LinkedIn is arguably the most intriguing of the social networks out there. While it still baffles many, there is no denying that it has a powerful pull over potential recruiters. Since being founded in 2002, LinkedIn has grown to more than 225 million members across 200 countries, so it’s a big deal.
But how can LinkedIn help your career? Considering its popularity, and the fact that employers you send your CV to may now look you up on LinkedIn as part of their company’s official protocol, not having a profile could be detrimental to your prospects.
So whether you’re a recent graduate, or a more seasoned employee looking for a career change, being on LinkedIn certainly appears to be one of the modern tools for success. Read on to find out how to set up your LinkedIn and how to make the most of it.
Your profile
The first step to getting yourself set up on LinkedIn is to create a profile. Essentially, this step will be easy as your profile will mostly match your CV, but don’t be afraid to go into detail and really explain what you do. However, your profile and CV shouldn’t be a carbon copy of each other – recruiters don’t want to read the same information twice.
A good standard format is to give a summary of your role and then bullet point your responsibilities and skills from that job. This makes it easier for potential recruiters to glance down your profile and see if you match what they are looking for. Select a professional-looking profile picture showing your head and shoulders. Make sure you look happy, make sure you’re smiling but don’t use a picture of you propping up a bar somewhere.
Headline
A professional headline is one of the first pieces of information that a potential recruiter will see when they search for you, which makes it possibly the most important part of your whole profile. Your headline is basically a 120 character hook, explaining what you do and why you’re important, and should therefore be as enticing and interesting as possible in order to give people a reason to click on you.
Next steps
In today’s world, getting your LinkedIn account up-to-date and as professional-looking as possible is the first step to success when seeking a new role, along with your actual CV. Rather than trawling the Internet, a recruitment agency specialising in your field is the best place to start, as they do most of the work for you and can help to match you to the right job.
Don’t worry if you feel a bit overwhelmed by LinkedIn at first. There’s a lot to do in terms of crafting a professional profile, but all of the effort will be worth it. Once you become familiar with how it works, your network will start to grow and you may soon find that your connections prove invaluable to both your current and future career development.
Do you have any additional tips for a beginner’s guide to LinkedIn? Let us know in the comments below.
Photo: Esther Vargas / Flickr
Steve Thompson has a marketing industry background and is the managing director at Forward Role Recruitment. The company specialises in recruiting for all marketing disciplines including digital, creative and analytics.
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