Online social networking has become a great way to connect with potential employers, and LinkedIn is a popular site for professionals and industry experts. Here are some important tips to maximize your LinkedIn profile and networking capabilities:
Use LinkedIn Groups
Joining groups can connect you with others and provide a way for you to make yourself known in professional circles. Following group discussions is a great way to become familiar with the language and hot topics in your field.
Completely fill out your profile
Use your current resume to complete all the fields in your LinkedIn profile so that you stand out. Your profile should be concise yet comprehensive and include all your work experience. Note: Remember to consider privacy and personal safety. Do not include your home address or personal details that you wouldn’t want all of your contacts’ contacts to see.
Create a unique URL
For personal branding, attach everything on the web to your full name. LinkedIn has a high Google PageRank and offers the option to create a personal URL which can help increase your Google results.
Applications
Two applications you can use via LinkedIn are WordPress blog RSS and Slideshare.net. Having your blog syndicate through your profile is valuable to show employers that you are already writing about topics in which you are interested. A Slideshare presentation can demonstrate that you are capable of making valuable contributions.
Recommendations
This is a great feature. You can request recommendations from people that are able to speak to your professional abilities. Coworkers, professors and other professional or academic colleagues are examples of people who could write positive recommendations for you. These become public. Print them off and bring them to job interviews.
Linking
Use your LinkedIn profile URL on your traditional resume. Profiles are easy to read and are focused on your professional careers, so link your URL on Twitter, Facebook or any other network, website or blog to which you may subscribe.