LinkedIn Guide

Contents

Section 1 ..................................................................................................................................................... 2
Guide introduction: The value of LinkedIn ........................................................... 2
Guide overview .......................................................................................... 2
Section 2 ..................................................................................................................................................... 4
Headline................................................................................................... 4
Job Preferences .......................................................................................... 6
Summary .................................................................................................. 7
Choosing your profile picture .......................................................................... 7
Choosing a background picture ........................................................................ 8
Section 3 ................................................................................................................................................... 10
Select keywords to include in your profile .......................................................... 10
Experience ............................................................................................... 11
Education ................................................................................................ 12
Volunteer ................................................................................................ 13
Licenses and certifications ............................................................................ 14
Review within your Community of Support ......................................................... 15
Section 4 ................................................................................................................................................... 16
Connecting with others ................................................................................ 16
Engaging online ......................................................................................... 18
Groups .................................................................................................... 19
Recommendations ...................................................................................... 20
Skills & Endorsements .................................................................................. 22
Section 5 ................................................................................................................................................... 23
Job hunting through LinkedIn ......................................................................... 23
Negotiating your job offer ............................................................................. 24
Section 6 ................................................................................................................................................... 25
Posting and articles .................................................................................... 25

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Section 1

Guide introduction: The value of LinkedIn

Given how so much of recruitment and hiring now takes place online, a strong online personal
brand is essential. It is also very important to ensure that your online brand aligns well with
your offline personal brand. Networking can help support and expand your personal brand
both online and offline. One of the best online tools for professionals to develop and maintain
their personal brand and network is LinkedIn.

LinkedIn holds a massive opportunity for savvy users. It has evolved from a job seeker tool to
a powerful social media platform that promotes networking, job searching, industry trend
watching, professional development opportunities, and personal branding.

Gary Vayernuck– one of the most notable serial entrepreneurs and social media influencers
online– has been known to say that LinkedIn is currently where Facebook was a few years ago–
the platform’s potential is huge, and it is growing fast. Whether you are on the hunt for a job
or planning your long-term career path, a robust LinkedIn profile and presence is a critical
piece in the online personal brand that will help you meet your career goals.

LinkedIn is built on the premise that building a strong professional network is key to one’s
career success. Getting the most out of the platform requires: crafting a great profile that
uses relevant keywords so that recruiters can find you easily; building out your list of
connections as your network grows and sharing consistent content and posts that position you
as a source of reliable and knowledgeable information in your field.

Guide overview

This is a step-by-step guide to creating a professional LinkedIn profile. These short LinkedIn
activities provide you with specific tasks to support your LinkedIn profile development and
relate directly to ASCEND’s content.

Throughout the guide, you will work through planning and drafting each section and, once
complete, leave the program with a complete and professional LinkedIn profile.

To start, create a LinkedIn MS Word (or equivalent) document where you can write down your
thoughts. You will use this document to write out the sections you will put into your LinkedIn
profile as you proceed through the guide.

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Actions:

Start by copying and pasting these key components of your LinkedIn profile into your MS Word
document, and write down a few of your brief initial thoughts in point form under each
category:

● Headline
● Summary
● Experience
● Education
● Volunteer
● Certifications

If you already have a LinkedIn profile, you can modify it based on each of the steps that
follow.

If you do not already have a LinkedIn profile, first create an account based on these steps:

Actions:

1. Visit LinkedIn.com

2. Select ‘Join now’ to complete the login process and input your information

As you complete the activities that follow, you will be building your LinkedIn profile step by
step.

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Section 2

ASCEND encourages you to identify your strengths and consider how you might grow your
thought leadership. The interests, values, and strengths you identify are the building
blocks of the personal brand you will showcase on your LinkedIn profile.

Step 1 is to focus on different ways of presenting yourself by creating a strong headline and
summary, as well as choosing professional photos.

Headline

Headlines are often an individual’s job title. As the first thing a visitor to your profile will
see, your headline should give a sense of who you are as a professional and what you
represent. It signals to recruiters and potential employers that you are a candidate with
relevant experience. The headline is followed by your current city, which shows employers
(and potential contacts) that you are located in the same city as they are without needing to
relocate.

