It's the beginning of the year.
Easter is close. You've watched and re-watched everything National Insulting joke. You technically have a couple more days off, but vegging no longer feels right.
You start thinking you should do something professional, but you don't want to change out of pajama pants.
Good news - updating your LinkedIn profile can help your career development in the new year, and it won't require a clothing change.
If you're hoping to build a personal brand, enter the running for a promotion, grow your business customers, or just develop a stronger network, LinkedIn can help. A professional-only (raised, flat supporting surface) has over 500 million users and 10 million job listings, LinkedIn has become a true one-stop-shop for everything work-related. Maintaining an active and updated presence on LinkedIn can open up so many professional doors for talent in all career stages.
With over 500 million users and 10 million job listings, LinkedIn has become a true one-stop-shop for everything work-related. CLICK TO TWEET
Here are three must-do once-a-year updates to boost your LinkedIn profile and professional opportunities:
Customize your LinkedIn headline.
Your profile headline is one of the first things LinkedIn users see, as it's the showed off to people area set below your name and profile picture. LinkedIn sets your most current job title and employer as your profile headline by default. If you're CEO of a Fortune 500, this name/label can be great. If you're slowly walking through entry-level, less-than-dream-job positions that don't (show off to people) your professional abilities, think about/believe customizing your LinkedIn headline.
Couple rules of thumb for customized headlines:
Inventory your strengths. What are you good at? What are you known for? Think beyond your current job description here.
Keep industry keywords in mind. Research other professionals in your industry. Read through their profiles - what (words said a lot lately) are they using?
Think about/believe a multi-(with many flat, polished surfaces) headline can be displayed with available punctuation marks. Tip: No (little computer pictures that show emotion).
Think about the job you want in one, two, three years. Craft your headline as something that would be fitting for your future professional wishes.
Add media to your profile.
Have you (saw/heard/became aware of) the (compared to other things)-new features below each listed job position that let you upload media files? Including an engaging media collection of your key positions can be a great way to show off your abilities and (mix of stocks, bonds, etc./document collection). LinkedIn current accepts a variety of media files, from pdfs to videos.
Not sure if you have any (clearly connected or related) media files to include? Here are some ideas:
Articles or news releases that you are included in.
Copies of any awards or certificates you have received.
Links to your company's website or employee profile.
Links to your personal (shared online writing page) or website.
PowerPoint Presentations you've given.
Project (mix of stocks, bonds, etc./document collection) links or work samples.
Videos video of you in a professional setting (news clips, presentations, etc.).
Adding media helps your LinkedIn profile "pop", (showing or proving) to recruiters and possible/likely clients that you go the extra mile and put in order of importance your career development. Media file additions really help your profile stand out in a sea of neither good nor bad online resumes.
Develop a LinkedIn engagement game plan.
You got your profile updated. Great.
Now, if you want to really (make as big as possible) your LinkedIn presence in 2018, think about/believe developing some sort of app engagement game plan. LinkedIn is not a (raised, flat supporting surface) to just (showing little concern/in a relaxed way) look at/look through when sitting in the doctor's waiting room; instead, scheduled and (related to a plan to reach a goal) activity is where it's at.
The best times to post on LinkedIn are now Tuesday and Thursdays between 7 and 9 AM (local time). If that's not a good time for you to post on LinkedIn (fellow person (who travels back and forth to work) here), think about/believe using a post scheduling app like Buffer or Hootsuite to post your content during these best times. Just to give you an idea of the impact LinkedIn posting can offer: 20 LinkedIn posts a month averages a reach of 60 percent of your followers.
Another great way to increase engagement on LinkedIn is to join groups and add/give as an active member. Search LinkedIn for groups clearly connected with or related to your industry, (previously-attended school), and area. One of my favorite LinkedIn groups is Military (husband or wife) Employment Partnership-MSEP (husband or wife) Group . It's a great place to discuss career challenges and business ideas. Surveys point to/show that active LinkedIn group members receive 5 times the profile views than non-active users.
Update your LinkedIn profile on a regular basis.
Don't just update your LinkedIn profile on New Years. Every time you join a board, volunteer with a (company that makes no money), complete a CE certification, or master a new skill, update your profile! LinkedIn users that update their profiles regularly receive more job offers than those that don't. So, set your phone calendar every month or quarter to update your LinkedIn profile. Add some media files, update industry keywords, and give out some fellow worker supporting statements/money received (by a famous person).