We've saved this document on your profile. 5 Minutes Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Copy URL You Mean Business Tips to Level-Up Your LinkedIn Game It’s official. LinkedIn has become an integral part of the hiring process. And who knows? Whether a message from a recruiter or connection turns into a real possibility or a company’s hiring manager recommends you because they were impressed by the endorsements on your profile, the business-centric social platform could be the very thing that leads you to your next big break. So how do you leverage LinkedIn beyond a completed profile, customized URL, and a few congratulatory comments? You’ve come to the right place. Keep reading, and we’ll show you how. 1 Begin with your purpose. Dig deep to understand your personal brand and who your target audience is. YouRock! 2 Envision what success looks like and what you wish to accomplish. Do you want to be seen as a thought leader in your industry? Show off your skills for recruiters? Simply increase your influence and number of connections? GoGirl! 3 Rethink your profile image and header photo. Swap the stiff headshot for a picture of you in action — with mic in-hand, for example, to illustrate your chops as a public speaker. YouRock! 4 Utilize LinkedIn’s voice message feature to send brief, one-minute recordings to your first-level connections. Record and share your one-sentence elevator pitch or simply let someone know how to pronounce your name. YouRock! 5 Optimize your headline by sharing not only what you do, but how you can uniquely provide value. Sprinkle in quantitative stats, like satisfaction rates from a recent survey, to strengthen your statement. YouRock! 6 In your summary, share the story of your career. End on a high note about what specifically you can offer potential future partners and companies. Don’t forget to include a call to action! WayTo Go 7 Listen to Mita Mallick’s Fierce Lab podcast episode to learn about building your personal brand on LinkedIn. GoGirl! 8 Post consistently, and mix things up by posing questions that allow people to share their perspectives. Generate conversations about topics relevant to your brand. YouRock! 9 Upload samples of your work onto LinkedIn to showcase your skills, knowledge, and contributions. If you don’t have a digital portfolio, write LinkedIn articles to share your expertise. WayTo Go 10 In your work history, always include qualitative data (e.g.,”managed a team” or “increased morale”) and quantitative data (concrete points, such as, “increased profit margin by 13% in 6 months”). WayTo Go 11 Comment and engage with other user’s posts and in LinkedIn groups. Be a helping hand and gain trust from others as you build your business empire — or at least your LinkedIn-pire. YouRock!
