LinkedIn is one of the best social networks for professionals. It’s a social network where you can find countless opportunities to work all over the world. Millions of professionals from around the world are active on LinkedIn.
If you are looking for a job, either in your own country or abroad, you cannot miss out on the opportunities offered by this great online resource.
Linkedin is much more than a website where you can post your resume and add contacts that you never connect with again. It is the ideal tool for networking, participating in groups, making yourself known in your sector, presenting your products and services, and monitoring your competition. Linkedin is the social network for professionals but… Do you have your profile ready? Do you know how to take advantage of it?
Your Linkedin profile says a lot about you. A well-defined and worked profile can help you get a job (if you are looking for one), attract new contacts and clients, and strengthen the so-called “Personal Brand” that every professional should have (whether or not they work for someone else).
Why Is LinkedIn A Good Source for Finding A Job?
LinkedIn is a social network where you can find millions of professionals from all over the world. Companies, headhunters, and human resources professionals work with LinkedIn every day.
Also, this social network is a great way to build a personal brand. You can make connections, showcase your experience and skills, and even find your next job.
But first of all, you must create a profile that truly attracts attention. To do this, below you will find a series of tips to have a perfect LinkedIn profile.
Learn how to reach professionals in your industry!
Keep Your Profile Up to Date
If you want to be found, or access a job position with LinkedIn, you must keep your profile updated with the latest skills obtained, experience, jobs, and volunteering…
- Use professional photos
Having a LinkedIn profile with good photos has a higher chance of being visited than those that do not have images or are very bad.
Use an appropriate photograph for your profile, so that you appear as professional as possible. You can also add a cover photo.
- Header
This is the phrase that appears below your name. It is recommended that in this part you include your position or specialty. For example Finance Specialist, Java Developer, SAP Consultant, or Business Manager. It is not advisable to include phrases such as “In search of new opportunities” or something similar.
- Include keywords in your profile
Including keywords in your LinkedIn profile is essential for them to locate you.
These keywords have to be related to your professional profile, in this way, you will give clear information to the social network so that they can locate you.
For example, if you are a web designer, you can include the word “web designer” or “web design” in the title of your profile.
- Write an attractive headline
The headline is one of the elements that are most fixed when viewing your profile, therefore, you must create an attractive headline.
To do this, you must follow a series of tips:
- Optimize the keyword, as we mentioned earlier.
- Add some quality (experience in web page development, sales experience, knowledge of five languages…).
- Take care of spelling errors.
- Capitalize where appropriate (all caps can make it sound like you’re yelling).
- Avoid acronyms that are not known. On the internet, you can see countless acronyms that can mean very different things. Watch out!
- You don’t have to fill in all the space, you can say a lot with a few words.
- Show more than your title, using more content, you can fit more keywords.
- Do not use the word expert, a series of studies say that this word says very little about you, it is better to show your experience.
- Highlight experience, achievements, skills
Highlighting experience, achievements, or skills gained can be the difference between your profile and someone else’s.
To make your profile more enjoyable, you can add sections to know your experience, achievements, and skills. To do this, go to “Edit Profile” and add some of the multiple functions that LinkedIn allows you.
- Generate multimedia content
If you want to enrich your LinkedIn profile, you can add multimedia content, this will make it less boring than just having text.
You can include photographs, images, videos, and infographics… As long as everything is related to your professional profile.
- Post messages and reports
You can post content on LinkedIn just like you can on other social networks. However, you must bear in mind that it is a network of professionals, be careful what you publish.
Leave fun content for other social networks. Posts and reports about your professional area will enrich your LinkedIn profile.
- Take your time
Take the time to carefully craft your LinkedIn profile and use it as a way to market yourself professionally. If you follow these tips, people who find you on LinkedIn will be impressed and that’s important, as it will open up new opportunities for you.
- Social issues matter too
Have you volunteered? Have you been a donor? Have you belonged to a local or social action group? It is important that you add it to your Linkedin profile. Says a lot about you.
- Actively participate in groups
Filling out the profile is not enough, LinkedIn is a social network and the value of its users is measured by what they contribute to the whole. The more activity you have, the better valued you will be, and that includes what you share on your profile and especially the activity you carry out in groups.
- Recommend, comment and debate what others contribute
To grow your network of contacts and intensify your relationships, it is important that you actively participate by recommending, commenting, and generating debate with other users in your sector.
- Take a skills evaluation
An online skills assessment allows you to demonstrate the level of your skills and display a Verified Skills badge on your profile. According to data, candidates with verified skills are approximately 30% more likely to be hired for the roles they apply for – and displaying proof of your abilities strengthens your personal brand more broadly.
Displaying the results of your skills assessments is completely optional, and you can retake the tests as many times as you want before indicating that you’ve passed.
- Request Recommendations
Endorsements provide visitors to your profile with a quick, visual sense of what you’re valued for. Recommendations take things to the next level. They are written personal testimonials to demonstrate the experience of working with you.
In your profile’s Recommendations section, there’s a handy drop-down menu that allows you to reach out to specific contacts and request recommendations. Consider who you would most value a recommendation from – and personalize your request. It is well worth the extra effort.
