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The latest episode of the PreSales Podcast featured an enlightening conversation with Raphael Joseph, a seasoned technology professional who transitioned from software development to recruitment and AI training. Hosted by Jack Cochran, General Manager of PreSales Collective, and Matthew James, the episode explored the critical importance of LinkedIn for Solutions Engineers in today's competitive job market.
Listen to the full episode now!
Your LinkedIn Profile: More Important Than Your Resume
One of the most striking insights from the conversation was Raphael's perspective on the relative importance of LinkedIn versus traditional resumes:
"Your resume lives on your hard drive. You send it to one or two people if they ask for it. Whereas your LinkedIn profile is immediately visible to over 750 million people if they want to find it," Raphael explained. "It's visible to all those recruiters who are doing keyword searches on your LinkedIn profile immediately... your LinkedIn profile is orders of magnitude more important than your resume."
This paradigm shift is especially relevant in the current job market, where the balance has tilted from candidate-focused to employer-focused.
The 1% Rule: Standing Out in the Crowd
Despite LinkedIn having approximately 750 million to 1 billion users, Raphael shared a stunning statistic: "Only 1% of people post on LinkedIn." This presents a tremendous opportunity for Solutions Engineers to differentiate themselves through consistent, valuable content.
"You can make a real difference. You can actually put your head above the crowd and stand out if you just have that consistency and that consistent approach towards it," Raphael noted.
Finding Your Unique Value Proposition
The cornerstone of Raphael's advice was treating yourself as a product with a clear value proposition:
"You are your own product. It may be a horrible way of looking at it, but it is very true. You are selling yourself," he emphasized. "What is your value proposition? What are you selling about yourself? What makes you unique? What value are you giving? And what problem are you solving for the hiring manager?"
When asked about the three things that make someone special as a Solutions Engineer, many struggle to articulate their unique selling points beyond generic skills that all SEs possess. Raphael recommends focusing on specific industries, technologies, or experiences that truly differentiate you.
Reverse Engineer Your Profile from Your Ideal Role
A practical tip that resonated throughout the conversation was to reverse engineer your LinkedIn profile based on your target roles:
"Go and find three or four roles that would be perfect for you, and reverse engineer your LinkedIn profile based on those," Raphael advised. "Ask yourself the question, if you were hiring for those roles and you looked at your LinkedIn profile, would you immediately go for you?"
This approach helps ensure that everything from your banner image to your job descriptions aligns with the specific roles you're targeting.
Specificity Trumps Broadness
In today's job market, being a specialist is more valuable than being a generalist. Raphael cautioned against the common practice of listing numerous skills in an attempt to appear qualified for more positions:
"Would you not rather have a 60 to 70% chance of being found in a search for four roles than a 1% to 2% chance for being found in a search of 70 roles?" he asked.
The key is to highlight the specific skills, industries, and technologies that make you uniquely qualified for your target roles, even if that means excluding some experiences that don't directly align.
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Real Estate
Raphael offered practical advice for each element of your LinkedIn profile:
- Banner Image: "The most prime real estate on LinkedIn is your LinkedIn banner." Create a custom banner that highlights your unique value proposition rather than using your company's banner or leaving it blank.
- Profile Photo: Use a professional photo that creates the right first impression.
- Headline: Include your title and 3-4 specializations that make you unique. Remember that only the first six words appear when you comment on posts.
- Job Titles: Use industry-standard terms like "Solutions Engineer" even if your company uses a different title internally, as long as it truthfully represents your role.
- Job Descriptions: Focus on the value you provided and problems you solved rather than listing responsibilities.
The Three-Pronged Engagement Strategy
For those new to LinkedIn or hesitant about posting, Raphael recommended a progressive approach:
- Connect: "On a weekly basis, you should be connecting with 100 to 200 ICPs, hiring managers, solutions engineering hiring managers, or heads of sales." This builds your network consistently over time.
- Comment: Engage with your connections' posts by asking thoughtful questions and providing valuable insights. This creates visibility and familiarity with potential future employers.
- Create: Begin posting your own content about your experiences, problems you've solved, and industry insights. "Every single SE is a specialist in their space. And you will have so many things to talk about."
