June 10, 2017, Comment off

Want to be Found on LinkedIn? 7 Tips for Improving Your Profile

There’s a reason why billions of people turn to LinkedIn for their career growth efforts. Every day, hundreds of professionals add their profiles in the hopes of getting noticed for career achievements and recruiters looking for outstanding new hires. But, the competition is fierce. How can you ensure that your LinkedIn profile will stand out enough in the right way to get picked up by the world’s leading companies?

Here are some expert tips for building a strong LinkedIn presence, or improving the one you have now.

Keep it updated

It’s up to you to maintain accurate and up-to-date information on your LinkedIn profile. Make it a monthly task to update and add new things to your profile. These updates can include classes you are taking, blog posts you are writing, and updates on your career promotions, recognitions and achievements.

Look at your skills/endorsements

Every LinkedIn member has the opportunity to have others rate them for their skills. Set up a few when you register your account and keep adding new skills along the way. But, don’t include everything you can do all at once. Instead, add new skills as you go along to keep getting fresh endorsements of your skills.

Choose relevant groups to participate in

The time that you spend in LinkedIn groups is valuable. Take the time to go there at least weekly and contribute something of value – such as an article, a blog post, an infographic or some commentary on others’ posts. Be an active member and stay on the minds of others in the groups. Be sure to join your temporary staffing agency’s group too.

Have a good URL

Most people don’t realize this, but you can set up a unique URL for your LinkedIn account. Go into your user settings and choose one that will make it easy for people to find you. For example, use your name, or what you are most known for. If you have a website or other social profiles, use the same description from that.

Get quality recommendations

LinkedIn makes it easy to get testimonials from other professionals in your network. Start asking colleagues, former employers, members of your clergy, college professors, leaders in your industry you know, and any clients you may have done work for to write a positive recommendation for your profile.

Have a professional photo

First impressions are everything, and LinkedIn is no exception. A recent study out of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden said “Facial appearance can affect judgments of attributes such as trustworthiness, aggressiveness and competence.” Use a professional headshot to create an outstanding profile.

Continue to connect with people and foster those relationships

It’s one thing to have a wide LinkedIn network; it’s another to have relationships with those connections. Take the time to get to know each of your connections by setting up a 15-minute phone meeting with them to see how you can support their efforts. You never know which members of their network will be looking to hire someone with your strengths.

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At Arlington Resources, we focus directly on your area of expertise. Contact our award-winning team of recruiters today to take the next step in your human resources career.

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