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As a job seeker, you should put in a headline that matches the jobs you’re applying for, both
in skill set and in level. If, for example, you are applying for Senior Digital Marketing
Strategist positions, include Senior Digital Marketing Strategist in your headline, not just
Digital Marketing Strategist. The exact titles might be different in Canada than in your home
country, so make sure you have reviewed job postings in your industry to get an idea of what
title speaks to you.

Some individuals choose to flag here that they are currently seeking opportunities. If you do
so, be specific about the exact role that you are looking for.

Actions:

1. Find 2 jobs you are interested in applying for. Save them by copy/pasting into a
document on your computer or a note on your phone. You’ll refer to them throughout
the LinkedIn guide. You can also save them to use when you work on your interview
skills.

2. Fill out the following fields in your LinkedIn document to begin pulling together your
LinkedIn headline.

My ideal job title is: _

My job level is: _

What I am seeking is:

My current city is: _

My headline:

If you want some inspiration on what your headline could look like, visit:

12 Impactful LinkedIn Headline Examples from Real People

If you don’t have a clear job title or career in mind at the moment, let’s take a step back to
first focus on setting the vision of your ideal career.

As you imagine what your ideal career will be, think about what your ideal day looks like. The
mental image of your ideal day builds the basis of your ideal schedule. Reflect on how you
want to feel at work. What type of company do you want to work for? What type of manager
do you want to work for? What would your ideal team look like? Clarity on what you want your
workday to look and feel like will allow you to create a stronger vision for your career moving
forward.

Now think of what is the work that you do. What are the possible job titles? What skills and
strengths do you have or would like to develop to use on a daily basis? When you think about
your career 5 years down the road, what expertise will help you get where you want to go?

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Job Preferences

The top section of your LinkedIn profile also asks you whether you are open to new
opportunities and if so, to fill out your job preferences. These include the cities you are
seeking employment in and types of employment you are looking for.

In this section, you can choose as many of the following types you are interested in. Circle
them below.

a. Full-time
b. Contract
c. Part-time
d. Internship
e. Volunteer
f. Temporary
g. Remote (Where you work from home)
Then you can set the visibility. If you are currently employed somewhere, you may choose to
only make your job seeking status open only to recruiters. If you are unemployed and actively
looking for work, it is a good idea to make it visible to all LinkedIn users.

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Summary
Your summary should be a short written version of your elevator pitch. The section acts as an
overview of your experience and the type of career you want. The 111-word (maximum)
headline is the place to talk about what is important to you and the change you want to make
through your career. It is the first place recruiters will refer to when they are scanning
potential candidates for jobs. Focus on what kind of job you are looking for and use your
summary to highlight experience and achievements that position you for those roles.

Action:

1. Create a draft summary in your LinkedIn word document based on your elevator pitch.

Here are some examples of great summaries:

10 LinkedIn Profile Summaries That We Love (And How to Boost Your Own)

Choosing your profile picture

From a personal branding perspective, your profile picture is the first impression you can
make on a potential employer or other professionals as you grow your network. The profile
picture you select is an important choice.

The profile picture should have your head and shoulders visible, so profile visitors have a
clear view of your face. You want to look professional and friendly. If you are seeking work in
a more formal industry, like finance, you should wear a suit or blazer and dress shirt. If you
are seeking work in a less formal industry, like tech, a collared shirt is fine. Remember, you
are putting your best foot forward, so dress and prepare like you would for an interview in
the industry you want to work in.

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 Do’s Don’ts

Have a solid background Post a selfie

Be clearly visible in the picture Wear sunglasses in the picture

Use a high-resolution picture Post any pictures that aren’t professional

Actions:

1. If you have had professional headshots or photos of you taken in a work setting, look
through them for a current photo that could work as your profile picture.

2. If you do not have a photo that fits this description, ask someone in your community of
support to take one for you (Make sure you dress appropriately!)

