Langauge of linkedIn
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The language of LinkedIn Anna Marie Trester, @CareerLinguist
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Transcript of Langauge of linkedIn
The language of LinkedInAnna Marie Trester,@CareerLinguist
The “ask” on LinkedInCommunicating is a choice (just as it is a choice NOT to communicate) And then, you make choices in HOW you communicate!
As a linguist, I am interested in: What was said What wasn’t What you could have said, but didn’t
As an interactional sociolinguist, it all comes down to a moment of conversational interaction – metaphor of “the ask”
The many worlds of LinkedIn LinkedIn multifaceted (many worlds
within it) At the same time nested (only one piece
of any person’s social media presence) Because it is about connecting with
people who you know, be reflective about how they will USE.
Lead with listening!
First, a story!!
A networking simulation There are probably connections to people here
that have nothing to do with Aston
What questions would you need to ask to help you get at the degrees of connection that you share? What brought you here today Places you have lived / worked / studied People you know in common Hobbies / interests Organizations you have connections to
What was that like?LinkedIn can do it BETTER!!
About me
The Many Worlds of LinkedIn
Suggested connections
Profile views
Newsfeed
Menu bar
Status update
Connections
Before we begin: A word about privacy settings
Every time you edit your profile, it sends a message to your network…..
LinkedIn model
With whom are you interacting? Who are you talking to? A virtual you is out
there…others can get to it before they get to you! Who is printing out your LinkedIn profile?
Who would you like to talk to? How the personal and interactional elements function linguistically on LinkedIn…and how we can apply these findings for our own professional benefit.
Them Reading
Clues on how to approach and interact
Headline: specific? Broad? What do people call themselves?
Buzzwords
READING for the personal
You
The “why” of your background What makes you tick/passions – what others
will read Reaching out - Personal invites,
reference shared history About staying top of mind – generous
interaction
Linguistics + “X”
LinkedIn list of Industries
ResearchCompanies, People Locations – planning to travel? or move?
Jobs, having curated your network makes the site work better for you
Yourself – if someone is looking for you, how would they find you? Search for yourself with keywords, do you return?
Researching using Advanced Search
Searching for yourself using keywords
Groups Join relevant groups: Ask Questions (for ideas, look at
the groups others in your network belong to) Start a Group, demonstrate “thought leadership”
Alumni Target by an industry or geographical location
“The ask” here is the request to connect (how to honor that)
People you know “IRL”(family, friends, work, clubs)
Opportunities for Languageing Headline – not just your job title (framing,
positioning, presuppositions)
Every section a genre: Meaningfully different from a resume, Facebook, job board, Twitter, etc.
Pay attention for opportunities to tell a story Your picture tells a story What are you doing with your summary? How do you describe your experience? Your projects?
Our (pilot) study 2013
71 profiles Viewed as “public” Coded for
Age, Gender, Industry # of connections, recs,
sections & words used Location (by country)
How long? (Words used)# words used
fewer than 250250-500500-750750-1000more than 1000
Talking about your experience on LinkedIn: Pronoun choices I evaluate domestic and international credentials… Evaluate domestic and international credentials… Evaluates domestic and international credentials… She evaluates domestic and international credentials… Alison evaluates domestic and international credentials… We evaluate domestic and international credentials… Domestic and international credential evaluation…
Who is doing what?Summary section vs. Experience section
In Summary section:36% use no pronouns (credential evaluation)27% use first person (I evaluate credentials)18% total use implied first or third person(evaluate(s) credentials
In Experience section:45% use no pronouns (credential evaluation)7% use first person(I evaluate credentials)30% total use implied first or third person (evaluate(s) credentials)
Reads less like a resume ….. reads more like a resume?
Pronoun use across industry
Bus
Educ
Govt
HR Tech
Credential evaluation
9% 29%
25% 60%
25%
I evaluate 27%
14%
- - 13%
She evaluates - - - - -We evaluate - - - 20
%-
Evaluate credentials
9% - 25% - 13%
Evaluates credentials
9% 14%
- - -
Mixed 14%
- - - 25%
No section/no info 32%
43%
50% 20%
25%
Bus
Educ
Govt
HR Tech
32%
43%
50% 60%
50%
5% - - 20%
13%
- - - - -9% - - - -23%
14%
25% - 13%
14%
- 25% - -
14%
29%
- 20%
25%
5% 14%
- - -
Summary section Experience section
Implications Detail: full list of experience, education, and responsibilities vs. resume-
style, focused presentation Purpose of profile: job-seeker vs. established professional Reflects potential difference in values. It may be that displaying an
extensive number of experiences is advantageous. Network: what you know vs. who you know
Knowing the right people can carry a lot of weight. Self-presentation
Professional persona is preferred Amount of personality that is acceptable varies. Photos, 1st person
narratives, and links to personal websites give a sense of an individual’s personality while allowing for the primary focus to remain on qualifications.
Use of 1st person in experience and summary also suggests that the culture places value on individuals who explicitly and confidently claim their achievements.
Summary example 1
Summary Example 2
Summary Example 3
Summary Example 4
SummariesDo what I say, not what I do?
Minimalism
“passionate about professional applications
of linguistics.”
Three Sections
Big PictureAn Example
Skills (Keywords)
What I do What I say
Some Final Thoughts
Doing things on LinkedIn Always understood in context, so learn as
much as you can about the contexts in which your profile will be used and understood
Use what I have shared with you today as a mechanism for getting feedback
Get in there and…. Research Connect - “the ask” Request to be Introduced
(how often depends on what you are looking for right now)
LinkedIn model
My askGive me one Hour a week for your future!
Linking OUT Share visuals: examples of your work Direct people to your Twitter, your blog,
websites, Amazon book reviews, etc.
Pay it Forward Be generous:
Get in there and look for opportunities to PAY IT FORWARD!!!!
When you are closing out your hour on LinkedIn ask yourself: is there a way that I could help someone? Is there something simple that I could do like making a connection for two people who would enjoy knowing one another?
What ideas do you all have?
