LinkedIn is a popular social media platform used to network and connect with professional colleagues and potential employers. Maintaining a updated LinkedIn profile is critical in job-searching in the modern day. Here are some best practices for using LinkedIn:
- Create a LinkedIn profile with a profile picture you’d like future employers and professional networks to see. A LinkedIn profile photo can help build a personal brand and provide employers and professional colleagues with a great first impression. (Utz and Breuer, 3)
- Provide your education credentials, work experience and skills. Posting your professional information on LinkedIn is a great way to make use of the platform’s search-engine optimization recommendation tools that helps attract potential employers and job openings to profiles with relevant skills and work experience. (Buettner, 10)
- Determine a professional audience to target. When using LinkedIn, it’s important to use the platform’s built-in recommendation systems to bolster a profile’s viewership and website traffic. Including keywords or phrases, such as “Proficiency in Microsoft Office” or “Adept at Google Analytics” can help attract employers. (Davis et al. 5)
- Reach out to individuals in your career fields. Being able to connect with a potential client, colleague or employer through LinkedIn is one of the best benefits the platform offers its users. LinkedIn users can find individuals they’ve met in networking events, meetings or interviews and follow up with them to create a lasting professional relationship.
- Learn more about growing industries and career fields. LinkedIn provides its users with a way to learn more about various career industries and best workplace practices through a content feed that provides users notifications of posts other LinkedIn users posted or reacted to (i.e. Liked). (Utz and Breuer, 6)
Works Cited:
Buettner, R. (2017). Getting a job via career-oriented social networking markets. Electronic Markets, 27(4), 371-385. doi: 10.1007/s12525-017-0248-3
Davis, J., Wolff, H., Forret, M., & Sullivan, S. (2020). Networking via LinkedIn: An examination of usage and career benefits. Journal Of Vocational Behavior, 118, 103396. doi: 10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103396
Utz, S., & Breuer, J. (2019). The Relationship Between Networking, LinkedIn Use, and Retrieving Informational Benefits. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking, 22(3), 180-185. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2018.0294
Leave a Reply