LinkedIn is the largest professional networking platform with 675 million monthly users. It is used by many as a way to be seen by recruiters but is also a great way to engage with others in your profession. If you want to make your mark and sell your expertise online, how should you utilise the various tools the platform has to offer? I spent time with our New Business Manager, Charlotte Pearson, to find out her top tips for using LinkedIn.
- Keep your profile in check: Have you recently qualified in your job? Or gained useful experience within your sector? Great news! This is perfect to put onto your LinkedIn profile. See your profile as a virtual CV, you want to make yourself appealing to recruiters and also impress within your current job role. Make sure you have all of your relevant qualifications stated, your current job role, any recommendations from your previous jobs and a professional head shot (no heavily filtered selfies!). Already you have created the foundation for a good LinkedIn profile.
- Content content content: Sharing useful content from others and your own content is a great way to display thought leadership. This shows your interest in industry news and sharing with others sparks engagement and conversation, which is also a great way to gain connections. By consistently sharing content, it also shows how active you are on LinkedIn, making you a much more appealing person to connect with.
- Join groups: There are so many different interests and industries on LinkedIn. Joining groups that are of similar interest to your line of work means you have the opportunity to connect with like-minded people that may otherwise not be people you have connections with and also creates a sense of belonging. It is a popular place for communities after all.
- It’s all about trends: Following hashtags such as #Entrepenuership, #Technology and #Marketing, are a fantastic way to stay on top of trends within your industry and gain access to a variety of content from various people. Following influential people also such as Richard Branson and Bill Gates, opens you up to those with great experience within your industry and helps you gain insightful information that, you guessed it, can be shared with your connections.
- *New notification*: LinkedIn has its own instant messaging on the platform, which is an important tool to use when growing your connections. Never leave people hanging when you receive a message, or even a comment on something you have shared. It makes you seem as if you are not active on LinkedIn and you are simply not interested in what someone has to say. Always turn your notifications on!
Want to connect with us? Find our LinkedIn here.
