LinkedIn Best Practices Memorandum

To: Members of MASK
From: Kathryn Simone, English 301 Student
Date: June 29, 2020
Subject: Memo about LinkedIn Best Practices

I have researched best practices for using LinkedIn as a professional networking site, and wish to share them with you all. Please consider the following tips and incorporate them into your LinkedIn usage as you see fit:

1. To portray a professional first impression, acquire headshots from a professional photographer, and keep them up-to-date by redoing them at least every few years.
2. Use keywords so that your target audience can easily find you on and off LinkedIn (e.g. Google). Insert keywords into the company profile information, clearly representing who you are and what you do.
3. Make sure your profile is free from grammatical and spelling errors. This demonstrates attention to detail and professionalism to recruiters and profile viewers.
4. Always be sure to be positive, professional, and courteous when interacting with other LinkedIn users.
5. Fill out relevant sections of your profile. Areas like work experience, skills, volunteer experience, and education to provide profile viewers with a good overview of your skills and experiences.
6. Keep your activities professional – Treat LinkedIn as a professional network site, not a casual social media.
7. Engage with your connections in various ways, from making relevant comments to ‘liking’ their posts.
8. Your invitations are more likely to be accepted if you customize your invitations. This creates a good first impression for the reader.
9. For work experience, be sure to list quantifiable accomplishments. For example, instead of saying that you “helped the company save money”, write “reduced annual expenditures by $10k” and note how you did so.
10. Use connections to your advantage. If you are applying to a company, see if you have any primary or secondary connections who work there, and reach out for a reference.
    I hope that my compilation of best practices will be useful for your future LinkedIn involvements. By adhering to the above ten best practices, you can hone in on your skills and experiences in order to be an attractive candidate to potential employers. Thank you for reading and please feel free to contact me should you wish to discuss my findings.

References

Borden, Tammy. “9 Best Ways to Grow Your Network on LinkedIn.” Weidert Group Marketing & Sales Blog, 12 Oct. 2018, www.weidert.com/whole_brain_marketing_blog/best-ways-to-gain-more-connections-on-linkedin.

Doyle, Alison. “Maximize Your Profile on LinkedIn.” The Balance Careers, The Balance Careers, 7 Dec. 2018, www.thebalancecareers.com/how-to-use-linkedin-2062597.

Feldman, Barry. “LinkedIn Best Practices for Developing Your Personal Brand.” Feldman Creative, 16 June 2015, feldmancreative.com/blog/linkedin-best-practices-personal-brand/.

Lua, Alfred. The Quick Guide to LinkedIn Marketing Strategy: 9 Best Practices. Buffer Marketing, N.D, https://buffer.com/library/linkedin-marketing/#optimize-for-search

Pullen, John Patrick. The Ultimate Job Seeker’s Guide to LinkedIn. Time, 13 July 2016, http://www.time.com/4403304/the-ultimate-job-seekers-guide-to-linkedin.

Zantal, Amanda. 29 LinkedIn Tips for Professional Networking, Business & Marketing. Hubspot. 5 September 2017, https://danlhoff.com/blog/29-linkedin-tips-for-professional-networking-business-marketing.