While many people have told me they don’t use LinkedIn, I have found many benefits from using it, both for my career and personal interests. But it wasn’t until I actually had an optimized LinkedIn profile and became active on the social network that I noticed even more possibilities.
First of all, LinkedIn is a great place to connect. With over 400 million active users in 200 countries, it’s easy to find new prospects as well as old classmates, colleagues, similar professionals and potential employers or employees. With all those potential connections come opportunities. So how do you find and leverage them?
In essence, there are two basic approaches to this: outbound and inbound. Both methods suit specific needs and purposes. It probably won’t surprise you to learn that I’m partial to the inbound approach. Generally speaking, it’s more efficient, more sustainable, and less intrusive.
Similar to other social networks, depending on your profile, you will appeal to different viewers. A focused and optimized LinkedIn profile portrays your unique brand identity in an accurate and professional way.
Because of LinkedIn’s somewhat buttoned-up nature, it’s critical to be cautious of what you post. Outbound is about looking for people and actively reaching out to them. Inbound on the other hand, is about making it easier for the right people to find you while making sure you look as appealing as possible when they do.
Before getting into how to do that, lets discuss why. Once you’ve decided to use LinkedIn, whether to network with other professionals or switch careers, completing your profile is important. Just like in our offline lives, it’s important to make a good first impression with digital touch points. You only have 7 seconds to make a first impression, so leave them with a good one.
As I mentioned earlier, LinkedIn is a large social network and is used all over the world. That means that you have to stay active, be current, and interact. People want to engage with those who look professional, sound knowledgeable and who are engaging. A professional photo will make you 14 times more likely to be found on LinkedIn. Otherwise, you make it easy for them to take a pass on you.
An optimized LinkedIn profile can improve your career path and set you up for future success. It will attract coworkers, industry professionals, industry influencers and even interested employers. In fact, 89% of recruiters say they’ve hired someone through LinkedIn.
Including your current job will automatically push you up on the search list, and help you be found by others in the organization. Adding previous positions, along with their skills, increases your search potential even further and gives you more credibility in your industry. Credibility shows others that you are knowledgeable and a potential asset to them.
Consider joining relevant or interesting groups to your industry. This brings opportunities for you to learn more about what’s new. Sharing your insights and integrating with a common community can bring you authenticity.
While following companies is a little less personal, it can provide you with different business insights or opportunities.
Engaging with LinkedIn Influencers, when appropriate, has the potential to bring positive exposure to you and your business. Groups, Companies and influencers can also give your viewers an idea of what you’re into.
Optimizing your LinkedIn profile can improve your chances of connecting in these groups . The purpose here IS to connect, and in order to connect you need to stand out. People want to know up front who you are, what you have to offer, and why they should pick you in turn generating leads for your business.
A LinkedIn profile is rated on its content and given a strength level based on how it’s completeness. From 1-5 (5 being the highest), the more accurate and relevant information you include, the higher your profile will be rated. This also helps in the search. The levels range beginning from; 1-Just beginning, 2-Intermediate, 3-Advanced, 4-Expert, 5-All Star.
To reach 100%, you must include;
So pay attention to your profile strength! Now, here are some tips to get you started.
Best practices of an optimized LinkedIn Profile:
For a visually helpful guide to perfecting your LinkedIn profile, check out this insightful Infographic: It’s All About the Presentation: How to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile and Presence composed by Quill.com and Ghergich & Co.
From Quill.com