LinkedIn is a professional networking platform. Think of it as the Instagram or Facebook of your career. Your LinkedIn profile will have information about yourself including: where you went to school, your professional experience, and any certifications you may have received. In addition to storing your resume, LinkedIn is also a job board and a great way to contact employers. LinkedIn is an incredibly useful tool to anyone looking for a job, and a great LinkedIn Page could help in your job search. Here are a few tips to help you set up your LinkedIn profile.
Step 1: Creating Your Account
There will be an option to create an account on the home page. Enter a valid email address and a password, and you will have created your account. If this is not your first time on LinkedIn, you can just log into your account.
Step 2: Creating Your Profile
Enter in your work history. Be sure to include the company you worked at, the name of the position you were in, your term of employment, and any valuable information about the position.
Next, you can enter in your education history. If you received a college degree, you should include what your degree was in addition to the years you spent at college.
Then, you want to enter any professional skills that you have and any skills that may be relevant in a professional setting.
Lastly, if applicable, there is an option to enter any certifications that you obtained.
Step 3: Add A Profile Picture
Arguably one of the most important parts of creating your LinkedIn account is your profile picture. Your profile picture is the easiest way for someone to recognize you. Try to make sure that you have decent lighting. LinkedIn has a built-in cropping method that can allow you to shape your photo to your needs.
Step 4: Customize Your URL
Your LinkedIn page has its own URL, and you have the option to customize it. We highly recommend that you customize your URL as it will help others easily identify your page. A lot of job applications will ask for your LinkedIn URL during the application, so having a custom URL can appear more professional.
Step 5: Check Out LinkedIn’s Features
As mentioned earlier, LinkedIn has many useful features to anyone looking for a job.
Job Board
LinkedIn has a built-in job board that employers post on. In addition to Indeed and any other job board you may use. Like other job boards, you search for jobs that fit your wants. Additionally, recruiters will occasionally reach out to you with certain positions they think you may be a fit for.
Connections
In addition to the job board, LinkedIn allows you to connect with people you have met. This makes networking incredibly easy. You can find old coworkers, classmates, acquaintances, and friends on LinkedIn to connect with. Strong connections could increase your chances of getting a job.
Following Companies
If you are interested in the work a company does or the possibility of working in that country, you are able to follow the company. This will provide you with notifications about what that company posts, and it will put those posts on your feed.
Step 6: Set Privacy Setting
The last step of creating your profile is to check the privacy setting of your profile. Here, you can determine who can see your profile and how much they can see of your profile picture.
Step 7: Continuously Update Your Profile
Now that your profile is completed, you want to be sure to keep your profile updated. Maybe you got a new certification, started a new job, or learned a new skill. Regardless, it is vital that you continue to update your profile to communicate these new things with a potential employer.
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