As far as social media goes, LinkedIn is one of the most important tools for career-minded individuals. Whether you’re an employer, job seeker, or any industry professional, LinkedIn can be a great resource to leverage your connections and build a network of like-minded individuals.
1. Choose the Right Profile Picture
Your profile picture will be the first thing a potential employer or connection sees, and gives a face to your name and skillset. It doesn’t have to be fancy, but your profile picture should look professional and up-to-date, and should reflect the type of role you’re seeking.
2. …. And Background Photo
A great background photo will be interesting, eye-catching, and should represent your personal brand. Consider choosing something that shows who you are and makes you stand out.
3. Perfect Your Summary
The “summary” section is arguably the most important and overlooked aspect of a LinkedIn profile. Your summary will tell your story to anyone who comes across your profile, and should be relatively detailed and a little more personal than just a list of skills or accolades. Take the opportunity to write about your experiences, give some context to your examples career history, or show off your personality. Still stuck? Check out some great of LinkedIn summaries here.
4. Show, Don’t Tell
A list of your skills and technologies works, but it won’t make you stand out to future employers. A great way to really draw attention to your profile is by displaying demonstrated experience and giving examples of times that you were successful while employing certain skills. This gives context to your skillset and shows that you have the achievements to back up your experience.
5. Grow Your Network
Keeping an up-to-date network of relevant industry professionals is an easy way to stay in the loop about potential opportunities, from networking events to open roles to speaking opportunities. Remaining engaged within your industry puts your name out there, gives you plenty of talking points, and helps keep your skills sharp while you’re in the midst of your job search and beyond.
6. Manage Your Endorsements
Endorsements are a great way to give some substance to your profile and skills. Having relevant endorsements gives you credibility and demonstrates that you’d make a valuable addition to a future employer’s team. However, it’s also important to remember to keep endorsements relevant – make sure you’re reaching out to people who’s endorsements really matter, and endorsing skills that will help you in your job search. You can always tailor your endorsements to the type of role you’re on the market for by using LinkedIn’s edit features to choose what to show and what to hide.
7. Take a Skills Assessment
Skills assessments can do wonders for the overall success of your profile, and data direct from LinkedIn shows that job seekers with verified skills are up to 30% more likely to be hired for the roles they apply to.
8. Share Relevant Content
Sharing interesting articles, videos, photos, and other content is a great way to keep up your activity and drive traffic to your page. This will let you retain meaningful connections and interact with your network on a regular basis. Keep an eye out for content that fits your personal brand and interests, and share content that you find reflects your point of view.
9. Stay Engaged
Commenting and reacting to others’ content might seem unimportant, but it’s a fantastic way to establish your opinion, show what you care about, and put your name out there to potential employers. Remember to keep your comments professional, polite, and remember that you’re representing yourself to hiring managers and others in your industry.
10. Follow Industry Pros
A great way to find interesting, relevant content is to follow well-known influencers and professionals in your industry. This will help you find content to share, keep up-to-date with industry trends, and demonstrates your interests and passions to anyone browsing your profile.
Are you on the hunt for a new opportunity? Stellar can help. Visit us on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn to connect, or get in touch at info@stellar-recruitment.com