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personal leadership brand

Build A Branded LinkedIn Header Image You Will Be Proud Of

Paul Copcutt

Unless you are one of those fake profiles, you would not want to use a stock photo for your headshot on your profile. So why are you doing it with the most important piece of visual real estate you have?

One area of a LinkedIn in profile that is really under used is the header image. LinkedIn offers you a few stock photo options, but once you have seen a few of the same one on a few profiles that loses its effect quickly.

This probably more than any other area is a perfect place for you to communicate your personal brand.

Some of my clients have uploaded pictures of their personal passions, hobbies or pursuits. Alternatively some have used it as an opportunity to highlight parts of their personal brands from a professional perspective.

Part of the image area is covered up your profile but with some clever editing and a little trial and error you can get a very effective representation of you, your message and your brand, like mine above.

First here is the template to use so you know which areas are visible all the time and which ones may be covered depending on the device.

Read More »Build A Branded LinkedIn Header Image You Will Be Proud Of

10 Personal Brand Tactics to Ensure That Next Promotion

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30 years ago you were told to expect to work for one employer for life,
20 years ago you were told to plan for extra leisure time because of automation, 10 years ago one quarter of the new jobs being created had never existed previously.

Now graduates are told to expect to be back at school every decade to retrain.

NEWSFLASH: The world of work is changing. Forever. Always.

We have been hearing human resource, organizational development and career guru’s telling us that for years. Gone are the days when ‘Personnel’ came and tapped you on the shoulder and told you about your next career move.

“You can no longer rely on anyone for your career, except YOU” 
Paul Copcutt

Once you make it to the next promotion, there are on-boarding programs, online courses and books, like “The First 90 Days” to help.

But what about before all that happens?

Read More »10 Personal Brand Tactics to Ensure That Next Promotion

The 3 Problems Everyone Has With Personal Branding And How We Solved Them

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Growing up, we lived about 30 miles west of Central London and could easily access one of the City’s expansive subway lines (the oldest in the world). They whisked us in to the ‘big smoke’ in under an hour. Day trips to London were events eagerly looked forward to and  I have long lasting memories of standing on an underground platform, hair and face being pushed with warm air as the train whistled in to the station and hearing a clear and authoritative voice say;

“Mind the gap”

Last week, Phil Sayer, whose warning to travellers to “mind the gap” is one of the most used on the London Underground, died at the age of 62. Along with his wife, also a voiceover professional, their voices are heard on trains and at railway stations around Britain. They are often apologizing for cancellations and delays. He was quoted as saying……Read More »The 3 Problems Everyone Has With Personal Branding And How We Solved Them

Will The Easter Bunny Really Make You Happy?

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I  always wonder, as my kids get older, whether Easter and the fun of an egg hunt will lose its charm. Based on a slightly alternative version that my two got involved in on Good Friday, it would appear not. My girlfriend’s family and another family have an annual golf ball hunt,. Their Grandfather started the tradition and they still use the original golf balls !

It’s a highly competitive event, the adults joining in too. Each ball is worth certain points, with some coloured golf balls being worth more. Once all of them are collected, the points are tallied and prizes handed out or chosen. It was a lot of fun.

My kids were motivated to get involved and they rushed around…….Read More »Will The Easter Bunny Really Make You Happy?

How to easily find out how interested someone is in your LInkedIn profile

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According to LinkedIn the most viewed page that most members check out is the “Who’s Viewed My Profile” page. It is probably not surprising, after all we want to know how interesting we may appear to someone. Especially if its a prospect, hiring manager or recruiter right?

The number of times your profile is viewed by different people is one of the key pieces of data that LinkedIn uses in giving your profile preference in searches. It is what they call part of the ‘interest’ factor.

If you have the basic account you only get to see the last 5 people that looked. With a premium account you can look back as far as 90 days.

But all options do NOT tell you how many times that person may have looked at your profile. Especially if its the same day. 

This is important because;
– They may be comparing you to other people with similar backgrounds.
– You come up in their searches several times and are increasingly of interest to them.
– More than one person has recommended you and they are coming back.

The good news is, there is a solution. ……..Read More »How to easily find out how interested someone is in your LInkedIn profile

What is your LinkedIn score?

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When LinkedIn was first launched back in 2003 it was very much set up and viewed as a resume posting network. It was very focused on job search and being used by recruiters and hiring managers.

This is no longer the case. Now more people are using LinkedIn for sales, business development, thought leadership, funding and many other uses.

The sales factor on LinkedIn can be used to help you understand how you are reaching and leveraging LinkedIn. Whether you are in job search, sales, hiring or for any other professional use, this Social Selling Index, as it is called, can really offer you a weekly snapshot of your effectiveness on LinkedIn……..Read More »What is your LinkedIn score?

Don’t Disappear – 5 MUST DO Actions With Your LinkedIn Profile

The new year can bring many new opportunities and openings. As a professional the chances are that at some point your LinkedIn profile is going to be looked at as part of the diligence process. Is it communicating the best of you?  Here are 5 actions you should take this month to ensure your profile is ready for those opportunities; HEADLINE – Often this, along with your headshot are the… Read More »Don’t Disappear – 5 MUST DO Actions With Your LinkedIn Profile

How Greening Your Business Can Boost Your Career & Your Values

The #COP21 Climate Change International Conference going on in Paris this week is big news. Hopefully for more than just creating headlines and soundbites. But how can you personally relate to environmental issues to what you on a day to day basis or how this impacts your job? A poll by the job board Monster.ca, found that 81% of Canadians considered that their employer was “polluting the environment,” “ignoring the need to be environmentally friendly,”… Read More »How Greening Your Business Can Boost Your Career & Your Values

Do you really not want me to endorse you?

Time to confess. Not all my connections on LinkedIn are people I know well or have worked with. So I do get a little surprise when someone endorses me for a skill that they have not directly experienced or seen me display. When you are building out your profile LinkedIn will tell you that listing your skills will increase the chances of opportunities coming to you by 4 times. The system… Read More »Do you really not want me to endorse you?