Encore Careers: Using LinkedIn To Build Your New Professional Brand
Your professional brand is the collection of experiences and skills that make you unique and create a perception of how the world thinks of you.
Refreshing your brand is one of the more exciting benefits of an encore career, as you can use this opportunity to weave in details of your values and interests that are likely driving your career shift. I like to think of this as letting people know ‘who you are’ rather than ‘what you do’.
LinkedIn is a great tool to spotlight your professional brand, but you’ll need to be strategic to ensure that you get noticed. Try these few tips to make your profile stand out and share your new professional brand.
Update Your LinkedIn Profile Headlines
Getting noticed is critical! LinkedIn profile headlines help us do that. LinkedIn searches display a long list of names, photos, and the first two lines of each person’s bio. You'll need to give the searcher a compelling reason to click on your profile rather than continue scrolling down the page.
First, include a photo with a professional and approachable perspective as people will naturally gravitate to those that seem trustworthy and friendly. Then create an intriguing headline to draw the reader in and want to know more about you.
Update Your LinkedIn Experience Section
Use this section to spotlight the knowledge and outcomes that are highly valuable to other employment sectors. For example, an earlier finance-based career focused on increasing profit margins and sales could be updated to include optimizing spend and savings as desirable skills for a non-profit organization. This update will show that you can apply your acquired skills and knowledge to the needs of different types of employers.
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Establish Yourself as a Thought Leader for Your New Area of Interest
Invest time authoring or commenting on articles related to your new area of interest. Join and be an active member of related LinkedIn Groups and connect with people who have an affiliation or similar interest in the path that you are pursuing. These actions will show up in your activity feed and help establish you as a thought leader. The activity feed is also an indicator of the LinkedIn algorithm and will likely improve your chances of ranking high in searches.
Share your Volunteer Work and Continuing Education
This section is where you let your soul shine. Having a growth mindset and investing in your world are attractive traits for people in humanitarian employment sectors. Show people what you are passionate about by sharing the meaningful things you do in your spare time.
As you embark on this next phase of your career, make sure your LinkedIn profile conveys what you want the world to know about you. Show what makes you unique and use this rebrand to jumpstart this next chapter of your life when you define your purpose and make an impact in your world.
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Meet The Writer!
Hi! My name is Terri Seydel. I'm a learner by nature and believe that all decisions begin with curiosity. When I write, I seek to nurture the reader's curiosity with intriguing content and strive to inspire their next decision. Whether the reader's intent is for education, growth, or a purchasing decision, I will help them along that journey with interesting, meaningful, and high-quality content. You can find me on Linkedin.
