Who is Linkedin for?
Welcome to LinkedIn, the world's largest professional network with 756 million members in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.
With so many people in one platform, Linkedin is now the STRONGEST asset that you can utilize to enhance your career plans, grow your business and expand your professional network.
Recruiters today turn to Linkedin to not only search for new talent but to vet potential candidates even more so than a resume or cover letter.
“Your LinkedIn is your opportunity to give the broader narrative around your strengths and work style,” says Muse career coach Heather Yurovsky. “You have more room [than your resume] to showcase a wide range of experiences and skills which means a greater chance that there will be something in your profile that a viewer will connect with. That connection is key in a job search.”
What If You’re Not Looking For A New Job?
Linkedin is great for prospecting sales or new customers. Using the Linkedin search and filter option can allow you to find the contacts for hundreds of people in the role, industry and location you are looking for. This type of targeted approach can let you streamline your efforts and scale appropriately. According to sales expert, Robert Knop "This type of approach gets you in front of potential decision-makers instead of being 1 file amongst 1,000 applying for the same job".
Linkedin is best for:
- The recent college graduate looking to build their network
- The person exploring new career options
- The person who wants to grow their network or brand
Here are 5 Easy steps to Updating Your Linkedin to Stand Out From The Crowd
__Step 1: Customize your vanity URL __
Own your profile, add it to your signature, and have your LI profile pop up high on Google search results for your name (vs. Facebook as an example).
__Step 2: Update your banner __
This is a way for you to quickly grab the attention of the viewer. This can also act as marketing or PR for you in addition to creating a cohesive branded message for your company.
Step 3: Update your contact information
As you start to post more on LinkedIn, you want to give people a way to reach out to you, direct them to your business' website or highlight your work (i.e. personal website).
Think about your headline as a way to peak interest or drive value not just your title (i.e. Culture-first CEO v. CEO)
Step 4: Update Featured Section with Rich Media
Feature work that you are proud of or posts that resonated with your audience (long forum or statuses). This is a place for you to highlight your business in the news to drive awareness. Think of this as a place for revolving content as you always want to update it with what is most relevant and up-to-date.
Step 5: Edit rich media for current experience __
You want to give the viewer as much info as possible about what you’ve been up to and inspiration to want to learn more (follow up on LI, create an account, view your website, etc.)
Now that you've updated your Linkedin, start networking!
