Hello, How are you? As you saw the title, today we will discuss Linkedin. I will help you to get started with Linkedin, whatever your goal is. I will help you to make your linkedin profile optimized for the purpose for which you want to be on Linkedin. This blog will help you whether you are a student, solopreneur or freelancer, small business or someone who wants to build their personal brand on linkedin but don’t know how to start. Though Linkedin is important for all types of entities, in this video we will stick to the individual linkedin profile and save the linkedin company page discussion for some other day.

In the past 4-5 years, Linkedin has seen a lot of increase in its user base from all the parts of the world and it is growing at a very good pace. It is among the few western social media platforms which are allowed to operate in China as well. With roughly around 650-700 million linkedin profiles till date, it opens big opportunities especially for the people who lacked a platform for professional relationship building. Before social media,

Job seekers were restricted to Job Portals.

Solopreneurs were mostly relying on physical social networks.

Small businesses were struggling to reach their potential buyers and investors.

When Social media came into the play, it somewhat addressed the issue but lacked the professional touch which Linkedin mastered and gave people a tool to network and fulfill their professional needs. The power which Linkedin gave to the professionals was the ability to reach anyone who is present on Linkedin. 

This professional benefit can be helpful to many individuals as already discussed. So let us discuss how Linkedin can be beneficial for different kinds of individuals. The students can easily search for the opportunities for their internships and their first job. Job seekers can find the jobs and HRs for their next job change. Solopreneurs, freelancers and small businesses can search for their potential clients on Linkedin. Same goes for the people who want to grow their personal professional brand on Linkedin. 

First step to draw the interest of your target audience on Linkedin, is to have a powerful and winning linkedin profile. A powerful linkedin profile will not only save your time to explain the essential introduction about you to your audience but also create an urge to know more about you or to have a conversation with you. This will happen when you give what your target audience is searching for on your profile or in general on Linkedin.

Linkedin Profile Picture

The first step to draw someone’s attention is with a face value. Your face value on linkedin is your linkedin profile picture.This is the first place where the viewer’s attention goes. Linkedin statistics reveal that a linkedin profile with a picture receives 21 times more profile views and 9 times more connection requests than a profile with no profile picture. 

So what should be your profile picture. Should you choose a casual or a more professional picture for yours? Frankly speaking, it doesn’t matter. There is no thumb rule. It all depends on you what you want in that image. What matters the more is you in the picture with the least amount of distractions(accessories, lights or shiny background). 

You should be the main and only subject in the picture. The picture should keep the focus on you. Your picture certainly should not be a group image or you getting lost in the background or you are too tiny in the picture. Your image should have a right amount of you in the image and also not too close or too far. Two thirds of your body is good enough for Linkedin. Just think how people should see you and that should be your profile picture.

Linkedin Headline

The second thing which has value after your profile picture is your headline. This is just like a marketing tagline for a product. What do you want to tell your target audience? If you are a student or jobseeker and looking for an internship or job, should you add that you are open to a job? That depends on the niche of your studies or work or the skill or talent you have. If you study or work on a niche skill, you may hint people in a subtle way that you are open to opportunities and that can be beneficial for you, but how many of us do have niche skills to study or work upon? 

The best possible headline should contain your current position, your best talent or skill, with your best achievement. For example, if you are a Project Manager, you can have your linkedin headline like this

Project Manager, delivered 20 successful projections, excellent coach and mentor

OR 

Project Manager, PMP certified, ITIL, 6 sigma, delivered 50 projects

You can try as many variations as you can. Whatever you feel is good for you, you should have it for your linkedin profile.

Linkedin Summary

The next thing which people usually go through is your profile summary. This is a lot different than your resume summary but you can take a lot of hints from there. When you start writing your summary,  just start with the most positive things about you like you will tell in a face to face conversation and write it in the first person perspective. 

You can have bullet points and bold letters in your Linkedin profile to emphasize on your skills and talent. What you said, you cannot write bold letters on your linkedin profile. I mean yes not directly but you can use a lingojam website to write bold letters anywhere on social media. I will give the website in the description. Write interest raising things about yourself depending on your target audience. Your summary should basically be the answer to the question”Why people should talk to you or hire you or hire your services. You can also provide your contact information in this section.

Featured Section

Next comes the featured section which does not seem to be an interesting section but you can sizzle up on linkedin profile with the help of this section. In this section, you can add your Linkedin post and articles. Along with that you can add external links and media also in your Linkedin profile. External Links can be anything, your website, your blog, your instagram profile, your youtube channel or your portfolio. 

Same goes for the External media which can be your resume, your certification, your business brochure, your presentation anything which can be beneficial for you and you want people to see when they visit your profile.

The Featured Section is like a badge of honor which you can use.

Background Section

This is a very straight forward section and very crucial for professional use. Students and job seekers can make it look like a resume or have as many details as possible. Others should also add as many details as possible because you never know when an opportunity comes knocking at your door. You never know who might be searching for a profile like yours, your next employer, partner or client. Please let me know in the comment section if you want to elaborate on this linkedin section in detail in future videos. I am adding a poll section so that you can help me decide.

Linkedin Recommendations

The next big thing on your linkedin profile is the recommendation section. This is the most neglected section or the section utilized in a worst way. You should get recommendations from the people whose recommendation matters more for your personal and company brand like your supervisors, managers, clients and HRs. 

Yes, you can showcase the recommendations from your colleagues but everyone knows how easy it is to get a recommendation from colleagues. Use this recommendation in promoting yourself. It is the same psychology that people buy what others are buying.

Now, you can try making an awesome LinkedIn profile. In this process, if you want any help you can drop on your query in the comment section. You can contact me on the social media accounts provided in the description below. I will help all of you whether you are a student, job seeker, solopreneur and any other professional. 

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