How to Reorder Work Experience on LinkedIn in 6 Simple Steps

When I'm advising professionals on sharpening their personal brand --  particularly when it comes to their resume, bio and LinkedIn profile -- my number one tip is to move eye-catching, results-based achievements to the top.

For all the many wonderful attributes of LinkedIn, it insists on complete chronology with work experience, so whatever job you're in right now sits up top. Then the last job you held, and so on. It doesn't matter if you were the President of the United States and now you're a professional apple picker ... CEO will be listed second, with your picking profession center stage.

Which is dandy if you're putting politics aside for greener orchards (no one could blame you, really), but if you're looking for a more professional image as you charge back into the working world (or change industries, de-emphasize a short-term job, or after a downsizing) there's a simple way to place your top accomplishments front-and-center.

6 Simple Steps to Reorder Work Experience on LinkedIn

1. Log into your LinkedIn, click "Profile," then "Edit Profile."

2. Scroll to "Experience," and click "Add a Position."

3. On the "Company Name" tab, type a broad category you want to emphasize. For example:
~Marketing Strategist
~Human Resources Professional
~Financial Consultant
~You could even go with something like "Career Highlights" or "Industry Experience." 

4. On the "Title" tab, type in a little descriptive. Think of it as a subheading instead of a job title. For example:
~ Company Name: Healthcare Marketing
~ Job Title: Key Career Achievements

5. On the "Time Period" tab, input a start time that best describes whatever you've categorized. So if you've been in your current field for 10 years, input "2004" for start time. The most important factor is that you input the end time after the next position that comes up! So if you resigned from your last position in May 2014, the end time for this position should be June 2014 or after. Yes, there will be crossover with other jobs, and that's okay. You're not claiming this is an official job you held ... you're listing work experience.

6. On the "Description" tab, include whatever you need to highlight. For example:
~Heartstrong Medical Company: created brand strategy resulting in new product sales of $40 billion.
It doesn't matter if that particular achievement was back in 2002, and you've held 2 different jobs since then. If it's something that needs to be said first, put it right up top.

One point upon which I want to be completely clear: I'm not encouraging you to fudge details on your LinkedIn (or anywhere.) In fact, I strongly encourage you to fact-check all your information for honesty and accuracy throughout LinkedIn and on your resume.

From a personal branding perspective, you must position your career results and achievements in a way that will intrigue a future employer. When you look at the scope of your entire career, success isn't necessarily sequential. So don't let a little technical obstacle on one of the top professional resources on the internet keep you from putting your best foot forward, right at the top of the page.

For a few more tips about pumping up your personal brand on LinkedIn, visit here and here. And if you need a little professional assistance getting that LinkedIn profile in order, send me a note at amyATamymacwritesDOTcom.

Have a great week!

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How to Write a Professional Bio in 6 Steps

You finally received the coveted call: you landed the keynote speaking engagement, won the top industry award, or snagged an upcoming feature in the local newspaper. “Send over your bio and we’ll get started!”

Gulp. What bio?

A succinct, captivating bio (sometimes called executive profile) is a critical piece in the personal marketing toolkit, and yet the vast majority of professional bios are as interesting to read as a technical manual for a dental chair. That is, not at all.

So if a great bio can be the difference between someone attending your seminar, buying your book or reading your article, it’s essential to aim for a bio that piques — and holds — the reader’s interest, encouraging them to want to know you a little better, and ultimately become a loyal member of your audience.

The trick to hitting the sweet spot with a professional bio is being relatable in a compelling way. Over the years, I have crafted six rules for writing winning bios. Apply these to your bio, and you’ll be ready for that can’t-miss opportunity:

Remember your reader. This is your opportunity to tell your story in an engaging way. Don’t bore your readers by regurgitating your resume. Ask yourself: what captures your attention when you’re reading a bio? Is it big-name companies? High-profile awards? Leadership roles? Make a list of what you notice in bios, and see how you can use those items in your bio, too.

Eye-catching successes go first. I’ve had clients bury their most unique experiences at the end of their bio — things like leadership at NASA, experience as a contributor with USA Today, impressive industry awards and intriguing international assignments. Your bio isn’t the place to be shy about your accomplishments! Make it easy for your reader to respect your successes from the beginning.

Keep it brief. Resist the urge to add unnecessary information.  Ask yourself “why should the reader care?” If you don’t have an excellent answer, save it for your resume. Too many bios go unread because they are too long.

Spell out acronyms and delete phrases requiring interpretation. Nothing turns a reader into a scanner (or snoozer) more quickly than a jumble of letters which mean nothing to people outside your industry. Take the time to spell out any acronym on the first reference.  The same goes for some of those favorite “business-speak” phrases: instead of “constructive stimulus strategist” try “change agent” or even just “leader.” Fancy isn’t always better.

Share personal information sparingly. While bios can be a terrific opportunity to add a personal touch to your professional persona, there is a fine line between interesting and uncomfortably quirky. Stick with the facts (“She lives in Atlanta with her husband and two daughters, and enjoys playing tennis and volunteering at her children’s schools”), always avoiding divisive topics like politics unless they directly impact your career field.

Be willing to call in an expert. If, after applying all the tips you’ve learned in this article, your bio doesn’t have the “snap” you know it needs, hire a professional writer. Your bio is the first opportunity you have to make a favorable impression when connecting with your target audience. Invest in making yours a top-notch personal marketing centerpiece.

Preparing a compelling, succinct bio guarantees when someone asks for yours — and they will — you’ll remain focused on the end result (you know … that amazing award acceptance speech, the front-page article, the keynote address) instead of the smaller, but critically important details.  

