met with objections based on her assumptions, which clarified her intentions were not in alignment with the project outcomes.
Action: I provided an opportunity for her to review the project and respond further and gave myself 24 hours to reflect on the interaction. It became clear from her response that her objective was very different to the one I had proposed.
Result: It would not be a collaborative fit so I thanked her for her time and found other candidates that were more suitable.
In this example, finding alignment to create the project outcomes were the priority. Financial contributions and timing were of little consequence but did contribute to the feasibility of the collaboration. The ability to prioritise the suitability assessment and communication styles in a collaboration makes decision making easy.
If you need help with your Linkedin Profile, building your personal brand or just sharing your professional skills and knowledge, check out other blogs in this link about characteristics and values or contact Wordstyler.
Ever thought about including links to your Linkedin. A media page on your website will add social proof of your involvement, knowledge levels and skill set. We can create one that keeps you humbly impressing the people that appreciate your achievements.
