LinkedIn co-op

NotHackingYou · March 2014

BGraves wrote: »

Maybe it's not a big deal where you work...but do some of you realize you're providing a good deal of information about the internal workings of your IT organization?

I just clicked through a few of these and found specific versions of software/hardware, numbers of equipment, so was just curious. Public website and all....

This is a tough one to balance for sure. I mush have missed specific hardware information. What do you mean by numbers of equipment - like 100 servers?

Master Of Puppets · March 2014

CarlSaiyed wrote: »

Master of Puppets
Picture looks weird. Is it photshopped/airbrushed?

Yeah, I always knew the picture is a bad one. It was taken at prom and there were 2 girls next to me which were cut out so it looks pretty weird. The thing is that I don't have a decent photo of myself where I am with my shirt on or not at the gym/club

I will have to take one specifically for that purpose. And I will work on the summary. Thanks for the feedback.

Thexzeno · March 2014

may as well share mine too, looking for some critique Devon Beck | LinkedIn

N2IT · March 2014

Carl I really like the way yours is set up.

tier~ · March 2014

As I'm currently job hunting, I'm sure mine could use some work. Link is in my signature. One thing I need is a new photo. I haven't had that mop of a haircut on my head for at least 2 years haha.

Most of what I've seen from everyone else thus far looks pretty good. Makes me think I could use some more specific (ie. measurable) details under my positions.

Polynomial · March 2014

CarlSaiyed wrote: »

polynomial
Can't see your full profile. Picture looks to be taken at a game store?

Only good picture of me as I refuse to take selfies. Doesn't really matter.

jthunderbird wrote: »

Polynomial, your first paragraph has a grammatical error, which I assume you do not want on this social resume.

"Naturally motivated to constantly learn I strive to better myself daily...". I believe either a period, semicolon or comma should break this up after the word "learn".

Altered it. Could probably reword the whole thing.

Akaricloud · March 2014

Carl,

I love the thread idea! I'll post mine up another day after I have a chance to review it myself first.

As far as yours goes it's very good but I'll nit-pick a few details for you:

First sentence in your summary has poor grammar "I am relentless problem solver".

Your use of periods only sometimes in your job bullets drives me absolutely insane.

In your current position description I'm unsure why the following are capitalized "Online banking", "SQL Scripts".

In your current position the following I believe to be a grammatical error: "Implement NewRelic monitoring software alongside custom performance monitor solution". Performance monitoring solution would be correct.

In your current position the following seems unclear. "Analyze client traffic and identify security flaws with application". A specific application, multiple applications or.. ?

NotHackingYou · March 2014

@Akaricloud thank you very much for this feedback! You are absolutely correct in your suggestions.

Edited: Fixed grammar errors you pointed out.

NotHackingYou · March 2014

@Akaricloud yours is very good. I'd like to see a little bit of a summary for each position and dates on certs. The recommendation that Rory left for you is effective

Akaricloud · March 2014

CarlSaiyed wrote: »

@Akaricloud yours is very good. I'd like to see a little bit of a summary for each position and dates on certs. The recommendation that Rory left for you is effective

Thanks, I've been considering summaries just never actually got to it. I'd love to get a few more recommendations, I think it would really tie my experience and personal skills together a bit more.

kriscamaro68 · March 2014

I post this with the disclaimer that these are my opinions and based on how I like to see my own profile. Take it with a grain of salt.

CarlSaiyed
I would bullet point the Responsible for parts in each job or remove them. It looks like you missed doing it and they look out of place. Maybe move certs in between summary and experience. Ask for more recommendations from co-workers. (I need to do this as well for mine) Other than that looks good for how I would want mine.

stryder144
Setup bullet points and give more job descriptions for you more recent jobs. Move the Skills & endorsements below experience. I think the skills and endorsements are kinda pointless because a lot of time people will just endorse you for things just because it pops up. I think most know this and would fine it kinda pointless as well. Find some past co-workers to write up some recommendations. Other than that looks good.

jibbajabba
Bullet points and brief explanations about each job you worked. Move certs up between summary and experience. More recommendations.

wgroom
Move certs up between summary and experience. Bullet points and more info for each job.

ande0255
New Bigger photo. Move certs between summary and experience. More recommendations. I would remove the –David Anderson, CCNA from you summary.

