January 14, 2022

Reasons Why You Should Have a LinkedIn Profile

1. To prove your dedication:

Having a LinkedIn account as a student proves that you are resolute and dedicated to pursuing a career. By being specific in your summary and connecting with people in the field that you’d like to end up in, you prove that you’re putting in the time and effort required to succeed in your chosen career.

2. You can tap into its powerful job board

As a job seeker, you can search its robust job board and even apply to jobs through the networking platform. Even if you're not actively seeking new employment, you can set job alerts based on your career interests to regularly receive email updates and stay in the loop.

3. You can build your brand

Just like companies build their brands, it's important for you to build your professional brand online. How do you stand out from others in your industry? What makes you marketable? Why should someone pay you six figures?

4. You can accumulate endorsements and recommendations.

Let others recommend and endorse you for your skills and past work because when anyone who checks out your profile sees these endorsements and recommendations, it shows you have other experts backing up your claims to have certain skills. You can build your credibility through the endorsements and testimonials that LinkedIn allows your contacts to leave on your profile.

5. Gain exposure to Hiring Managers and Recruiters

93% of recruiters use LinkedIn to research and recruit candidates. LinkedIn allows you to have an online personal brand which makes you visible to key decision makers and recruiters. This means when your name is put into a search engine such as google, you have an online personal brand and you are appearing in search results.

6. Join LinkedIn Groups

Groups are a brilliant way to meet people with similar professional interests and expand your network from other graduates to professionals already working in your industry. Groups allow you to take part in discussions. This is a great way to exhibit your knowledge on topics related to your industry, ask questions and start conversations with key people in key organisations

7. News and business posts can be informative and inspirational.

While other social media platforms tend to focus on people’s personal lives, LinkedIn’s emphasis is on the professional. It features business news, as well as motivational or educational articles on various topics. If you follow the right people and organizations, you can learn quite a bit with some brief daily scrolling.

Tips to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out

1. Add your headshot

The simplest thing you can do to upgrade your LinkedIn profile is to put a face to your name by adding a profile picture. This is the first impression people will get from your page. Keep the headshot professional but friendly.

2. Create an eye-catching headline

Your headline is super important since it’s the first thing recruiters see when looking at your profile. Think of it as a small billboard advertisement for you and what you do. Instead of just listing your job title, mention your specialty and how you benefit your company or customers.

3. Get the summary right

Recruiters don’t have the time to read your entire profile - they read your headline, then summary, and quickly decide if you’re relevant for the position. A good LinkedIn summary section includes the following info:

• Your years of experience in your current field

• A list of your most relevant skills.

• Your current job title

• What you’ve excelled at, any relevant accomplishments

• What you’re passionate about

• What kind of role you’re looking for

4. Optimize your experience section

Your experience section is the most important part of your LinkedIn profile. After all, your experience is the #1 factor on whether you’re qualified for any given job or not.

5. Use Visual Media

LinkedIn also allows you to connect other media to your profile like YouTube videos, infographics etc. Get creative with relevant media and make your page jump off the screen and demand attention.

6. Keep your page active

LinkedIn is more than an online resume — it's a networking social media site. That means to get the most out of it, you need to remain active. Check out what other people are posting, engage them with thoughtful comments and discussions, and like and share posts that strike you as helpful.