Not so long ago, we wrote about why Business Officers should be active on LinkedIn. Then it occurred to us: Every private-independent school administrator should be using LinkedIn, especially since it’s expanded beyond a simple job search site. Admission Counselors can learn more about prospective parents, for example, while Development Directors research and connect with donors, and School Heads take advantage of a platform for sharing their (and their schools’) missions and visions. LinkedIn’s updates and upgrades over the last few years make this “professional Facebook” a professional necessity for everyone.
But how to get started? All the bells and whistles of the site can seem intimidating. But, if you set just a few minutes aside each day, you can start reaping the professional benefits in no time. Today, we’re going to get started on one of the most basic—and most important—aspects to your professional persona on LinkedIn: Your personal profile.
Public Identity #1
In the early days of the Internet, anonymity was king. Revealing your identity online was a fast way to have your personal information stolen or invite harassment, both online and in the “real world.”
Today, professionalism has reasserted itself, even in the online universe. LinkedIn users are expected to use their real names and include an accurate photo of themselves on their profile page. While the site does offer you the chance to set your photo and name to “private,” so no one you haven’t connected with on the site can see either your name or your picture, it’s not recommended that you do so.
Why go public? Well, mostly because people trust people they can “see” rather than those who “hide” behind an alias or a fake picture. In fact, LinkedIn claims that having a headshot makes you 14 times more likely to be “viewed” by your colleagues and other LinkedIn users. Since the point of having a LinkedIn profile is to become active and participate in conversations with your peers, having a profile that invites trust is essential—and your picture is part of that.
So make your photo and name visible to those whose profiles you visit—and who visit your LinkedIn home base. You’ll go much further in establishing relationships with your fellow administrators by this subtle signal of trust.
Summary Section
Typically, the next thing folks do (after picking flattering-yet-professional photos) is to copy and paste their work experience from their résumés to their “Experience” sections. But wait! There’s a section to be filled out before this chore.
The “Summary” section of a private-independent school administrator’s LinkedIn profile is the online equivalent of a school’s mission statement. Not enough people take advantage of this all-important field. As a private school administrator whose professional life revolves around fulfilling your school’s mission, it’s a portion you absolutely cannot leave blank.
This section is where you tell the world who you are as a professional and why you do what you do. It separates your “paper” qualifications listed in your Experience section—numbers of years working in education, credentials and degrees, etc.—from your “soft” talents and skills. This is how you can distinguish yourself from another School Head or Business Manager who might have the same background “on paper,” but has a completely different professional perspective.
If you’re struggling to figure out what to write in this section, don’t be discouraged! Grab a few colleagues who know you well professionally—and whom you know well in return—and ask them to give you observations on your working style. What’s your greatest strength as an administrator? What should you work on? What patterns have they noticed in how you act around other administrators or students? (It’s also kind to return the favor for your colleagues, as they’ll probably be having just as much trouble as you working on their profiles!)
From there, figure out what you consider to be the most important parts of your professional persona. Couple it with your “professional mission statement”—why you have and enjoy your job—and you’ve got the foundation for a great Summary section.
Your profile headshot and your Summary & Experience sections together make up the most important aspects of your LinkedIn profile. Once these three parts are set, you can move on to other portions of the website, or explore the other parts of your profile. LinkedIn has added everything from Publications to Volunteer Opportunities to give you more ways to start conversations with your fellow administrators. They’re worth checking out.
In the next issue, we’re going to move on from your profile to tackle your Activity Wall—possibly one of the most overwhelming features of the site, but one of the most useful!
Additional ISM resources:
ISM Monthly Update for Business Officers Vol. 13 No. 6 4 Reasons Why You Should Be on LinkedIn
Private School News Vol. 11 No. 7 The New LinkedIn Working For You
Private School News Vol. 14 No. 3 Join the Conversation: Best Online Education Conversations to Follow
Additional ISM resources for Gold Consortium members:
I&P Vol. 35 No. 1 Faculty and Staff Use Social Media: Sample Policy
