LinkedIn Magic for Educators on the Road to a New Career Adventure

All the cool kids and advice columns tell you that you need to use LinkedIn in your job search. Setting up or updating your LinkedIn profile can be a daunting task and it’s normal to feel overwhelmed or unsure of where to start. 
Whether you are still in the contemplation stage or are actively job searching, LinkedIn is an essential tool in your professional toolbox. It can be a secret weapon to help you land a new job AND be successful in your professional life, regardless of the industry. One of my favorite things about this tool is that it’s so easy to tweak and customize to help you show up in recruiter searches for the roles that you are interested in.
As a classroom teacher, you have a wide range of skills but how do you translate your “teacher speak” to a world outside of education? The LinkedIn profile “skills” section is a great way to emphasize and highlight that you communicate effectively, manage time like a pro, work with diverse populations, and adapt to changing environments. 
Loading up the skills section is a great bang for your buck because it helps future employers see that you can immediately add value and that you bring a diverse and applicable skillset to their team. 
LinkedIn allows you to identify 50(!!!!) skills! Maxing out this section will help you connect with recruiters and hiring managers and tell your career story in a way that people can relate to. You can even link them to the roles that you list in your “experience” section, allowing people to see your strengths in more than one place on your profile. Double win! 
Here's a list of 35 LinkedIn skills specifically related to your classroom instructor skillset that you might want to include:

• Assessment and evaluation 
• Time Management
• Team collaboration 
• Customer satisfaction
• Organizational skills
• Management
• Data Analysis
• Leadership
• Mentoring
• Communication
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Project coordination 
• Conflict resolution 
• Project management
• Budgeting and financial management 
• Customer service
• Strategy
• Teaching
• Research 
• Public Speaking 
• Professional Development
• Training
• Critical thinking 
• Differentiated Instruction
• Curriculum Development 
• Instructional Design
• Lesson Planning
• Educational Technology 
• Adaptability 
• Problem Solving
• Digital literacy 
• Research and analysis 
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Google Suite 
• Teamwork

Disclaimer: This list is intended to get your mind started about how to communicate your expertise and experience on LinkedIn. Be sure to be honest about what you’ve done. Did you maintain a budget while you were cheerleader sponsor? It’s ethical to include budgeting or financial management. Haven’t done it? Don't include it!  
All of your hard work to build your LinkedIn profile will not go to waste once you get a new role. LinkedIn is at the top of its game these days and is a great way to connect with industry thought leaders and help expand your knowledge base and learn new skills - perfect for the life-long learner that lives inside of every former teacher! 
Need more help navigating LinkedIn, want to learn new tips and tricks, or ready to engage a coach to help you through the job search process in general? I can help with that! I have a variety of different engagement levels to help you maximize your positioning in the job market. Reach out to learn more! [email protected]