5 Ways Young Professionals Should Use LinkedIn, #1 is Very Important

I joined LinkedIn July of 2013. I didn’t start using it until January of 2014.

I had no clue what LinkedIn was for and why it existed. This prevented me from doing anything with my account for months! I finally said “Let me see what the big fuss, is about.”

When it comes to your participation in social media, are you spending most of your time on Facebook and Twitter?

If so, you might be overlooking the marketing potential of a very important and valuable social network: LinkedIn.” (Source: HubSpot)

Like most entrepreneurs and professionals, you’re probably on LinkedIn because you know it’s the place to be if you are in business. But your LinkedIn account has been dormant for months. You’re also not familiar with how people are networking on LinkedIn. You don’t really know what to do with your profile page; which has prevented you from doing anything with it. Maybe you don’t see what the big fuss is about.

I was in your position 12 months ago. But after learning that LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the Internet with more than 332 million members in over 200 countries and territories, I realized – it’s worth my time. Since then I changed my tune, and perspective, on the behemoth social media platform. Today, my LinkedIn network continues to grow and support my budding business.

I’ve found these 5 simple steps are paramount to making the best of your LinkedIn profile.

1) Remove the Boring Picture Or Errr..Have One

Adding a LinkedIn profile picture makes your profile 7x more likely to be viewed by others.” (Source: LinkedIn) Your profile picture should be vibrant, inviting and intriguing all at the same time.

Invest in professional head shots, and opt for a white background or solid color. That means you shouldn’t post a cropped selfie from your best friend’s birthday bash. If your industry doesn’t adhere to the usual suit and tie company culture, get creative. Post a picture that represents what you do (but be careful; it can add character or come off as cheesy or inappropriate). To be safe, stick with a standard head shot with a light colored background and a smile on your face.

2) Have a Headline. Attract What You Seek

The biggest over sight, is the misuse of the headline, to only state where you work. Wrong! Use it as a platform to share what you do and how you do it. You want to be found for keywords of industry interest, and you want to stand out among the other boring headlines.Showcase your specialty.

Do: Health fitness enthusiast, with over 10 years of training experience, motivating clients into tip top shape

Don't: Trainer at GoodLife

See the difference. Which one would you care to read more about.

3) This is Your Online Portfolio, Not a Resume

This is not an online version of your resume. Please for the life of Mary's baby, don't use LinkedIn as a resume, use it as a vehicle.

A vehicle to attain a new job, attract more clients, build your personal brand or strengthen your network. None of those things require you to write out your resume verbatim.

Use it more of an opportunity to showcase your specialty, talents and skills. Have images, links to articles (you've written or are in), video's, samples of your work.  Again, this is your online portfolio of you and your work. Use accordingly.

4) Join Groups. Expand Your Network

This is not Facebook.

Expand your network on LinkedIn. To connect with only people who you know limits your reach.

LinkedIn is a professional social network to connect that enables you to connect with people in different industries, and at different levels. To build a solid network that will assist in your professional development and growth, reach out.

According to HubSpot, 81% of users belong to at least one group “and of those users, 52% participate in group discussions.” Join a group of interest and contribute regularly, build relationships.

Then when you want to add to your network, the connection is made through a group in which you are both active participants. “What if the person I want to connect with isn’t in a group?” Send a personal note explaining why you are reaching out, before you hit connect.

The generic note won’t cut it; at least not when attempting a meaningful connection.

5) Add Value to Your Connections

After you’ve built up your LinkedIn network, what are you going to do with it? Use yourstatus update to display what’s going on professionally in your life. Studies suggest that42% of LinkedIn users update their status regularly. (Source: Lab42)

Add character to your LinkedIn profile and show you are active and relevant. A great way of doing this is sharing relevant content. Did you enjoy what you’ve learned at a recent conference? Have your read an article that, when implemented, increased your ROI? Share it. Your contacts might be interested. They are in your industry after all, so they could absolutely benefit from what you have to offer.

By using the pulse feature on LinkedIn, articles of interest and/or within your industry will come up in your feed that you can either share, like or comment on. Once you interact with an article, it will show up in your network feed. It creates an impression that you are knowledgeable in your industry. What a great impression to give off?!

 Bonus! Customize your LinkedIn url You know the URL that has all of those digits and random text at the end of it? Yeah, that one. When you customize your URL, to your name for example, it looks more professional. Especially, now that you feel more confident sharing your new, up-to-date, and super engaging profile.

Sometimes you need to trim the fat and get to the core of what makes you stand out professionally.

Fundamentals are paramount to mastering any endeavor – including social media presence. Once you’ve made these tweaks, let’s connect!