As of today, LinkedIn has become one of the most popular social media platforms. It has been recorded to have 467 million members. The fascinating thing is that this number continues to grow by at least 2 members every second. Its popularity can only be compared to Facebook, but their objectives are quite different making them have different market targets. You can have a LinkedIn account but a key point to remember is that you need a complete and excellently designed profile for it to be of any help to you career-wise.
It is essential to understand that LinkedIn is the most popular social media platform used in the professional world. Not only is it great for business, but also for individuals. In this era of digital media, your online presence can be as important as your excellence at work. Social selling is the new way that deals are made in today’s world, and those relationships are built online. A LinkedIn profile is a great tool to ensure that you are visible in the professional world, now that the web has become an integral part of all professions today.
But how do you make sure that your profile allows you to reap all these benefits?
1. Add a Photo
For your profile to have successful outreach, you have to include a photo. It is not about your appearance but the element of putting a face to the profile.
Upload a decent high-quality shot as a first step. The picture that you upload should be friendly as this makes potential clients gravitate towards profiles that are approachable for potential hires. Your profile photo not only helps you to get recognition on LinkedIn but, it can also help you to connect to more significant opportunities.
Once your profile photo is uploaded, you can then add a cover photo that is related to your business. It is like the saying of killing two birds with one stone. A photo helps when you appear on the recommended feed. This will, in turn, generate traffic to your page and the more the frequent visits, the higher your chances of acquiring potential clients.
2. Include Your Work Experience
The first thing that anyone will look for in your LinkedIn profile is your work experience. This is your online resume. The success of your profile entirely depends on this section. Most headhunters, if not all, use this section to get a hold of your area of professional expertise.
For a quick creation of your LinkedIn profile, first, you have to review it and then copy paste all the information that you deem relevant. You can copy some of the writing styles, for example, the apa style cover page. Highlight all the companies that you have previously worked for and the different positions that you held, not forgetting to mention your current position. This is also a good place to add all the notable achievements that you acquired and your personal growth. Customize and organize all this information to make it easy to read. You can make use of bullet points to itemize your information.
3. Summary
You are in luck because this section contains 2000 characters worth of space. This is more than enough for you to create a comprehensive LinkedIn summary.
Most of the readers on LinkedIn are hiring managers and HR professionals. The first step is to understand whom you’re targeting. This is an excellent opportunity to add more to your brand. Here, you can expand more on your experience, professional goals and success stories. What are the keywords that you are supposed to use? Do not forget to interject them into this section. Make use of any resources available to you to find the right keywords. Some of the resources that you could use are job listings and organization charts, among others.
Your summary should be proofread to avoid any grammatical or typing errors. If you feel like they could be of use to your profile, then add videos, images and any other supporting documents. As you put all these into consideration, remember that there are so many distractions nowadays, and people’s attention spans are short. So, if you can, avoid using all the 2000 characters
4. Recommendations
The only thing that works better than work experience and connections is recommendations. Did you know that recommendations can help you get promoted? Recommendations are considered a jackpot in the world of LinkedIn. As you can already imagine, they are indeed hard to come by as with all great things. This is because you cannot outrightly ask for people to write you one as they would have no idea where to begin.
When it is time to request one, you should reach out personally when asking for it. Recommendations help in increasing the visibility of your profile by appearing more frequently in the search. They also help in building trust with your clients since you’ve been recommended by someone. You should try to avoid having your recommendation section empty.
Recommendations go a long way in building your professional reputation. If you can, ask a colleague, previous clients or even candidates to write for you. Remember, a good recommendation is written best by those who know your work.
5. Certificates and Education
This section can be a powerful tool to get you more attention from people who you would want to work for. This section was created for a purpose, so don’t be modest – highlight all your relevant qualifications and certification here!
It is estimated that 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to vet candidates. This only goes to show how much of a professional site it is. Another interesting fact is that 64% of social media referrals are from LinkedIn. Feel free to write down all the details of your education and the certificates and degrees that you attained. Potential clients are usually keen on studying your education background.
LinkedIn also has the option of attaching photos on your profile, use this in taking photos of your certificates. This will be enough proof of your education. If you attend different seminars, workshops and courses, you can add this information as well. You can also go the extra mile of adding applicable presentations and academic referees. A vital point to note is that to gain entry in LinkedIn Alumni Associated oriented groups, it is a must for you to complete filling up your education background. These groups are critical as they greatly help when it comes to networking.
Conclusion
By now, you’ve learned that LinkedIn is indeed the most important social media platform when it comes to the professional world. Make the most of it by optimizing your profile to grab attention. Validate your skills and sell your accomplishments. Never forget to keep working on your page to be visually appealing to attract more visitors.
There is so much more to do when it comes to writing a LinkedIn profile for outreach success. The above 5 mentioned hints are essentially the most important ones. Other important hints include interests, personal details, publications, patents, languages and so much more. You can always learn more on this for your profile to be outstanding. Whether you’re looking for a job or not, aim at having a solid presence when it comes to LinkedIn. You have to keep on updating your skills and profile in order to stay current.
Author’s Bio:
Kevin is a professional educator and a private tutor with over 8 years of experience. He is also a content writer for various blogs about higher education, entertainment, social media & blogging. During his off time, Kevin enjoys travelling and cooking. Feel free to connect with him on Twitter, Linkedin & Google+.