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We're hiringAre You Linked In To A World Of Opportunities Online?
10 July 2012
by Web Bureau
LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with 161 million members online, of which 9 million are in the UK.
There are many reasons to join a professional network like LinkedIn and create your online profile. Building a professional profile is the first step in the process which will enable you to build up a connection network that can be used to access business opportunities, facilitate job hunting, support professional networking and provide a showcase for your skills, knowledge and expertise. It’s also a great opportunity for maintaining contact with former work colleagues or classmates.
Once set up LinkedIn is a valuable tool to leverage your existing contacts to connect with people and potential customers online. When LinkedIn for business, you can list up to three websites; you can include a link to your company’s website, a link to your blog and to your social media accounts which can be a great platform for social media marketing and also to showcase your social media cv.
Building a Professional Profile
Build a complete, well structured Professional Profile is vital in order to optimise the effectiveness of your LinkedIn presence. When your online profile is 100% complete it will increase your visibility and help you get found by employers, recruiters and prospects.
Initial areas of focus
Profile Headline
Your profile headline gives people a short, memorable way to understand who you are in a professional context. Think of the headline as the slogan for your professional brand. Also consider making it keyword rich, improving the chances of your profile appearing in the search engines for a user’s query.
Profile Photo
When choosing a photo — and we recommend that you do — select an appropriate, professional, high-quality headshot.
Summary
This is a key part of your profile. Describe your professional experiences and goals - who you are, what you can do. Present your summary in short blocks of text for easy reading. Bullet points are great too, and again dropping in a few search friendly keywords is recommended.
Work Experience
List companies you have worked for and add a brief description of what they do and what your role was within the company.
Connections
The point of a networking site is to establish as many connections as possible. Try to aim for 50 to start with, with your end goal being 500-
Specialties
In this area, include keywords and phrases that a recruiter might use in a search engine to find a person like you.
Recommendations
Nothing builds credibility like third-party endorsements. The most impressive profiles have at least one recommendation associated with each position they held.
Groups
Join as many relevant groups as possible; many interest groups and professional bodies have established LinkedIn groups.
Update your status weekly
Tell people about events you’re attending, major projects you’ve completed or similar news that you would tell someone at a networking event.
Share your work
Add examples of your writing, design work, or other accomplishments to enhance your LinkedIn profile even more.
Once your profile is complete, there is much more to consider such as optimising your profile for search engine visibility, setting up a business profile, starting or engaging in conversations and creating your own groups. If you would be interested in attending a LinkedIn workshop to help you or your business get the most out of LinkedIn, email us on info@thewebbureau.com