Once a ‘helpful’ social network for business, LinkedIn.com is now an essential resource for networking, career placement, and business-related information. We’ve put together six useful tips on how to make LinkedIn work best for you!
Use your LinkedIn profile as a complement to your resume
It’s a good idea to use your resume as a starting point for developing your profile, but you have the opportunity to include information beyond what is on a resume – and you should. You can utilize the extra space to expand on your skills and expertise, and add details about your experience.
You could provide more information around your honors and awards, key projects that you excelled in, or active contributions and leadership roles within organizations you’re associated with. There are character limitations – but as long as they’re used wisely, you can have an excellent, embellished, extended profile to accompany your well-written resume.
Change your privacy settings if you’re making more than 3 changes
As you update your profile, these changes are immediately shown in your public feed. If you’re editing a large volume of content, avoid bringing attention to it by adjusting the settings of your activity broadcasts. It’s easy!
- Under your name in the right corner of your page choose “Privacy & Settings” in the drop down box.
- Under “Privacy Controls” in the center column choose “Turn on/off your activity broadcasts.”
- Uncheck the box in the pop up that reads “Let people know when you change your profile, make recommendations, or follow companies.”
- Click “Save changes” and you’re done!
Under “Privacy Controls” you can also “Select who can see your activity feed.” However, if you’re performing one-off or minor changes, it’s a good idea to let these updates be published in your feed — it’s important to show you are remaining current and being active on the site.
Your details are shown when you view someone else’s profile. If you’re checking someone out multiple times (such as a hiring manager!) make yourself “anonymous” by going under “Privacy Controls” and click “Select what others see when you’ve viewed their profile.” However, when switched to this mode, you also can’t see who’s checking out your profile … keep that in mind.
Use a headline that defines YOU
You need a headline to demonstrate your branding and expertise. You don’t have a lot of space here, so use it well. Try not to advertise your current company if you can. Be sure to focus on you … and your brand. There are different ways to write your headline. For example, you can list industry specific keywords that showcase your expertise, or consider using a branding statement that reveals your uniqueness.
Show yourself through your summary
Use the summary section to expand on your background. Highlight your significant achievements and get into what makes you distinctive. This is a great place to show your personality, and create a story about your career. Make sure your summary is rich in keywords and statements that strategically position you.
Expand on your experience
The experience section should showcase your responsibilities and achievements for each position throughout your career. Use effective keywords in your descriptions, and always make sure to quantify your results – instead of ‘created presentations and proposals,’ use ‘created and implemented presentations and proposals resulting in over XX amount in sales.’ Go into more detail around your job performance and accomplishments; expand on the content of your resume, and maximize the space you have.
Hire a Professional
Some things are best left to the pros. Check out all the DIY home improvement fails on YouTube! Consider hiring a professional writer to develop a well-written and effective online profile for you. Most resume writers and career placement firms will have several recommendations to help you craft the ideal LinkedIn profile. An expert writer will work with you to put together a content-rich and strategically positioned profile to maximize your opportunities on LinkedIn.
In a nutshell – keep your profile current, remain active on the site, and build your professional brand and online visibility. LinkedIn is an essential tool to use throughout your career, not just when you’re searching for a job; and you need an effective and well-developed online profile to make it work for you … and your career.
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