Let's Cut Through the LinkedIn Racket!

The world of LinkedIn has become very interesting...Buzzwords, polls upon polls, humble brags, memes...I could continue but I'm sure you've seen it all.

However, if you can cut through all the noise, LinkedIn can truly be a great place for career growth. The platform has so many key functions which can enable you to network, identify businesses that are hiring which are aligned with your professional goals and enable you to be identified by hiring managers or internal talent teams.

So, how can you stand out from the virtual sea of irrelevant posts and profiles which leave everything to the imagination?

Let’s dive into the world of LinkedIn and sprinkle some wisdom on how you can approach LinkedIn to make you stand out!

Profile Perfection

Your LinkedIn profile is like a digital handshake. They always say first impressions count and the same can be said for the digital world of networking.

How to make that first impression a good one:

• Profile Picture – Having a clear and professional photo will get you 21 times more views and 36 times more messages. Big impact. This is the first point of view someone will have with you, especially when sending a connection request, so you want it to show who you truly are and demonstrate your professional values.
• Headline Hitter – Your headline is extremely important! This can make or break a connection request, especially if it’s irrelevant to the person you are trying to connect with. Make it snappy and informative.
• Savvy Summary – Use this to tell a compelling story and paint a picture of your professional journey but keep it concise. We’re not telling a novel but, a back page blurb which makes someone want to know more hits the spot!
• Work Experience – Use this section to outline the business you are working with and any key achievements. Adding this information can make you stand out from the crowd and give talent teams or hiring managers a snapshot of what would be on your resume, making you much more desirable if you are actively looking for new job opportunities.
• Skills and Ringing Recommendations – List your skills and get as many recommendations as possible. LinkedIn members with five or more skills listed will get x17 more profile views and recommendations from your peers or previous managers cast a positive view on your professional career immediately. Making you a desirable connection to have and can help you secure new roles.

Network Like a Pro

LinkedIn connections are not like playing Pokémon Go – Gotta Catch 'Em All!

Building meaningful relationships and connecting/following people who will add value to you and your career growth is the goal.

So, how do you go about it?

• Engage, Engage, and Engage Some More – Following relevant individuals in your field and engaging with their content is vital. Like, comment, and share content regularly. Members who engage with content will get x4 more profile views than the ghosts on the platform. It’s a great way to get your name out there and get in front of the most influential people in your field.
• Join Groups – This is a great way to connect with like-minded individuals and stay up to date on trends.
• Attend Events – Now you don’t need to attend EVERY single event! But it can be a great way to see who in your network is attending and the hot topics in your profession. It can also be a great conversation starter with people you’d love to network with but you’re not too sure how to approach them, especially if they are attending the same virtual event.

Master the LinkedIn Feed

Sharing content on LinkedIn isn’t just for the influencers and can be a great platform to reach others outside of your network and build it further.

How you can stand out:

• Post regularly – Share articles, insights, updates, and so much more. Members who post weekly sees double the engagement on their profiles than others who don’t post. Consistency is key here but, tread carefully on controversial or in-depth personal information posts. As you’ve probably seen in the comments a few times “this isn’t Facebook” so if you are doing posts of a personal nature, make it relevant to your connections. Nothing wrong with showing a little personality in the right way!
• Write Articles – As stated by this article! Publishing long-form content is a fantastic way to showcase your expertise and will get the highest engagement on the platform. So, get thinking about what you are passionate about within your field and get to writing – you’ll never know unless you start.
• Impact of Visuals – Content with visuals such as images, videos and infographics get 94% more views than text-only posts. Make those posts POP.

FOR MY CANDIDATES ONLY…

For any candidates not aware of this feature, this can be a great tool to network for new opportunities!

If you are open to work, you can use the #OpenToWork frame which I’m sure you’ve all seen that notifies all LinkedIn members of your status.

However, there is also an option to have control on who sees this. When you are ready to find a new job opportunity on the market but are still in your current position you can select who can see this on your profile. By selecting Recruiters only, LinkedIn will show your profile on search results when recruiters look for suitable job candidates. Steps will be taken to prevent recruiters who work at your current company from seeing that you are open to new opportunities on the market.

Now, it’s never fully guaranteed but it could also help you receive more job opportunities on the market you wouldn’t have been aware of, unless you're already an expert networker.

Phew…Let’s Conclude

I appreciate there is a lot within this article and hopefully some, if not all will be beneficial to help you crush the LinkedIn game and make you stand out from the crowd of 900 million users worldwide. Crazy Right!!

Remember, LinkedIn is your virtual office – dress it up, show up regularly and don’t forget to network like a pro. And who knows, with a bit of luck, you might just land that dream job of yours!