Are you new to the LinkedIn life, or maybe you're a highly experienced user? Either way, you can never know too many tips and tricks to guide you along the way. Read on for five tips that will help you make the most out of your experience and take your LinkedIn profile to the #NextLevel.
1. Perfect Your Profile
Having a well-rounded profile that defines who you are and what you are passionate about is one of the most important elements of the social network. Choose a professional profile picture that will make a strong first impression with potential employers since it is one of the very first things they will notice. Develop a headline and summary that are both creative and memorable; this acts as your digital elevator pitch. Make sure to also include keywords relevant to your desired profession and interests. This will make it easier for hiring managers to find you. Most importantly, take the time to complete your profile to 100% to achieve all-star status.
2. Obtain Recommendations and Endorsements
These two LinkedIn features can help highlight your strengths and demonstrate exactly what kind of employee you are. Request recommendations and endorsements from your current network by reaching out to colleagues and previous employers that will lend credibility to your character.
3. Create Your Ideal Network
How many connections is the right amount? The answer to this question can be different for each person. Having the right connections is much more valuable than having the most connections. It is important to seek out connections that could potentially link you with a job opportunity or even provide you insightful advice. Follow the companies and leaders who are prominent in your industry and stay on top of the trending topics that call for discussion.
4. Make Networking a Daily Routine
Actively and consistently networking on LinkedIn is essential. Logging on daily or at least several times a week will quickly develop LinkedIn into a healthy habit that you can look forward to. Set goals for yourself, like connecting with or following at least 10 people every day. This is an easy challenge to meet, but you would be surprised how quickly and effectively this can build your network! Take this one step further and strive to interact with your network of connections at least 10 times a day. This can mean anything from engaging via private message to simply liking and commenting on public posts.
5. Build Rapport and Relationships
Use LinkedIn and all of its features to interact in a meaningful way with those around you. Consistently sharing content and generating activity will increase how much you appear on the radar of others. This has the potential to introduce you to people you’ve never met before, which is the key to social networking. Rely not only on a network of people you already know, but on a network of people you can get to know.
This is by no means an all-inclusive list, but these five tips should get your profile off to a great start and set you up for success in your LinkedIn endeavors!