Start Before You Need It
Perhaps the most important takeaway was the timing of your LinkedIn strategy:
"What I realized is that people then wanted to start the LinkedIn journey at that moment when they had been laid off," Raphael observed. "The thing about LinkedIn is it takes time to build your profile, it takes time to build your connections... And my advice to so many SEs was start your LinkedIn journey now."
As Jack aptly summarized: "It's a good idea to check your parachute before you jump out of the plane."
Looking Ahead
The conversation highlighted how Solutions Engineers can leverage LinkedIn not just as a job search tool, but as a career development platform. By treating your profile as a product with a clear value proposition, focusing on specificity rather than breadth, and consistently engaging with the platform, you can build a professional brand that opens doors throughout your career.
For those nervous about posting, Raphael offered reassurance: "It is scary. Particularly when you do your first post... but start the journey. Dip your toe in, start commenting, create your LinkedIn profile. It takes six to 12 months to build up your following and a profile on LinkedIn. So the sooner you begin, the sooner you can actually really rely on it when the moment comes."
PreSales LIVE airs every other Tuesday at 8 AM Pacific, 11 AM Eastern, 4 PM GMT. Join the PreSales Collective Slack community at presalescollective.com/slack to stay updated on future episodes, and follow the PSC LinkedIn page for upcoming shows.
The latest episode of the PreSales Podcast featured an enlightening conversation with Raphael Joseph, a seasoned technology professional who transitioned from software development to recruitment and AI training. Hosted by Jack Cochran, General Manager of PreSales Collective, and Matthew James, the episode explored the critical importance of LinkedIn for Solutions Engineers in today's competitive job market.
Listen to the full episode now!
Your LinkedIn Profile: More Important Than Your Resume
One of the most striking insights from the conversation was Raphael's perspective on the relative importance of LinkedIn versus traditional resumes:
"Your resume lives on your hard drive. You send it to one or two people if they ask for it. Whereas your LinkedIn profile is immediately visible to over 750 million people if they want to find it," Raphael explained. "It's visible to all those recruiters who are doing keyword searches on your LinkedIn profile immediately... your LinkedIn profile is orders of magnitude more important than your resume."
This paradigm shift is especially relevant in the current job market, where the balance has tilted from candidate-focused to employer-focused.
The 1% Rule: Standing Out in the Crowd
Despite LinkedIn having approximately 750 million to 1 billion users, Raphael shared a stunning statistic: "Only 1% of people post on LinkedIn." This presents a tremendous opportunity for Solutions Engineers to differentiate themselves through consistent, valuable content.
"You can make a real difference. You can actually put your head above the crowd and stand out if you just have that consistency and that consistent approach towards it," Raphael noted.
Finding Your Unique Value Proposition
The cornerstone of Raphael's advice was treating yourself as a product with a clear value proposition:
"You are your own product. It may be a horrible way of looking at it, but it is very true. You are selling yourself," he emphasized. "What is your value proposition? What are you selling about yourself? What makes you unique? What value are you giving? And what problem are you solving for the hiring manager?"
When asked about the three things that make someone special as a Solutions Engineer, many struggle to articulate their unique selling points beyond generic skills that all SEs possess. Raphael recommends focusing on specific industries, technologies, or experiences that truly differentiate you.
Reverse Engineer Your Profile from Your Ideal Role
A practical tip that resonated throughout the conversation was to reverse engineer your LinkedIn profile based on your target roles:
"Go and find three or four roles that would be perfect for you, and reverse engineer your LinkedIn profile based on those," Raphael advised. "Ask yourself the question, if you were hiring for those roles and you looked at your LinkedIn profile, would you immediately go for you?"
This approach helps ensure that everything from your banner image to your job descriptions aligns with the specific roles you're targeting.
Specificity Trumps Broadness
In today's job market, being a specialist is more valuable than being a generalist. Raphael cautioned against the common practice of listing numerous skills in an attempt to appear qualified for more positions:
"Would you not rather have a 60 to 70% chance of being found in a search for four roles than a 1% to 2% chance for being found in a search of 70 roles?" he asked.