Here are some more tips on LinkedIn pictures:

10 Tips for Picking the Right LinkedIn Profile Picture

Choosing a background picture

A background picture that is eye-catching will keep visitors on your profile a little longer.
Your background picture is great “online real estate” and provides an opportunity to show
some personality. Done well, the background photo will also give insight into who you are and
the value you bring to your work. It is another visual representation of your personal brand.

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Here are a few tips:

• Choose a photo in landscape (wide) mode, not portrait (tall) mode.

• Make it relevant to your industry. Speak to your personal mission. If you work in an
environmental field, perhaps you have a natural landscape. It does not have to be a photo
you have personally taken, but make sure you choose open-source stock photos that you
can use for free or for purchase.

• Feature your work. If you are in a visual field, such as a photographer or graphic designer,
you can pull a great photo from your portfolio to showcase your work right off the bat

• Feature a photo of you at work. Do you deliver presentations or teach? Do you serve
clients? Ask past colleagues if they have photos of you in action.

• Consider using a testimonial or reference and create your own image on Canva. Canva is a
free online software where you can create professional graphics that serve your purpose.

● Register for an account, click on create a design, search for a LinkedIn banner.
● You will be taken to a creation page allowing you to design a LinkedIn banner.
● Choose a free template.
● Then on the left-hand side, click text and add a heading.
● Write in your reference / testimonial with the initials of the person who gave it to
● you and their title. Asking for a testimonial and reference are covered later in this
guide.

Actions:

1. Choose 2-3 options and share them with your Social Learning or members for your
Community of Support cohort and offer to help others select a great background
based on their industry as well.

For more examples on a background photo, check out:

10 LinkedIn Background Photo Ideas To Make Your Profile Stand Out

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Section 3

In this part of your LinkedIn guide, you will highlight your strengths and past experience and
use your profile to position yourself in the market. A strong profile acts as an online resume
that shows recruiters and potential employers that you are the best fit for the position you
want and are applying for. In fact, you can use a complete and professional LinkedIn profile
to apply directly for jobs on the platform.

Select keywords to include in your profile

Keywords are important to use in your LinkedIn profile and on your resume. The trick is to
ensure you use keywords related to roles you are interested in, as those are the words that
recruiters will use to search for matching profiles and the applicant tracking systems use to
screen resumes.

Actions:

1. Refer back to the job postings you found for this activity. You may have already run
them through jobscan.com to compare with your resume. If not, do so now. The
website includes guidelines for how to compare your resume to a job posting.

2. Capture in your LinkedIn word document the keywords listed in the hard and soft skills
columns and make a list of the words to include in your profile. Prioritize the ones
that appear in both jobs and the frequency they’ve been used. Jobscan puts the
highest priority keywords at the top.

3. Refer back to the summary you wrote to make sure that you used 2-4 of the top
keywords in your summary. If you haven’t used the top keywords, adjust your
summary to include them.

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 Experience

The Experience Section acts as your resume on LinkedIn. List all of your relevant work
experience in the past ten years. You should be able to find the place of work on LinkedIn, as
most companies and organizations have a profile on the platform as well. (When you click the
plus sign in the experience section, you will be prompted to input your Job Title and Company
Name. When you start typing in the name of the company, it will suggest possible matches.
Click your employer when you find the correct one.)

Connecting to an employer’s account in your experience section helps you find more people
who are already in your network and improves your search results. You’ll also be asked to
include your job title and the amount of time you were in the role. Each piece of work
experience you include has a field where you can provide a summary of your experience, as
well as list your duties, achievements, and contributions. Make sure that you use 2-4 of your
top keywords in these descriptions.

Action:

1. Input your experience over the past 10 years from the achievements-based resume
that you developed. Your experience section is best focused on what value you added
to the company through your position. Examples might include how you: Increased
revenue by xxx %, Managed a project that impacted xxx people, improved the process
on handling cash, etc. The top two experiences you list should have at least 5 bullet
points and a strong paragraph describing what you did. Your third piece of work
experience listed and anything after that can be a simple one sentence describing
what you did.

2. Before saving, review the text to ensure you have included your top keywords.

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 Education

In this section, list your relevant post-secondary education. You will be asked to include your
school, the name of the program, the years you studied there, and a description in which you
can highlight any notable achievements.

