Having a notable social media presence can influence an individual’s perspective of you. The best part is that you can use your presence to land a career. With a professional platform such as LinkedIn, you have multiple ways to showcase your work and progress as a future leader.
Here are some techniques to utilize LinkedIn to meet your needs.
Outline your Professional Image
Deciding on your image is an essential first step for starting a profile. Based on your field of interest, consider what you want your audience to know about you. For example, you can present yourself as an educator in a specific area you are proficient in. Or you can gear towards specific companies and organizations that you hope to work with.
You may have to do additional research, but observe other LinkedIn profiles and figure out how you can stand out professionally with your own character. This will make people who look at your profile interested in reading more about you.
Consistent Profile Updating
Whether every day or every week, having an up-to-date profile is crucial for any important changes in your professional career. This includes a change in education or obtaining an internship/job. Plus, adding new skills that you have received as time goes on helps recruiters look out for new hires. The best way to think about this is to imagine your LinkedIn profile as an extended portfolio you can utilize when applying for internships or jobs.
Engage with your Connections
Remember that LinkedIn is not too different from most social media platforms. While making connections is great, also brainstorm content that you want to share. How do you want to keep the conversation between you and your network?
Some examples of engagement could be posting recaps of conferences you attended, different lessons to educate others, or showcasing your achievements through your journey. It’s a great way to keep up the activity of your platform.
Follow Up after Meetups
Whenever you attend networking events and share your profile, people's biggest mistake is connecting and forgetting about it. This leads to contacts becoming lost months down the line. A good rule of thumb is after connecting on LinkedIn, you should follow up within 2-3 days. This can be a “thank you" or a “great meeting you” message, allowing the person to remember who you are. Depending on the context, this can lead to future discussions and collaborations if a nice first impression was made initially. Aside from follow-ups, you should make it a habit to message your network occasionally if you plan to keep that connection long-term.
These are just some of the many tips for mastering LinkedIn for your career. Last but certainly not least, mentioning your DECA experience is always an advantage, as you would be surprised by how many recognize this prestigious organization.
