GLOBAL MENTORSHIP

INITIATIVE

Session 4

Building Your Business Network

with LinkedIn

LinkedIn Advanced Training Guide

globalmentorship.org
Copyright © 2024 Global Mentorship Initiative, All Rights Reserved
 The GMI Mission
GMI prepares future leaders around the
world for their job search.

This is accomplished through a structured,

short-term, online mentorship with a
business professional.

GMI creates job opportunities for mentees

through the GMI business network and
corporate partners.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization

There is a Process for Getting
a Great Job!

• Follow the GMI process and don’t skip steps. It really works.

• Invest the time to create your online business identity.

This will create job opportunities throughout your career.

• It’s not about your talents. Those who succeed are usually
the ones who put in the effort regardless of their raw talent.

• Finding a great job is a numbers game. The more you

connect with people and apply for positions, the more
opportunities you will have. When you have career options,
you can make the best choices.

• Anyone can do this. But not everyone will.

GMI’s • There are great job opportunities at companies you haven’t heard
of. Make it easy for these companies to find and recruit you
Process for through LinkedIn.

Getting a • Focus on LinkedIn now to connect with as many people as you can
before you start applying for jobs. You will need some of these
Great Job people to open doors at the companies you want to work for. Use
the GMI templates to make this easy. LinkedIn allows for 5
connections with a message per month.

Part 1 • If you want people to connect with you, have a strong LinkedIn
profile in place before you begin. Skipping this step will sabotage
the entire process going forward.

• Don’t let other social media accounts harm your job search. For
example, lock your Facebook account where only friends can view
your content.
GMI’s Use all the tools available to you:

Process for
• Templates for connecting with people
• Templates to get job references on LinkedIn

Getting a • Include the right keywords in your profile

• Add the right skills to your profile to match the jobs you are
Great Job applying for
• Follow companies on LinkedIn you want to work for
• Use other templates for thank-you notes, recruiter
communications, resume/CV templates
Part 2 • Develop your own communication templates so you can reach a
lot of people quickly and efficiently

Your job right now is to prepare for your lifelong career.

People who are serious about success will allocate at least an hour a
day to these activities.
 50% 91% 94%
of hiring of marketing of recruiters
managers will executives list say they use
decide to LinkedIn as LinkedIn to
proceed with the top place find
your to find quality candidates.
application content.

Why LinkedIn is based on your

LinkedIn profile.

so Important
100 million 260 million 500 million
members members LinkedIn
login every login every members
day month worldwide

LinkedIn is a requirement in today’s

professional job market.
Your LinkedIn Profile Should Already Have:

All LinkedIn fields completed

• Headline & summary
• Headshot
• Banner behind your headshot
• A summary that captures attention
• Detailed work & volunteer experience
• Education details

Important: If you haven’t finished these steps, complete the training at this link before proceeding:
https://globalmentorship.org/linkedin/
Mentorship
Session Goal: • Use “keywords” to help recruiters find you
• Add 20 – 50 specific skills to your profile

Recruiters •
•
How to use your network to find job opportunities
How and why you should join LinkedIn professional groups
Seeking You • How to easily get job references on LinkedIn
• How to find jobs on LinkedIn and connect with recruiters

Use the LinkedIn Content and Templates documents from

Follow this guide step by step. Session Seven. You can copy and paste these templates for
your LinkedIn work to save time.
This work should be done on
a computer. Some sections
are very difficult to update on
a phone.
Boosting your LinkedIn
profile to find jobs and
attract job recruiters
 GMI Student
Profile
Example

Use this LinkedIn profile as

a template:

www.linkedin.com/in/gmistudent
This LinkedIn profile gets requests for
interviews every week!
How Job Recruiters Use LinkedIn
Primary Search Priorities
• Job experience
• Location
• Skills
• Education
• Other keywords

Additional Search Priorities:

• Open to new opportunities
• Company connections
• Engaged with your talent brand
Find Keywords When recruiter search for candidates on LinkedIn, they
focus on keywords in the job description.
in a Job
Description  Add 10+ keywords in your LinkedIn profile from the
job posting you are applying for.

