Building a strong LinkedIn profile Page is the first and foremost step towards using the online network for getting the best job.
The LinkedIn page also helps you to grow your professional network. More and more grads are using LinkedIn to boost their job hunt and build their network.
79% of UK graduates said that they already used LinkedIn for career-related purposes, the survey happened in 2021 and a total of 67,688 students participated in the survey. (According to https://targetjobs.co.uk/careers-advice/finding-a-job/graduates-guide-creating-perfect-linkedin-profile)
To find out more about how you can put together your profile and why you should use LinkedIn for finding the best job, this article will discuss everything.
Table of Contents
Why should grads use LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is just not a hosting service for your CV online-it is a platform where you have the opportunity to build your brand and grow your professional network. This network will be benefitted for you to acquire more knowledge and guidance along the way.
LinkedIn professional network is a source of advice that helps you in your job search throughout your career. Being active on your LinkedIn profile also shows recruiters that you have an actual interest in this sector.
Employers advertise their jobs on the LinkedIn platform, you can apply and respond to them. Many recruiters headhunt candidates for their employers, so they can directly contact you and invite you to apply.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking LinkedIn is the tool for those who want to get a job and build a corporate career where you may wear a suit every day. Professional networking is very helpful for various sectors. There is the biggest mistake that candidates make by thinking that it is not the platform of their subject.
You don’t require to have loads of experience to make a LinkedIn profile and more and more. The LinkedIn tool is being used by creative industries, healthcare industries, and so on.
How to create a perfect LinkedIn profile:
There are many different sections you need to fill up while putting together or trying to improve your LinkedIn profile. One important thing you must remember is that the more information you will provide the more attractive your profile looks. The recruiters will be taking into account the completeness of your LinkedIn profile.
Creating an account:
To Sign Up for a free LinkedIn account, you must have a professional-sounding email address. You should not use inappropriate references in your email address. You can create a simple new email address, using only your name.
Once you have Signed Up, LinkedIn will provide you guidance on how you can create your profile. Your profile makes it easier for the recruiters to find each section if you complete all the sections.
Upload a photo:
Your LinkedIn profile photo should be a recent professional image that includes:
- Be you on your own
- Keep your face at the center of the image
- Be set against a plain background
- Be a good quality image, not blurry
- Your face should be visible properly
Create your headline:
You will have 120 characters to build a headline that promotes who you are on your network. This will catch the attention of the recruiter, employer, or anyone on your network. It may be the only information that will be seen when you comment on people’s posts.
The headline of your profile will also be shown to your professional network. While creating the headline, you can include:
- Who you are
- What you do
- What do you want to be
Build your headline so much attractive that it can attract the kind of employers you are dreaming to work with. It should have the capability to make the recruiters read more about you or connect with you on LinkedIn.
Write your summary:
The summary on LinkedIn is the chance to let people know much about you once they have read your headline. The summary of your profile can attract the recruiter or the employers who are hiring.
Use the summary on LinkedIn to tell the people:
- Your story
- Show what you are passionate about
- Talk about what your goals are
Make sure you:
- Write in the first person (write “I”; don’t use she/he while talking about yourself).
- Use phrases that show you have a knowledge of the sector
- Use keywords
- You can end your summary with a ‘call to action”. If you want the recruiters to contact you then you can say “Email me at (your email address)”.
- You should inform people how they can be connected with you if you want.
Add work experience:
You should include the details of any work placements, or internships. At the very least, you should include the job title, the name of the organization, the name of the employer, the length of time you have worked for the organization, and a brief description of your responsibilities.
Mentioning precise details of achievements is always impressive. You can include anything relevant to the type of job you are looking for. You can show the values that you have given to your previous works.
You should concentrate on how you can make things better for people- what you have done and what happened because of that.
Skills:
You can add up to 50 skills on your LinkedIn profile. You can add 5 skills or more if you want to appear in searches.
If you can’t find many then you can add at least 10 skills. Even adding 10 skills related to the job that you are looking for is a good start.
Education history:
Make it easier for the employers whether you have the qualification that they are looking for. They will also want to know what knowledge you have achieved from your education.
Concentrate on your education history most relevant to your career aim. You can also provide any achievements, like:
- Winning an award
- Giving a presentation at a conference
- Getting a scholarship
- Any projects you have done well
- Any position of responsibility you have held
Connect with people on LinkedIn:
You should use the LinkedIn platform to connect with more people. The more you have, the more people can find you. You can start with your friends, people whom you know at your college, University, and family members.
When you meet people at social networking events, offer to connect with you. Your professional network will grow very soon.
Be active:
It is very important to maintain your presence on LinkedIn to get noticed by potential employers. To achieve this, you can do:
- Check your LinkedIn profile very often like you would other social networking platforms.
- Create your content to raise your profile.
- Like, comment, and share articles and also you can share other people’s posts to get noticed by your connections.
- You can join groups that are relevant to your desired job sector.
- Check your University careers service as an alumni group if you are a recent grad.
Benefits of using LinkedIn:
LinkedIn is the largest business-oriented networking website specifically for professionals. It has over 500 million associates in over 200 countries (according to https://www.slr-recruit.co.uk/benefits-of-using-linkedin/) LinkedIn provides you the ability to showcase your profile, expertise, recommendation, and connections. Your profile is the first professional impression on the recruiters.
Here, we are providing some of the benefits of using LinkedIn:
- Gain contact with hiring managers and recruiters
- Demonstrate your skills, credibility, and leadership expertise
- You can use LinkedIn as a research tool
- LinkedIn has a wide job board
- You can gain social proof of your knowledge, skills, and expertise.
- Follow companies
- Join LinkedIn groups.
FAQ:
What should a fresh graduate’s LinkedIn profile headline be?
Ans: Usually, you should start your LinkedIn profile headline with your current job. But, if you are a recent graduate and have no professional experience then you can explain who you are and what you studied. Also, you can include what you are looking for that will help the recruiters to understand relevant positions that fit you perfectly.
Why is LinkedIn good for graduates?
Ans: LinkedIn is a great professional platform where you can learn more from industry professionals. You can acquire more skills about current trends and how industry leaders implement these trends in their industries. So, be connected and interact with the right people, tell them your story, and you might see opportunities present in themselves.
Wrap up:
Once you have got yourself signed up on the LinkedIn platform, you will be able to search for relevant job opportunities. You need to talk properly with people and you can ask them what they do and also tell them what you are interested in.
On this platform, you will meet people from different stages of their careers that will help you with motivation and inspiration. If possible, you can follow them on Twitter. You never know, they might be thinking of you if they hear any opportunity is relevant to you. Hopefully, now you are on the right path for searching for the relevant job for you. You should keep your LinkedIn profile up-to-date with new experiences, skills, achievements, and accomplishments
