I have been a huge fan of the social-professional network known as LinkedIn. In this Digital Age, it is extremely crucial that the professional adult has a strong web presence and the overall service LinkedIn provides is phenomenal. With that being said, I have realized that I don't spend a lot of time on the site. A LinkedIn can pretty much run itself - if you take the the right steps to set it up that way.
Your LinkedIn profile can virtually do the job for you, letting your name, skills, and expertise be known to everyone in your network, as well as new potential new connections who might be interested in finding people like you.
Here are five tips to make sure you are really #LinkedIn on LinkedIn:
1. Use a Professional-Looking Headshot
One of the most important aspects of a LinkedIn profile is the picture. The profile picture really separates a LinkenIn profile from a typical, run-of-the-mill resume site. As is true for any online profile, the picture is crucial. The headshot should feature you from the shoulders upwards and be a good quality image. Nothing is worse than a pixelated profile picture of someone's whole body. PRowl PR's in-house photographer takes professional headshots once a year which has been very beneficial for our members.
2. Think in Keywords
Load up your profile with straightforward search term. If you're unsure of which words to use, look through the jobs section of LinkedIn to find ads for open positions that are similar to your own job. What keywords turn up there? Reuse the relevant words and phrases in your own profile.
3. Add Videos, Images, and Links
Earlier this year, LinkedIn introduced a new multimedia feature in which its users can add graphics, slideshows (using Slideshare), documents, and links to other online content, such as your online portfolio. Providing visuals to break up the text goes a long way toward improving a profile. I recently just added a few YouTube videos I was featured in and I truly believe having multimedia content makes my profile stand out.
4. Utilize the Who's Viewed Your Profile Feature
One of my favorite features on LinkedIn is that the site tells you when someone else has looked at your profile. Make sure to turn on the notifications for this feature. It's a great way to get a heads-up about people or organization who are interested in you for some reason. If the person checking out your profile is in some way valuable to you, you might take some steps to facilitate their ability to contact you, such as following them on Twitter.
5. Get Recommendations
I love the fact that LinkedIn encourages its users to reach out to past employers and/or colleagues to provide recommendations. What better way to prove your credibility than to have a recommendation that anyone who views your profile has access to reading. I make sure at the end of every internship that I reach out to my supervisor for a LinkedIn recommendation.
Do you have any other LinkedIn tips? We want to know!
1 comment:
I have also found LinkedIn to be very helpful in my professional life and undergraduate life. As a student, whenever I apply for a job or internship, I look up people from the organization I'm applying to. I think LinkedIn definitely goes both ways, it's as important to the employee as it is to the employer. I try to add anyone who I have professionally contacted previously for one reason or another, and of course fellow students and friends.
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