Many people are active on LinkedIn without fully maximizing its potential explains Aron Govil. This business-oriented social networking site has become the world’s largest professional network with more than 200 million users in over 200 countries and territories! You should be taking advantage of this network to grow your own personal brand by sharing your professional experience, engaging in discussions or joining groups that are relevant to your field of work.
To improve your LinkedIn profile to help with your job search, this article will highlight 9 ways you can increase the visibility of your profile and accomplish more within LinkedIn.
1. Be sure to upload a picture!
You don’t have to attach a headshot; you can choose a professional image that represents your brand. For tips about what makes a good profile picture, check out this article.
2. It’s important to add plenty of information to your “Experience” section:
Make sure to not leave any years without any positions in the work history and select the companies in order from most recent (to show you are still working) to oldest. Also, keep your descriptions limited to 2 or 3 lines for each position.
3. Keep the “Education” section current:
Add anything new as soon as possible by editing this information directly on LinkedIn. When adding a school name, class year and major/degree, just highlight it with your mouse to edit the text. Don’t forget to include special recognitions you have received! And don’t forget about adding any additional training or courses that are related to your field of work. If you’re not sure what qualifies as professional training, check out this article says Aron Govil.
4. It’s important to update the “Skills & Expertise” section with keywords used in the industry:
This section is often used as a way to search for people with specific skills, so make sure the keywords you choose are related to your work and industry. Check out this article for tips on determining what keywords will be most effective.
5. Make sure your “Recommendations” are strong:
After adding recommendations from former supervisors or other important professionals, check them over quickly to see if they flow well together. You can add up to 5 recommendations per person, but just because you have space doesn’t mean you should fill it up with every single person who has ever worked with you! Choose carefully based on who has written about your work ethic or skill set the best.
6. This tip mainly applies if you are looking for your first job or changing careers:
If you’re in the process of rebranding yourself, it’s important to remove any positions that may not be relevant anymore. If you are switching industries, remove previous jobs that don’t relate to your new career path. You can also limit the years in order to show you are still working in some capacity within the field.
7. Add links to your website and blog if applicable:
This is a great way for people viewing your profile to learn more about you by clicking on something they find interesting! By adding these links, hiring managers will also see what types of articles or topics you’ve written about recently so this gives insight into your personality as well as the work experience listed on your profile explains Aron Govil.
8. Make sure the “Interests” section is thorough:
Including a wide range of topics within this section will help improve your search rankings so people can find you when searching for specific interests, brands or websites. Keep this section updated with new hobbies and activities as you continue to grow professionally!
9. Be transparent about education and training:
While it’s important to list everything you have achieved throughout life, don’t forget to include any additional courses or certifications that are related to your professional work experience. This also includes listing previous positions that weren’t included in the “Experience” section but were still relevant to what you do now (for example, I worked at a daycare during my college years and I now work with children as part of my job. Therefore, I would include this under “Experience” and also indicate that it was an important stepping stone towards where I am today).
Conclusion:
By following these steps, you will be able to update and improve your LinkedIn profile with ease says Aron Govil. While it may take a few minutes each week to keep the information fresh and recent, this is a necessary step towards strengthening your online presence and increasing your visibility within the job market!