Unfortunately, most business people in Bangkok and throughout Thailand do not know how to properly leverage the full power of Linkedin. In discussing the social media tool, the first thing we tell people is that you need to “help Linkedin help you”. You can do that by making sure you create a robust profile page that discusses your professional accomplishments. This is important because people use key words in finding individuals on Linkedin…in essence, you use Linkedin like Google. You type in certain phrases, words or titles and Linkedin returns a series of search results that most match your keyword search. This means the more words you place into your profile, the more likely people in Thailand are to reach out to you regarding professional opportunities. Simply including your job title and place of employment will not provide someone the specifics they regarding your skills and background.
In developing an effective Linkedin profile, compile a list of skills, phrases and keywords people search for when looking for people within the industry. Once you develop your list, make sure you place those words into your profile as this will help you rise within search results. The goal should be to appear on page one of as many searches as possible and that can only happen if you have the most sought out terms in your profile. If you are stuck or unsure as to what words companies are looking for, try researching job postings online and see which words commonly appear. For those who are a bit more tech savvy, consider Linkedin your professional website and you need to make sure you work hard at search engine optimization or SEO.
Another crucial mistake Bangkok professionals make in using Linkedin is failing to include what they have accomplished in each and every one of their jobs. This is important as companies want to know what you can do for them and your Linkedin profile should be seen as an “advertisement” to the Southeastern Asian business community. Therefore, you should be selling business leaders on your successes as past performance is the best predicator of future success. If you are a Sales Manager, you should be telling people how you have grown the business since you arrived at the company. This can be expressed in percentages or in Baht yet most companies would prefer that you do no disclose financial figures to the public, especially if you work for a private company whose financials are not made public. That same individual should also note within their profile their achievements earlier in their career. For instance, they worked for as Global 500 company that had 200 sales reps throughout Asia and they consistently ranked in the top three. That would absolutely be something that they would want to share in their Linkedin profile.
If you are not a sales professional, its still very easy to create a Linkedin profile that outlines your accomplishments. For example: you can discuss the amount of money you saved the company or department, increased efficiency within your division, a new product launch that you were selected to manage, etc. Basically, you want to show that you brought value to your employer’s and the only way you can do that is to list accomplishments rather than job duties.
