How to properly set up your account in Linkedin

Laurie Dillon-Schalk, Chief Marketing Strategist, Social Wisdom Helping
firms and individuals use the web and social media wisely.

Setting up YOUR Linkedin account: Account settings for job searchers.

I am often asked how to set up linkedin’s privacy settings in order to maximize profiles for being job
found and candidate considered. To make this easier for the individuals who attend my ‘Using
Social Media for Job Search” presentations, I have made a handout of my personal settings as a
reference guide for job searchers. Simply follow my settings to set up your account in Linkedin.

1. In Profile Settings: Make your profile public
For job searching – you will need to open up your public profile so that prospective employers and
recruiters can find you.

Make your profile photo visible and display the full profile information. On the next page, you will
see which items you can check off for public publishing. I recommend checking off EVERYTHING
while you are job searching. Once you have a job – you can scale it back.

©2009 Laurie Dillon-Schalk, Social Wisdom.ca Page 1 of 8

2. Network updates: Maximize your view on what your network is doing
In your home page settings area of your account settings – you can manage your “NETWORK
UPDATES”. This area is where you control what updates you receive on all your connections. If you
are job searching – then choose a high number of updates that you would like to see on your home
page (see below circled item). Then choose to see all the updates.

Networking in 2009 is about interacting and engaging. Good interactions have good graces; engage
about other people’s new news. You see someone get a new job – congratulate them. Increase
your network size by following what others are doing.


3. Privacy Settings: Manage what others see about your activities.
This section holds some of the most important settings. You want to control what changes or
activities other people can see.


3.1 Profile Views: Who views your profile?
On your home page, linkedin tells you how
many people have viewed your profile.
Watch these numbers improve as you
develop your profile and connections!

Beyond recruitment searches, the viewings
are also driven by your status and news
updates, your participation in any
questions & answers as well as key terms that are picked up in key word searches (in your profile, in
the summary, in the specialties listing).

When you click on “see more” – you can see five profiles of who viewed your profile. How much you
see below depends on the privacy settings for the individual.

I do not recommend
showing your name and
headline for job searchers
or otherwise (it’s nobody’s
business).

So in your account, in your privacy settings, under profile views, choose either showing an
anonymous profile or don’t show at all.


4. My Network: Using your network
The last setting is under “my network”. At an initial pass, some recruiters or opportunities filter out
those who are not looking for a job or contract positions. Leave yourself open.


Are you applying for jobs thru Linkedin?
This is what a recruiter would see if you apply for a job through Linkedin.
Below is an example of a candidate evaluation prepared by Linkedin for a recruiter using Linkedin. It
is an evaluation of myself (Laurie Dillon-Schalk). I was not actually supposed to receive this - this
evaluation was mistakenly attached at the bottom of a forwarded message from a prospective
employer a while ago.

All organized for the recruiter:
Contact info on left and the
degree of separation on the
right.

Remember – a candidate with
more recommendations and a
clear connection are preferred
by hr managers.

This is followed by a copy of the applicant’s cover letter:

The cover letter is
on the left and the
total number of
recommendations
held by the job
applicant is on the
right.

Please note on the
right: 40
available
references –
these are people
who have worked
at the same
company at the
same time as the
Checking references are
job applicant.
made very easy for
recruiters. They are
broken down by company
and association.


At the end of the linkedin e-mail, Linkedin summarizes
the reference checks (other people who worked with the
job candidate but are not necessarily connected to the
job candidate) and direct connections between the hiring
manager and the job candidate.

Good luck in your job search.

I trust that you’ve found this file helpful in setting up your Linkedin account. Please feel
free to drop me a line on how you are doing.

- Laurie Dillon-Schalk, laurie@socialwisdom.ca
@ldillonschalk

[this handout was prepared by Laurie Dillon-Schalk to share with newcomers to Canada
and people in transition for employment resource agencies funded by Employment
Ontario.]


How to properly set up your account in Linkedin

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