I came across the graphic to the left from Global Digital Citizen Foundation the other day and am absorbed by the way it engages your original ideas and pushes you to express critical thought.
Nothing in this is asking you for a fast second of simple thought; rather, it takes you on a roadmap to a higher level of expression.
Of course, I am fitting it through the filter of perfecting your LinkedIn profile.
You should too.
And use it elsewhere that makes sense as a template, of course.
While I have never been a fan of cheat sheets and shortcuts, this one is an exception. With its 48 open-ended questions, there is so much to ponder.
I prefer you focus on the “why” section, as you know my love of why you do what you do, and offer these twists on the questions so you can append and enhance your LinkedIn profile:
- Why do you offer something that solves a problem or relieves a challenge?
- Why are your offerings relevant to the reader or referable to others’ needs?
- What is the best case scenario that comes from using your services?
- How have you been able to influence others/outcomes they hired you to produce?
- Why do prospects need to know about the specific approach to the issue you tackle?
- Why can you solve a dilemma that others have tolerated for so long?
- Why do you provide this remedy after we have become used to it/allowed it/tolerated it?
- Why does someone need you in particular?
If you can pique the reader’s interest in one or more of these questions in your headline, then further in your Summary, and fully explain how you learned this approach from your Experience sections, you have achieved something.
I hope I made you uneasy enough to start rewriting your profile.
Answer these “why” questions in your own words, in your own style.
Others will take notice vs your competitors.
