How do you research and follow potential employers and influencers on LinkedIn?

1 Optimize your profile

Before you start researching and following potential employers and influencers on LinkedIn, it’s important to make sure your profile is up to date, professional, and attractive. Your profile acts as an online resume and portfolio, so you need to showcase your skills, achievements, and personality. To optimize your profile, start with your headline; make it catchy, relevant, and keyword-rich. Use it to highlight your value proposition, current role, or career goal. Your summary is an opportunity to tell your story, mission, and aspirations. Use it to showcase your passion, expertise, and unique selling points in a conversational tone. Highlight key skills and achievements with bullet points. The experience section should list your work history, education, certifications, and volunteer work; demonstrate impact, results, and contributions with action verbs, quantifiable metrics, and relevant keywords. Finally, the recommendations section should showcase your social proof, credibility, and reputation; ask for recommendations from current/former colleagues/managers/clients/mentors; give recommendations to others as well.

2 Search for opportunities

Once you have optimized your profile, you can start searching for potential employers and influencers on LinkedIn. You can use the search bar to find companies, people, jobs, groups, or hashtags that match your interests, goals, or keywords. Additionally, you can use the jobs tab to browse and apply for jobs that fit your criteria. You can also set up job alerts to get notified of new opportunities. Furthermore, the content tab allows you to discover and follow relevant content shared by your connections, companies, groups, or hashtags. You can also gain insight into what topics are trending and what articles are popular.

3 Engage with your target audience

Engaging with potential employers and influencers on LinkedIn in a meaningful and respectful way is essential for building rapport, trust, and visibility. You can like, comment, and share their content to show your interest in their work, opinions, and insights. Additionally, you can send connection requests personalized with a short and friendly note that explains who you are, why you want to connect, and what value you can offer. You can also send messages with a clear purpose and respectful tone that address their needs, challenges, or goals. Offering resources, insights, or opportunities can be a great way to provide value.

4 Build your personal brand

The final step to research and follow potential employers and influencers on LinkedIn is to build your personal brand. This involves presenting yourself in a way that communicates your value and sets you apart from others. To do this, create and share content such as articles, posts, stories, or videos that demonstrate your knowledge, skills, and passion. Additionally, join and participate in groups relevant to your industry, niche, or interests. You can also network with other group members and seek and give endorsements to your connections, potential employers, and influencers. Endorsements are a great way to validate your skills and boost your credibility.

5 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?