With over 800 million people on the platform it can seen hard to make yourself stand out. In this post I will be giving you my tips and tricks to making the most of LinkedIn and how to make your profile great!
Use the app:
You could have your network and all the opportunities that come with it right in your pocket! The LinkedIn app makes it easier than ever to keep your profile updated and stay up to date with the latest research, career opportunities and news from your dream employers. Personally I find it a lot easier to keep up with what my connections are doing and to communicate with them using the app rather than the website. Try both and use what works best for you!
Join groups to find people with mutual interests:
You may be thinking “I don’t know many people within my industry, what do I do?”. Joining groups is the answer! There are millions of groups out there, so there is definitely going to be some that are perfect for you. I joined quite a few small groups that are specific to my area of industry as well as some larger, more general groups. It is interesting to see what other people share and get up to so make sure you are interacting with the posts in the groups that you join to enable you to build up genuine connections before adding people to your network.
Make the most of LinkedIn learning!
Did you know that there are thousands of courses available on LinkedIn learning and as a UoL student you can access these for free! There are plenty of courses on transferable skills that can be used across a wide range of subject areas as well as more specific courses too. You can set yourself a weekly learning goal with reminders to help encourage you to meet that target. This is a great way of continually developing your skills throughout your studies. For more information on how LinkedIn learning can benefit you check out this video by UoL student life creator Aaron.
Fill out as many of your details as you can:
Details matter! If your profile is lacking important information, skills or experience it is unlikely you will be successful when using it for direct applications. When you first set up your profile, LinkedIn will tell you what to do to create a great complete profile, so be sure to fully follow their guidance to give yourself the best chance to stand out. Make sure that you include a relevant photo and be sure to highlight how experience you currently have can be utilised e.g what transferable skills did you gain or enhance.
Regularly update your account with CPD you are doing
Employers love to see that your are doing consistent continual professional development (CPD) as it shows that you are willing to work hard to achieve your goals. This could be LinkedIn learning courses, conferences or even The Lincoln Award. Not only this but it is important to celebrate your wins and acknowledge when you have done a good job so that when your studies or your job gets tough you can look back at all the great things you have already achieved and persevere!
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you are unsure why you should use LinkedIn be sure to check out my post LinkedIn – Why students should use it. Also, be sure to follow student life on Linkedin!
“Networking is marketing. Marketing yourself, your uniqueness, what you stand for”
Christine Lynch
- Topics
- Job hunting
- Networking
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