If you’re like one of the millions of people who want to have a career shift, a fresh university grad, or simply looking for a new start in a new working environment, you can turn to social media and search for gazillions of job hiring posts.
Linkedin is one of the social media platforms where you can go job hunting. It is the largest social media platform for professionals and a great online resource for keeping up with the development in your industry. Over 70 per cent of vacant jobs are now filled via Linkedin across all industries and many people nowadays are creating and optimising their own profile in this social channel.
There are over 400 million professionals worldwide using the website. Most professionals have figured out how to set up a profile and build connections. But because of the increasing demand of people in different industries, there’s also an increase in numbers of hiring managers and recruiters to hunt for candidates.
LinkedIn allows you to tell your engaging story and position you as a professional. Although it’s not tailored to a particular job like a resume and has a ton of extra features which you can’t-do in a simple two-page word document.
So, how to up your game in Linkedin?
Here are 3 efficient tips for you to optimise your professional profile and get noticed.
Your Headline, Summary and Photo
The headline must speak of who you are and what you do. Your potential employers will have a hint of the kind of professional you are. It’s the most important element – your key to making a positive impression that makes readers want to know you more.
Aside from the headline, the summary about you and the work that you do also adds impression. In the summary section, you can write two to three paragraphs about yourself and list all the skills and strengths you have.
The summary needs to be easy to read so aim for short paragraphs and bulleted lists. You want to sell yourself by explaining what you are good at and what you can offer. Talk about your main career achievements and your key accomplishments here. You may like to include your best contact details such as your mobile phone number and email address.
Adding a photo in your profile is a huge plus point for you as this can result to higher views and makes your profile more legit. Your profile photo can also make a good impression so make sure that you have an appropriate one for your Linkedin profile.
Work Experiences, Projects and Education Sections
Linkedin is the new resume. The experience section wherein you add your work experiences from the companies you worked before but you can add further information like video clips, documents, photos, websites and presentations. The project section is where you put the links to your online portfolio that you wish to highlight. In this space, give specific examples of projects that you have accomplished and provide facts to prove the quantify the experience.
Just like any other resume, Linkedin provides you a section wherein you can put your education years. This is a space for your degrees and major section. The skills section is another part of making your Linkedin profile makes impressions. It is a visual representation of the things you are good at. You can list your skills by providing keywords and most of it are endorsed by your network.
Building Your Network
Build your network by adding people you think you can relate to, meaning to say, within the same industry you are working in. You can even add your contacts from your current email addresses and invite them to connect with you on Linkedin. It is crucial that you link up with people whom you have met in person like co-workers, peers in your industry and your past and present clients.
Aside from connecting with people, you can also join any groups that’s related to what you do and that you can receive regular updates from. Groups could include alumni organisations, the company you are currently working for, potential companies you’d like to work for, recruitment companies and professional organisations.
When you’re in Linkedin, it’s good that you must continue to build and maintain professional relationships with your network and develop your career goals and stay up-to-date with developments in your industry.
Recommendations
To make your profile look credible, it is nice if you have some recommendations from your past and current colleagues and client. You may invite them to write a recommendation for you and in exchange, you’ll do the same.
People who complete their profiles and are updating them are usually the ones who are viewed more than 40 times and more likely to receive opportunities. To max out your Linkedin profile, you must aim for an all-star profile strength. With that, your profile will look indispensable and more company will consider you.
