LinkedIn, Your Underestimated People Resource.
People Management as a practice is changing. Currently, over 23% of the entire adult population is on LinkedIn, suggesting that most of your organization’s current and future employee base is online. Maintaining your own LinkedIn profile opens doors and introduces a wealth of resources that can offer useful advice and information. It's also a platform to share your own expertise and grow your own career.
Millennials are taking full advantage of this social platform, so we’ve put together some helpful tips so you can benefit from the perks too! These tips will help you improve your LinkedIn profile so that you can grow your success, increase your credibility, stay up to date and build your resources.
12 Simple Tips to Improve and Leverage Your LinkedIn Profile
1. Stay up to Date
Staying current takes some effort, but the return is incredibly invaluable. These tips are a great start to building a rich profile. If you are simply upgrading, turn off your activity broadcasting so no one sees your absence online. Turn your activity broadcasting back on when you have new information to announce such as your title or position.
To really get noticed, post more frequently, but one post per week should be the norm. Post about projects you're working on, your industry, or any volunteering activity.
2. Update Your Status
Similar to other social networking platforms, LinkedIn allows you to post statuses. These statuses increase your visibility by appearing on the home pages of your connections. If you’re looking to really get noticed, post more frequently. Post about projects your working on, your industry news, or any organizational activity. Keep your posts interesting and make sure they reflect your interests.
3. Keep it Relevant
Staying relevant in the era of digital disruption seems intimidating, but if you stay up to date with trends and your profile information on a weekly basis, it’s easy. Today, consumers are faced with more information than ever, it’s important to target your content. So keep your profile information relevant to your professional life, and less on what you did this weekend.
4. Ask for (and Give) Recommendations
LinkedIn recommendations present the perfect opportunity to acquire and provide third party endorsements. Providing social proof that is no older than two years, adds value and credibility to your profile. Giving recommendations also introduces secondary connections. Think of it as word of mouth marketing. Try to give and get three each.
5. Enrich your Profile with Visual Content
Since LinkedIn acquired Slideshare in 2012, it has started utilizing more visual content. People are visual, so add a PDF version of your work, or a video. This increases your profile’s level of engagement and allows you to stand out in the crowd.
6. Keep it Professional
Ever heard of someone being terminated over a Facebook status? Like any social media platform, eyes are always on you. It’s the price we pay for the opportunity to interact on a global scale. Just as they say don’t use Facebook when you're emotional, don’t use LinkedIn unprofessionally!
7. Have a Clear Headshot and a Good Headline
A good quality photo promotes a good first impression. Your photo is the first thing people see, so make sure you look the same as you do in person, and don’t forget to smile! Your headline is the second element people notice, so you really want to be as descriptive as possible in the least amount of words.
8. Give a Summary That a Resume Can’t
Think of your summary as an elevator pitch. Define the main points you want your audience to know, followed by some details and specifics that add credibility. Utilize industry-specific keywords and descriptive vocabulary so your profile shows up when entered into LinkedIn's search function. Give this section some personality.
9. Proofread Your Profile and Your Posts
Yes, grammar, spelling and punctuation matter, even online. Demonstrate professionalism through well-written sentences. You may not notice it, but others will!
10. Personalize your URL
What says professional like a unique URL? It's easier for people to find you and it’s way more personal. Use terms that can identify who you are. An example would be ChristinaFortinPR or JohnPayrollSuperhero.
11. Manage Your Connections
You should constantly be adding new connections, because each connection is a new resource. Talk to people. Networking may seem easy enough, but professional networking requires a bit more effort. Try looking up current or old colleagues, classmates or even companies you’d like to connect with. When reaching out, let them know who you are and why you’re interested in connecting.
12. Join Groups That Are of Interest to You
Lots of professionals utilize LinkedIn groups to share content, ask for advice, search for jobs, look for prospects and network. Groups are usually tailored to a certain group of people, cause, publication, brand or industry. Invaluable information can be shared in these groups, just don’t confuse them with company pages!
Search to see if there are groups that fit your interests and start to get noticed by sharing relevant articles.
In Summary...
The benefits of maintaining a solid profile truly speak for themselves. With these simple tips, you can improve your profile and take advantage of many opportunities you wouldn’t otherwise have. To keep things easy, I recommend going on once a week for an hour to post, read and update. Technology isn’t always easy, so you might as well take advantage of the opportunities that are!
If you’re interested in digging a little deeper, check out our guide on how to use LinkedIn, created by Avanti’s own Marketing Communications Coordinator, Emilie Hutchinson.
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