Podcast #160 – Marc Interviews Brenda Bernstein, author of “How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile”
Description: 
Brenda Bernstein, award-winning Certified Executive Resume Master, Certified Master Resume Writer, and accomplished editor and LinkedIn trainer, holds an English degree from Yale University and a J.D. from the NYU School of Law. Her signature presentations on How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile have been attended by thousands of job seekers and other professionals seeking to establish a professional image on LinkedIn. Over her 15 years as Senior Editor at The Essay Expert, Brenda has coached hundreds of professionals and companies to write resumes, essays and other materials that result in sought after job interviews, admission to top schools, and measurable business success. She has written three highly-acclaimed books: How to Write a KILLER LinkedIn Profile, How to Write a WINNING Resume, and How to Write a STELLAR Executive Resume.
Key Takeaways:
Now on to the podcast…
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The 3 Ls are :
- Locatability
- Likability
- Aliveness
Locatability
You want to be found. There are 2 main factors:
- The number and quality of connections
- Keywords
How many connections are enough connections? The answer is it depends. Brenda says it depends but recommends having at least 1,000 connections. She also says to be careful who you connect with. Fake profiles do exist.
Keywords are very important. The first place to put keywords is the headline. Put your job title in your headline. The more specific the better. Look at job descriptions to see what job titles recruiters might be looking for.
Put keywords in the job title field after your official job title.
Likable
The first thing in being likable is your picture. Brenda talks about branded photography where the photographer asks you for 3 words that you want to convey through your picture.
The LinkedIn banner is the next most important image. Do not use the default image.
Be careful when putting text on your banner image. You will need to test it on different size screens because the text could get covered up.
Next is the summary section. Use Unicode graphics.
Make the summary personable.
Aliveness
Keep connecting with people. Keep updating your profile. Share things that you find interesting.
Use multi-media materials in your profile.
Brenda recommends getting on LinkedIn 15-20 minutes a day.
Get off LinkedIn and network. Most jobs are still gotten through referrals and networking.
Every time Brenda travels she wants to meet people over lunch or coffee.
Brenda tells people to “do you”. Come across as a unique individual.
Her book How to Write a Killer LinkedIn Profile is available on Amazon.com
You can reach out to her LinkedIn.
Her websites are www.theessayexpert.com and TheExecutiveExpert.com.