LinkedIn is one of the most popular social networking sites out there! It’s easy to use, free to create an account, and you get lots of professional opportunities from it. With over 200 million users, this site has become a place where career professionals go to connect, grow their networks, and find new jobs.
With all that said, using LinkedIn effectively for your career can be tricky at times. Many people start off by uploading their resume but quickly lose interest as they struggle to gain more connections or improve their profile.
It is very possible to upload your own personal resume onto LinkedIn without creating too much attention, but staying in touch with members and growing your network takes time. Doing so will boost your self-confidence and help you land new positions.
This article will talk about some ways to upload your resume, update your LinkedIn profile and then discuss how to pick the best profile picture for yourself. After that, we'll talk about how to add more contacts and position yourself as an expert in your field.
Uploading your resume
After you have designed your profile to include all of your important information, it is time to register it! You can do this by going into Settings on your LinkedIn profile and selecting Jobs and Careers from the navigation menu at the top.
Here, you will be able to search for jobs that are available to apply to. When an employer creates a job position, they oftentimes will invite their colleagues or members of their team to apply. By registering your resume, you get the opportunity to send in a copy so that employers may review it.
This is very common practice for professionals as most companies will not accept resumes that are either blank or contain only links to other sites.
Pick a profile picture
A very important part of LinkedIn is your profile picture. This will be the first thing people see when they look at your profile, so it should set a good tone for what they get from you!
Your profile photo can be anything you want it to be. It’s totally up to you! You can pick from the website or software provided by LinkedIn, as well as outside sources like Google, Facebook, and YouTube.
There are two main reasons to update your profile pic. The first is to show off who you are today, and the second is to show off how you want to be seen in the future. For example, if you’re looking to find new employment, then showing off some pictures of yourself with a big smile would make you come across more positively.
Set your profile's description
The other thing you will want to do is edit your LinkedIn profile’s Description. This can be done by clicking on the Settings tab at the top of the page, then Edit Profile and Overview under the Description section.
Your LinkedIn profile description acts as an online resume! It helps potential employers find you via their search engines. If your goal is to get job opportunities through networking, this is very important since most companies use LinkedIn to look up candidates.
So how should you describe yourself?
You need to include details about who you are and what you have accomplished. Don't make it short or generic - that's boring! Include things like your educational background, positions held, accomplishments, etc. Use direct and descriptive language to set yourself apart from other people's resumes.
Make sure to keep it focused on career development and achievements, but also include some references to your personal life (for example, married with three children). Avoid using too many big bullets - those markers could look spammy.
More tips for a better profile
When you are ready to upload your resume, first make sure that your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date. Make sure to update your career summary, add enough professional profiles, and link them to show who you are.
You can also take time to review and edit your education history, employment details, and other things like job experiences or awards you received.
When everything looks good, it’s time to start uploading your resume!
Surf over to the ‘Careers’ section of your profile, then choose the drop-down menu next to Create New Profile and Save Changes. You will see all of the careers available in Settings > Jobs & Career Options.
From there, you can pick whether you want to include only jobs that match yours, or both. If you opt for the second option, you will have to input some basic information about each position (such as employer name, and city), which helps people find you if they're looking for work.
After that, you'll be able to select from templates or create your own using the drag-and-drop feature.
Double check your profile
Sometimes, even after you have taken some time to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to date, you will find that there is still something missing or someone comments about your profile and it looks like they do not agree with what you present there.
The first thing to check before uploading your resume again is to re-review your profile. Make sure your photo is clear and recognizable, and that your profile picture fits who you are as a person.
Check out if there are any fake accounts linked to you, this can hurt your image so make sure to look into those! If anything seems off, you should probably go back and update your profile.
After that, review the fields in which you left gaps. Are there too many? Could people see that you don’t have much experience but say you do? You can fix all of these by editing your profile.
Update your profile
Now that you have cleaned up your LinkedIn profile, it is time to update it! The first thing you will need to do is go into Settings and manage your Jobs and Messages. If there are any messages that require a response, you should respond to them now!
You can also edit your photo and description of yourself, as well as add or remove skills and experiences. Add some content that describes who you are and what you have done- this will help people connect with you!
When looking for jobs, make sure they are relevant and clear. Do not post about positions that are way beyond your job level or experience, it may look unprofessional.
