One Saturday evening, like always, my cousin was discussing her work life and how the incentives have motivated her to work better. While mentioning different platforms through which she searched for the right candidates for her client she mentioned LinkedIn. She went on further to boost her connections on LinkedIn and the number of requests she receives daily. She then began enquiring about my LinkedIn profile. I tried putting her off. However, she did not give up until I pulled out my phone and showed her my account. She gave an annoyed response and began making some changes. With few questions and within a few minutes, she said she was done updating my profile and had instructed me to be active, by posting or sharing some valuable content. Within a few days, I started receiving invites on a regular basis and my connections began to grow, after which I began sharing some content and the invites began to double. Soon, I started getting different professional opportunities. I also learnt that LinkedIn was not a mere entertainment platform but a platform filled with opportunities to reach out to successful professionals, learn different skills and be a part of valuable discussion forums.
You can use LinkedIn for career advancements by:
1. Updating Profile
While updating the profile, you must keep in mind that this is a professional platform, thus the information and photo shared should be professional. A crisp headline defining you, along with a descriptive profile summary, will help people find you easily. Additionally, do not copy paste your resume.
2. Be comprehensive about current skills and objectives
Adding skills will not only make your profile stand out but it will also showcase the knowledge and skill set that you have acquired. You can also ask your seniors and heads for endorsement or recommendations. While the objectives will help seekers or like-minded people reach out to you easily.
3. Build your Network to the 1st degree
Once your profile is updated, invites will start coming in. You can accept and send invites to build your wide network of connections, but make sure that you are working strategically based on the different field, department or Software Development Companies of your interest that you want to reach out to in near future are a part of your list
4. Seek and Follow
Once you have decided about the Software Companies or departments of your interest, you can use different available filters to research about them, follow them and connect to their employees. Besides being connected to the right person, it will also help you get a glimpse of their vision and work culture.
5. Be Active
Like all other platforms, even on LinkedIn, out of sight is out of mind. Being regularly active by posting some valuable content or resharing some content that interests you will be active. Being a part of different discussions and forums will help you gain knowledge of market trends and build fruitful networks.
6. Make yourself accessible
Even though it's not mandatory to add an email address and phone number in the profile, mentioning it can make it easy for people to contact you directly, even when you miss checking the LinkedIn Inbox on a regular basis.
7. Reaching out to Alumni
Connecting to your college alumni will help you get in touch with your college mates settled in different professions and will also help you earn different perks as a former student. Additionally, it will help you build a wide network through the alumni’s connections.
8. Use LinkedIn Endorsements
Adding skills is one of the effective ways to showcase your capabilities. Further to which getting the skill endorsed by your senior or managers is something that will add weightage to the mentioned skill set and increase likeability.
9. Be Yourself
To create a good to an updated profile, you need not fill in all positives or googled stuff. Being genuine and sharing authentic details of knowledge and experience is very important to be away from being misinterpreted or being labeled as a fraud.
10. Don’t be Shy about needing a new job
Being open to job opportunities is a professional way of letting people know about your interest instead of showcasing the desperateness or urgency by mentioning “Job Seeker” in the profile.
(Author: Alisha Fernandes is an inquisitive learner & content writer at TechDoQuest)