 Apply keywords here

• Headline
How can you stand out in a sea • Experience
of 500 million people?
• Summary

LinkedIn’s algorithm shows  In your profile, name the industry you’re interested
recruiters the most relevant in – it’s a keyword.
profiles based on their keyword
search.
 Accountant Job Description
Find Keywords Summary

in a Job We’re looking for an organized and driven Staff Accountant to join our growing team at
our company. The Staff Accountant position will work closely with our other accountants

Description
and operations personnel and handle day-to-day bookkeeping.

Responsibilities
• Perform monthly, quarterly and annual accounting activities including reconciliations
of bank and credit card accounts, coordination and completion of annual audits, and
reviewing financial reports as necessary.
• Analyze and report on financial status including income statement variances,
Keywords communicating financial results to management, budget preparation and analysis.
 Accountant • Improve systems and procedures and initiate corrective actions.
 Bookkeeping • Oversee taxes and abide by federal regulations.
 Reconciliations
 Financial reports Qualifications
 Analyze / Analysis / Audit • 2+ years accounting experience
 Budget preparation • Expertise with QuickBooks
 Taxes • Extensive knowledge of US GAAP
 QuickBooks / Microsoft Office • Advanced computer skills in Microsoft Office, accounting software and databases
 GAAP / SaaS • Excellent organizational, problem-solving, project management and communication
 Databases skills
 Project Management • Additional experience in audit and International accounting
 International Accounting • Experience with SaaS companies
 Skills are a primary search
Adding Skills criteria for job recruiters
to Your Profile
 Use keywords found on job descriptions
 Add 30 – 50 skills

 As you add LinkedIn connections, you will get more

endorsements validating your skills with employers
 Skills Endorsements
Getting People  Your connections will endorse you for skills they have observed.

to Endorse  You can request endorsements from coworkers, supervisors,

teachers, and other professional contacts.

Your Skills  Endorse others to get more endorsements for yourself.

How to Endorse Someone

To endorse someone, go to
their profile and scroll down
to “Skills”.
How to build
a business network
for job connections
  Anyone who works at companies where you want to apply

Making  Current and past students where you attended college

Professional  Current and past work colleagues

Connections  People in professional groups

 People that have a common interest in a non-work topic

Don’t be shy about connecting

with people. It is expected and
everyone who is successful in
business does this.

Not everyone will accept your

invitation to connect. Don’t let
that stop you, it’s a numbers If you don’t see a “Connect”
game and nothing personal. button on their profile:

Use the search bar at the top of

your home page to search for
connections.
 Always Make This?
it Personal

Which invitation is more likely

to be accepted? Hi Jon,

Or this?
We both know William Smith at Accenture and I see they are
connected to you on LinkedIn. I am a Business Management
student at ABC University graduating soon and would
appreciate connecting with you on LinkedIn.

Best regards,

GMI Student
Graduating May 2022
 10 Templates Someone currently attending the same school as you

for Making Someone is connected to another person you know

Someone who went to your college in the past

Connections Someone who works at a company where you want to apply

Someone who made a comment in a LinkedIn group

Someone you have no connection with

Use these templates as
guides to connect with people Someone you met or heard speak at a conference
on LinkedIn. Someone who viewed your LinkedIn profile

Someone who has posted a job opportunity – before applying

Personalize them and copy
and paste to quickly make a Someone who has posted a job opportunity – after applying
lot of business connections.

These are important for your You are limited to 200 characters in your
job search. connection request. Make the most of it!
 Someone currently attending the same school as you:
Hi [First Name],
How to Connect 1 We are both students at [College/University] and I would like to

with People connect with you on LinkedIn.

