Hi Reader

​
How are you this week? How often do you go on LinkedIN Does the mere thought of it make you groan?

But your firm has told you to “get on LinkedIn” So you dutifully log-in with no real purpose and a hastily thrown together profile.

But you only login when you start panicking about your need to network!

These days, people will search for you on the internet long before they meet you in person. LinkedIn has become the place for professionals to network, as it is the social media platform where people network for mainly business reasons.

It also has most of the decision makers you want to meet on it.

Although you probably don’t consider LinkedIn to be part of your social media, your LinkedIn profile is more important than you may realise.

Let’s be honest. It can be difficult to write about yourself, which is often why many people’s LinkedIn profiles are incomplete to the point that you'd never leave your CV looking like that out in the open for every one to see.

If you're prepared to spend a bit of time, here's some help to set up a much better LinkedIN profile.

Step Back

Before diving into your profile, take some time to reflect and ask yourself these questions:

• What are my marketing objectives?
• What are my business and personal development goals?
• Who do I want to connect with (and eventually meet)?
• What am I looking to gain from these connections?

Once you understand what you want, it’s simply a matter of editing your profile to attract the people and opportunities that align with your goals.

​

Write a stand-out summary

The About section is all about your narrative – your unique experience within the industry. You’re not recreating your CV here, so don’t worry about listing all of your clients and credentials. Instead, focus on conveying your personality.

Your summary should be short, snappy and enjoyable to read. But, how do you write a summary that will encourage people to take the next step? Here are some of our top tips:

• Grab people’s attention with the first two lines. The goal is to encourage them to read on. If you have any compelling stories or pivotal career moments, now is the time to share them.
• Limit how often you say ‘I’ in a sentence. It doesn’t read well.
• Write your summary like a story. Provide people with some context to who you are, not just what you do.
• Include some of your achievements and successes. Show people why you are a valuable contact within the industry.
• List your contacts details at the bottom so that people can easily reach out.

Ultimately, the goal is to write a summary that balances what you do with your unique personality. Yes, you need to talk about your role and proficiencies, but in the end, it’s your character and experience that will make you stand out.

Once you've set up your new profile, I'd love you to send me a connection request there!

Go on, be brave! You can find me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heathertownsend​

FREE LIVE WEBINAR ON 1 APRIL

Being known as a safe pair of hands can quietly stall your career. Not because partners don’t rate you, but because that label doesn’t always signal progression, leadership, or future potential.
​
This is a narrative issue, not a capability one.
​
In my next free webinar on 1st April, I'll be there LIVE to show you how to shape the story about you so it supports where you want your career to go next.

It's all about how to become more politically savvy so you can thrive in your firm. Click here to find out more and save your place​

Have a good weekend!

Heather

PS - take my self-paced short course Getting Confident on LinkedIN Find out more here​

Heather Townsend

Author (Poised for Partnership, the Financial Times Guide to Business Networking) Co-author How to Make Partner (and Still Have A Life)

The leading global expert in what it takes to move from senior fee earner to partner, and when you get there, stay there. Founder of Progress to Partner Academy