We are living in the digital age and if you’re on the lookout for a new job, you absolutely must be on LinkedIn. According to research, 65% of hiring managers research potential employees through social media and the majority of recruiter’s head to LinkedIn to find candidates to approach with employment opportunities. If you’re not sure where to start, here’s how to make LinkedIn work for you.
First Impressions Count
Besides your photo, your headline is the first thing people see when they open your LinkedIn profile. In order for your headline to be eye-catching, make it something exciting and don’t waste this valuable space. Don’t be cheeky, cute, or snarky, instead use this space to use keywords that people may be searching for.
Allow Your Summary to Promote You
Your summary is the second most important section of your LinkedIn profile and should be used to promote yourself. Make use of your skills and experience and put it all into one, well-written package. Remember to include what you can bring to an organisation, not what you want from potential employment opportunities.
Keywords Work on LinkedIn Too
When recruiters look for potential candidates, they make use of keywords to narrow down their search on LinkedIn. As such, you can make these keywords work for you to increase your chances of success. For example, if you’ve helped to rank the best pokies app for online searches, be sure to include this. Furthermore, when writing your summary, make sure to include keywords, which relate to your skills.
Get a Professional Photo
While you have 50+ likes on that selfie you just posted to Instagram last week, we don’t suggest using that as your LinkedIn profile picture. If you want people to take you seriously, we suggest having a professional photo taken. Be sure to look friendly and approachable, well groomed and well dressed, and professional.
Don’t Be Shy About Accomplishments
It may be uncomfortable, but you should absolutely list personal and professional achievements in your LinkedIn profile. However, when we say personal achievements we don’t mean that you reached level 2500 on Candy Crush, but instead something like completing your first marathon. With regards to professional achievements, mention notable accomplishments in your work such as increasing sales by 50%.
Get Reliable Recommendations
Recommendations are a great way to get recognised on LinkedIn, as long as the person is a reliable professional and their profile is identifiable as that of a professional. If you aren’t sure how to go about this, ask one of your former employers or colleagues to write a short paragraph about how you which highlights your strengths.
Connections Count
Making connections is an important part of using LinkedIn and while the website does offer a template for asking people to join your professional network, we suggest personalising this to explain why you’re reaching out. The more Linkedin connections you have, the more professional your profile will appear, but make sure not to just add random people as this will not legitimise your profile and may even be detrimental in the long run.