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Have you ever wondered how you can make yourself more visible and employable to the many employers out there seeking to hire job talents? I bet you have. Convincing an employer to hire your service can be tricky sometimes, but building a professional online presence can make your job search easier. You would agree with me that recently, most employers take out the time to look up profiles of candidates they are considering to hire, in other to be more convinced about the choice they make. With an opportunity to create a professional career profile on LinkedIn, the ball is now in your court so how you play matters.

LinkedIn is the top online site for professional, social and career networking. The platform facilitates the process of professional networking without having to meet physically. As of 2020, LinkedIn had more than 660 million members in more than 200 countries, including executives from all of the Fortune 500 companies. While we use LinkedIn to search and connect with professionals in various career path, and search for jobs, companies use it for recruiting and for sharing company information with prospective employees.

Why Use LinkedIn?

The platform has been built in such a way that it offers the user, many useful resources and information that can help build your career hence, making you employable. It allows you to show and sell your strengths to recruiters because your data is made public for recruiters to see your capabilities.

Here are some tips to make your LinkedIn profile stand out;

Sign Up; It's simple if you don’t have an account yet. Navigate to LinkedIn.com, enter your first and last name and email address in the indicated area, and create a password.

Upload a Professional Photo; I guess you are familiar with the popular saying that "first impression matters". Your profile photo is your first impression to your potential employer, I know you wouldn't want to joke with that or take it casual. You should opt for a professional-looking photo rather than a casual shot.

A Short But Quality Profile Summary; Your LinkedIn profile summary is a chance to sell yourself and convince your employer about your competence, especially if you are interested in new job opportunities. LinkedIn has a character limit for this section, and you want to make the most of it. I suggest you use short, tight sentences, avoiding jargon, writing in the first person, and make sure to use keywords relevant to you and your profession.

Optimizing Your Profile to Be Search Friendly; this is simply using relevant search friendly words in filling out your profile, job experience, education, skills, interest and others. These words are often used by employers to search for employees when hiring. I believe you would want your profile to appear in the search results when an SEO expert, ICAN Accountant, project manager professional etc. is typed into LinkedIn search box. This increases your chances of being seen and hired.

Request LinkedIn Recommendations; Recommendations are another great way to make your LinkedIn profile stand out. Positive recommendations written by previous employers, clients or colleagues can show a hiring manager what kind of employee you are and what your strengths are. You have the ability to request recommendations from your LinkedIn connections.

Use LinkedIn Endorsements; Endorsements are a quick and easy way for your professional contacts to help show other users where your expertise lies. So, ask for as many as you can get. Remember the ball is still in your court.

In our next session we will discuss other important tips like; including your LinkedIn profile address on your resume, how big should your network be, applying for jobs on LinkedIn, searching company profiles and others. We are rooting for you and hoping that this information helps.