Action:

1. Input your post-secondary education. Consider whether you can include relevant
keywords in your education section as well.

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 Volunteer

Volunteer experience complements your work experience and helps to show what you care
about, as well as what skills you have. You’ll be asked to fill in the same fields as in the
Employment Section, so be ready to include the name of the organization you volunteered
at, when you volunteered there, and a brief description of that nature of your work.

Action:

1. Input your volunteer experience. Again, consider whether you can include relevant
keywords in this section. If you do not have volunteer experience, think of an area you
would like to work in or a cause you strongly support and what potential volunteer
opportunities may exist in each that you could provide some of your time to. The fact
that LinkedIn includes this heading should give you an indication of the importance of
volunteering to employers.

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Licenses and certifications

Your LinkedIn profile also has a section for any additional licenses or certifications that you
may hold that may be job requirements for the roles you are applying for, such as WHMIS, an
industry designation, or First Aid. Certifications might be valid for a limited period of time, in
some cases less than 6 months, and show you have a special skill or certification that may
need to be renewed. If this is the case for your field, it is important to show that your
certifications are up to date, and you therefore are currently certified for employment in a
field that utilizes the certification.

Professionals may also acquire certifications for additional courses, which illustrates
continued commitment to professional growth and an interest in improving their skills.

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Action:

1. Add any certifications you may have earned that are still valid. As with employers,
many educational institutions have accounts on LinkedIn. Ensure that you connect the
certification to their accounts because this adds credibility to the certifications.

2. If you notice that any licenses or certifications you require for the jobs you are
applying for are out of date, take note and plan to renew your license/certification as
soon as possible.

Review within your Community of Support

It is a great idea to have 2-3 people who know you professionally review your draft profile
before you post it, so you have an outside perspective.

Action:

1. Begin with a close professional friend and request that they provide objective
feedback on your draft LinkedIn profile.

2. Ask one other person you know professionally to provide feedback on your profile.

3. Incorporate their feedback into your draft profile.

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Section 4

Above all, LinkedIn is a professional social networking site. While it is a powerful job search
tool, you can use its power best by building an online professional network. Even connecting
and applying to new opportunities is a method for expanding your network! In this activity,
you will start taking advantage of the networking capabilities of the platform.

Connecting with others

The quality of your LinkedIn experience is based on your connections. Don’t make your focus
on sending a large number of requests, but instead focus on developing a credible network of
people who actually know you and can speak to your soft and/or hard skills. When you use the
platform to make new contacts, cultivate your connection with them by interacting with their
posts or having a discussion.

You can request a connection in a few ways. First, when you sign up for LinkedIn, you will be
prompted to automatically add contacts from your email. It is a great way to get a head start
on building your LinkedIn network with people you already know. Second, you can click the
“My Network” tab and scroll through people LinkedIn thinks you might know. When you see
someone you know, click “Connect.” On this page, you will also be able to accept connection
requests that have been sent to you. Third, you can search for a specific person’s name, visit
their profile, and click the “Connect” button on the top right corner.

When requesting a connection, you should generally send a message along with the request. If
you know each other, send a message referring to how you connected or met. If they are a
new connection, mention something from their profile of note and why you would like to
connect with them. Perhaps you are seeking an informational interview.

Do not add people you do not know without sending a message. You will see that you get
many connection requests from strangers the more time you spend on the platform. Many
people tend to ignore or delete requests from people they have never met and that do not
provide any background information on why they want to connect - reach out with a clear
reason.

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Here are a few ways to send a request:

a. If you have met the person before, mention how you know them.

Hi [First Name],

It was nice connecting at the (Insert Name of Event) event. I look forward to following
your content and engaging with it.

Keep in touch,

[Your Name]

b. If you don't know them (like a recruiter or a person employed at a company that
you want to work at), say why you’re interested in connecting with them.

Hi [First Name],

I saw your profile and noticed you work at (Place of Work). I look forward to following your
content and learning more about the opportunities at your company.

