Learn how to elevate your LinkedIn profile, expand your influence, and find LinkedIn opportunities through this presentation on our personal recommendations for best practices on LinkedIn! This presentation was created for the Commerce and Ecosystems Early in Career group by Microsoft. Presentation was made with PowerPoint in conjunction with Microsoft "Design Ideas" feature.
2. Agenda
P0 | Elevate your profile
Highlight your experience
Show some personality
Anatomy of a Summary
P1 | Expand your influence
Follow thought leaders
Engage with your network
P2 | Find LinkedIn Opportunities
Identify mentors
Maximize your 300 characters
Find the right network
Find the right opportunity
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
3. P0
Elevate your Profile
STEPS TO TAKE YOUR BIO FROM DRAB TO FAB
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
4. Highlight your
Experience
• Keep your experience up-to-
date
•Incorporate resume writing
standard practices
•Add media to stand out
Media creates
new level of
engagement
Verbs allow quick
and direct
statement of your
experience
Additional details
give color to the
experience
Add roles to
show career
movement
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
5. Highlight your
Experience
“There should be a number in every
bullet point for each position, even
if it's a range or estimate (just be
prepared to justify it).”
– Tyler Morgan, MBA Intern @
Amazon
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
6. Show some
personality
• Use eye-catching images
• Show your network what’s
important to you
•Utilize the “Summary” section
Write in first
person
Use links to
increase
engagement
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
7. Anatomy of a
Summary
Professional
brand
Impact
Interests and
hobbies
• Showcase your professional
brand
•Highlight your impact
• Incorporate your personal
interests to fuel connections
with others
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
8. Elevate your Profile | Network tips
“When you save your photo for your head shot, title it
"YourName_YourTitle" - recruiters will do filters on how
photos are saved (crazy, right?). This is more tactical.”
– Avani Reddy, Program Manager @ Microsoft
“...have a professional head shot that still shows off your
personality and use your headline to highlight some of
your strengths that coincide with your current position.”
-Kirby Oberlander, Partner Marketing @ All Star Directories
“...if you [worked at] something but you are not sure if
you should list it, LIST IT. You shouldn't hide the time
you actually went out of your way to try and learn or do
something to achieve your own goals - even if the result
wasn't up to your [perceived] standards.”
– DuShaun Williams, Software Engineer
“Think of the jobs as places that you
visited...”
– DuShaun Williams, Software Engineer
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
“Your profile should speak to your desired
industry/field/profession, not your current one.”
– Tyler Morgan, MBA Intern @ Amazon
9. P1
Expand your Influence
GROW YOUR LINKEDIN NETWORK
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
10. Follow thought
leaders
• Follow the thought leaders
that you admire
• Share post from thought
leaders that represent your
philosophies
•Add your own input when
sharing an article
•Comment on articles shared
by others
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
11. Real Life Example
Grab their
attention Use tabs and
bullets for
visual appeal
Clarify the
question
Use hashtags
for
searchability
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
12. Real Life Example
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
13. Expand your Influence | Network tips
“Offer to write endorsements/reviews for peers. This will
build rapport, and likely at least a few will offer to write
one in return. These personal testaments to your work
ethic and value really make a profile standout.”
– Tyler Morgan, Amazon MBA Intern
“… [research] people from companies you might not be
immediately invested in. I’m guilty of this as well: only
following accredited companies and fortune 500s when
there are too many other companies overlooked by users
everyday. Give them a chance.”
– Kat Drummonds, Beverage Manufacturing Design @ WestRock Company
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
15. Mentorship
Level 1
Alumni in major
Level 2
Alumni from school
Level 3
2nd Connections
Level 4
Few years above your experiences
Level 1 – Alumni in Microsoft with the same major
◦ Leverage the alumni community in your major
Level 2 – Alumni in Microsoft from school
◦ Similar background, interest, projects, etc.
Level 3 – Mutual Connections
◦ Ask for an introduction from your mutual network
Level 4 - Research who’s position you would want
to be at
◦ Preferably has a couple more years of experience
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
16. Tips and Tricks to
Finding a Mentor
Mutual
Connections
are a plus
Company that
you’re
interested in
(or past)
Preferable to
meet in person
Alumni from
school for ease
of intro
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
17. Maximize Your 300 Characters
Magic Formula:
◦ Personalize
◦ Flatter
◦ Introduce/Background
◦ Action Item
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
18. Find the Right
Opportunity
• Optimize your search results using
“Job Filters”
• Reach out to recruiters or hiring
managers directly
• Search for People with:
• Keywords: “__(Title)__” + “Hiring”
• Filters: Company, Location of interest,
Mutual Connections (1st or 2nd)
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
19. Find the right
network
• Identify your goals
• Join groups and communities
related to those goals
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
20. LinkedIn Opportunities | Network Tips
“…through LinkedIn [I learned that] as a member of AMA, I have
access to marketing mentors all over Atlanta where our AMA chapter
is located.”
– Kat Drummonds, Beverage Manufacturing Design @ WestRock Company
“…take a look at some sample jobs [that you’re interested in] and
update your profile for that exact language.”
– Elise Ferrer, Wholesale Marketing Analyst @ Southern Power
C R E A T E D B Y M C K E N Z I E E L L I O T T & J E N N Y L E E
“Especially at a company like Microsoft where employees are
spread across the globe LinkedIn may be the first or only way
you meet someone. For new connections within my organization
that I've not had the pleasure of meeting or working with before,
I reach out to them via email and try and set up a call.”
- Aron Tannenbaum, Microsoft IT Consultant
21. Questions?
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Hinweis der Redaktion
P0 = (Minimum requirements before doing anything subsequent) is elevating your profile
P1 = Expand your influence by engaging in your network
P2 = Expand your opportunities and network using the following principles
Suggestion: Changing hashtags in posts to see correlation between hashtag and views
LinkedIn is a great platform to not only
Brand yourself and showcase what you have done/doing
But also, a way to make deeper connections, find mentors, search for opportunities, and look for a group of people who have similar interests/passion
WHY -
A common difficulty that most “Early in Career” folks have is finding a mentor for their career, both professionally and personally.
So we’ve come up with the best way to approach different groups of people in search for a mentor:
Alumni from your major at Microsoft
Same educational background helps set the stage and
Alumni from your school
Someone with a close mutual connection – for warm intro
Someone you aspire to be (more realistically – someone in the same age group) – easier to relate
As Early in Career, it is often hard finding the perfect role from the beginning. Microsoft encourages everyone to be happy with their job and what they do, so although you can use LinkedIn to find external jobs, we will be going through how to find internal roles that you might not be able to find in the job portal.
