If you’re on the job hunt, you’ve probably already developed a LinkedIn profile. If you haven’t, you should.
Arguably the best social media platform for all things business, LinkedIn is steadily becoming a key method for companies recruiting new staff. A survey by Jobsite found that 87% of recruiters find LinkedIn highly effective during the hiring process, so if you think yours isn’t quite up to scratch, it’s important to give it a revamp.
The following five tips should give you a good starting point for establishing a successful presence on LinkedIn. Who knows – it might even lead to a new job opportunity.
A Professional Profile Picture
This is typically the first thing people will see on your profile, so make sure it’s appropriate. A professional headshot would be perfect, but if this isn’t accessible choose a picture that is mostly just your face (full body pictures won’t stand out as much), wearing appropriate clothing and smiling.
Write an Attention-Grabbing Summary
Your summary on LinkedIn is your opportunity to tell your story. Don’t just list your past work experience – explain your skills and why they matter. This is a good point to let your personality shine through as well as your corporate abilities.
Be Picky with What You Include
There’s no point wasting words describing job experience from years ago, particularly if it's not relevant to your current role. Only include skills and experience that are significant to the role you want to be in now, rather than one you’ve previously had.
Connect
The whole purpose of LinkedIn is to connect with like-minded business people, so don’t be afraid to make the initial move when it comes to the connect button. Building your network is a hugely important part of LinkedIn and business connections you come across could enable you that very crucial introduction to a job opportunity.
Give/Ask for Endorsements and Recommendations
Having endorsements for skills you’ve added to your profile not only look good, but they add merit to your claims. Going through your connections and endorsing those who you genuinely believe harbour the skills they preach on their profile will not only help them, but they’ll likely feel the same about you and return the favour. Similar to these are recommendations - written statements by (presumably) former colleagues that will give your profile a vote of confidence, showing you have proven yourself well in past situations.