This module, while focused on your LinkedIn Headline, is really about using the right words in the 120 characters you have to promote yourself.
What words describe your professional experience?
Drop some "breadcrumbs" about what you do and who you are
We can change our Headline any time, but let's do it right...
In this Lab #2 we are going to focus on "refining" your LinkedIn "Headline".
This Lab Activity is about using your Brainstorming document to refine your current 'Headline". Take your big list of Ideas and pick the top 5 ideas.
In the Lesson "LinkedIn - Headline & Power Words" you have access to a big list of resource links. You can review them or take a look at the examples below.
After you have your top 5 ideas, you are going to review other LinkedIn Headlines. See how other write their Headlines. Pick the best examples from them and apply them in yours. You can review the examples below. See what good ways others have organized their Headline. Notice how much information about their Skills, Activities, and Information they compact into the 120 characters.
Work on 2-5 versions of your headline. Remember you have 120 characters... Try to use them all. One of the next Lab Activities you might do, is participate in a peer review of your 2-5 Headline examples... So create 2-5 versions.
You could pick the best one you think you have now and post it in your profile.
Your headline is what people see over and over. Make sure it communicates the right message to your target audience. When someone looks at your profile, the first text they see is your name and headline.
You have 120 characters to use with your Headline. This is where you fill it with keywords of the Job or career you want. Headlines are searched by bots and other employer tools...
Look at your big Brainstorming List and pick the top 5 Power Word sentence fragments. If you have Job, probably the first part of your head line should tell where you work or go to school... but the rest should be fragments about skills you have.
Don't worry, you will still use all the rest in your "About" section "story"
Open up a Document where you have your big list of Brainstorming thoughts.
Pick the top 5 Power Word sentence fragments. Put them in order. Don't worry that you have more than 120 characters. We are going to work on that in a moment.
When you think you are close, stop and move on to the next Lab activity
After we have put in some work to build our own headline ideas, it is always a good idea to see what other have done.
You can get a lot of inspiration from seeing good examples...
If you need to you can go back to the "LinkedIn -Headline & Power Words Lesson" and review the links of good examples there.
Here are some of the links of Headlines.
10 Eye-Catching LinkedIn Profile Headlines to Inspire Your Own
How to Write a Professional LinkedIn Headline (With Examples)
How to use LinkedIn | Top 5 Tips for writing your LinkedIn Headline
You can also review the image examples listed below:
After you have you "close to done" Headline fragments, re-review some examples.
As you review the examples in the lesson or below, see which versions look good to you. Think about how they have edited their longer skills or activities fragments so they fit in the 120 character limit.
Notice how much information about their Skills, Activities, and Information they compact into the 120 characters. This is an editing game to see how much information you can pack into 120 characters.
Think about how they highlight a specific skill, activity, association or technology
Pay attention to how they string the items and ideas together. I like the checks ✔️, or the "pipe symbol "|". What do you think?
As you review, make edits to your Headline. Work on 2-5 versions. The goal is to actually create 2-5 versions of your Headline.
It's time to create 2-5 examples of your headline.
Work on 2-5 versions of your headline. Remember you have 120 characters... Try to use them all. One of the next Lab Activities you might do, is participate in a peer review of your 2-5 Headline examples... So create 2-5 versions.
Add these 2-5 headline candidates to the top of your Headline Brainstorming Document. We are going to have a Peer Review activity in the next Lab Activity.
You could pick the best one you think you have now and post it in your profile.
If you stick around, we are going to have you work with your peers. (if you are par of a class, your classmates) You will have a chance to have others review your 2-5 Headline candidates. You will have an opportunity to review theirs. From this activity, you will have a chance to refine and then publish your best Headline. Please take the time to work the LABS. When you are done with this section on LinkedIn Headlines, you will also have a the information to create and post not only a great Headline, but even more ideas for your "About" section.
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