Savvy professionals make an account on
LinkedIn at the beginning of their career because recruiters are
known to use this platform when searching for qualified candidates
for job opportunities. Yes, you have a profile on LinkedIn, but are
you using it to its fullest potential? It is essential to bear in
mind that LinkedIn is not just an online resume to be used for
landing a new job. Instead, it is consolidated and professional place
where you showcase the work you are doing in your industry and
connect with others for building your brand. There are more than 450
million global members on LinkedIn, which means it is even more
important for you to move away from the stale resume rehash and make
your LinkedIn profile stand out.
How
can this be done? Here are several ways to go about it:
Add a professional profile picture
Remember
that LinkedIn is very different from Facebook. Your profile picture
on the former has to be professional if you want to leave a positive
impression. Silly or inappropriate pictures are going to get your
profile added to the discarded pile. It is best to opt for a solo
picture in professional business attire and the background should
also be a solid one.
Come up with an engaging headline
You
automatically add your recent job title in the headline after adding
your experience. This is a dull and boring approach because it is
used widely and it is best to play around with your headline to
ensure it is an engaging one. The headline is the first thing that
people will see in the search results and it has to be good enough to
get them to open your profile and give it a proper look.
Give it a personal touch
Yes,
LinkedIn is a professional platform, but your profile doesn’t have
to be exactly like your actual CV. Here you have the option of
getting a bit conversational and take a more personal approach in
defining yourself and highlighting your accomplishments. Write in the
first person is one way to make yourself relatable. Mentioning what
you do and the things you care about also makes your profile more
approachable.
Don’t forget to use keywords
There
would be no point in having a profile on LinkedIn when no one can
find you. How can you ensure you come up in searches related to your
field or industry? The simple solution is to incorporate keywords in
your headline, profile and summary as well as in sections on work
experience. Put some thought into the keywords recruiters will use
when looking for candidates and add them in your profile to drive
traffic.
Add multimedia to your profile
Sure,
you can tell people you are good at something, but a better option is
to show them and this can be done by adding multimedia. Use videos,
images, sound bites and even PDFs to your profile as a way to add
color and context to your words and enhance your profile.
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