No matter what stage of your professional career you are in – whether you are just starting out or well into it – there is no telling how much harm you are doing to yourself if you don’t take advantage of having a LinkedIn account.
Here are ways to maximize your LinkedIn profile for better career growth.
1. Completeness of Profile
Before LinkedIn evolved so much into what we have today, it used to be referred to as the ‘online resume.’ Today, even though the platform has now added a variety of features to itself, that remains the most important feature.
You can’t hope to land a decent offer or turn heads on there if you don’t have a profile that catches attention.
2. Connections are Everything
The ability to connect is one of the top features of LinkedIn. In the job market, connections are everything. You have the ability to establish connections with other professionals within your field, mentors, and even for job searches.
Unlike other social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram, this is not a call to connect to everyone and anyone. Rather, it is advised that you connect to people you have come in contact with at job fairs, seminars, in your business line, office, etc
Steadily but surely, you will be growing your connections towards a better career
3. Ask for Recommendations
I could go on LinkedIn to build a profile that said I have over 3000 flight hours to my name, have played professional soccer for five years, and was a one-time FIFA Online Gaming champion.
Are any of those true? Absolutely not.
That is the same thing recruiters think when they look at a profile that does not have recommendations.
Ask your co-workers, former employers and colleagues to write recommendations for you. This will give your account even more authority, making it stand out to HR personnel and recruiters.
Note: It is advisable that you ask for recommendations from those connections with a solid profile. That, in turn, lends more credence to their claims.
4. Get your Foot in the Door
This, you can do in a number of ways:
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- Find out who the HR Manager in a company of choice is, message them (keep pleasantries to a minimum, please) and send them your resume/ pitch.
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- When you see job postings, look for the person that posted such a job. Sometimes, they could even be people in your locale.
- The ‘Company Profile’ section of LinkedIn lets you see where employees go after they leave a company. It also helps you map out what industries some professionals leave for. That way, you can easily decide where to and where not to ply your trade.
Got any more proven tips that help maximize your LinkedIn profile and account for even better offers? Share them with us at info@jumprecruits.com.