Did you know that LinkedIn is now regarded as the world’s largest online professional network with close to 200 million members in over 200 countries. More and more hiring managers, recruiters, employers and head-hunters are using LinkedIn as part of their hiring strategy. With demand for jobs at an all-time high, having a professionally written LinkedIn profile may be the difference in receiving an interview request and ultimately scoring that brand new job. So, how can you use LinkedIn to help promote your skills and experience? Are there any secrets that can be implemented? And what type of privacy can you control to ensure that your current employers don’t think you are looking for a new job while at the same time attracting people to your LinkedIn profile who may be in a position to hire you for their business?
Just like your resume is a marketing document, the aim of your LinkedIn Profile is to highlight to the reader all the value added skills that you are able to bring to your next role. Don’t be shy in highlighting your achievements. The more examples you can use to back up your statements the better. If you are in a managerial position let the reader know how many people you manage. If you saved the company money, provide examples of how you cut costs or increased revenue. The only way a reader can fully understand how great you are, is by providing detailed examples of all the great skills you have to offer.
When you set up your profile you will notice that there is a section to edit your “Public Profile”. LinkedIn automatically provides you with a public profile that ends with various numbers and letters. By editing this profile you can remove these random numbers and letters and have a professional looking public profile that you can then include on your resume or within your email signature.
To ensure you get the most out of your LinkedIn profile you need to optimise your profile with strategic keywords targeted towards your industry. You can include keywords in your profile area as well as throughout your employment section. LinkedIn also provide a “skills and expertise” section which enables you to include up to 50 skills. Utilise this area to include as many targeted keywords and skills as possible.
Lastly ensure that you further complete as many additional sections as possible to enhance your profile. This can involve including information regarding certifications, honours and awards. LinkedIn also offer areas to include languages and even projects that you may wish to highlight. If you have worked for specific charities you can also include this information within your profile
If you’re scared that your new profile will attract the prying eyes of your current employer you can set your privacy settings to suit your needs. LinkedIn offer various different types of privacy to ensure that you can promote as much or as little to whoever you wish to see your profile. Your privacy settings can let you control who sees your activity broadcasts and activity feeds. You can also control who can see your connections and select what other people can see when you have viewed their profile. If you are actively looking for a new job I recommend you make your profile as viewable as possible. If you’re currently in a job and being more discreet about your job search you are able to control the amount of information that is visible to the public.
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