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Thursday, December 08, 2011

Step By Step Instructions of How to Create a LinkedIn Profile

It is becoming the trend for professionals to look online for potential candidates to hire and for fellow professionals to work with. Businesses are seeking a strong online presence for their employees, as well as for themselves. LinkedIn provides a format for professionals to present a strong presence and establish “connections” with other professionals, which may not have been formed through traditional means. The process of creating a LinkedIn profile almost mirrors the steps in creating other social media profiles. The primary difference being that the profile looks more like an online résumé.

LinkedIn provides a wizard to guide you through the steps of creating a LinkedIn profile. Here’s an example of the process, and the information which you will be asked to provide in each step, to create your profile:

1. Navigate to http://www.linkedin.com/

2. In the box entitled: “Join LinkedIn Today”, fill in the following fields:

a. First Name
b. Last Name
c. Email Address
d. Password containing a minimum of six characters

3. Click the Button: “Join LinkedIn”

4. Complete the applicable fields for the following:

a. Select From Drop Down Box “If You Are”

i. Employed
ii. A Business Owner
iii. Looking for Work
iv. Working Independently
v. A Student

b. Country of Residence
c. Zip Code
d. Job Title
e. Company Name
f. Industry Type
g. School Name

i. Dates Attended
ii. Field of Interest

5. In the upper right corner, place your cursor over the “Profile” hyperlink and Click on the link “Edit Profile”.

a. LinkedIn suggests the following to have a complete profile:

i. Add a recent photo of yourself
ii. Add Current and Past Positions
iii. Add Current and Past Education
iv. Include a Summary of:

1. Professional Experiences and Goals
2. Any Specialties

v. Add Websites
vi. Add your Twitter Profile
vii. Add Interests
viii. Add Group and Associations
ix. Add Honors and Awards
x. Add Phone Numbers
xi. Add an Address
xii. Add IM
xiii. Add your Birthday
xiv. Add Marital Status

This is the complete process to create a LinkedIn Profile. There is no need to fear any important details have been forgotten, it’s not an intimidating process when you have a wizard guiding you! LinkedIn, also, allows users to create a Profile for their businesses.

A LinkedIn Company Profile differs from a Facebook Business Page. While the LinkedIn Company Profile is more informational than a Facebook Business Page; there cannot be Wall or Discussion Board posts. It is a description of the company and list of employees, careers, and services.

The next post of this series will provide instructions of how to create a LinkedIn Company Profile.

posted by Angelica Endres at 1:44 PM - permalink 0 comments

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Step By Step Instructions of How to Create a LinkedIn Profile

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