7 Sure-fire Strategies to Attract Opportunities through Your LinkedIn Profile

In 2017, leading statistics agency Statista estimated that global Internet users spent an average of 135 minutes on social networking. While most of us easily spend hours on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, we continue to overlook the potential of one more social networking site: LinkedIn. 

Establishing a solid presence on LinkedIn can do wonders for your career! If you're not sure where to begin, here are seven tips on how to make your LinkedIn profile showcase the best of what you have to offer to prospective employers, clients, or collaborators.

1. Don't skip any sections.

You can't build connections if people don't know you exist or what you have to offer. Block out a day in your planner to sit down with yourself and make an inventory of all your skills and experiences. Think hard about the career path you want to pursue, what kinds of employers or mentors you want to attract, what kind of work environment you would like to be. Use these as a guide when prioritizing which projects and accolades you want to highlight. 

Think of your LinkedIn profile as a CV, business card, blog, and personal website rolled into one. Even sections on your hobbies and interests can lead you to interesting opportunities, so make sure you don't leave them blank.

2. Make your headline awesome!

It doesn't just have to be your title and company name. Your LinkedIn headline is the text that goes underneath your name. You have maximum three lines and 120 characters to hook in potential employers or collaborators. Why not make it more memorable?

Your headline should showcase your achievements or whatever benefits you can offer to whoever is reading it. 

3. Practice Self-Censorship!

A picture is worth more than a thousand words. Don't give recruiters the wrong idea with your intoxicated party photos. You can reserve your more carefree snaps for your other private social media accounts, but for LinkedIn it's better to go the conservative route and opt for a well-lit solo portrait.

4. Take a cue from your idols.

Look up the profiles of people already working in your dream job or target industry. Observe how they dress and carry themselves in their profile photos. 

Go through their blog posts. Check and follow LinkedIn groups they're part of. Take note of industry buzzwords that they're using in their headlines. A warning, though! Only seek inspiration from their profiles. Don't plagiarize their content! 

Unlike most social networking sites, LinkedIn actually allows you to see who have visited your profile. You wouldn't want your industry idol to see that you've copied their headline word for word. 

5. Don't just list responsibilities. 

Your LinkedIn profile should not be just a rambling list of tasks you have accomplished. Your profile should be able to answer the following questions:

1. What did you do?
2. How well did you do it?
3. Who benefited from your excellent work?

6. Let numbers do the talking. 

If you can quantify your past successes using statistics and percentages, go for it! Numbers can help you stand out in a sea of online resumes. This also shows your confidence in your work. Just make sure that you can prove the truthfulness of these numbers when you get the job interview!

7. Personalize every connection request. 

LinkedIn is a professional networking site. As such, you don't simply fire away random connection request to anybody. Make the effort to attach a friendly note to your request. Let the person know why you're interested in their projects, and what you hope to gain from being connected in LinkedIn.

If you have already interacted in real life, include a reminder of where you met or what organization you're both part of. 

Once you've set up your LinkedIn profile, try to be more active in using this platform. Like and share news relevant to your field, or even write your own articles. If you're going to spend time online, devote some of that into boosting your LinkedIn profile. See you over at LinkedIn!

Establishing a solid LinkedIn presence is only one of many useful things you'll learn in Elite's Brand New You program. Learn the basics of personal branding and managing professional relationships. Contact us today to book your FREE consultation session!