Someone is connected on LinkedIn to another person you know:

Hi [First Name],

We both know (First & Last Name at (Company) and I see they are
2 connected with you on LinkedIn. I would like to join your LinkedIn
network.
 Someone who went to your college in the past:
Hi [First Name],

How to Connect 3
I see that you are an alumnus from [College/University], and I look
forward to being one next year too, as I am a [Your Major] student
with People in my [#] year. I hope you will consider connecting with me on
LinkedIn.

Someone who works at a company where you want to apply:

Hi [First Name],

We haven’t met but your profile came up when I was looking for
4 open positions at [Company Name]. I hope you will consider
connecting with me on LinkedIn.
 Someone who made a comment in a LinkedIn group:
Hi [First Name],
How to Connect 5
I am a fellow member of the [Group Name] LinkedIn group. I hope

with People you will consider connecting with me on LinkedIn.

Someone you have no connection with:

Hi [First Name],
6 I am a [Your Major] student graduating from [College/University]
this year and would appreciate the opportunity to join your
LinkedIn network.
 Someone you met or heard speak at a conference:
Hi [First Name],

How to Connect 7
It was a pleasure to hear you speak at [Event/Conference]. Your
topic was personally very helpful to me in my job search. I would
with People like to join your LinkedIn network.

Someone who viewed your LinkedIn profile:

Hi [First Name],

Thank you for visiting my profile. I am very interested to connect

8 with you to learn more about your career path and the work you
do at [Company Name].
 Someone who has posted a job opportunity – before applying:
Hi [First Name],

How to Connect 9
I noticed the position you posted earlier and have hands-on
experience in [skill]. I would appreciate connecting with you to

with People discuss the position.

Someone who has posted a job opportunity – after applying:

Hi [First Name],

10 I wanted to let you know that I applied online for the position of
[Position Title (#Job ID)]. I would appreciate connecting with you to
discuss how I could potentially add value to your team.
Finding Targeted
Connections at
Companies

After connecting with someone,

you can see 1st and 2nd level
connections that you have in
common.

Filter on the companies you are

interested in and invite these
people to connect with you. Scroll down to
see more filters.
Getting Professional Request written recommendations of your professional
experiences, accomplishments, and skills from previous
Recommendations supervisors, colleagues, and other professional connections who
know you well enough to make a recommendation.

 Submit a request via LinkedIn for your professional

connections to write short reviews of your work/skills.
 Request recommendations from colleagues who can highlight
your key skills and accomplishments.

 Recommendations add credibility to the work and skills listed

on your resume/CV. Link these references on your resume.
 LinkedIn asks you to approve recommendations before
adding them to your profile.

 Obtain at least five recommendations from your

connections. Recruiters read them!
 Personalized Message

How to ask for a Hi Jason, I hope all is well for you.

Recommendation Would you be willing to provide a recommendation for me on LinkedIn? Since I might be
looking at new career options soon, a personal note from you on my LinkedIn page would be
very helpful.

To save you some time, below is an example that you could use but I am very glad if you want
to use different text. If you are unable to do this now, I completely understand.

Thank you!
Michael Smith

Personalize a recommendation like the examples below.

Choose only one to include in your request.

Style Option 1:
I have known Michael for many years and have always been impressed by his commitment and
drive both in his career and personal life. His dedication to social responsibility is
demonstrated by his volunteerism with [Company]. His encouragement to students in the
program is an inspiration and sets an example for others.
Hint: you will receive more
recommendations if you Style Option 2:
write the text for them. I was fortunate to work alongside Michael at [Company] and we worked closely on several
projects. Michael was always very focused on supporting the mission and achieving his
objectives. He was a very effective computer science assistant and was able to teach complex
computer skills to students of all ages in a way they could understand and retain the
knowledge.
Professional
Pages and Follow Pages Join Groups

Groups  Companies you want to work

for (Engaged with company talent
 Companies you want to work for
(Engaged with company talent
brand)
brand)

 Prospective future career paths  With people who do work that

or occupations interests you
 Something you want to learn  For a cause you are passionate
more about about

Do this because you can

easily make new business
connections.
Follow these
Pages Now Company – Click on Follow
Global Mentorship Initiative

Or:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/globalmentorship

Your college alumni group

Search for this on LinkedIn

After you join these groups, connect with people in

them using the right templates.
Finding your job
on LinkedIn
 LinkedIn’s Job Board
Activate LinkedIn Open Candidates on your profile to let
LinkedIn Job recruiters know you are open to new career opportunities.

