Do you know how to use LinkedIn to your advantage? If not, it’s quite effective to learn. The site is the top online spot for professional, social and career networking with over 756 million people in more than 150 countries.
While many (if not most) companies use the site to share information and recruit new hires professionals use it as a tool to network, advance their careers, find new opportunities, meet like-minded people, and boost their organizations.
If used right, LinkedIn can be super helpful in getting you where you want to be, or at least connecting you to someone who can get you a little closer. But what exactly does it mean to use LinkedIn to your advantage? If you’re not sure if you’re doing it right, here are nine useful tips that will help you get things off to a good start.
9 Ways to Use LinkedIn to Your Advantage
Before we even start with these top tips, us suggest that you take a few minutes to review the profiles of people who have similar roles to yours and who you consider to be successful. See how they present themselves and what they’ve included in their profiles. You might want to use a few of them as models for yours.
1Use the Header Real-Estate Wisely
This is the space behind your headshot. Use the background to tell a story. You can write a quote you relate to, or keywords you want to be known for or show an image that you want people to associate with you.
2Create a Powerful Header
Don’t just list your role. Instead, write an engaging and original sentence while making your brand clear so readers can immediately know what you stand for.
3Use Keywords Throughout
Every word makes a difference so make sure that even your headshot file has your complete name and title, or at least keywords you want to be associated with. The same goes for the headline, your information, and everything else you include in your profile.
4Fully Complete your Profile
Think of your profile as your presentation card. Potential connections and hires will see this first, so make sure that everything you share here compliments your personal brand. You’ll have to decide how you want to present yourself and make sure you are consistent with your tone in posts, comments, summary, and personal presentation. Choose a professional looking photo, you don’t need to pay to have one taken, but things like clothes, hair, background, and lighting should be considered. Once your profile is complete it will improve your chances of being found and contacted, so use relevant keywords and include experience, strengths, education, and skills. Don’t make your summary so long that potential employers will lose interest without getting to the good part, use your space wisely. You can also customize your URL to make it something shorter and easier to share.
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5Include a Featured Section
Every word makes a difference so make sure that even your headshot file has your complete name and title, or at least keywords you want to be associated with. The same goes for the headline, your information, and everything else you include in your profile.
6Expand your Network Smartly
Being smart about who you include in your network is another way to use LinkedIn to your advantage. Try to keep your connections relevant. Here it’s not so much about having lots of people in your personal network, but about making the right connections that will get you noticed by the right people. To add people to your network, send personalized messages where you express why you want to connect. Avoid using the default template, it will make it more likely for them to get back to you. Good connections will not only lead to job and learning opportunities, but also help you get endorsements in your profile. Ask former employers or colleagues to endorse your skills or write personal testimonials, these things can help you stand out to companies looking for what you’ve got.
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7Stay Active
You can’t use LinkedIn to your advantage if you don’t use LinkedIn. First, you’ll have to keep your profile updated with relevant information, especially if you’re looking to grab the attention of potential employers. Pay attention to the people in your network and explore their connections. Look at companies you’d like to work for to see if you have any connections who know people in these companies. It’s always more effective to send your resume directly if you can find a way through your contacts. Send messages, talk to people, endorse others, and engage. Make sure you’re responding to your messages and, if you have a premium account, take advantage of functions such as InMail, which lets you email other LinkedIn members.
8Mind What and How You Share
This is a space to share interesting, relevant, engaging information that will grab the attention of your professional connections and promote their engagement. The content you post on LinkedIn should cater specifically to your work network, so think about video content, text, images, and other media to boost your personal brand and share your strengths. Make sure everything you post is well researched, from reliable sources, and that it’s consistent with the tone you’ve been presenting yourself in. Proofread and spellcheck before you post, typos and spelling mistakes could make recruiters think there’s a lack of attention to detail that could affect you negatively when being considered for a job. Being careful with your comments in other people’s profiles is as important as being mindful of what you post, like, and repost. Your followers or people in your network can easily see all of your activity so make sure you’re being consistent so you won’t leave the wrong impression
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9Snag Learning and Job Opportunities
The learning platform is another way to use LinkedIn to your advantage. You can take advantage of the site’s free trial to get a little taste of the many video courses by industry experts. They offer business, creative and technology courses and you’ll get suggestions based on your information and activity. Look into the jobs the site suggests for you, many of them have a quick application process that should be extra easy if all the information in your profile is up to date. Others will require a more complex application process but keeping your profile active and up to date will prepare you for questions about your abilities and what you want out of a job.
LinkedIn is a powerful platform ideally suited to your professional pursuits. Learning to use it to your advantage will make a major difference in your career.
