Got a LinkedIn profile but not sure where to start or how to use it properly? Here five are LinkedIn tips to get you started.
While many of us have a LinkedIn profile, we are often guilty of neglecting it. Whereas Facebook can be a fun place for a quick update LinkedIn can feel more daunting as we know we need to be professional and reflect our best work-selves rather than our relaxed off-duty selves.
five linkedin tips to get you started:
- Make your profile look good – first impressions are made within 7 seconds – so what people glance at may have more of an impact than you realise. Make sure your profile picture is you looking your professional best, so no beach shots unless you are indeed a professional surfer. No wedding photos unless you are a bridal shop or professional bride. You can see where I’m taking this.
- Use your heading picture to show something you want to showcase. Richard Branson dishes out great business advice and doesn’t post sell, sell, sell, posts but his header picture is his new book that I’m sure he’d like us to buy. Losing my Virginity if you are interested!
- Make sure your professional headline and your location and industry are up to date. This will help people find you and help LinkedIn make your searches more relevant to you – saving you time.
- Use keywords carefully – as people use LinkedIn to search for relevant contacts ensure you use words that describe accurately what you can offer.
- Use the search function. Although the free search function isn’t what it used to be – you can still use it really effectively to source new connections. A simple but effective search we use is a job title and a location. This search will bring up relevant contacts that may be happy to hear from you – in the area you want to find them in. You then have a list of possible new contacts you can use. Even with a free LinkedIn account, this can be an invaluable tool.