Master Of Puppets
Photo seems photoshopped and out of place. Summary is kinda short. Move certs between summary and experience. Get recommendations for co-workers.

Architect192
I would switch to bullet points installed of “-“ and move certs between summary and experience.

N2IT
Maybe just bullet points.

Well I am tired at this point. Gonna call it good for now. Like I said though people these are my opinions based on how I would prefer to have my profile setup so again I am not bashing on your profiles just giving suggestions on how mine is done. Also please feel free to bash mine up as I am sure mine could use work.

Also I try to set my profile up much like my resume. That is why I say certs between summary and experience. For those with degrees moving that up as well may make sense if you are wanting to lay yours out like that. Being that I don't have a degree I would say putting that I graduated from High School is moot at this point and did not move it up.

techwizard · March 2014

I am nervous putting mine up, kinda like standing in front of a crowd and saying "hi", but I am in. Here is mine:

Jude Ehrlich | LinkedIn

I have to admit I did take a few pointers from previous posts before posting mine, and hope that it looks better now, than before, of course you don't know what "before" was, haha.

My profile picture is probably too casual for LinkedIn. I know there will be some other feedback on it, but that is the first thing that comes to mind.

I like a lot of those that are posted and don't immediately or specifically have feedback for any one person or profile at the moment, since most of what I would have to say about some has already been said, and I do realize that is a "new" rule before posting my own profile. I would like to take the time to go over them, and then maybe come back to this post and critique them individually, since they are now piling up, and reviewing each one carefully would take a little bit of time.

Edit: I now realize that the "rule" says only have to review one profile, not all. I will come back to this post and review at least one profile.

Edit1: Ok, I have reviewed the following: (I only have the basic account, so this is what I see as a regular, logged in LinkedIn user)

Notes: I agree with the poster that said that the Linkedin profile should somewhat match your resume, certs should go between summary and experience. I am picky about profile pictures, I think that might have to do with the fact my father was a professional photographer, and he was really picky about what images were good and what were not. I think you should be able to put whatever profile pictures you want on facebook, but LinkedIn is supposed to be a "Professional" extension of "yourself", therefore, one would want to choose the "best" image possible that best describes/shows the individual, not some blurry, party shot or anything like that. "I can see profile" means that I can see your profile without the "upgrade" version of LinkedIn.

CarlSaiyed - "Full profiles for 3rd-degree connections are available only to premium account holders." Can't see profile, without account "upgrade". Profile picture is good.

stryder144 - "Full profiles for 3rd-degree connections are available only to premium account holders." Can't see profile, without account "upgrade". Profile picture is good.

Polynomial - "Full profiles for members outside your network are available only in LinkedIn Recruiter." Profile picture is good.

jibbajabba - "Full profiles for members outside your network are available only in LinkedIn Recruiter." Profile picture is ok, it looks a little blurry, or is that just me?

wgroom - I can see profile. Summary is plain, and basic. Format is ok. I think the profile could use some adjusting, especially if user plans to use LinkedIn as a page to display to potential employers. Plan and basic, coming from a "techie" just doesnt "look" good. We are expected to know how to do certain things, like design webpages and stuff, even if we don't do that "in real life". Just sayin.

ande0255 - I can see profile. Profile picture is a little small and over-cropped for the head shot, might want to replace it with a more professional, cleaner, headshot image. Summary is good, like another member mentioned, remove the "- David Anderson, CCNA" at the end. I think rest of profile looks good, format is good.

Master Of Puppets - "Full profiles for members outside your network are available only in LinkedIn Recruiter." and I do agree with others, change the profile picture, to something more professional or at least more "real".

