Three Quick Tips To Advance Your Career Using LinkedIn

Over the years LinkedIn has become the hub of all professionals, be it the founder of a startup or the CEO of a Fortune 500 Company. LinkedIn has created a network of professionals that interact to meet a common goal of career growth.

Many fail to realize the potential of LinkedIn because they consider it boring when compared to other social media platforms. However, if you spend some quality time on LinkedIn, you will soon become addicted to it. It will not only make you better at whatever you do, but also help you accomplish more in your professional career.

Let us see how you can use LinkedIn to advance your career:

Complete your profile

Very few people spend a lot of time in creating an outstanding LinkedIn profile. Your LinkedIn profile is the face of your career that reflects your potential. It’s an important step in making your online presence more robust. Hence, keep your profile updated and mention all qualifications and achievements.

Focus on the headline. By default, LinkedIn picks up the keyword from your summary to make a default headline. However, you need to edit the headline to highlight your most important skills or accomplishments.

Pro tip:

• Don’t copy jargon from others’ profiles. Spend time to personalize it and make it about “you.”
• Your LinkedIn headline and summary should tell a distinct story about you
• Be original and authentic
• Post a high-quality Image

Build meaningful relationships

At its core, LinkedIn is a social networking site and therefore, it is meant for connecting with professionals. It also helps you build a better interpersonal relationship which can be useful in making a career change or finding your dream job. Invite the people in your circle to recommend you. These recommendations improve your chances of being noticed by a suitable employer. Add positions and job options that you prefer, to reach out to the right people. Follow the news that has a direct bearing on your job field. Reach out to your colleagues, researchers and potential employers. Get involved in discussions, comment on posts of others and develop relations with people in your professional circle. Feel free to share your views on posts shared by people to establish your presence on the platform.

Pro tip:

• Add at least 15 connections per day
• Get at least five recommendations per month
• Wish people happy birthday and congratulate them on professional accomplishments (LinkedIn notifies you when connections have birthdays, change jobs or have work anniversaries)

Curate content

Stay active on LinkedIn. Follow the topics and discussions that interest you and focus on topics are relevant to your field of interests rather than arbitrary discussions or debates.

Add media content that features your career advancements, like, a picture of an award function or any one of your video lectures. Such posts enhance your profile and create a positive impression on your potential employers.

Post contents about your job specializations. Link any suitable SlideShare presentation or material that applies to your profile.

Pro tip:

• 15 minutes a day on LinkedIn can make a whole lot of difference in your professional expertise and network
• Update your status frequently – Talk about your little achievements, learnings, etc.
• Ask questions and participate in the discussions
• Like, comment and share others’ content
• Stay positive

Conclusion

There is no shortcut to success. However, certain tools can reduce your efforts significantly and help you accomplish more in less time. LinkedIn does the same. Spend one forth the time you waste on Facebook, and you will find yourself in a sea of endless possibilities. Go ahead and grab the opportunities before it becomes too late.

Thinking of hiring a career coach to help you spruce up your LinkedIn and land your dream job? Browse our directory of career coaches and get a FREE consultation or request a personalized coach recommendation!