The key is to highlight the specific skills, industries, and technologies that make you uniquely qualified for your target roles, even if that means excluding some experiences that don't directly align.
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Real Estate
Raphael offered practical advice for each element of your LinkedIn profile:
- Banner Image: "The most prime real estate on LinkedIn is your LinkedIn banner." Create a custom banner that highlights your unique value proposition rather than using your company's banner or leaving it blank.
- Profile Photo: Use a professional photo that creates the right first impression.
- Headline: Include your title and 3-4 specializations that make you unique. Remember that only the first six words appear when you comment on posts.
- Job Titles: Use industry-standard terms like "Solutions Engineer" even if your company uses a different title internally, as long as it truthfully represents your role.
- Job Descriptions: Focus on the value you provided and problems you solved rather than listing responsibilities.
The Three-Pronged Engagement Strategy
For those new to LinkedIn or hesitant about posting, Raphael recommended a progressive approach:
- Connect: "On a weekly basis, you should be connecting with 100 to 200 ICPs, hiring managers, solutions engineering hiring managers, or heads of sales." This builds your network consistently over time.
- Comment: Engage with your connections' posts by asking thoughtful questions and providing valuable insights. This creates visibility and familiarity with potential future employers.
- Create: Begin posting your own content about your experiences, problems you've solved, and industry insights. "Every single SE is a specialist in their space. And you will have so many things to talk about."
Start Before You Need It
Perhaps the most important takeaway was the timing of your LinkedIn strategy:
"What I realized is that people then wanted to start the LinkedIn journey at that moment when they had been laid off," Raphael observed. "The thing about LinkedIn is it takes time to build your profile, it takes time to build your connections... And my advice to so many SEs was start your LinkedIn journey now."
As Jack aptly summarized: "It's a good idea to check your parachute before you jump out of the plane."
Looking Ahead
The conversation highlighted how Solutions Engineers can leverage LinkedIn not just as a job search tool, but as a career development platform. By treating your profile as a product with a clear value proposition, focusing on specificity rather than breadth, and consistently engaging with the platform, you can build a professional brand that opens doors throughout your career.
For those nervous about posting, Raphael offered reassurance: "It is scary. Particularly when you do your first post... but start the journey. Dip your toe in, start commenting, create your LinkedIn profile. It takes six to 12 months to build up your following and a profile on LinkedIn. So the sooner you begin, the sooner you can actually really rely on it when the moment comes."
PreSales LIVE airs every other Tuesday at 8 AM Pacific, 11 AM Eastern, 4 PM GMT. Join the PreSales Collective Slack community at presalescollective.com/slack to stay updated on future episodes, and follow the PSC LinkedIn page for upcoming shows.
The latest episode of the PreSales Podcast featured an enlightening conversation with Raphael Joseph, a seasoned technology professional who transitioned from software development to recruitment and AI training. Hosted by Jack Cochran, General Manager of PreSales Collective, and Matthew James, the episode explored the critical importance of LinkedIn for Solutions Engineers in today's competitive job market.
Listen to the full episode now!
Your LinkedIn Profile: More Important Than Your Resume
One of the most striking insights from the conversation was Raphael's perspective on the relative importance of LinkedIn versus traditional resumes:
"Your resume lives on your hard drive. You send it to one or two people if they ask for it. Whereas your LinkedIn profile is immediately visible to over 750 million people if they want to find it," Raphael explained. "It's visible to all those recruiters who are doing keyword searches on your LinkedIn profile immediately... your LinkedIn profile is orders of magnitude more important than your resume."
This paradigm shift is especially relevant in the current job market, where the balance has tilted from candidate-focused to employer-focused.
The 1% Rule: Standing Out in the Crowd
Despite LinkedIn having approximately 750 million to 1 billion users, Raphael shared a stunning statistic: "Only 1% of people post on LinkedIn." This presents a tremendous opportunity for Solutions Engineers to differentiate themselves through consistent, valuable content.
"You can make a real difference. You can actually put your head above the crowd and stand out if you just have that consistency and that consistent approach towards it," Raphael noted.