Thank you,

[Your Name]

Actions:

1. When you create your profile, you will have the opportunity to use the contacts in
your email to add connections you already have.

2. Add at least 25 people you know that you would like to have in your professional
network. Send them a personalized message similar to the examples above.

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Engaging online
Now that you have created a strong profile, you
can begin reaching out. The most effective way
to use LinkedIn is to engage with content in your
feed, filled by posts from your connections,
groups, and organizations you follow.

LinkedIn is created for you to interact with other

people through the content they post.
Remember, whether online or offline,
networking is about creating and nurturing
relationships. In the world of LinkedIn, the more
you comment and engage in conversation with
others, the more others see your profile, which
helps boost your profile’s search results as well.
Engagement also supports your personal brand by
positioning you as an expert and a person who
wants to create community.

Action:

1. Engage with other people’s content. Write comments, reflect on their posts, and
contribute by adding value. Other people’s content can be seen in a newsfeed on the
home page. You will see the options to add a reaction (i.e., like, love, celebrate), to
share the post on your feed, or to leave a comment. If you want to see posts by a
specific person, you can visit their profile and scroll to the section called “Activity.”
Click on the activity and make a comment. This feature is especially good to use if
they are a new contact.

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Groups

Joining groups that are relevant to your field and areas of interest is an excellent way to
make new contacts, engage with relevant content, and add value to your networks.

Groups on LinkedIn are created by a community of individuals around a particular topic, so

they can share articles and resources with others who have similar interests. Most participants
are looking to further their knowledge and make new connections in their field.

Action:

1. Join three groups related to your field and introduce yourself. Groups that are
relevant to your passion, interests, and field can be found through the search function
at the top of the website, or when someone from a particular group invites you to
join. Groups can be a great way to start a meaningful conversation with a new
contact. You can ask which groups they recommend joining or find value in.

A sample introduction when you first join a group you are interested in could be:

“Hi everyone, nice to meet you all. I am Nasir from Vancouver. I am a Product Manager and
am currently looking for my next opportunity. I am an agile expert and in my personal time, I
enjoy hiking and playing tennis. I look forward to getting to know you.

Here is an article relevant to our group that I found a lot of value in: [Link]”

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Recommendations

Recommendations are a great way to have your experience and cultural fit validated by a
third-party source. Recommendations are helpful for future employers or contacts in your
network to get a sense of what it would be like to work with you. It is best to get
recommendations from clients, colleagues, and managers, because these are individuals who
can share what you are good at, verify your skill set, and articulate the value you bring to
projects and workplaces. Try to get a variety of recommendations from people who have
worked with you in different positions and have different working relationships with you. It is
a good time to update recommendations after you have completed a project or contract, or
once you have been working in a role for about six months.

A solid recommendation includes the following:

● A comment on the individual’s personality

● What value the individual added to the project or team
● The outcome of the project/work done by the individual
● Impact that the person made

Requesting recommendations

There is a generic way to request a recommendation on LinkedIn:

Requesting a Recommendation

However, you might also choose to write directly to someone via email or through messaging
on the platform.

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Your recommendation request could look like:

Hi [First Name],

I am currently in the process of a job search and I’m using LinkedIn as a tool in that search. I
would like to request a recommendation from you for the time we worked together at
[Company Name] on [Project Name/Team].

I really would appreciate the recommendation.

Here is a link to my profile: www.LinkedIn.com/[Your-Profile]

Thank you,

[Your Name]

Providing recommendations

Recommendations are a great way to support others and help add value to people in your
network. As much as it is important to receive them, don’t forget to give recommendations as
well.

A sample recommendation:

Action:

1. Using the above template, request 3-5 recommendations for your profile from people
you have worked with in the past.

2. Give at least 3 reciprocal recommendations to others based on the above best

practices for what to include in a recommendation.

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Skills & Endorsements

A great way to reflect your specialization is through the Skills & Endorsements section. Here,
you should include your top 8-10 skills, and choose 3 top skills that you would like to feature.
People in your network will have an option to endorse you for the skills you have listed every
time they visit your profile. This is also a great way to endorse others for their skills as well.

This will show you how to fill out your Skills & Endorsements section:

Adding and Removing Skills on Your Profile

Action:

1. List 8-10 skills that you would like to highlight and include them on your LinkedIn
profile. Choose the skills that you feel most confident in and the ones that are most
needed in your next role. If you are unsure what skills to highlight, you can review the
results from Jobscan and input the top 4-5 listed under hard and soft skills.

2. Endorse at least 5 other people in your network for 2 skills they have listed on their
profile. You can give endorsements by visiting a contact’s profile and scrolling down to
the Endorsements section. Click on the plus sign next to the skill you’d like to endorse
them for and click the appropriate button under “How good is [First Name] at [Skill]?”
and select how you know each other.

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Section 5

Job hunting through LinkedIn

LinkedIn has a robust job search engine. If you listed your job preferences earlier in the
activity, LinkedIn itself may have already started recommending jobs to you that fit your
profile. The jobs being recommended to you by LinkedIn are a great way for you to double-
check whether your profile matches the jobs you are interested in.

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When using LinkedIn as a part of your job search, there are a few ways you might find
available positions:

● Search using the “Jobs” function on LinkedIn. Not all companies will post all of their
positions on here, so don’t limit your job search to LinkedIn. If there is a particular
employer you’re interested in, ensure you check out their website or subscribe to their
newsletter, if applicable.

● Follow people on LinkedIn who work at companies you are interested in and watch
their updates. People often post job openings on their feed.

● Use the search function to search the type of role you are looking for with the word
“jobs” and view “Content” to see posts related to jobs that aren’t necessarily listed
on the LinkedIn job search platform.

● Follow recruiters and human resources professionals on LinkedIn. Following someone

doesn’t necessarily mean that you send them a connection request. When you visit
someone’s profile, click on “follow” or “more” and you can choose to follow them
without formally making a request to connect. Many people prefer being followed
instead of receiving requests if they do not know you.

Negotiating your job offer

When you receive a job offer and are preparing to negotiate, it is best to research similar
titles and positions on LinkedIn. The job postings you find on LinkedIn can be used to do
additional salary research on Glassdoor or PayScale, where you can search job titles and
responsibilities to see those jobs’ associated salaries.

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Section 6

LinkedIn is a tool you will want to use over the long-term to continue to grow and maintain
your network, even once you are employed in your dream job. Remember, you have value to
add to other people’s lives through your expertise and insights. Having regular posts and
engaging with others can be beneficial in continuing to build your profile and network.

Posting and articles

Maintaining a regular posting schedule does not have to be a large undertaking. Your schedule
can simply include posting 2-3 times a week and engaging with other people’s posts 2-3 times
a week. Engagement through insightful comments on other’s posts is much better and creates
more of a connection than simply “liking” content. However, if you are short on time or
struggling to come up with comments, then simply “liking” or reacting also works. As you
progress through your career, many experts recommend reading an article a day about your
industry to stay current. You can simply post the articles you are already reading and add
your unique take in a LinkedIn post.

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Writing an article on LinkedIn once a month can help to underscore your thought leadership
and expertise. These articles should be on a topic that you would like to be known for and
feel you already have a good understanding of.

When you write an article, always include a header picture, as items with visuals tend to do
better on social media platforms. You can find a relevant image on free copyright images
sites like Pixabay or Shutterstock. Your article should have a strong headline and be a
minimum of 300 words. Add the appropriate hashtags on the bottom to allow people not
following you to see your work too.

Share the article on LinkedIn, Twitter, or any other social media platforms you are active
on. If allowed to do so at work, you may want to include the article in your email signature.

Action:

1. Share a post on LinkedIn. Select a trending article that relates to your field and add a
100-word caption to your post that explains what you found interesting in this
particular piece.

2. Optional: Write your own article on LinkedIn on a topic you have some expertise in.
Ask someone to proofread it and then share it with your network.

You now have taken the steps you need to create and maintain your LinkedIn profile.
Remember to keep it up to date and engaging, and you will be rewarded with a strong and
growing network that you can support and receive support from in return! Happy connecting!

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