With over 930 million members on the largest professional social network, many professionals are not aware of the benefits that LinkedIn can provide to yourself as a professional and any business you are involved. It is common knowledge that social media platforms are an easy way to connect, engage and build networks and relationships, so why not take advantage of this by boosting your LinkedIn profile and understanding all that this platform can offer?

In this blog, we will explore how LinkedIn can be leveraged to enhance your career and professional image.

First step: Crafting a professional profile

Think of your LinkedIn profile as your professional CV that can be accessed by anyone. Like any CV, you want it to be polished and showcase your expertise, experience and achievements you contribute to your industry. First things first, use a high-quality profile picture and write a compelling headline that captures the eye. Do not forget to fill out each section which specifies work experience, skills and achievements. Allow the individual viewing your profile to gain a positive understanding of who you are as a professional.

Second step: Building and nurturing connections/networks

The purpose of LinkedIn is to help grow your professional network. This means you need to connect with like-minded LinkedIn users and your friends to create valuable relationships that can positively contribute to your career. As the common saying goes, “quality over quantity.” Aim to have a reasonable number of strong connections, rather than a large number of weak connections. In some cases, when sending a connection request, you can include a personalised message to explain why you want to connect.

Third step: Content creation and sharing

LinkedIn’s feed is a valuable way to share thoughts and insights about areas of interest to you. Regularly posting and sharing relevant articles, reports and opinions can position you as an attentive individual with an awareness about topics of interest to your like-minded connections. As a result, strengthening the relationships further.

Fourth step: Interacting and getting involved

Following on from content creation and sharing, the need to interact and be involved is also essential to success on LinkedIn. Interacting with your connections by liking and commenting on their posts is a positive start to relating to the other professionals on LinkedIn. By doing this, you can create more connections through the mutual interests of others who are exposed to your profile. There are also several groups and communities on LinkedIn that you can join to ask questions and share discussions and expertise. Engaging in group discussions can help you stay updated on industry trends and alternative opinions.

Final step: Consistently updating your LinkedIn

Finally, your LinkedIn profile is an ongoing effort to build and nurture professional relationships. This means that to stay relevant and maintain engagement with your connections on LinkedIn, you need to consistently update and improve your profile. An example of this is to regularly post by reflecting upon new learnings or achievements that you have experienced to engage your connections in personal updates that also relate to your professional life. Also, these achievements can be added to your profile under sections such as skills or honors and awards.  

And so what does LinkedIn mean for you in the long term?

Well, not only is LinkedIn a social platform but it serves as a valuable tool that can shape and improve your career in the workforce. This enables you to maintain relationships remotely and with a targeted approach. By LinkedIn having the same features as a CV, when applying for a job, your consistent updates on LinkedIn can act as deeper insight about you for any potential employer.

And lastly, please follow Belle PR on LinkedIn @BellePRnz!