Architect192 - "Full profiles for members outside your network are available only in LinkedIn Recruiter." Profile picture is decent, but not sure what the background is.

OfWolfAndMan - I can see profile. Very good profile picture. Very nice summary, might be a little long (imagine if you were speaking to panel interview, that summary might be a little long and drawn out) but I like it. Rest of profile is good, decent minimalist approach, look to it. I would keep tweaking it, adding your achievements, certs, things like that to it as you get them.

joemysterio - I can see profile. Profile picture is just ok. No summary? Experience doesn't list or show achievements or detail what kind of experience gained, or even what kind of job duties performed. Profile needs a bit of work to be "on par" with others.

Verities - I can see profile. I would change the profile picture to something more natural. It looks like it was taken at a party or something, image is a little too washed out, that kind of thing. No summary? Good education, good certs, nice experience format and list.

XiaoTech - I can see profile. Profile picture is probably too casual but quality is very good. Decent summary. As others have noted, I would remove the "-" and replace with symbol of choice, for bullets. Diamond bullets might be a good choice here. I agree with remove the "I got a fever! And the only prescription is more technology!". Move certs up, so it sits between summary and experience.

kriscamaro68 - "Full profiles for members outside your network are available only in LinkedIn Recruiter." Profile picture, is that a tux? lol.

N2IT - I can see profile. Profile picture is good. Good summary. Experience is ok, some dont show or list job duties. I would clean up the cert list and put them in the certification category and move it between summary and experience.

f0rgiv3n - "Full profiles for members outside your network are available only in LinkedIn Recruiter." Replace the profile picture, with one without the sunglasses.

Thexzeno - I can see profile. Profile picutre needs to be replaced, with one not a "selfie". Summary is short and needs expansion. Clean up certifications and put them in the certification category and move that between summary and experience. Experience doesnt really match the summary.

tier~ - "Full profiles for members outside your network are available only in LinkedIn Recruiter." Profile picture is good.

Akaricloud - I can see profile. No profile picture? Good summary. Very good experience section listing everything there. Move certs up between summary and experience.

N2IT · March 2014

Carl Saiyed

I like the picture for IT I think a semi formal / casual picture is great. Obviously C level positions etc I would wear a suit.

I really like the beginning piece, you vetted through it well and made nice changes since the last time I reviewed.

This is just me, I would like to see both your positions at STCU consolidated. I understand you want to show progression but I think with a relatively short amount of time consolidating would be best. Keep it all under your current gig.

No other suggestions looks nice.

Stryder

I really your story however I think that would best be served on a blog via Wordpress or something like that. Think of LinkedIn as a online resume. (It really is). (JMHO)

I like how you have your jobs broken out, however would consider keeping the format and the amount of information fairly even. For instance program analyst has a book of information but geek squad has nothing.

I would decided on where you want you certifications. You have an SAP one at the top but the CompTiA’s at the bottom. Can you capture the SAP one at the bottom with the others?

Poly

I would focus more on your current position, taking some info away from the intern position or adding more to the desktop position.

In your summary talk about some achievements or how you have managed a group of people. Show you can manage even though you haven't formally been a manager. JMHO

Jibba Jabba

It’s consistent and that’s really important. If you felt saucy you may want to add one or two lines that highlight those particular efforts.

Personally for me a Summary should be a paragraph format but that’s just me. Too each their own.

BGROOM

Similar with consistency which is good. I just don’t when people write a book for one position and nothing for the next. It looks wonky. Again I would consider writing the Summary in the paragraph or two. Capturing who you are and were you are going.

That’s all I could review for now. We just went live with a new .net product and it's been fun!

NovaHax · March 2014

So I do something slightly different than most by actually displaying my certificates (btw...you can only see them if you are connected to me). I personally like it...but its seems like nobody else does it...Is it too much???

