I don’t know what my face looks like when I ask someone to connect and they say, “I don’t do LinkedIn,” but from their reactions, it’s not pretty. I’m surprised at the number of people who say they either don’t use the platform or they have a profile but don’t check it. When I ask why, they usually say it’s not worth their time. The honest people say they find it intimidating. With the volatility of the job market, we have to be open to opportunity. Even if you love your job, and don’t intend to leave it, it could leave you. Multiple income streams from both side gigs and passive income are smart strategies for securing your financial future and LinkedIn can help you find those opportunities. Let’s talk about the basic things you should do to have a presence on LinkedIn.
The Basics
In 2017, 95% of recruiters polled used LinkedIn to find candidates. So at least fill out a profile. It’s free. If the task seems daunting, check out your friends’ profiles, especially if they do a job similar to yours, and follow their examples. In your headline and profile summary (the About section) use the keywords they use to describe themselves. Keywords are one of the tools recruiters use to find you. If you have a recent headshot, use it as your profile picture. If not, have someone take one. A professional is best, but a selfie works if the lighting is good and the background is plain. Don’t use a headshot that’s more than five years old. If you arrive at an interview looking older than your photo, you leave the impression you’re less than honest. Your background photo is tricky because of the required dimensions (1584 x 396 pixels) and the fact it needs to accommodate your headshot in the lower left third of the shot. But if you can find one for free (try Pexels) that depicts what you do, it will set your profile apart from users who just leave the default background up. You can use your resume to fill out the rest of the sections (Experience, Education, Licenses and Certifications, Volunteer Experience, Skills and Endorsements, Accomplishments, and Interests).
Some other things to do:
-Use the search function to connect with people at companies you want to work for then like and comment on their posts
-Follow the pages of companies you like
-After you make some connections, go through their connections and ask them to introduce you via LinkedIn’s group message feature or email. Then ask those mutual connections for coffee or an informational interview
-Position yourself as a thought leader in your industry by writing and publishing articles using LinkedIn’s article publishing feature
-Find articles pertinent to your industry then post them on your timeline using links and hashtags to share them with as many of the LinkedIn community as possible
LinkedIn is a conversation and conversations are supposed to be fun. It takes time and effort to get started, but once you do, staying active is easy.
How do you make LinkedIn work for you? Please share in the comments section.