Despite our tech-savvy generation’s familiarity with the incessantly proliferating social media platforms, we find LinkedIn less accessible and trickier to use. Millennials will post to FB, Twitter, Instagram several times a day but are more reluctant to update their LinkedIn profile, which often feels like a dreaded chore. However, LinkedIn, which is seen as primarily a professional network platform, should be used for those who are serious about their careers. Your profile may be seen by future colleagues, recruiters, and potential employers, paving the way for a job opportunity. So, if you don’t already have your career set through retirement, here are six LinkedIn hacks to boost your profile today.
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- Stale information is deadly. Keep your LinkedIn profile constantly updated. Whenever you join a new organization, obtain an internship or start a job, add it to your account immediately. Also, for each new institution you become a part of, find an affiliated group on LinkedIn and link in! Conversely, make sure to delete or revise descriptions of jobs you quit or organizations you drop. Cultivate these two updating steps as a consistent habit to keep your profile fresh and relevant.
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We do judge a book by its cover. Be eye-catching. While you should aim for substance over form, eye-catching presentation is important. The first thing you should do is update your picture to a clean, professional one. According to Forbes magazine, one undiscovered trick is to “make the photo black and white—since the majority of the photos are in color, the black and white choice will help to set you apart from the crowd.” Another differentiating tactic is to go beyond posting bullet points and paragraphs. Instead, try adding an array of images, links, and even voice recordings. Whatever techniques you choose, your profile should be visually appealing, setting you apart from the typical intermediate level users.
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Robots are boring. Show some spunk. According to statistics, employers on average spend a grand total of six seconds skimming resumes. Yes, you read right – six seconds. Whenever I spend time creeping on other people’s LinkedIn accounts, I often find myself yawning. While it is important to appear professional, don’t be timid about adding personality and a splash of color to your profile. You should be personable, writing your profile as if your potential employer/recruiter and you were talking over a cup of coffee. It’s up to you whether you utilize first or third person, but most importantly, don’t feel the need to adhere to a set template, like most resumes. Instead, keep it real.  (That’s another thing, by the way. Don’t lie and risk the chance of getting caught. It’s an amateur, super-embarrassing and possibly career-ending move).
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A rolling stone gathers no moss. Stay engaged within your network. Once you have joined groups that are affiliated with your area of interest, take it one step further by actively participating in discussions. Most LinkedIn users are usually content with simply joining the group. However, in order to maximize your time and network, instigate discussions in your personalized LinkedIn community and (like Facebook, Twitter, etc) share issues that are meaningful to you. One way I established my own voice on LinkedIn was by joining NYU’s chapter of LinkedIn’s Student Voices program, where I publish posts and collaborate with other campus writers from across the nation.
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Quality over quantity. Don’t become feedback-obsessed. Being a generation that is infatuated with numbers, whether that be likes, followers, or views, we tend to jump on the bandwagon rather than dare to be different. While your profile views do matter to a certain extent, that shouldn’t be your main concern. Unless you know someone personally or have been introduced to him/her by a friend or a relative you trust, avoid connecting for connecting’s sake. Similarly, don’t be that person who thoughtlessly endorses everyone for every skill, expecting thousands of endorsements in return. The number of endorsements for your specialized set of skills and qualifications should be an accurate reflection of your proficiencies. Make your endorsement matter.
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Customize the URL for your LinkedIn profile and share the heck out of it. Just as finding the right location for a business is critical to the success of that business, it is vitally important that you publicize your LinkedIn account using other social media platforms to raise your visibility. I always share my LinkedIn articles on Facebook and Twitter to expand the reach of my network. As it can put off views if the link is complex with eccentric numbers and jumbled letters, to neatly customize the URL for your LinkedIn profile, go to: Profile, Edit Profile. Just under your picture, you should find an area with your current LinkedIn URL. Use that as your link for viewing ease.
Happy networking!