These famously successful people all have one thing in common – they curate their public personas in order to appear a certain way to the world.
If you want to improve your job prospects, grow your reputation within your industry, or stand-out to potential employers, colleagues and business partners, you could learn a thing or two from the following LinkedIn profiles.
Think about what the information, and how it is presented, says about each person, and how you could apply that strategy to your own online brand.
Hillary Clinton
The 2016 presidential candidate was applying for one of the most important jobs in the world, but she wasn’t afraid to show her softer side in her LinkedIn profile. Rather than just listing her professional achievements, Clinton used humour and personality in her summary, describing herself as a “Wife, mother, grandmother, women and kids advocate, FLOTUS, FLOAR, Secretary of State, dog person, hair icon, pantsuit aficionado, 2016 presidential candidate.”
How to apply to your own LinkedIn profile:
Potential employers, clients and business partners don’t just want to see a tick-list of career milestones, they want to see that you’re a balanced individual with interests outside of the workplace. Don’t be afraid to share these in your profile so people can see what it’s really like to work with you.
Marissa Mayer
Mayer’s LinkedIn profile is testimony to the effectiveness with which she has climbed the career ladder. After starting out as a Software Engineer for Google, she moved up the ranks as their Product Manager, Director of Consumer Web Services, VP of Search Products and User Experience and then VP of Local, Maps and Location Services, before becoming the President and CEO of Yahoo! in 2012.
How? Because she is highly skilled in several areas, which are shown here in the Featured Skills & Endorsements area of her LinkedIn profile.
How to apply to your own LinkedIn profile: Mayer has not only listed her unique skills, but also other respected professionals vouching for those skills. This LinkedIn feature is very useful in letting potential employers, business partners and clients know that other people recognise your skills. Start by adding your most relevant skills to your LinkedIn profile and then encourage your connections to endorse you for these skills. Two easy ways to get people to endorse you are to endorse them first, as they are likely to reciprocate; and ask people via a quick message. Start with your closest colleagues and work your way outwards.
Richard Branson
One of the first things you notice about Richard Branson’s LinkedIn profile is the volume of content and articles he has shared about issues he is interested in, projects he is working on and opinion pieces about the workplace. Recent content includes subjects like young entrepreneurs; how our lives will change in the future; his Virgin Galactic space programme; and news about his philanthropic work. All of this content serves not only to inform people, but also to solidify Branson’s personal brand.
How to apply to your own LinkedIn profile: Your LinkedIn profile not only acts as a record of your business experience and achievements, but is also an opportunity to build your personal brand. Just like your summary, your day-to-day activities on the site can help you to do this. Consider your career aspirations and your particular areas of knowledge and post regular content to demonstrate this – share articles that interest you, write opinion pieces, ask questions – this will establish your passion in your chosen topic and help you stand out.
Read more LinkedIn Masterclasses:
