Tips For Using LinkedIn Effectively #2

Does your profile make you look over qualified?

While we know discrimination is illegal, we have to face the facts that it does happen. How many of you have heard the statement, "you are over qualified"?

Lets look at a number of ways that we can limit the information that makes it easy for people to figure out your age.

• You generally want to limit your experience to the last 12 to 15 years. This of course might be an issue if you were with Nortel Networks for 31 Years. If you are in that predicament, try breaking up that 31 years into some of the smaller responsibilities that you had. This "project" from 1997 to 1999. Then this project from 1999 to 2003... So again this would allow you to show your most recent activity.

• In your "summary" and other areas, don't announce that you have a bazillion years of experience in a specific field. You could soften it a bit by stating the you have "10+" or "more than ten" years experience in your field. It still allows you to have expert status but not come off like you were a member of Noah's IT department on the Arc.

• A big culprit is the education portion of your profile. Don't define the years for your college time. If you have to, go back and delete the entries and create new entries, this time don't define the years, it is not a required field any longer.

• Don't be nostalgic and list old software and hardware in your skills. For example, TI-99/4A Basic Programing. Or how about... Certified in Word Perfect. DOS 4.2 or dare I say it, Windows 3.11. It is fun to reminisce with they guys at lunch but not on your professional branding.

Remember, we want to produce interest with our profiles on LinkedIn by having a solid skill set. But we we don't want to appear too old, expensive, or dare I say; over qualified.

Check back next week when we will be talking about your Profile Photo.

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