LinkedIn

XiaoTech · March 2014

techwizard wrote: »

I am nervous putting mine up, kinda like standing in front of a crowd and saying "hi", but I am in. Here is mine:

Jude Ehrlich | LinkedIn

XiaoTech - I can see profile. Profile picture is probably too casual but quality is very good. Decent summary. As others have noted, I would remove the "-" and replace with symbol of choice, for bullets. Diamond bullets might be a good choice here. I agree with remove the "I got a fever! And the only prescription is more technology!". Move certs up, so it sits between summary and experience.

@techwizard
It seem's you're profile picture seems to be just as casual as mine. But since it seems to be the general opinion I should have something more professional, I uploaded a headshot where I'm wearing a suit. And I changed the title slightly. How do I get the circles and diamonds on my profile? Is it HTML? Or is there an option I'm overlooking?

As for my title, I made fun title since I'd like to work for a company that values someone's creativeness (that, and my friends tell me I do a good Christopher Walken impression, so I like to use it as an ice breaker).

There's a software company I interviewed for last year...I was professionally dressed and got through their gruelling two hour interview process, but was not selected due to lack of hard skills at the time. But they had a fun environment. People wearing sandals and shorts. I guess that's the advantages software programmers and developers have over IT staff. Maybe one day...

Ninja edit - My http://www.linkedin.com/in/billrkoch/

-And @NovaHax...wow. That's an impressive LinkedIn. Maybe I should scan my cert and display it. I don't have much to say, except that's really impressive.

N2IT · March 2014

XiaoTech wrote: »

How do I get the circles and diamonds on my profile? Is it HTML? Or is there an option I'm overlooking?

Create them in Word and paste them in.

OR

http://www.linkedin-makeover.com/2012/06/28/linkedin-profile-bullets-symbols/

techwizard · March 2014

XiaoTech wrote: »

@techwizard
It seem's you're profile picture seems to be just as casual as mine. But since it seems to be the general opinion I should have something more professional, I uploaded a headshot where I'm wearing a suit. And I changed the title slightly. How do I get the circles and diamonds on my profile? Is it HTML? Or is there an option I'm overlooking?

Our profile images are probably too casual for LinkedIn, as I mentioned with mine as well. We both have high quality images but we should be dressed like we are going to an interview. I will change my profile picture to reflect that when possible. As for symbols, bullets, etc on LinkedIn, you can simply copy and paste them into your own profile.

mistabrumley89 · March 2014

Charles Brumley | LinkedIn

Bring on the slaughterhouse.
Alot of stuff is irrelevant military stuff that I need to remove.

cyberguypr · March 2014

LinkedIn is a professional network. I really dislike seeing pictures of babies, significant others, dogs, etc. Same thing applies for status. I've seen people use it as if it were a Facebook one.

mistabrumley89 · March 2014

Yeah I've been meaning to put up a new picture. That's the same one I put up there when I first made it just to have a picture there.

mistabrumley89 · March 2014

What are your opinions on smiling vs not in a picture?

techwizard · March 2014

I think you should be smiling in a profile picture, it should be warm, inviting and personable, think of it as if you are at an potential job interview. That's just IMO, tho. However, open (teeth shown) vs closed (no teeth shown) smile, depends. If you have bad teeth, crooked teeth, or just an awkward "open" smile, I would go with a "closed" smile. Again, it is just my opinion and is subjective.

rht · March 2014

http://www.linkedin.com/in/ramytawfik

I recently set up my LinkedIn a weak ago since i am looking for my first IT job. I am also in the process of changing careers, so feel free to critique it as much as possible

I believe that LinkedIn is the perfect online community in which people can connect with each other and build networks comprised of diverse people with regard to backgrounds, education, experience, and cultures.

So the only way to build real networks and networking opportunities with others is to take an active approach like this. Since many of us here are in IT and can benefit each other, feel free to connect with me.

I also tried to join the Techexams group but still no reply? any ideas?

techwizard · March 2014

rht, clicking that LinkedIn link just takes me to my profile lol.

a quick tutorial for those of you who want to know how to share and or create a custom LinkedIn profile URL:

Note: this tutorial is for regular accounts, I am not sure if the upgrade account is the same or not. Also note that the public URL takes you to your public profile page, this is what everyone sees. You can customize what "everyone" sees by ticking the options under the "customize your public profile" field. There are a bunch of boxes you can check or un check depending on your personal preference. I have mine set to be visible to everyone, and all the boxes are by default, checked.

