Guest Author: Emma Williams

As the professional networking website passed the ten year milestone earlier this year, it’s safe to say that LinkedIn has cemented itself as the number one online professional network across the world. But many professionals, particularly new graduates, still aren’t utilising this powerful tool to its full potential. Even if you’re not in the market for a job right now – if you’re still studying or happy in your current position – LinkedIn can still be used to help you in building connections, following news in your industry and improving your personal brand.

So, how do you get the most out of LinkedIn and create a perfect profile which is bound to impress? Here are a few tips to get you started.

1. Start With The Basics
There are a few core elements to your LinkedIn profile, and it is essential that you get these spot on. These are your headline, summary, experience, skills and education. Out of these four, your headline and summary really give you the chance to stand out and communicate your skills and experience to potential employers. Make your headline short, snappy and original and take the opportunity to expand on that in your summary – use all 2000 characters. Keep it in the first person, to avoid an impersonal, corporate feel, and try to tell a story about who you are and how you arrived on your chosen career path. Talk about where you want to be in the future, and who your target audience is.

2. Next…Everything Else!
One of the most common mistakes people make on LinkedIn is not completing their profile. Anything which you leave unfinished is a missed opportunity so, although it may take a little time when you first set it up, it’s well worth completing all of the fields. Plus, the more complete your profile is, the higher it will appear in searches.

Continue reading 5 Steps For A Successful LinkedIn Profile »