Packing a lot of personal information into an easy to read package seems to be something of a fascination today. Practically our entire biographies are held in our social network accounts and they have become the digital replacement of a first impression.
More social media accounts are being looked to for hiring purposes, but a social life is not the only thing that can be effectively summarized on a social network.
The resume as we know is now online – through LinkedIn, the website that understands that networking is a business must.
The beauty of LinkedIn
A great resume will go a long way, but for MBA students LinkedIn can be a valuable asset. It can help a professional market themselves to potential employers – LinkedIn has more than 300 million users and 187 unique monthly visitors.
Business opportunities are often driven by social factors and LinkedIn hit the nail on the head when in 2002 it fused networking with job searching, and put it online.
Use the power at your command
LinkedIn on its surface may appear simple: users fill out their educational and professional background, add the people they know, and start making connections with the people they don’t.
But the beauty of LinkedIn lies in the customizations and tools. Students and young professionals should definitely be taking advantage of them.
There are numerous ways to maximize your networking potential with the website. Vital to the success of a profile is ensuring that it is a thorough one. However, filling a LinkedIn profile with raw information won’t help you as much as focusing your profile for your needs will.
Create a focused, complete profile
A professional photo, industry focused keywords and a customized URL will help make a profile more palatable for potential viewers.
The sections of a profile can be arranged to emphasize the stronger parts of users’ backgrounds and experiences. Uploading samples of work to supplement your listed experience is also essential to building a complete profile. And a powerful agent of networking through LinkedIn is the endorsements feature. Being vouched for by co-workers and previous employers goes a long way.
Stay connected and socialize – but be informed
Make sure to use “LinkedIn Pulse” to stay up to date with the latest industry news, and take advantage of groups to connect with other people within your sector. LinkedIn also organizes trending content to help users find articles to engage with.
Users can take advantage of this information and make informed posts to their network of contacts. LinkedIn influencers post three or four updates a day, but a good starting point for a beginner would be to try to reach 20 updates a month of quality, professional content.
If a profile looks dead, it will be treated as such.
Ensure peak performing posts
There are a few simple things that can be done to help stay connected in an effective manner. Make sure posts are written in the first person and directly address a target audience. Also use @mention whenever you share a user’s or a company’s content.
But visuals are most important in today’s social media market. Content with visuals performs better than content without – across the board. Make sure you enhance your posts with eye candy.
LinkedIn is a powerful tool, but also a relationship
Like any social networking endeavour, whether it is marketing a product or marketing yourself, it will take time. Building an effective LinkedIn profile requires the commitment to keep it up to date, share when you can, and connect when you can.
By engaging effectively and growing your influence, LinkedIn can be a powerful ally in the battle of employment. It can help you to market yourself above your peers, and reach your personal and professional goals.
Nick Rojas is a business consultant and journalist based in Los Angeles, CA. You can follow him on Twitter @NickARojas.
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