1) Go to your profile page, click "edit" profile
2) On right side of page, look for field "your public profile URL" and just below that is "Customize your public profile URL"
3) "Your current URL" shows the current URL for your profile, you can simply copy and paste that and share it OR
4) Click the "customize your public profile URL" and create your customized public URL, copy and paste that to share.

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask! If I don't have the answer, someone else might.

rht · March 2014

Ok its fixed! I also shared my full public profile so that it is completely visible to everyone.

paul78 · March 2014

techwizard wrote: »

I think you should be smiling in a profile picture, it should be warm, inviting and personable, think of it as if you are at an potential job interview.

Absolutely agree. I really think that pictures which are too serious looking can be a turn-off. Whenever I look at someone's LinkedIn profile which isn't very often, the picture gives me the first impression of what the individual may be like in person.

I'm really quite surprised that so many of you are willing to give you your anonymity on TE.

NotHackingYou · March 2014

Thanks everyone who reviewed my profile. Lots of good suggestions.

@paul78 I am surprised too, but I never had anonymity here.

N2IT
Pic and snapshot are good

Summary
Not sure I like the first sentence. Not sure why Pivot Tables is capitalized. I feel like your SQL experience should be first, as IMO it is more valuable. I think you should choose either Microsoft SQL Server (to compliment Microsoft Access) or Microsoft T-SQL.

Work exp:
NDX - This OK but I think could use some overall polish to flow a little better.

Other jobs have good reccomendations but don't tell me anyting else. Projects are nifty but the first sentance doens't WOW me.

education
Bachelor of science in what kind of science?

No cert section, just in summary?

techwizard - pic and snapshot are good.

Summary is good, tells me what I want to know very quickly. Would prefer to see a carriage return between the two bigger bullet points at the end. In 'network and software' SQL what? SQL Scripting? Administration?

Certs are good

Work exp:
Mad River - I like this one.

Field solutions - The bank address and phone #'s confuse me. Did you only do three work orders in this capacity?

Syntechs/Vodastra - Doesn't tell me much about what you did/do

Other jobs don't tell me much. Did you test Carmen Sandiego?

Rest is pretty good

techwizard · March 2014

CarlSaiyed wrote: »

techwizard - pic and snapshot are good.

Summary is good, tells me what I want to know very quickly. Would prefer to see a carriage return between the two bigger bullet points at the end. In 'network and software' SQL what? SQL Scripting? Administration?

Certs are good

Work exp:
Mad River - I like this one.

Field solutions - The bank address and phone #'s confuse me. Did you only do three work orders in this capacity?

Syntechs/Vodastra - Doesn't tell me much about what you did/do

Other jobs don't tell me much. Did you test Carmen Sandiego?

Rest is pretty good

1) SQL - Admin, I wish I knew more scripting but I dont, I will clarify that on my profile.
2) Field solutions - yes, only the three work orders in that capacity for that company, so far.
3) Syntech/Vodastra - I have nothing to list as of yet, I am technically employed by those employers but have not yet done any work orders, should I remove them for now, until I actually have something to show for them?
4) Yes, I tested Carmen Sandiego.

Thank you for the feedback!

ande0255 · March 2014

Hey Carl just got a chance to get in front of a PC and check your profile out today, and I couldn't really find anything I'd consider faults, and the formatting of experience was actually interesting to see. Most of my past coworkers that I've connected with on there have amazingly vague Linkedin's, often only putting the name of the company with the dates they worked and that is it.

Thanks to everyone for the connections, and I'll be checking out everyones profiles, and try to endorse some skills that I can match up to you on here

Zorodzai · March 2014

Here we go Zorodzai Mhlanga | LinkedIn

LinkedIn co-op

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