What is LinkedIn’s purpose?
LinkedIn functions as a powerful platform for connecting with individuals — whether it is coworkers, supervisors, friends, family, or anyone you meet. You can build a LinkedIn profile to showcase your expertise, experience, and skills to connections and potential employers. This platform also functions as an informative platform, providing you with the latest industry trends and developments.
What is the value of LinkedIn?
LinkedIn has endless opportunities with 756 million users and 57 million companies. This is the number one platform to discover job openings. Additionally, 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to research potential candidates. By joining the LinkedIn community, individuals can significantly expand their professional network, widen their job search, and establish meaningful connections with recruiters and potential employers.
How to build a LinkedIn profile intro
A LinkedIn introduction serves as the first impression you make on someone visiting your profile. This section includes your name, profile photo, horizontal photo, and headline. Here is a breakdown of best practices for each part:
- Name: Enter your preferred name in the ‘First Name’ field and your full name in the ‘Additional Name’ field. By putting both names, it ensures you can be easily found. Finally, enter your last name under its respective field.
- Profile photo: It is best to use a clear and recent photo of yourself from the shoulders up. Profile photos help build a LinkedIn profile so others recognize your profile from the image.
- Horizontal photo: This image appears behind your profile photo. You can choose to use LinkedIn’s preset images or upload your own. This can be a city skyline or an image related to your hobbies or interests to visually express more about yourself on your profile.
- Headline: A headline is a field where you can write a description about yourself that can include your current job, educational background, and positive adjectives that describe you. If you are currently employed, you can list your job title. If you are actively seeking employment, you can indicate this by writing for example, “Searching for a position in [desired field].” For the education section, you can list any high school or college diplomas you have achieved. For instance, you can write “North Central Alumni” to showcase your educational background. Additionally, you can enhance your profile by including adjectives that describe your personality, such as “hardworking, organized, and energetic.” These adjectives help showcase your unique traits and strengths to visitors on your LinkedIn profile.
What do I put under experience?
Under the experience section, you can list any relevant previous work experience, organization, volunteer work, or clubs you have been a part of. For each experience, include the date of your involvement and a brief description of your responsibilities in that role. The experience section helps provide a full overview of your professional background and skills. Do not worry if you do not have anything to put under this section — remember, everyone starts somewhere.
What are profile sections that can added to your LinkedIn page?
To enhance your page you can use the “Add profile section.” These sections allow you to include various sections to showcase your skills and experiences. Here are some of the additional sections you can add to your page:
- Languages: Include any additional languages you speak so it can showcase your multilingual abilities on your profile.
- Skills: Enhance your profile by adding what you feel describes your abilities and strengths. Examples of descriptive words are leadership, organizational skills, and decision-making.
- Recommendation: Use this section to request recommendations from current or previous supervisors to write a brief endorsement about your professional capabilities. These recommendations add credibility to your profile.
- Project: If you have participated in any projects write a description detailing your contributions and achievements. Projects demonstrate the work you have completed to drive successful outcomes.
How to be active on LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is more than an online resume; it is a dynamic social media platform where you can actively engage with your professional network. You can build a LinkedIn profile by being active and establishing a presence. Being active can be achieved by creating and posting content about your recent professional achievements, completed projects, or activities. You can also engage your network by posting feel-good content, industry insights, or inspirational quotes. Another way to be active without posting includes commenting on others’ posts or reposting their content. You can also fill your feed by subscribing to newsletters or following LinkedIn influencers to stay informed about industry trends, news, and insights. For more help, use our Career Resource Center to navigate through the complexities of the job market.
