Inside this lesson, you’ll learn why LinkedIn isn’t just a great platform for job seekers, it’s also something you need to maintain throughout your professional career.
Why LinkedIn?
According to LinkedIn’s own website, it is the world’s largest professional network with over 600 million members. It’s mission is to connect professionals and help them achieve success and be more productive. While it is a social platform, it’s not the place for your vacation photos or updating folks on what you ate for dinner. Instead of connecting with “friends” you are connecting with other professionals in your field or in a filed you are interested in. It also offers you the ability to search for jobs and connect with potential employers and recruiters.
Who needs a LinkedIn Profile?
I advocate that anyone who will be entering the workforce, is looking for work, or has interest in rising to the next level in their current position, needs a LinkedIn Profile. That means if you are approaching high school graduation, a current college students, college graduates, freelancers, entrepreneurs, run a start up, work full-time, work part-time, are currently unemployed, are looking for work, or are interested in achieving professional goals – you need a LinkedIn Profile. It’s the first place employers look next to Google.
What does the profile need?
A lot of people have a LinkedIn profile, but not everyone does it right. LinkedIn has areas of your profile that I term “high value real estate.” These are the areas recruiters and employers look at first. If you fail to catch their attention there, they probably won’t read to see what type of work experience you actually have. The other mistake people make is creating a profile and never logging in again. That’s almost as bad as not having one at all. LinkedIn rewards activity and having a profile that is filled out fully. It makes you more likely to be found in a search by recruiters and help you see promising job opportunities. You’ve got to commit to keeping the page updated and active.