CAREER PURSUIT 2021

12 EXPERT ADVICE - EMPLOYMENT doesn’t necessarily have to be related to the job you’re seeking. For example, you could use it to showcase somewhere you’ve travelled, a great piece of work you’ve captured on camera, or to display any awards and accolades you’ve achieved (not your swimming proficiency!). 3. Your bio is a brief introduction to anyone who visits your profile. When introducing yourself to someone in-person, you wouldn’t tell them your life story, so keep your bio short, snappy, and straight to the point. Tell them what you do, who it could benefit, and how. Mine, for example, is ‘I help e-commerce businesses dramatically improve their sales and revenue, utilising powerful digital marketing strategies on search engines and social media.’ This tells anyone who visits my profile who I serve, with what, and how. 4. Create a custom URL. Creating a custom URL is an efficient way of building your personal brand and letting recruiters and companies find you quickly. To set this up: • Go to the top right of your profile page and click ‘Edit public profile & URL’. • In the top right again, click ‘Edit your custom URL’. • Change the numbers to your name and maybe what you do. For example, https://www.linkedin.com/in/ joebloggs-cyberengineer. It’s much better than all those random numbers and just takes two minutes to make your profile look more professional. Plus, it’s a double whammy, as it helps you to be found on Google too! 5. Send meaningful connections. Now your profile is set up, you can start connecting with your audience. It’s good to connect with people you already know on LinkedIn, as they’ll be able to endorse you for your skills (more on this shortly!). However, outside of your existing network, your connections need to be meaningful. Engage with people in your desired industry, prospective employers, and people of authority in your area. Make sure to attach a welcome note to your connection request! TOP TIPS FOR JOBSEEKERS ON LINKEDIN Now your profile is set up, looking great, and you’re ready to start searching for your new career. These top tips will ensure you get the most out of the platform: Get endorsements where available. Endorsements are a way of showcasing your skills and showing how proficient you are at them.The quickest and easiest way to do this is by leveraging your existing network. Many of your past supervisors and peers, who are best placed to know your talents, are probably already on LinkedIn; ask them if they’ll endorse you, and make sure you do the same in return! #ONOand the green sticker . Many people don’t know about this, but #ONO means ‘open to new opportunities’. Put this at the bottomof your ‘About’ section and not in your headline. Avoid the green sticker. It won’t help your job search but may hinder you when recruiters come to offer you a job. LinkedIn experts advise that it doesn’t allow you to differentiate yourself and can cause recruiters to lower the salary offer. Headlines. Recruiters will often search for a role name, such as ‘project manager’, so the best LinkedIn headlines need to be searchable. Be specific and get straight to the point. Your profile will be glossed over if it isn’t clear what you do. If you have more than one role which suits you, then write it like this: ‘Project Manager | Learning Manager’. Experience. Write two or three lines for each role, summarising what you did and achieved. Use buzzwords and industry keywords to showcase what you do. Recruiters will match these to a job specification, much like they would with a CV, so make sure they’re in your profile. Contact details. Make sure you’re able to be contacted by a recruiter as soon as they find you. Make sure you use a professional email address (probably not the one you created when you were 16!). LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network online. Here, you can find the ideal job or internship, connect with others, strengthen professional relationships, and learn the skills you need to succeed in your career.