Finding Your Unique Value Proposition
The cornerstone of Raphael's advice was treating yourself as a product with a clear value proposition:
"You are your own product. It may be a horrible way of looking at it, but it is very true. You are selling yourself," he emphasized. "What is your value proposition? What are you selling about yourself? What makes you unique? What value are you giving? And what problem are you solving for the hiring manager?"
When asked about the three things that make someone special as a Solutions Engineer, many struggle to articulate their unique selling points beyond generic skills that all SEs possess. Raphael recommends focusing on specific industries, technologies, or experiences that truly differentiate you.
Reverse Engineer Your Profile from Your Ideal Role
A practical tip that resonated throughout the conversation was to reverse engineer your LinkedIn profile based on your target roles:
"Go and find three or four roles that would be perfect for you, and reverse engineer your LinkedIn profile based on those," Raphael advised. "Ask yourself the question, if you were hiring for those roles and you looked at your LinkedIn profile, would you immediately go for you?"
This approach helps ensure that everything from your banner image to your job descriptions aligns with the specific roles you're targeting.
Specificity Trumps Broadness
In today's job market, being a specialist is more valuable than being a generalist. Raphael cautioned against the common practice of listing numerous skills in an attempt to appear qualified for more positions:
"Would you not rather have a 60 to 70% chance of being found in a search for four roles than a 1% to 2% chance for being found in a search of 70 roles?" he asked.
The key is to highlight the specific skills, industries, and technologies that make you uniquely qualified for your target roles, even if that means excluding some experiences that don't directly align.
Optimizing Your LinkedIn Real Estate
Raphael offered practical advice for each element of your LinkedIn profile:
- Banner Image: "The most prime real estate on LinkedIn is your LinkedIn banner." Create a custom banner that highlights your unique value proposition rather than using your company's banner or leaving it blank.
- Profile Photo: Use a professional photo that creates the right first impression.
- Headline: Include your title and 3-4 specializations that make you unique. Remember that only the first six words appear when you comment on posts.
- Job Titles: Use industry-standard terms like "Solutions Engineer" even if your company uses a different title internally, as long as it truthfully represents your role.
- Job Descriptions: Focus on the value you provided and problems you solved rather than listing responsibilities.
The Three-Pronged Engagement Strategy
For those new to LinkedIn or hesitant about posting, Raphael recommended a progressive approach:
- Connect: "On a weekly basis, you should be connecting with 100 to 200 ICPs, hiring managers, solutions engineering hiring managers, or heads of sales." This builds your network consistently over time.
- Comment: Engage with your connections' posts by asking thoughtful questions and providing valuable insights. This creates visibility and familiarity with potential future employers.
- Create: Begin posting your own content about your experiences, problems you've solved, and industry insights. "Every single SE is a specialist in their space. And you will have so many things to talk about."
Start Before You Need It
Perhaps the most important takeaway was the timing of your LinkedIn strategy:
"What I realized is that people then wanted to start the LinkedIn journey at that moment when they had been laid off," Raphael observed. "The thing about LinkedIn is it takes time to build your profile, it takes time to build your connections... And my advice to so many SEs was start your LinkedIn journey now."
As Jack aptly summarized: "It's a good idea to check your parachute before you jump out of the plane."
Looking Ahead
The conversation highlighted how Solutions Engineers can leverage LinkedIn not just as a job search tool, but as a career development platform. By treating your profile as a product with a clear value proposition, focusing on specificity rather than breadth, and consistently engaging with the platform, you can build a professional brand that opens doors throughout your career.
For those nervous about posting, Raphael offered reassurance: "It is scary. Particularly when you do your first post... but start the journey. Dip your toe in, start commenting, create your LinkedIn profile. It takes six to 12 months to build up your following and a profile on LinkedIn. So the sooner you begin, the sooner you can actually really rely on it when the moment comes."
PreSales LIVE airs every other Tuesday at 8 AM Pacific, 11 AM Eastern, 4 PM GMT. Join the PreSales Collective Slack community at presalescollective.com/slack to stay updated on future episodes, and follow the PSC LinkedIn page for upcoming shows.
