Jeremy Bryant

I sent a tweet this morning http://bit.ly/1hnIpA after stumbling on a job posting that had typos and bad grammar.  Now I am not pointing fingers at the poster, I have never claimed to be a master of the English language or its grammar.  I can even point out examples of emails I have sent that have been corrected by management.  Honest mistakes I believe, what I keep questioning though is, what does it say about the company?  Without knowing anything else other than the job requirements and responsibilities, is it wrong to think that this job might be a start-up, a fortune 500, or a non profit?  Does it matter?

Seeing that listing, my mind raced back to all the job placement workshops I have attended; both throughout college, and as the requirements have changed due to the demands placed with Social Networking.  It always seemed to be emphasized of the importance of correct grammar and punctuation, with the results being that your resume, (out of hundreds) would simply be thrown away.  I think the same holds true today with our online presence on networking sites such as LinkedIn, commenting on blogs,  even twitter (unless your using services such as TweetShrink.  Hard to get it all in 140 characters.)

With proper grammar set aside, what are you doing to leverage your presence online as you search for your next job?  With Google Trends showing LinkedIn with the most worldwide traffic these days, I thought I would submit 4  Tips to Build your LinkedIn Profile.

1. Maximize Your LinkedIn Headline

This is not your job title. Your headline is key to someone finding and picking you out of a search. This search could be either in LinkedIn or Google.  Google gives LinkedIn a top page rank, and someone could actually find your LinkedIn profile in a google search, before finding it inside of LinkedIn. Before changing my headline, I did a Google search for the company I currently work for. Notice what the #1 search result is; even over the companies website.

The headline should address 2 things:

1. What you do functionally.
2. Who you serve (target market.)

2. Recommendations

Below is a screenshot from a slide deck of mine on recommendations in LinkedIn.  If you believe in Karma, this it where it will come into play. Giving and receiving recommendations will carry more weight, then putting it on a resume.

3. Get the Word Out

Use LinkedIn “status updates” to let your network know that you are looking for a new job.  You may also wish to let others know that you are looking to connect with individuals around your industry or brand.

4. Join Groups and Engage

Thoughts?  What do you think about the proper use of language grammar in the employment market and industry?  What has your experience been with HR and recruiters around best practice and tips. How has building your LinkedIn profile help you position yourself in your industry.  Are you an authority in your market?

Continue the conversation and leave your comments below.  Thanks for stopping buy.