Search LinkedIn Job Filters

Job searching on LinkedIn allows you to filter for specific
position titles, companies, industries, etc.

Job Alerts
Receive an email every time a new job is posted that meets
your specific search criteria.

Easy Apply
Allows you to apply using your LinkedIn profile and upload a
Get the most from LinkedIn to resume.
find jobs that match your
skillset. Your LinkedIn profile is what recruiters will see first.
Let Recruiters
Know You are
Available

 Click on View Profile

 Set your career interests

to alert recruiters

 Decide who should see

that you are available
Search for Jobs

Search Jobs: Accountant

Search Location: Seattle

 Apply online

 See how many people have

applied

 See if you know anyone at the

company
 What are my
chances for this
job?

Only for LinkedIn Premium Members

 See who’s viewed your profile
 Job and applicant insights
 Company insights
 Salary insights
Matching skills are important
to get an interview.
How to Get
Referrals
through
LinkedIn

Not all companies who post

jobs on LinkedIn will accept
referrals using this method.
This option will not show up
for all jobs posted.
Refine Your
Search with
Filters

 Apply for jobs just posted

 Match your skill level to the job

 Target a specific company or

industry
Market Yourself
with a Banner

Banner Recommendations
 Banners add a personal aspect to your profile
Identifies you as someone who  Be creative but remember this is a business environment
goes beyond just meeting the  Examples: your city or your business interests
requirements.  Pictures must have the correct dimensions
 “Crop” pictures to get the right shape
 Left side is for your headshot
Banner Examples #1 Choose 1 of these 16 examples for your
profile banner.

Banner 1 Banner 4

Banner 2 Banner 5

Banner 3 Banner 6
Banner Examples #2

Banner 7 Banner 10

Banner 8 Banner 11

Banner 9 Banner 12
Banner Examples #3

Banner 13 Banner 16

Banner 14
Where to get additional free banners
linkedinbackground.com

freelinkedinbackgrounds.com

Banner 15
 Additional Resources and References
‘10 LinkedIn Profile Summaries We Love (And How to Boost Your Own’ – Kate Reilly with LinkedIn Talent Blog
https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/linkedin-best-practices/2016/7-linkedin-profile-summaries-that-we-love-and-how-to-boost-your-
own

‘What to Include in Your LinkedIn Experience Section’ – Stacey Lane with Stacey Lane Career Coach and Consultant
http://www.staceylane.net/what-to-include-in-your-linkedin-experience-section/

’10 LinkedIn Profile Tips for College Students – Sandra Long with Workology
https://workology.com/linkedin-profile-for-college-students-2014/

‘The Ultimate Guide to LinkedIn for Students’ – Ransom Patterson with College Info Geek
https://collegeinfogeek.com/linkedin-summary-examples-for-students/

‘LinkedIn Invitation Request Examples’ – Michigan Tech University

https://www.mtu.edu/career/students/networking/linkedin/linkedin-invitation-examples-march-2016.pdf

‘7 Ways To Include Keywords In Your LinkedIn Profile

https://cheekyscientist.com/ways-to-include-keywords-in-your-linkedin-profile

‘4 Ways to Find Job Opportunities on LinkedIn’ – Arnie Fertig with Job Hunt
https://www.job-hunt.org/linkedin-job-search/finding-job-opportunities-linkedin.shtml

Copyright © 2024 Global Mentorship Initiative, All Rights Reserved

 Global Mentorship Initiative

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Bellevue, WA 98008
[email protected]

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Copyright © 2024 Global Mentorship Initiative, All Rights Reserved