LinkedIn has become my first choice for finding out about people.
What am I looking for? Lots of things!
- Can I get in touch with you? If we’re not connected directly, have you shared a link to your website or a phone number or email address? Or do I need to send an InMail?
- What do you look like? I’m not judging you, I promise! I just want to get a sense for your physical presence.
- Does your profile reveal your expertise? Quite often I am looking for a partner or need to make a referral and thus seek something fairly specific (a federal resume writer, an executive coach, a subject matter expert with public speaking experience).
- Is your profile easy to skim? Unlike recruiters, I’m not doing a keyword search but just skimming what I see on screen. To be honest, I won’t take the time to read the text if it’s too dense.
- Does your profile reveal your personality? That’s a big plus for me.
I can’t think I’m unusual in this regard. LinkedIn has become an incredibly useful, extensively used source of information for all kinds of people seeking all kinds of information and connections.
The moral: Make sure your profile is inviting, clear, comprehensive, easy to read, and interesting. You can be sure that your competition – whether for a job, a partnership, a customer, or any other opportunity – is doing so.