Radio Facts: 
To quote the Queen Lil’ Kim, “I been gone for a minute, now I’m back at the jump off.” Now, whatever jump off she was referring to, that is not where I am headed. But today does signify a jumping off place for us in the form of a new monthly take on advice, empowerment, and awareness from the inside. Some of you may recall my last venture with Radio Facts, “The Millennial Minute.” #RIP to the Millennial Minute. I have decided to remix the name and the content based on where I think the industry needs to go next. I realized that my two cents on being a millennial in the media was not just for us. It was for the generation before us, the new kids on the block, and for anyone in between. So, here we are.
The big mission is to do my small part in changing the landscape of how our industry looks, thinks, and acts as we strive to remain relevant, diverse, and impactful. Simply put, I am talking to my fellow people of color, fellow females, next generation of media mavericks, and to those who work, employ, and promote us. I am also talking to those who are trying to keep this industry primarily old, male, and white (directly or indirectly). Let’s open the dialogue, have a discussion, and come to some resolve. Only by talking about these things do we move the culture of the industry forward. So I present to you, “For The Culture: Share. Hustle. Shine.” I am a firm believer that if we collectively share our experiences, use that information to fuel our hustle, we will shine. Now, for the culture can mean various things. Like when we all did it for the culture and decided Wakanda was a real place after seeing Black Panther five times and posting our best IG pics. #WakandaForever. According to the only online dictionary that matters, Urban Dictionary defines For the Culture as the following:
“Do it for the Culture” is usually a statement requesting that someone carry out a specific action for benefit of their shared culture. Used mostly in regards to pop culture.
Are you “using” LinkedIn or are you using LinkedIn? By the end of this post, you be the judge.
I will go out on a limb here and believe it’s safe to say that if you’re reading this, you know what LinkedIn is and in general how to navigate. But this is a judgment free-ish zone, so if not, you can get started here. Essentially LinkedIn is the professional Facebook or IG. It’s social media + networking + career-ish that you didn’t even know you needed. Personally, I love it for things like their articles and discussions. I can find something daily or weekly that is interesting, relevant, and fed to me based on my circle, my interest, and my field. So, where are you in your LinkedIn journey? If you’re new to the site completely or have not updated your profile in the last year or more, start from here.
Profile Basics:
- PHOTO (not something you pulled from a night out from your IG page when you thought you were cute). The way iPhone’s are set up these days, you can ask a friend to be a real friend and get a quality Portrait mode photo shoot. Also, I encourage your photo to look like you. Not some impersonator version of you. Professional, engaging, and current. Current being the most important word there.
- ABOUT – this is the basis upon which your profile will be viewed. You have limited space to express who you are in summary and what you are doing on LinkedIn. Keep it concise, use keywords, don’t make it too wordy, and use language that people can easily understand. They should not be more confused about who you are then when they landed on your page.
- BE YOU. This is your chance to be yourself, make a great impression, and be remembered. It’s ok to add some sugar and spice to your LinkedIn profile. Being professional does not have to equal boring! Especially for our industry!
Best personal uses for LinkedIn:
- The Basics – your digital resume. Make sure that you fill out as much as you can on your profile. The key here is to continue to update and tweak your profile as you move along in your career. This is a living and breathing profile, don’t just set it and forget it. You can an award? Add it. Do you have a promotion? Add it. Make a great speech at an industry event? Upload a clip on your profile.
- Recommendations & Endorsements – where do you shine? If it’s hard for you to brag on yourself, let someone else do it for you. Recommendations or endorsements from former employers, colleagues, clients, etc. show off your skills and expertise in a different way. Never be afraid to ask. If you did an exceptional job, this is the perfect way to showcase your work.
- Get your career search/switch on – Yes, you can get hired from LinkedIn! You can search and apply to hundreds of jobs directly on LinkedIn. Use your LinkedIn contacts to see who may be currently working at the company you are applying to, see if anyone you know can refer you and reach out to a hiring manager directly. LinkedIn makes it pretty easy to target the right job for you, you can search by location, industry, keywords and more. And better yet, you can save searches and be alerted when something you may like comes up. The app is perfect for all this and more on the go!
What you should not be using LinkedIn for:
- Sliding in his/her DM’s to attempt a romantic discussion. I mean, what are you attracted too? Their work ethic? How many endorsements they got? Do I think these things should be brought up in a real dating chat? Yes. Does falling in love with someone include loving their hustle and accomplishments? Sure. But LinkedIn should not be the place to kick off this blind date.
- Also… if you have been blocked or ditched from all personal social media sites with someone, do not use LinkedIn as a way to slide yourself back in their digital space. I’m on here trying to better myself (minding my own professional business) and here you come trying to hold me back from a blessing. Don’t fill up my LinkedIn messages, I need all that space for a new opportunity! Okurrr!
Just my two cents. Carry on.
Best business uses for LinkedIn:
- Know your competition – Who are they? Who do they hire? What do they have going on? LinkedIn is an easy way to be professionally nosy as you want to be. You may not be able to walk into a competitor’s business asking all kinds of questions or run up on their employers on their lunch break, but you can gently stalk them on LinkedIn. At the end of the day “Competition is a good thing. It forces us to do our best.”
- LinkedIn Ads – Yes, they too have Marketing Solutions. Similar to FB Ads, LinkedIn also has the ability to take your advertising efforts up a notch through the use of targeted ad campaigns across multiple options. Interested? Check it out.
- Recruitment – Last but NEVER least! I don’t need help recruiting, said no one ever, especially in our industry. LinkedIn is a 24-7 digital job fair, it’s a party full of potentially qualified and more specific candidates for your company. Companies have just as much responsibility in keeping their profiles updated, relevant and engaging for potential employees. This is your chance to shine, to show who you are as an organization, and brag about what you could offer a potential new hire.
So now you can ask yourself. Are you really using LinkedIn or Nah? If not, you’re only a few clicks away from getting back in the game. If you are, keep it up!
Until next month,
Share. Hustle. Shine. everyone!