From Regan & Dean
LinkedIn is the most widely used professional network, with a staggering 106 million active users. With this in mind, LinkedIn is the ideal platform for making business contacts and it is one which is used by most recruiters and many direct employers to find suitable candidates. If you are looking for a new role in Events or Marketing, it is important that you give your LinkedIn profile a bit of a health check and make sure it is up to scratch. These are some areas to look into, when it comes to improving your profile.
Looking for work
If you are on the market for work, make sure you update your LinkedIn profile to reflect this. As an enhancement many candidates will put ‘looking for a new challenge’ or will be more specific, such as ‘available for short term event projects.’ This can make you stand out to recruiters, who will instantly know that you are seeking employment.
Of course if you are currently in a role and your current employer doesn’t know you want to leave, an announcement on LinkedIn is not the way to tell them!
Up-to-date
It is important to make sure your LinkedIn profile is as up-to-date as possible, with your most recent job and work experience, and your previous work history well set out. You should update it every time you move job or you pick up some relevant skills. The more information you have on your profile, the greater your chance of being found by recruiters.
Recent photo
Whether we like it or not, we change over the years so make sure you keep your LinkedIn photo as current as possible. Potential connections might not recognise you if your photograph is a bit out of date, so aim to upload a fresh one every couple of years.
Use a shot that presents you as you are in the workplace. Photos of you on holiday, at a wedding or downing a cocktail are best kept to other social media channels, not your professional one.
Job description
There is little point in putting your job title on your profile, without any description. You should put succinct information about your current role and any others, so that recruiters can easily determine if you are suited to the role, and can clearly see your current and previous responsibilities.
Aim to incorporate keywords into your job description, for instance, any systems you have used or particular skills you have. The more detailed your LinkedIn profile is, the better your chances of making an impact with it and the greater the likelihood that you will be found on a search.
Recommendations
LinkedIn offers the opportunity to ask previous and current employers and/or clients for a recommendation and these can make your profile more attractive to recruiters. Recommendations are just like references, albeit a lot shorter, but they can make your profile stand out. If you are looking for a specific job, make sure you have recommendations from a similar role, even if it is voluntary work you have been involved with. You should always aim to update your recommendations as often as possible.
Publish Posts
If your writing skills are good, it is a great idea to make your LinkedIn profile more attractive by publishing some posts. It doesn’t need to be anything complicated. It can just be a simple post about anything within your profession that interests you.
LinkedIn Pulse is a good place to post longer articles. Think of it as a blog that is hosted on the biggest business network in the world.
Remember, LinkedIn will often be seen by recruiters and potential employers before they meet you or even see your CV, so it’s important it creates a great impression. Lavish as much love on your LinkedIn profile as you would on your CV and make it a habit to keep it up to date. It’s your shop window to potential employers so ensure it makes the best impact!