LinkedIn is your window to the job market. A free tool that enables you to connect with the professional world and sell your expertise. There’s no excuse in not using it well to catch the attention of recruiters and hiring managers, grow your network, and wow future connections.
Taking a bit of time to improve your profile to send out the right message to the right people, will be time well invested. And it doesn’t need to take long. It won’t take an hour to implement these 5 tips and a few minutes every week to substantially raise your visibility and start building your own ‘personal brand:’
- Write a succinct summary
This is where you sell, sell, sell your expertise to potential connections. Highlight your specialities, expertise, accolades and thought leadership in a direct and truthful way. Personally, I prefer first person (it’s more personal), but I don’t think it matters if you choose to write it in the third person, just as long as you’re consistent.
- Use essential keywords
Using keywords well is the difference between having a visible and invisible LinkedIn profile. Consider which words are important to highlight in your field (or aspiring field) and be sure to include them in your profile.
- Give your profile depth
Add sections to your profile that illustrate the depth of your expertise for particular professions. Include awards, publications, patents, courses completed, volunteering and anything else that highlight your competencies.
- Strategic networking
Don’t be afraid to ‘LinkIn’ with people you don’t yet know. This is the point of networking and will enable you to build numerous connections with those in your industry of choice. This growing network harnesses the potential to provide you with opportunities, so the sooner you start doing this the better equipped you’ll be to find jobs in the future.
Related to this point, also consider joining groups akin to your niche and take part in discussions. This will help you grow your network and demonstrate your expertise.
- Manage endorsements
It’s great to be endorsed for skills by your connections but be sure to keep an eye out and tidy them up accordingly. Irrelevant endorsements need to be removed. Be sure to add those skills you want to highlight, so your network can endorse accordingly. Trigger others to endorse you by endorsing them, often people are happy to return the favour. Try to target your efforts to those who’s endorsements really matter and help boost your credibility for those skills.
So aside from the other fundamentals – like using a photo, keeping it up-to-date and terminating typos – these 5 tips are super easy to implement. So what are you waiting for? It’s time to get updating!
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Like how you are simplifying the process to make an easier start. I have also found that a good professional photo helps make that first impression. People like connecting with someone who comes across as likable in their photo.
Thanks for the feedback Priya, glad you find it helpful.
Fantastic point about the photo. Research by LinkedIn shows that having a picture makes your profile 14 times more likely to be viewed (https://business.linkedin.com/talent-solutions/blog/2014/12/5-tips-for-picking-the-right-linkedin-profile-picture). So well worth making it a good one!
I think a relevant banner image can also be helpful too.
Cheers,
Vicky
I definitely agree with ensuring you have a summary and essential keywords. I have found that hiring managers use specific keywords when searching for the right candidate so it is ideal that these keywords are on your profile in order to come up in searches.
Absolutely Tope, my experience too!
Vicky