LinkedIn, a Secret Weapon to Personal Branding
Most people spend countless hours on various social media platforms in this day and age. Each platform is centered around something in particular. Twitter was founded initially to recreate the time of the past when people used to write to each other every day. Facebook is meant to make virtual friends from all around the world possible.
Although LinkedIn’s popularity started on rough ground, that road has become smoother every day. Hundreds of people join LinkedIn to make online resumes to find jobs or make something special happen on their career path. Every day, more and more people come to this platform to make their personal and professional brands known to the world.
Over the course of the past few years, the number of LinkedIn users has passed 800 million, and it’s only natural for this number to increase. Undoubtedly, LinkedIn is becoming so much more than a social media platform for looking for vacant positions. It has become the ultimate weapon for personal branding.
In this day and age, everyone and every business is in close competition with so many other people and businesses. If you wish to get recognition, you need to stay on top of the crowd. Hence, you’ll need a killer LinkedIn profile to do so. Your profile page is like an introduction to who you are and what you can do professionally. It’s an excellent opportunity to make a good impression on prospective employers.
How to Get Recognition on LinkedIn
Want to land your dream job? Tired of working for a company that takes you for granted? Want to get recognized for your brilliance, knowledge, and creativity? It’s time to make a few changes to your LinkedIn profile to get the recognition of potential employers or clients. To attract the attention of recruiters, HR executives, and hiring managers who use LinkedIn to find suitable candidates, there are things to consider.
1. Don’t Leave any Questions on Your Profile Unanswered
When a prospective recruiter visits your page, he/she must find all information about your past experience, talents, skills, and everything required accessible. You need to make a good impression, so try to provide everything using a concise and professional writing tone. It will help if you include various aspects of personality with a bit of creativity on the side. Remember that extra effort to make your profile presentable will always pay off in the end.
2. Use a Distinguishable Profile Picture
Although appearance is not everything, it’s the first thing noticed when someone visits your profile. Therefore, you must incorporate a profile picture that is presentable and eye-catching. The recruiters need to know that your appearance matches their company’s culture. Hence, do not use selfies or cropped photos. Choose a picture that depicts a professional image of you.
3. Include Exciting Headlines
The headline might seem unimportant to you, but it is one of the first things that recruiters see on your profile. Hence, make it as interesting as you can because it shows your personality and what you are capable of in action. A good title explains your value or experience in your work field.
4. Highlight Your Professional Experience and Skills
Personal branding experts highly advise people not to copy-paste their resume into their LinkedIn profile. Make sure that you include an informative paragraph about the details of your previous roles and scope of responsibilities. This particularly matters to the recruiters because they usually search for specific information to find someone who is a better match for their vacant position.
5. Incorporate Related Keywords and Be Socially Active
Using industry-related keywords in your profile can connect you to that specific industry. As a result, it will lead the recruiters who work in that same industry to come across your profile, increasing your chances of landing the position you have in mind.
Another vital trick in keeping your LinkedIn profile noticeable is to stay active as much as you can. Share your original content with your followers and keep the interaction on the run. Keep in mind that LinkedIn is a networking platform, and it is through building networks that you can make your personal brand known to others.
Bonus Tip
All HR departments are interested in finding someone with a clean record, someone who has been trustworthy in all his/her previous positions. Here’s where recommendations come in handy. Through recommendation, you let the prospective employers know that you are capable enough to hold a particular position and your personality is appealing to various company cultures.
In many companies and institutions, especially in startup culture, the owners aim for teamwork and effective collaborations. Keep in mind that being a team worker can be a huge advantage, and if you have such ability, you need to let the recruiters know that.
