Those of you who know me, know that I am a straight-talking truth-teller. So let me just say this as clearly (okay, and bluntly) as I know how.
The only thing worse than having no Linked In profile is having one that is completely incomplete.
I run a CFO-only careers group on Linked In. If you are a Finance Chief, we’d love to have you join us. Since it is exclusive to CFOs though, I always look carefully at profiles before approving members. While there are some profiles that are quite good (and complete), many, many more are not.
Listen, Linked In is public. This is your brand, your reputation. This is what people who are looking for candidates have as their first impression when they see your profile. What message, then, is a poorly written or completely incomplete profile sending? Is that message accurate? Is that perception what you want people to walk away knowing about you?
Without a Linked In profile, you are, in effect, invisible. There is no poor message, or mixed message, or muddy message … there is simply no message.
A great network (not people who you know but people who know about you and have reason to think about you frequently) can counter invisibility, but many CFOs just don’t have vibrant networks.
With a Linked In profile, you are visible. Very visible. And what your profile says, or does not say, sends a loud and clear message.
Even if you do nothing else online, your Linked In profile shows up, and often at the top of the first page of Google. It proves you exist and adds credibility to your positioning. It also sends a more subtle message that you do, indeed, have some knowledge of 21st Century technology.
Linked In is representative of the new media that will only continue to shape how we manage our personal brands in the future. If you are going to leverage its incredible power, then you must understand how to use it … and use it to your advantage.
Not sure if your Linked In profile says what it needs to say in order to accurately convey your branded value proposition? Let’s talk.