University of South Carolina :: Darla Moore School of Business   the Competitive Edge





with Ross Macpherson, President, Career Quest

I'll show you ways on how you can really showcase this MBA and have it to work to your advantage.

  1. Add it to your Headline - Maximize the 120 characters that go right underneath your name. First and most critical way to highlight your MBA is in the headline. If in case you can't claim the MBA or you're in the middle of completing the MBA, you can still add it to the headline by adding the word "Candidate" afterwards.

  2. Talk about it in your Summary section - The summary section is the first section underneath that little Intro. The summary section in LinkedIn gives you 2000 characters and it's a great place to showcase whatever you want to showcase. You have free rein to say anything about what you want about yourself; to really tell your story and elaborate on key points. A great place to add and showcase your MBA.

    You need to put little short bursts of information. Dedicate one little section for your MBA.
    • why did you want a MBA?
    • why this particular program?
    • what will you gain from this MBA?
    • what value will this add to your career?
    Start with a strong opening line.

    In this particular example, you'll see I mentioned the MBA in 2 strategic spots:

    Summary:

    My specialty is international finance. I have 6 years of experience with a leading investment firm, a Commerce degree and am currently completing an MBA at the NYU's Stem School of Business. -- Strong opening line & MBA is showcased upfront that's going to grab people's attention.

    Further down, Headings are used. First heading is about the Finance background; second heading is about the MBA.

    Here you can mention things like what you're getting out of the program or what specific skills it's going to develop, the specific value to you, projects you've worked on, achievements, performance, leadership roles in the MBA and even relevant courses.

    Even if you use headings or not, dedicate a space in your summary and discuss highlights of your MBA and really showcase it here.


  3. Add it to the Education section - Obviously, you're going to include the MBA in the Education section and it's just a matter of filling the fields that are in there.

    You can elaborate further by putting the following:
  4. activities
  5. projects
  6. awards
  7. leadership roles
  8. Examples of what you can do in Education section:
    1. List it in Activities and Societies – Put it as a paragraph, and separate them with a semi-colon
    2. In the Description section, that's actually where those 3 bullet points are going to come in above. Add more detail. There's 1000 characters in this section to really sell it. You can add enough detail to showcase your MBA in this section.
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  9. Promote it in real-time in your Status section - Use your LinkedIn status or updates to further showcase or broadcast details about your MBA to your connections.

    Just go to the Homepage of your LinkedIn and let us know. It's a great way to showcase your MBA studies as you are completing them. Then once you've completed the MBA, broadcast it again with the big announcement.

    Take advantage of all the fields available in your Linked profile to really showcase your MBA.
    • Be strategic in where you put it and how
    • Be concise
    • Provide important and relevant details
    • Broadcast at specific times
    These strategies combined with all your marketing strategies will go a long way to help your career move forward.


Expert BIO
with Ross Macpherson, President, Career Quest

Ross Macpherson is the President of Career Quest, a Certified Personal Branding Strategist, Certified Online Identity Strategist, Certified Interview and Job Search Coach, and is recognized as one of the best resume writers in North America. With over 15 years experience in the career industry, he specializes in advanced strategies that help senior and executive professionals throughout the US, Canada, and internationally. His work has been featured in 18 career publications.

 

Ross routinely speaks to MBA programs across North America, and is known for delivering powerful and entertaining sessions that teach real-world success strategies. He has also spoken at major career events, global industry conferences, professional associations, and executive networking groups across the U.S. and Canada, and his high-energy style has consistently put him at the top of the career management speaking circuit. Contact Ross at ross@yourcareerquest.com