Happy Spring! Spring is the perfect time to create new goals, as well as assess progress related to previously established goals—especially when the goals relate to your career development. Has it been awhile since you have visited your LinkedIn Profile and engaged with the site? While managing multiple priorities on a daily basis, it can be quite common to forget about maintaining your professional online presence through sites such as LinkedIn. However, with over 700 million members on the site and with many employers utilizing LinkedIn as a way to screen candidates, staying active on this powerful site is essential for career and professional success.
Many professionals may feel uncertain about ways to increase their activity level on LinkedIn beyond searching and applying for jobs. However, LinkedIn allows for a variety of ways to engage with other professionals beyond the job search. In order to increase your engagement level and online presence with LinkedIn, try these following strategies:
- Add content to the “Featured” section of your LinkedIn Profile. Did you know that you are able to add up to five separate pieces of media to highlight your accomplishments? By adding content such as a photo of you in action in a professional setting, a copy of a PowerPoint presentation or project, or an article which features your work, you may encourage interaction from others who may be interested in your work and/or who want to collaborate with you on professional projects.
- Share an article of interest and ask a question to facilitate dialogue. Have you read an interesting article lately on a topic related to your profession that you would like to share with others? Feel free to share the article with your network, provide a sentence or two about your reaction, and ask a question to engage others. For example, you may want to ask other professionals for their perspective on a new business practice or emerging technology.
- Write a blog entry about a topic relevant to your field. Has your company implemented a new business practice that you are able and willing to share with others? Are you working on a project or professional goal and want to share your perspective on the journey? Explore writing a blog entry to discuss key points related to your goal or initiative. Whenever you publish a blog entry, all professionals in your network are alerted which may encourage further engagement with your network.
- Utilize the “Video” feature. A newer feature to LinkedIn, users now have the capability to upload a brief video to highlight current events related to their business or other professional endeavors. Alert your network of any new events in an engaging, brief, visual way!
- Comment on others’ updates and articles. It only takes a few minutes to scan your feed and “like” or comment on updates shared by professionals within your network. LinkedIn has also created automated responses under the “Comment” section to assist with providing ideas with verbiage to utilize when commenting. Commenting on others’ updates may also foster further conversations and is a great strategy to reconnect with your network.
Building and maintaining professional relationships online through utilizing the LinkedIn platform is much easier when applying these five tips. You may want to consider a strategy such as devoting 15 minutes per day to interacting with your LinkedIn Profile in order to encourage consistent involvement. Explore our Social Media Resources for additional tips on updating your LinkedIn Profile, or contact us today if you would like to speak with a Career Advisor about your LinkedIn Profile and strategy!
