Comments on: #WednesdayWrite: Improving Your LinkedIn Profile

By: Casey

Casey — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 03:15:40 +0000

Before: Software Engineer at NASA
After: Software Engineer | Project Manager | Systems Architect | I manage risk and complexity; code is poetry

I took down my LinkedIn profile a while back, and haven’t missed it. I get more that enough job offers and none of the good ones came as a result of that profile. I additionally have ethical objections to the site in general, since it relies strongly on dark patterns and, like all social media sites, is primarily interested in packaging me (my personal information, attention, engagement, etc.) as a product and selling me to whoever they can.

Regardless, the site exposes your writing to too broad an audience for it to be useful. I think the best way to get a good job is to write more directly to the specific audience you’re targeting, and personalize your approach. A well-tailored cover letter, resume, and portfolio is incredibly effective, assuming you have a reasonable pool of content to draw from in tailoring it.

By: Faizal Zulkifli

Faizal Zulkifli — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 00:19:00 +0000

I honestly have not started my LinkedIn page yet because back in my hometown at Malaysia it is not a very popular tool used by employers to search for new employees. However, after reading the page above I find it quite interesting and might want to start a page of my own.

Before: Chemical Engineer at Dupont
After: Chemical Engineer | Processing | I assist companies in conducting the unit operations in labs and carrying out various plant processes

By: Kimberly Williams

Kimberly Williams — Tue, 03 Apr 2018 01:59:24 +0000

Before: Building Construction student at Virginia Tech
After: Assistant Superintendent | Hokie | I help Build the Future

This is the headline I plan on using after graduation. The “Build the Future” tagline was recently featured on some department t-shirts that a student organization sold as a fundraiser. I like the nod to the old university tagline as well as the fact that it represents what I hope to do in my career.

By: Yibo Xu

Yibo Xu — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 02:06:46 +0000

This article is very helpful. I made changes to my profile.

Before: Electrical Engineering for undergraduate student
After: Power electrical engineering | Substation design | I help companies on substation designs to improve safety and quality.

By: Kelvin

Kelvin — Mon, 02 Apr 2018 02:00:46 +0000

LinkedIn profiles seem very easy to create and build but it is very easy to overlook the little details that make it better. I never thought of rearranging things so long as everything was listed. The post and the underlined article was very helpful.
Before: Civil Engineering student focusing in structures.
After: Structural Engineer | Consultant on structural integrity | I help determine if a building can withstand the loads that are exerted on it.

By: Thomas Ritter

Thomas Ritter — Sun, 01 Apr 2018 18:51:22 +0000

I found this article extremely helpful and it definitely helped me fix my LinkedIn profile.

Before: Statistician for Long Fence Company
After: Statistician | Data Scientist | I helped a sales company make more money by looking at their sales data.

By: Cassie+Bienert

Cassie+Bienert — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 22:18:55 +0000

Original: Intern at Johns Hopkins University Center for Image Guided Animal Therapy
Improved: Clinical Intern I Translational Research I I am passionate about science and patient care

While on the topic of linked in, has anyone gotten a job through it? Does anyone have the premium plan, is it beneficial? I hear Linkedin is a powerful tool but Im not convinced yet.

By: Yoonjin+Kim

Yoonjin+Kim — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 21:02:56 +0000

Before: Undergraduate Researcher at Virginia Tech After Undergraduate Researcher | Front End Designer | Computer Science | Bioinformatics | Algorithm Development I made my linked in profile when I was taking foundations of engineering, and have not really changed it since. I realize lots of companies use linked in to reach out, but I also realize that it is also hard to reach out to recruiters since it usually takes longer to response through linked in. The article was very useful to re-innovate my linked in profile, and I will be working on other parts of linked in profile soon

By: Matthew+Erwin

Matthew+Erwin — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 03:03:56 +0000

Simlarly, I don’t pay a whole lot of attention to my LinkedIn (although I know I need to). Either way, this article was very helpful to point out a few things to pay attention to when updating your profile.

Before: Senior Computer Engineering Student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
After: Computer Engineer | FutureHAUS Electrical Engineer | I assist in optimizing solar array energy production

By: Mark+Marut

Mark+Marut — Wed, 28 Mar 2018 18:46:36 +0000

Similar to Mackenzie, I actually have not used my LinkedIn profile to look for or connect with people for jobs. I know it is a useful tool, and I created one originally because I felt like I needed to, but I have a summer internship lined up and I have a co-op in the fall already lined up, so I do not feel the need to look for jobs that way. I will most likely need to use in to start networking more, but until then I will probably hold off on investing a lot of time into it. Based on what other people have changed with their headings this is most likely what I would make mine. Chemical Engineer | Manufacturing | Process Improvement | I assist companies develop more efficient ways to facilitate production and manufacturing of products.