LinkedIn Boot Camp Challenge 7 – Resemble a Resume

Hopefully spring break gave you time to catch up or complete the first six CCO LinkedIn Boot Camp challenges but it’s never too late to join the CCO LinkedIn Boot Camp!  You can view the summary here or go back to the LinkedIn Boot Camp page of the Purdue CCO blog to get started.

Join the CCO Boot Camp subgroup on LinkedIn to be an official participant for the chance to win CCO gear and other prizes.

RESEMBLE A RESUME

While your LinkedIn profile should resemble your resume, it should not simply be a reproduction of your resume with the same information. It should offer more. It should convey your personal brand, provide evidence of your top skills and demonstrate your knowledge and passion for your future career.

ADD SECTIONS TO YOUR PROFILE

A basic LinkedIn profile includes the following sections:

• Summary: Set the tone for your LinkedIn profile with a summary that showcases your personal brand and your skill set. If you haven’t yet written a suitable summary statement, refer to challenge six.
• Education: Move your education to follow your summary. You can do this by dragging and dropping the section as recommended in challenge four.
• Experience: Include your work experience and other experiences that support your skill set. Not sure what to include? Review challenge five.
• Skills & Expertise: Be realistic. This section should include your soft skills, technical skills and core competencies required for your career. This is a good place to include keywords related to your industry, however, don’t stretch the truth.

To further resemble a resume, draw attention to your skills and support your personal brand, add some of the optional sections LinkedIn offers:

• Organizations: This section provides the opportunity to include student organizations that you have participated in during your college years as well as professional organizations that may be related to your major and future career field. Make sure to include leadership roles, particularly those that demonstrate your skills and accomplishments.
• Volunteer Experience & Causes: If you have an extensive amount of volunteer experience and haven’t included it under the Experience or Organizations sections, include it here.
• Projects: Some of your best work in college can be demonstrated through class projects. Don’t overlook this section!
• Courses: Resist the urge to list all of your courses in this section. For example, nearly every Purdue student takes COM 114. Leave it on your transcript. Instead, stick to courses that set you apart or support your future career goals.
• Honors & Awards: Use your best judgment here. Instead of a laundry list of every honor, award, scholarship or accolade you have ever received, include those that you can expand on.
• Certifications: If your future career requires specific certifications, this is the perfect place for them. However, if you’re not pursuing a career in healthcare, this is not the place to mention you are certified in CPR.

OWN YOUR ORDER

Much like a resume, you should order the sections of your LinkedIn profile so that your strengths and skills are highlighted early on. After a well-written summary statement and your education section, place the sections of your profile in an order that will demonstrate your desired experiences, activities, leadership roles and skill set to those viewing your profile.

GET INPUT

Don’t hesitate to come in to the CCO to have your LinkedIn profile evaluated and learn tips on how to use LinkedIn. The CCO Student Ambassadors are prepared to provide feedback just like they would for resumes and cover letters. Drop in to the CCO Office in Young Hall 132 any time from 10:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday for feedback on your LinkedIn Profile. You will be provided with the solid feedback on how to improve your profile or earn your LinkedIn Learner Badge!

*Editor’s Note: Since this blog’s publication, the CCO has moved to Young Hall 132*