LinkedIn has emerged as one of the best platforms to grow your career. According to statistics, almost 4600 job applications are sent every minute using LinkedIn. Out of those, only 6 people are hired. What should you do to be in those 6 hired ones?
This article will lead you to your goal. Here are some tips to make your LinkedIn profile stronger and stand tall in this competition.
Emphasize On Your Headline
Most LinkedIn members use the description at the top of the profile page to represent their job titles. There’s no such rule about it. You can use it to tell a bit more about yourself.
If you have connections with social salespeople, have a look at their profile headlines for inspiration.
Furthermore, you should never rely on the buzzwords in your profile. Buzzwords are basically one or two-word phrases, which are very often used on LinkedIn. But they nearly end up meaningless for the industry experts and recruiters.
Using keywords like, specialized, leadership, focused, energetic, strategic, experienced, passionate, creative, certified, expert, innovative, etc., will not add value to your profile. I do not mean that you cannot use these words in your profile headline- but using them alone will not describe if you actually possess these skills. You can use them, but you also need to demonstrate those skills in a professional manner.
Leverage Your Summary
Firstly, make sure that you have a LinkedIn summary. I have seen many people who left this field empty while creating their LinkedIn profile, and they pay little to no attention to the section. Your summary is basically an opportunity to tell the viewers your story.
- Do not just limit it to your skills and job titles.
- Tell something that you haven’t already mentioned in your LinkedIn profile.
- You can write about the skills that matter to you.
- How you can bring a change with your skills to the people you work with.
- How and why, you changed your jobs and what got you promoted.
You can take some time to prepare an attractive summary. Try a few drafts, and it’s worth your efforts.
List Your Relevant Skills
According to Maria, a LinkedIn Expert at Dissertation Assistance, “Listing down the skills in your LinkedIn Profile matters the most and can be done very quickly. Just scroll through the provided list of the skills and select the ones that are relevant to you.”
These are the skills that support your profile headline and your summary. Moreover, it provides a platform for others to endorse your skills to the best of their knowledge. But remember, you need to mention only the relevant skills. List the ones you possess and want to pursue your career for. If you have a long list of skills, take some time and shortlist it.
You can conduct skill assessments to demonstrate the level of your skills. It will also help you display a verified badge on your profile. According to the stats shared by LinkedIn, candidates with verified skills increase their chances of being hired by 30 percent for the roles they apply to.
Grow Your Network Smartly
One of the easiest ways to grow your LinkedIn network is to sync your mobile phone connections and your email address book with LinkedIn on your phone. This will enable LinkedIn to suggest you some relevant profiles based on your geographical location. Furthermore, follow industry leaders and send connection requests to the ones having similar roles.
If you are looking for freelance work, then you need to take a smarter approach . Look for profiles that can offer you work. For instance, if you are a content writer, you should connect yourself with digital marketers. They are most likely to offer you some work.
Aim for Recommendations and Endorsements
Endorsements help the viewers by giving them a quick, visual sense of what you are valued for. Make sure that you endorse people in your network, and they will endorse you back.
Recommendations make things even easier for you. These are personal opinions and reviews of your colleagues and mates illustrating their experience working with you. There is a drop-down menu in your profile under the Recommendation section. You can reach out to specific contacts and make personalized requests to the ones who you think can give valuable recommendations.
Showcase Your Learning Passion
LinkedIn offers you many courses with LinkedIn Learning. You can take relevant courses and complete them to earn a course certificate. It will not only add a certificate to your profile but will also boost your knowledge and skills.
You can add certificates from the Learning History section of your profile. From here, you can also send your learning updates to the chosen network.
Maintain Professional Networking
You should never forget that LinkedIn is a professional platform, not a personal one. Make sure you do not share your personal opinions until they have to do something with your professional goals and career.
LinkedIn Feed allows you to stay connected with your network. You can share some stuff on your feed and also respond to the ones shared by your colleagues. Similarly, respond back to the comments on your shared stories and content. This will help you generate a healthy environment to interact with your network and get noticed by industry experts.
The Takeaway
LinkedIn is one of the biggest platforms to connect with highly skilled professionals and groom your career. It offers you several opportunities to learn new skills and polish the ones you possess. The first step you should take is to make your LinkedIn profile stronger. Following the above-mentioned tips will help you improve your LinkedIn profile for better career opportunities. Best of luck with your future endeavors.