Amy M. Dawson is a brand strategist, business writer, newspaper columnist and humor writer. She’s helped hundreds of professionals — from Fortune 500 CEOs to politicians and entrepreneurs— craft their personal brand through their bios. Sign up for her quarterly newsletter here and subscribe to her blog here.

How to Catapult Your Resume to the Top of the Pile

One of the top tactics for creating a stand-out resume is framing your accomplishments in a way that grabs the attention of the poor soul whose job is to plow through a zillion resumes a day.

Yet when I'm crafting a resume or professional bio for someone -- usually a very accomplished someone -- they generally stammer something along the lines of "I've been really busy, doing really important stuff, but I, uh, can't seem to remember exactly what that important stuff is. Or, why it matters."

Part of this is inexplicable modesty (this is your resume ... your moment to brag with abandon!) and part of it is as busy people, what was really monumental in January gets eclipsed by other exciting accomplishments before June rolls around.

There's a simple solution to this problem: create an ACCOMPLISHMENTS File. It can be a file on your computer, handwritten in a journal, a note on your iPhone. The where doesn't matter as much as the content you capture, and there are three pertinent components:

1. The date, for obvious reasons.
2. The accomplishment ... and this is no time to edit. No matter how insignificant, ALL accomplishments should be recorded on this spreadsheet. Whether you make a presentation to the CEO, coordinate an event, or lead a coalition for more salad greens in your office cafeteria, record it in your Accomplishments File.
3. The results. What happened as a result of your effort? Was the CEO convinced to launch a new product? Did the event create word-of-mouth resulting in increased sales? Are there, in fact, more salad greens at the lunch table? Capture that information -- you'll need it later.

I keep my file in Microsoft Excel. It isn't fancy. It is four columns across, with the above components along with an area for notes. I capture the information by month. That's it. When I update my resume, I pull out the most pertinent information to include ... and the rest of it reminds me of various fun projects I've done that year.

Keep an Accomplishments File and I promise ... the next time you need to update your resume, you will not dread the task. In fact, with all your awesomeness right there in front of you, you might kinda sorta look forward to it.

Here's to an overflowing 2013 Accomplishments File!

Source: mmorris.webs.com via Soren on Pinterest

When to Use Acronyms on Resumes and in Business Writings

I'm often asked when it's okay to use acronyms when writing business letters, websites, in presentations, and on resumes and the like. The quick answer: almost never on the first reference.


Acronyms (a new word formed with the first letter of a group of words) are wonderful for communicating with a specific group you know is familiar with the acronym. It's when you're reaching a broader audience and you assume they know an acronym that you'll fail to connect with your audience ... or worse, lose the reader altogether because combining all those bold, capital letters that mean nothing to them have given them a seizure. I'm telling you, acronyms are bad for your health unless used with utmost caution. Ask your doctor. 


Here's the cure: unless you can procure an accurate answer from six people of different ages, genders, and regions of the United States, you must spell out your acronym on first reference. No exceptions. Directly after the first reference, put the acronym in parentheses and use it for the remainder of the document. Here's an example from a news release I wrote a couple of years ago:

Women In Technology (WIT), is pleased to announce WIT’s executive director, Heather Rocker, has been named the winner in the Inspiritor Category for Turknett Leadership Group’s Leadership Character awards. The winners were announced at the awards luncheon at the Georgia Aquarium on February 23, 2010.

Notice how it's all spelled out the first reference, then a few words later we transition to the much shorter acronym. Saves a lot of time and paper, that's for sure. 


There are certain acronyms that defy this rule. For example, if you were to write "a producer from  the Cable News Network (CNN) will be attending the seminar to answer questions" people will think you're nuts. CNN falls under the "ask six people" rule.


On professional documents like resumes and bios, spell out the acronyms for associations  ---always. I always get arguments on this rule. "But everyone knows what SHRM/CRM/PRSA is." Assume they don't, and spell out Society for Human Resource Management, Customer Relationship Management, and Public Relations Society of America the first time. You only need the acronym in parenthesis if you reference the organization more than once, and since you're all about being brief in a resume/bio/website (you are, right?), try combining tasks and roles under one reference instead.


Now I am feeling guilty about dumping all this on you right before the weekend. I really meant to do this much earlier in the week, but the spouse travelling in Europe, wrestling puppies and shuttling kids to the ER will totally throw ya off track. So if you decide to update resumes and documents and websites and whatnot because you are addicted to acronyms, please enjoy a glass of wine or something (click here for a delightful mixed drink recipe) while you do. 


Here's to a happy, productive, relaxing weekend!



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The Good, The Bad, and The Bio

If you are in business, you need a good personal bio, written and at the ready. Your bio can be your 60 second advertisement for why you are the perfect person for whatever it is you’re seeking – a new job, a writing or speaking gig, or an introduction to a volunteer board with whom you’re working.

A great bio has three key features:

The most important and eye-catching information is at the beginning (don’t save the fact that you were recently featured in the Wall Street Journal for the last sentence.)

The words are in the active tense (for example, “Suzy Q. Jones is the top salesperson at XYZ company, and continues to lead the company to exceed its goals each year.” instead of “Suzy Q. Jones has been the top salesperson for XYZ for 5 years, and has continued to lead the company to exceed its goals.”

It’s short. That’s right, no need to write an actual hard-cover biography book. Hit the highlights of your career, keeping it to 10 sentences, max.

There are many components that make a bio perfect, including excellent writing, but if you keep these three features in mind when you write your bio you’ll be off to a great start!

Grab your laptop and get started writing your bio today. Happy Writing!