SuccessFactors and Workday Network

Your SuccessFactors and Workday Network on LinkedIn – Part 2

Time to impress on LinkedIn

Profile picture

Your profile picture says a lot about your professionalism.  You don’t need a studio shot but a selfie doesn’t really cut the mustard.  Although you may not be happy with a full on portrait it is the best way to go.  The photo you choose says a lot about you.  You may want to use the shot of you in front of the Taj Mahal but it may show a certain lack of confidence if you choose to appear as a tiny addition to the main attraction.  Be confident about your face.  We all have them and some of them are prettier than others.  You may feel self-conscious but from a careers point of view employers want someone confident, not someone shying away from uncomfortable situations.

If you know your way around a camera these tips are great How to Take a Great Social Media Picture in 4 Easy Steps

There are great tips here too 7 Tips to Make Sure Your LinkedIn Picture Is Helping, Not Hurting, Your Prospects

 

Have a strong headline

Your headline is an opportunity to describe yourself in 120 characters – make every letter count.  Some people will tell you that you need to convey your personality, desirable skills and sense of humour all in one line but from a recruiter’s point of view it’s straight to the point of what you do.  If you’re a SuccessFactors and Workday consultant, say it.  Don’t dress it up in industry jargon or fall into the dire trap of branding yourself a thought-leader or guru.  If you a job-seeking it’s important to get those key words in your headline as recruiters can search and instantly see that you’re the kind of person the client is after.

Have a look at these articles How To Make Your LinkedIn Headline Stand Out and Quick Tip: Tweak Your LinkedIn Professional Headline

 

Include all your previous positions

We don’t all have conventional employment backgrounds but it is important to include everything and avoid those big mysterious gaps.  Nowadays a recruiter may not get past a LinkedIn profile and if that looks ‘patchy’ they may not bother asking for your CV.  There’s no shame in taking a year out to travel or to look after a relative – it’s a lot more common than you think.  You don’t need to go into a lot of detail but a profile full of holes starts the alarm bells ringing.

SuccessFactors and Workday consultants often come from a wide range of employment backgrounds and the diversity of the job benefits from a diversity of former roles.  Clients are often asking for strong soft skills and diverse working environments so a job like working in a café may not seem relevant but it builds a positive picture for the client.  Also we’ll have to ask eventually so you might as well be up front about it!

 

Endorsements and recommendations

Endorsements are nice, recommendations are useful.  We see profiles all the time, some with hundreds of endorsements, some with none and all it really means is that one person has an active network and the other person not so active.  A recruiter will not (or at least should not!) judge the ability of the consultant on their endorsements.  Recommendations, however can be a good boost, especially when from a former employer or colleague and presented in a professional, insightful manner.  So how do you go about getting recommendations?  This guide gives you all the information you need to know 5 Best Practices for Requesting LinkedIn Recommendations.  Remember to be selective about who you ask.  Your mate may provide the most glowing recommendation but your line manager may provide the straight forward, credible reference that has you walking into your next position.

For more tips on endorsements see this article Everything You Need To Know About LinkedIn Endorsements