These days you almost always need a LinkedIn profile for a job search. But if you’d really like to come across as different as well as professional, check out this newer social medium: Slide Share.
SlideShare will surprise you. It sounds pretty simple: you get to upload and share visual files. Use Powerpoint, PDF, Word or even Excel. When you post to SlideShare you’ll add a description and keywords You’ll gain visibility and you’ll add a new visual for people who peruse your LinkedIn profile.
Why SlideShare?
As you probably know, people are more visual and more image-oriented than before. They relate to images. Therefore, when you include avisual, you give readers a break from text, text, text. And you stand out from the competition.
So why not just add a video?
You could and some people do. In fact, you can take your images from a video and post them to SlideShare, gaining an extra opportunity.
But videos can be intrusive. If you’re listening to music or another audio, you have to turn everything off. You need to give a video your undivided attention.
Additionally, these days your resume reader probably is sitting in a cubicle, not an office. A silent slide presentation will be easier to access.
So… what do you put on your slides?
— Use only a few lines per slide. These days we’re seeing a trend to large images with little or no text.
Introduce yourself briefly.
— Add one line or point from your resume, per slide, up to 10-15 slides. A sample slide might be
At Smith Company:
Designed a training program for sales reps to showcase a product that was lagging in sales.
Increased sales of that product by 300% within six months.
— Don’t follow the same rules as you would with live presentations. You can include smaller text and more detail because your slides will be read up close on the screen.
— Add a tasteful graphic. Avoid cheesy stock photos of people. You can get images polished up at fiverr.com
— Include contact information, relevant education, training, and awards.
Where to Use Slides
Upload to slideshare.net. A basic account is free and will probably be all you need.
Add a link to your LinkedIn profile.
Create a widget for your blog. A blog is a good way to demonstrate your knowledge.
You can also
… tweet and post your new SlideShare presentation.
– Add your presentation to Pinterest.
And if you need more support, you’ll know where to find me. Click here for more.