Have you been wondering how you can improve your career opportunities?
Are you looking for ways you can network more strategically? Maybe you’re simply hoping to present a more professional image to potential employers or clients. Regardless of what your career goals are, your first step should be to spruce up your LinkedIn Profile.
LinkedIn provides you with a space to highlight your academic and professional accomplishments while enabling you to connect with potential employers, as well as past and present colleagues. Unlike other social media networks, LinkedIn’s focus is the business world.
1. Describe yourself – and your professional goals
For many LinkedIn users, self-description can be a challenge; however, highlighting your professional and academic accomplishments, as well as your goals, is one of the most important parts of any strong profile.
You’ll be able to describe yourself in two places on LinkedIn. First, you can use your headline that appears under your name on the website. Use this space to highlight either a career goal or a few key skills you hold. Secondly, your “About Me” section provides you with a larger space where you can discuss your ambitions. Be sure to fill out both of these spaces as thoroughly as possible to ensure your profile is well-rounded.
2. Connect with people you know
Search LinkedIn for colleagues and other professionals you regularly interact with to begin building your network. If you aren’t sure where to start, visit the LinkedIn page for your company and review suggested contacts there. Once you find someone you know or want to connect with, you’ll be able to add them as a contact.
It’s a good idea to add a personal note when you connect with someone on LinkedIn. This is especially important for former coworkers or people you met casually at networking events.
Add a few contacts each week to begin developing your network. While adding contacts is important because you’ll be able to interact with more people, this also is also an essential step to increase your visibility on the platform. When employers or colleagues are searching for you, users with more connections show up higher in searches.
3. Choose a professional headshot
Never skip using a professional headshot on LinkedIn. While other social media platforms may allow you to use a graphic photo or a selfie, LinkedIn works best when you use a professional headshot of yourself. You can use a picture from work, ask a friend to take a picture, or use a camera stand to take a picture with your cell phone. The ideal LinkedIn photo should be recent to ensure potential contacts are able to recognize you. Your photo says a lot about you, including the fact that you are serious about networking.
4. Pick your skills carefully
One of the most important featured sections on LinkedIn is the “Skills” section. With this part of your profile, you’ll be able to highlight things like public speaking, Excel, languages, leadership and other professional skills that will be appealing to potential employers.
When you’re choosing your skills, start by selecting things you use in your current role. This is because other LinkedIn users can “endorse” you. Your colleagues will be most likely to choose skills to endorse that you’re regularly using.
5. Update your non-career accomplishments
In addition to highlighting your past and current roles, LinkedIn provides a space where you can highlight additional accomplishments. If you’ve taken classes in your field, earned a certificate, or started performing volunteer work, you can use LinkedIn to share this with your network.
Many employers look for well-rounded employees who are team players. Including this extra information on your profile is one of the most important ways you can stand out from the crowd with your LinkedIn presence.
No matter what your career goals are, make sure you keep your LinkedIn profile as up-to-date as possible. If you’re looking for ways to expand your profile and include more information, you can visit our professional development program page. K-State Olathe offers a variety of professional development opportunities that will not only provide you with needed skills to advance your career, but help you stand out from the crowd, as well.
