There are many factors that play important roles in your career. Whether starting out, seeking a job change or looking to upscale your professional presence online, we highly recommend building your network on LinkedIn. Today, we offer five tips to help you succeed on this popular (and ever growing!) professional networking platform.
According to Hootsuite, LinkedIn has 722 million members, 40 million of those use LinkedIn to search for jobs each week, and three people are hired through LinkedIn every minute! Therefore, it is an extremely beneficial platform to leverage your job search, find connections, or discover potential candidates for your own business.
Complete your profile
The last thing you want for potential employers or connections to find is an empty profile. Pages lacking in personalization or missing important information is a deterrent for a successful job hunt. There are a few simple things you can do to ensure your LinkedIn profile is complete:
- Upload a current profile photo (a professional headshot is ideal if you have one)
- Add a banner that suits your personality and brand
- Include your industry and location
- Summarize who you are, what you do, and the value you add
- Add your current position and highlight your professional skills
- Include your education and previous work experience
Recommendations and endorsements
Be sure to ask those you have worked with to endorse your professional abilities. In turn, you should do the same for them. Recommendations are a fantastic tool, allowing you to showcase testimonies which highlight your skill set. These are more detailed and should include specific examples. Recommendations and endorsements are excellent ways to market yourself by using the words of others who have previously worked with you.
Start connecting
Spend some time seeking out people in your industry, those you have worked with in the past, those you currently work with, and friends. If you don’t know someone personally with whom you’d like to connect, be sure to include a personalized message when sending your invite. This can be short and sweet but should speak to the value of the connection. A helpful hint is to look at the connections of those similar in your field and consider if there is a benefit on both sides for you to connect.
Add value and engage with others
Be sure to post regularly to your LinkedIn profile. This can include tips and tricks, articles related to your industry, or a professional experience that others may find helpful or interesting. It is also important to engage with others on LinkedIn. Comment or like posts; and if you find the information valuable, and it is related to your field, share the post with your own network. This step helps build relationships with others, while adding value to your followers.
Be professional
LinkedIn is known as the world’s largest professional network; therefore, it is important to ensure you follow proper etiquette on the platform. What you would post on Facebook, or Instagram, is likely not a good fit for LinkedIn. Since this is your professional portfolio, you want to maintain an excellent reputation. Be mindful about what you post, comment on, or share. While you want to engage with others, be sure they align with your values, who you are, and how you want to be represented.
We hope you have learned some tips on how to conquer LinkedIn and start connecting with other professionals. If you have questions, or are not exactly sure where to start, give us a call. We are always here to help!