Looking to grow your career? Let your LinkedIn profile do the work for you!

Unless you have been asleep for the past fifteen years, you will know that LinkedIn is one of the world’s largest online professional networking sites. Talent scouts are continuously scouring LinkedIn in search of new recruits they can poach into existing roles. For the career focused individual it is imperative they invest their time into managing their online brand.

Your LinkedIn profile is essentially a resume that is working for you 24/7. Done right it will become one of your greatest personal and professional assets. So what should your profile say about you? Well, a picture tells a thousand words so firstly, be sure to pick the right profile picture. As visual beings we want to put a face to the name, but you want to grab one’s attention…with a professional business image – ideally a portrait shot that is recent and has you ‘smiling’ with your eyes. Would you believe there are companies out there that specialise in photography for personal brands and corporate headshots!? Yep, it’s a thing and it is so because it matters that you get it right. Afforded a secondary image as a background to your profile picture, you have the freedom to set the context of your profile, perhaps demonstrating your passion and leaving a memorable impression.

Other means to connecting with your audience is to create attention grabbing job titles (maybe you’re a Retail Jedi or Accounting Ninja!) and pitching a career summary that tells an interesting and personal story rather than detailing a boring manuscript of your working history. Give life to your skills and experiences, tell the world why you are so valuable and how you can, and have, made a positive difference. As your most personal piece of content marketing you need to spend some time on getting this right. Seek out other people’s opinions of your drafts before taking your story live.

Quickly and easily LinkedIn enables you to grow a network synched to your email. Yet if you live in the world of insurance, you can rapidly connect with other LinkedIn individuals, companies and groups that also work within this industry. While LinkedIn may suggest potential connections, it is you who decides who you link with, whether you are receiving a request or sending one. Ensure too you list all your relevant skills and seek endorsements from your network who will substantiate your skill set, thus add credibility to your profile. And here’s a tip, if you endorse others they are almost certain to endorse you. Yet if you seek a more considered confirmation of your knowledge and abilities, request a recommendation. A personal testimonial from an influential connection is a valuable addition to your profile…ah, resume.

Perhaps though you want your LinkedIn profile to have an even greater impact. And it can. Through writing articles, uploading images and videos, or adding your comments to others content you will begin to appear regularly in your networks feed. Now that’s smart marketing. Ensure your shared contributions are interesting, thought provoking and value adding. Following your industries influencers will add a range of further interesting content to your own feed that you in turn can share with your network. Some of LinkedIn’s top ten influencers include Bill Gates and Richard Branson. Remember too that what you add is a reflection of your opinion and your passions. Will you soon be recognised as an active leader in your industry? Maybe. And what are recruiters looking for? Often it is a leader who can challenge the status quo and influence others to excel beyond expectation. Hmm, handy this LinkedIn thing, huh? Have I mentioned it’s a globally active site?

The savvy LinkedIn user will understand that LinkedIn has multiple key advantages. Often it acts as one’s first impression of you or the business that employs you, thus it can generate new business opportunities on a worldwide scale. It is also a highly trusted business reference that functions as an online resume. It is important that you know how you want the site to work for you as this will influence how you build your profile. Regardless of your motive, you want to make a great first impression and continue to control and manage your online reputation.

It will take some time and effort to build a rewarding LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have the time, or struggle with your ‘elevator pitch’, then the team at SJ Personnel can assist you. As professional recruiters we know what employers seek in a candidate. We can build an online profile for you, all you have to do is contact us and ask about our career services. Find us at www.sjpersonnel.com.au. Talk soon.

SJ Personnel…connecting you with your future.

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SJ Personnel offer recruitment and HR services to businesses and candidates throughout Geelong, Surf Coast, The Bellarine and western Victoria region

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