How often are new opportunities knocking on your LinkedIn profile?

Maximizing your LinkedIn profile is an easy method to attract new opportunities, by representing your professional achievements, goals and overall career track record. LinkedIn has a network of over 260 million users, in 200 countries and continues to grow. The following tips will enhance your profile and lead to future networking opportunities:

1. Add a professional picture. This will be your first impression as your network grows. Make it a good one! (Eliminate sunglasses, group pictures or inappropriate attire).
2. Add your top 5 achievements, under your current position, to demonstrate your skill set and value.
3. Tell your career story! A career story sets you apart and creates your “point of difference.” Add a summary to detail your core strengths, to further brand your professional abilities. Conclude your career story by defining your professional goals. This will enable you to project the type of future opportunities that could potentially match your proficiencies and work style.
4. Recommendations should add credibility to your profile. Proofread the recommendation for grammatical errors and you may want to provide guidance to the professional reference, to avoid lack luster recommendations. Ideally, recommendations should be written by previous Managers to endorse your professional skills. Think quality, not quantity!
5. When choosing key function terms for your Skills & Endorsements section, choose the skills that brand your professional success. Don’t display skills in every category if they are not relevant to your profession. Don’t feel obligated to add endorsements to your profile just because you receive an endorsement. Representing accurate skills will only elevate your professional credibility.
6. Joining Groups is an easy way to stay alert on trends in your industry. Be apprised of networking opportunities that allow you to have a voice in conversations where you can add value.
7. Using suitable keywords in your profile is another method to project the type of opportunities you’re interested in pursuing. This will increase your probability of being viewed by those searching related keywords and getting contacted for positions pertaining to the search.
8. Depending on your profession, adding samples of your work will increase your credibility and provide a showcase of your capabilities. For example, if you’re a Graphic Artist, add a snapshot of your portfolio.
9. Increase the possibility of opportunities being presented to you by expanding your network of contacts. This can be done by connecting with industry professionals. Add a personalized note with each contact request. The stronger your network, the higher the probability your profile will be reviewed for searches pertaining to your industry and/or skill set. A LinkedIn member profile with 500 connections is more likely to catch a Recruiter’s eye than one with only 100 connections.

The Bottom Line

Social networking can be an integral part of your job search – if you use it correctly. Having career options will help reconfirm in your heart and head, whether you’re currently in the right position, or help you formulate your path to accept an opportunity to achieve your ultimate professional goals.