Prof Practice - LinkedIn Profile

I decided it would be beneficial for me to form and grow a LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is an app and social media platform which allows you to showcase information about your current work, your workplace, qualifications/education, and also allows you to keep in contact with colleagues and business partners. Essentially LinkedIn is a more professional Facebook. LinkedIn has become extremely popular over the past few years due to its effectiveness and its sleek easy to use layout. Having a strong LinkedIn becomes part of your CV and acts as a digital database/portfolio. Much like a CV, your LinkedIn profile is effective if it is concise and can be understood in a small amount of time. I learned all of this information by picking the brains of my duty manager at work. They said its encouraged within the catering and hospitality industry to have a LinkedIn profile, and that is not exclusive to any one industry due to its rise in popularity. Despite having a brief understanding from a brief talk with my manager I decided to begin conducting my own research into creating an effective LinkedIn profile. I was occasionally receiving emails from LinkedIn and it turns out that I already created an account some time ago, but I had failed to update it to ensure that it has search engine optimisation/profile photo/work info etc. 

This is what my very bare LinkedIn profile looks like currently; 

From my recent job searches and my general research I have found that one of the most effective ways to find out how to build a good site/CV/job application is to look at the specs from the company themselves. For instance in applying for jobs like Lidl and BALTIC which I have done over the past few weeks, those companies provide their own articles or pages of information regarding things like 'how to create an effective cover letter' or 'how to format your CV'. By looking into these things you can tailor whatever it is you're creating to suit the place or company its going to be handed to. This way you increase your chances of being seen or being successful. When I began looking into what makes a good LinkedIn profile, the first place I looked was the LinkedIn website. It turns out that they do infact have an option for this via the website, a page titled 'how to create a killer linkedin profile that will get you noticed'. 

The article is written by Bernard Marr, an internationally best selling author and public speaking. Bernard shares his wisdom via this article. Below are some of the important points I picked up on for my own future reference in crafting my profile.

• It's not about you. Write in first person but remember to sell yourself in whatever it is you're saying. Write as though someone else is reading to hire you or work with you. 
• Get a professional photo - meaning a clean and direct headshot. 
• Fill out the 'summary' field with some of your best achievements. 
• Add images, documents and videos to your profile where necessary. 
• Fill out as much of the profile as you possibly can. 
• Keep your work history relevant. 
• Use status updates to keep your contacts in the loop. 

After reading some of these helpful points from the LinkedIn website I decided I would also look elsewhere for confirmation. The next place I looked was HuffPost, who have an in-depth article on LinkedIn profiles. Huffington Post is a great reliable source of information and is seen as one of the pioneering websites in online modern journalism. 

The first thing that jumped out at me in this article was this quote; 

"Forbes reported that LinkedIn is the number one social tool for both job hunters and hiring managers."

Moving onto the specific points, there were eight in total on how to improve or great an effective LinkedIn profile. This is written from the perspective of Cat Knarr, a journalist who has first hand experience in her LinkedIn profile getting her a job. 

• Build a multimedia profile - make your profile aesthetically pleasing with visuals such as images and videos. 
• Go for meticulous detail - provide instances of work and experience of all kinds that can in some way relate.
• Don't be afraid to connect - utilise the platform to create connections with people. 
• Network inside of LinkedIn groups. 
• Give recommendations and endorsements - and ask for them too. 
• Keep your profile up to date and organised. 

Now I feel like I had the knowledge and understanding of what makes a solid LinkedIn profile, I went about updating my own. Most of it was straight forward entering information and ensuring your profile is up to date based on suggestions made in house. One of the stumbling points which required me to further my research was the summary section. Whilst I am used to writing short summaries about myself and this includes cover letters, I always feel more comfortable when I know exactly what it is I'm writing for, and more importantly why I'm writing it. I found an article also from LinkedIn, showcasing some of the best summaries. I tried to format my own in this way whilst bringing in my own terminology and way of expressing what I do. I learned that a summary must concisely put across what it is you do whilst also having an informal spin to it. The formal approach will leave you dead in the water on LinkedIn, as people want to read something interesting in the midst of the thousands of summaries out there. This is what I came up with; 

After I uploaded my summary I am now what LinkedIn refers to as an 'all star' - meaning that I have passed all of the recommended steps set by LinkedIn. What this does statistically speaking is make you 27 times more likely to show up as a potential employee or business partner. Doing some research and being inventive on how to sell myself has not only made my LinkedIn profile complete, it has made it functional. 

Now that my LinkedIn profile is up and running, I'm going to see where I can go with it. I can link up with colleagues past and present, and I can also look for job opportunities outside of my current sphere (e.g. applying for jobs through job advertisement websites). I believe LinkedIn can bring me some better opportunities alongside being an excellent platform promoting personal growth in a business orientated environment.