When it comes to job hunting and standing out in the job force in 2021, personal branding is a necessity. In case you’re unaware, personal branding is promoting yourself online via social media in order to stand out to potential employers. Personal branding can be done on a variety of platforms, including Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, or a personal website or blog. That being said, one of the top platforms for personal branding is LinkedIn. You know, that app where you can find jobs that has a demographic of older people. Turns out, it’s one of the best places for young people to promote themselves because the employers and industries you want to attract are all on there! Personal branding on LinkedIn has become so important that there is actually a computer science course at the University of Windsor dedicated to personal branding, with a specific focus on LinkedIn. This course is known as COMP 2097: Social Media & Mobile Tech for End Users and is open to all majors. I took this course last semester, and today, I shall share my wisdom with you!
- Take Time to Design Your LinkedIn Profile
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Often, a lot of people will use LinkedIn as a digital resume, adding their experience, education, and then finishing up. But in reality, there are so many more things to add to your LinkedIn to make it stand out! You can add all of the University courses you’ve taken (or at least ones that pertain to your industry) to the accomplishments section under courses, and you can include all of the extracurriculars you are a part of to the organizations section! There are also sections on LinkedIn for publications (which can include blog posts), projects, and test scores! Under your experiences, LinkedIn also allows you to add media, so if you got to be part of the creation of a really cool product for work, you could attach a media file under the job to show potential employers what exactly you did. Taking the time to go in-depth with what you are doing and what you have done allows employers to get a real sense of your background in the particular field you are applying for.
- Add Some Personality
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LinkedIn is not just about learning your background and expertise. It’s also about learning who YOU really are! LinkedIn allows you to do this through interests. In the interests section, you can add different companies and brands you’re interested in so people can learn more about you. These interests will also appear in your feed so you can learn about the latest updates on what you love. There is also a section under accomplishments known as causes, where you can add different things you are passionate about. Finally, your About section on LinkedIn is one of the most important sections on your page. Here is where you can tell people about yourself, and write it based on your “brand”—whether you are more of a serious professional leader, a tech nerd, or even someone who loves emojis. You can convey your personality in your LinkedIn About section in a professional way, allowing for employers to get to know you personally, and professionally!
- Network
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Another mistake that young LinkedIn users make is only using LinkedIn for jobs and your personal profile. However, another great thing you can do on LinkedIn is network with other people in your industry. Not only can you find friends, family, teachers, and co-workers on LinkedIn, but you can also connect with industry leaders and people who are in positions that you hope to be in one day simply by pressing a button. If you want to work at Apple, or Netflix, or really any business, you can find people who work at those businesses and connect with them! LinkedIn also has a great messaging feature where you can reach out to these connections and ask them about the field. Maybe you’ll even find a mentor! Going back to your closer connections, your connections are also allowed to endorse your skills. So, if one of your connections thinks you are great at a form of industry knowledge like photography, or a tool such as Microsoft Excel, they can endorse your skills to make you stand out to employers who are looking for people with those skills. You can also join groups based on your interests, where you can find more connections. Essentially, the more you network, the more you will be seen. So networking and connections are key!
- Engage
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Engaging is also very important on LinkedIn. Like social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, posting allows your feed to stay relevant. This also applies to LinkedIn. Posting on your page, as well as commenting on other people’s posts allow people to keep seeing you—not only on your connections’ feeds, but also in search. Some things you can post about include accomplishments, promotions (not just for experiences, but club positions as well), milestones, and your interests with relevant articles and general postings. By engaging on LinkedIn, you’ll allow more people to see you and learn more about you and what you’re up to!
- Be Unique with Personal Details
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There are things that lots of users do or don’t do on LinkedIn that you should and should not do. First, making a custom URL on LinkedIn will allow you to stand out to employers by showing you put lots of time into your brand, rather than using a URL with a bunch of numbers. You can also use your cover photo to your advantage by adding more details about yourself through pictures and using a colour scheme that matches your professional headshot. Make sure to avoid common buzzwords as that will make you seem similar to other applicants, and be personal by using first-person pronouns so that you can make a better connection! You can even personalize your headline to create the impression that you’re a warm and welcoming candidate. Playing around with minor details like these will make your profile less of a profile, and more of a personal brand.
So, that is personal branding on LinkedIn! By using these tips, you can turn your LinkedIn platform into more than just another social media page, and more of a way to convey yourself (A.K.A your personal brand) to employers and businesses you want to work with! If you want to do more personal branding, consider expanding your LinkedIn branding to Instagram, Twitter, or other social media platforms so employers can get a sense of you on all platforms! For more details on personal branding, I would suggest checking out the COMP 2097 course at the University of Windsor, or you can connect directly with me on LinkedIn here! I’d be happy to be your first connection!