The popular social media network LinkedIn is a powerful marketing tool with about 467 million users. Usually as part of the hiring process in the music industry, employers will check both your résumé and your LinkedIn. If you are looking for work in the music industry, many people employed at small and large music firms are on LinkedIn in Marketing, Advertising, PR, A&R, Licensing, Publishing and more.
Here are 25 tips on how LinkedIn can help you land a job:
1. Pick a great profile picture: look at what people in your industry are wearing. If you can show yourself in action, do it. A photo can express so many things: energy, charisma, passion and drive. If you are a performer, select a picture of yourself playing the drums, piano and guitar…
2. Use a background photo: simple, plain, affiliated with your industry. Not distracting.
3. Write a great headline: your headline can be your job title, what you’re an expert at, and what sets you apart.
4. Use your summary space: use your summary in bio form. You can include your work, passion, skills, unique qualifications and portions of your résumé.
5. Numbers over words: write a few key statistics and highlight your past results in your summary. For example: “I have helped more than 40,000 businesses improve their social media platforms.”
6. Edit your public URL: make your profile easy to find; click on the right hand corner to update this information.
7. Copy/Paste/Use: portions of your résumé.
8. Use of pronouns: no pronouns on résumé, but pronouns are welcome on LinkedIn.
9. Got personality? Thank people for visiting your page, be interactive.“Hello, thank you for visiting my page, I am…..”10. Add your experience, current and past: be selective, of course. Focus on positive experiences so you can highlight them in your interview.
11. Add your social media links: when you list your experience on LinkedIn, attach photos/videos/audio links to each experience. Examples: your band’s YouTube page link; your choral performance YouTube link; or even a link to the music company website you were or still are associated with...
12.Music Links: YouTube, SoundCloud and links to your press kit.
13. Add all of your education: even that short three-week workshop you did for professional development. The lengths you go to, to get the information you are passionate about says a lot about you.
14. Add your skills: add your skills and give/receive endorsements. Endorsements from your colleagues and friends can make your profile stand out as someone who goes above and beyond.
15. Ask for one LinkedIn recommendation per month: you can write one for a colleague and have them write one for you.
16.Get endorsed for your skills and keep your skills updated: remember to endorse others, too. No man is an island.
17. Skills to include: the languages you speak, the certifications you’ve obtained and the side projects in which you have participated.
18. Join LinkedIn Groups and ask questions: this is perhaps one of the best features on LinkedIn. There are some amazing groups––music industry groups––that you can put questions to and be involved in. It is overwhelming and the amount of people willing to help is outstanding. Take advantage of this incredible resource.
19. Put your contact information in your summary: this one might be controversial. However, an email (no phone number) can make a faster connection.
20. Have at least 50 to 75 connections on LinkedIn: if you do not have enough connections, two things will happen. First, employers will think you are a recluse. Second, it gives the impression that you are paranoid and that social media platforms scare you. Connections these days happen online and offline. If you see someone online who has valuable content and who is of interest to you, consider adding him or her.
21. Don’t go overboard: it’s easy to get carried away when you are not limited by “8.5 by 11.” Take a look at your profile and ask yourself and some friends: is this overwhelming? Or is this too little content? Try to find a balance.
22. Add LinkedIn to your email signature and to your résumé: this directly increases exposure to your LinkedIn profile.
23. For a specific job, include keywords that the employer is looking for: especially in your skills section. 24. Look for work: you have a job tab on LinkedIn, that next job is a click of a button away.
25.Post professional/inspirational content: LinkedIn is a professional social media site. It is not a platform where you post family portraits or pictures of yourself drinking at a bar. Keep it professional: write an article and post it, share pictures of yourself at a networking event… Be creative, resourceful and ask yourself: who can I help in my industry?
LENA TUFENKJIAN is a Musician-Career Coach-CEO of Dream Music Studios. She is also the Career Development Coordinator at Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Social Links: mi.edu, linkedin.com, dreammusicstudios.com. Contact: [email protected].
