You’ve worked as hard as you know how throughout your career and education. Perhaps you’ve received awards while polishing your skills.
But because you’re lacking that certain something on the networking front, you have yet to land the job you desire. So what else do you need? A great LinkedIn profile.
As you hone your profile and networking skills, you can draw more attention to yourself and your strong points with the 11 following tips.
1. Let Yourself Get Found
Hiring managers who use LinkedIn for job prospects aren’t all-knowing. They also won’t spend hours digging through profiles to find yours when there is plenty of competition for the position they’re advertising.
If you want employers to find you online, you have to make your profile more available. Start by building up your profile: fill in skills and other keywords to help hiring managers locate you.
Next, make as many connections as possible. Even if you don’t know the person, it can be a sharp move to connect if he or she works in the field you’d like to be in.
2. Find Job Opportunities on Company Profiles
If you don’t want to wait around to be found, reach out to companies through their job postings. Businesses often post their job openings on LinkedIn because of the easy-to-use platform and application process.
For example, Park West Gallery, one of the largest privately-owned art galleries and collectors in the world, always posts its openings on the company’s LinkedIn page. If you want to work for a prominent company such as this, you’ll visit its LinkedIn profile to keep tabs on the available positions.
3. Join Groups
You can maximize your networking efforts by joining groups in fields that are related to your hopeful career choice. Join discussions, ask questions, read articles, peruse job opportunities, and just generally make yourself more visible.
Recruiters sometimes frequent these groups in search of promising talent, so you can catch their attention by being an active member of the group.
4. Regularly Update Your Statuses
Other people in your network will see your status update on their news feed. Make yourself known as a capable professional through this medium. Let everyone know when you’re looking for work and share samples of your skills to catch more attention.
It might feel strange to brag about yourself publicly, but that can be a way to raise your visibility.
5. Get Endorsements
Recruiters and hiring managers who view your profile will check the skills section of your profile. They’ll review your endorsements to see if you have the necessary skills for their vacancy. They like to visit the endorsement section of the page because it’s testimony from others that you can really do what you claim.
6. Show Off Experience
Research shows that those who include a healthy list of their skills, past successful projects, and prominent work experience receive 13 times more profile views than those who leave the section blank or only partially filled.
LinkedIn is like your resume: If you don’t talk about the things you’re good at, you won’t get the job.
7. Be Conversational
Professionalism is an essential attribute for job seekers, but it can be taken too far. People also want to see your personality, such as in the form of a sense of humor or a cheerful attitude. Use your status updates and interactions with other posters to show that you know how to work with people and leave a good impression.
8. Publish Articles
LinkedIn is a simple platform to use for publishing blog posts and professional articles. The pieces you publish will raise the impression of your authority and make you appear more of an expert in specific areas. This will make a significant impression on job recruiters.
Not everyone has a talent for writing, of course. If you struggle with grammar and constructing sentences that have a natural flow, ask an editor look over your work. You only want to circulate polished content, and LinkedIn may not even accept your material if it doesn’t show a certain level of quality.
9. Ask and Answer Questions
People often view an inquisitive mind as a brilliant mind. Job recruiters like to see you take a potential opportunity seriously. Answering questions posted by others is also a great way to establish your credibility.
10. Get a Professional Photo
Impressions are everything on a LinkedIn profile. Your photo should be high quality and of a professional level that matches the kind of job you’re seeking.
This doesn’t mean you necessarily have to wear a suit and tie. If you’re in business, professional dress is a must. But if you’re in search of a less formal job, such as construction, a photo of you wearing a hard hat and standing in front of scaffolding might be more appropriate.
11. Write a Summary
It may not be very much fun to write a summary about yourself, but it’s necessary. Consider this: a mini cover letter where you talk about your skills and relevant details.
It’s one of your first chances to make a good impression, and it can significantly raise the value of your LinkedIn profile and raise the odds that you’ll get noticed.
