{"id":8918,"date":"2021-03-30T08:47:59","date_gmt":"2021-03-30T07:47:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/?p=8918"},"modified":"2021-03-30T08:48:02","modified_gmt":"2021-03-30T07:48:02","slug":"l-is-for-linkedin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.canterbury.ac.uk\/careers\/l-is-for-linkedin\/","title":{"rendered":"L is for… LinkedIn"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are some people who absolutely know what they’re doing with LinkedIn. Our Employability and Skills Manager, Chiara, is one of them. So I asked her to share all her secrets…<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Want to skip to the tips? Scroll down to the writing in blue.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I graduated in 2000 after completing a BA (Hons) in Comparative Literature and French and again in 2001 after completing an MA in Applied Language Studies with Computing. The job market back then was very different from what it is today, I would say that it was much easier to get a job\u2026maybe not THE JOB but certainly a good enough first job to pay the rent and the bills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

My idea of getting a job back then was either to send my CV to as many companies as possible and pray that one of them would contact me OR to be a walk-in applicant at a local recruitment agency where if lucky enough, I would get matched to a company looking for personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researching companies back then was also much more complex. If you wanted to approach an employer speculatively or you were responding to an advert which did not have a contact name, you had to rely on what information was available on the company\u2019s website. Often no names or job titles were provided, so it was almost impossible to find the right contact to address the application to, and the only solution was to start your cover letter with \u201cto whom it may concern\u201d. Today this would be unacceptable and would probably land your application in the bin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast forward to August 2016 when on the same day I received 2 messages on Linkedin offering me an interview for a couple of roles in international student recruitment (at the time I was working in the International office at CCCU) for two high profile Universities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had never been \u2018head-hunted\u2019 before, but my Linkedin profile and my experience within it had caught the attention of a couple of recruitment companies tasked with sourcing potential candidates for a new role in international recruitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was a very early adopter of Linkedin, I joined the platform in 2009 and have used it ever since. I have seen Linkedin grow and develop and I cannot speak highly enough of all the connections and opportunities that have come my way through this powerful platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LinkedIn is THE platform \u2018to find and to be found\u2019 but it is also a place to learn, build your personal brand, network, help other people, seek help from other professionals and ultimately grow as a professional \u2026 it runs in the background 24\/7 without you doing anything to it, apart from keeping it up-to-date.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

With LinkedIn you are no longer required to search for opportunities, as you can set up job alerts and post alerts linked to the sector you want to get into and the information comes straight to your email or mobile phone\u2026. I wish I had that back in 2001!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If networking face-to-face is not your forte, LinkedIn offers you the opportunity to build your contact base using well-worded messages, enhanced by a good profile showing off who you are, your expertise and your experience, all back-up by endorsements and recommendations from other individuals\u2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, a much stronger proposition, than the one that you would be able to offer by standing in front of a new person at a networking event, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, what are you waiting for? If you do not have a profile on it yet, I urge you to create one right now as you are missing out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have put together a number of tips and highlighted some new features that should help you build a good profile and enhance your existing one, especially if this has been sitting there without any action for a while\u2026. Are you ready?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LinkedIn is all about building the 3 Bs:<\/span><\/p>

Build your Profile<\/span><\/p>

Build your Reputation\/Credibility<\/span><\/p>

Build your Network<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Build Your LinkedIn Profile<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  1. Use a professional photo<\/em>
    • Make sure you include a photo. Think about how you would want to be dressed when approaching an employer from your preferred sector, that is how you should look in your profile picture.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
    • Use keywords that you want to be found for<\/em>
      • Think about 4-5 keywords that you can use throughout your headline and profile and that would also resonate with the sector you want to get in to. Look at the jargon used by recruiters and specialists in your sector as those are the words that they will use in their searches and algorithms.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
      • Audio name message<\/em>
        • Have you ever struggled with people mispronouncing your name\/surname? Do you have a foreign name? My answer to both questions was yes, and for the last 21 years in the UK, I think I got used to it, but LinkedIn has helped me appreciate my unique name once again. This new feature is available on both the desktop and the mobile profile but can only be recorded and updated through the mobile App. If you do not have any issues with your name, then use the 10 sec recording time to be creative and record a message\/call to action\u2026 this will add a bit of personality and a touch of uniqueness to your profile!<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
        • Add a compelling headline and profile summary<\/em>
          • Headlines<\/strong> used to be limited to 120 characters but now they have increased to 220 characters, so be creative. Use your keywords and remove any non-content words which normally don\u2019t appear in algorithms. You can use it to show the breath of your expertise especially when considering portfolio careers.<\/li>
          • For your profile summary<\/strong>, do your research! Research your target company and their industry. Read job descriptions and make note of the language used. Research what kind of employees they prefer to hire – do they hire more on skills or attitude or both? Research them on other social media platforms e.g. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, by looking at pictures they post and language they use you can get a good understanding of their culture and values.<\/li>
          • Think about what makes you unique and what has made you stand out in the past in your University and personal\/professional journey. Think about achievements, in particular related to project and part-time work… Those all important QUANTIFIABLES. Have\u00a0your professionalism and customer service skills\u00a0increased sales for your employer? Give an example!<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
          • Tell your story using text, video or images<\/em>
            • LinkedIn has introduced a new algorithm called \u201cDwell time\u201d this will impact on the number of views your content can receive so, make sure that you keep any profile visitors glued to your content for as long as you can\u2026. This can be achieved by producing media rich content using videos, images and documents.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
            • Use your LinkedIn profile as your portfolio<\/em>
              • If you have something to share with a potential employer to make you stand out, don\u2019t be afraid to add it to your content.<\/li>
              • Don\u2019t forget to add links to your work on other hosting platforms in the contact section!<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
              • Add your skills and ask for endorsements<\/em>
                • Think about the keywords that you set at the start and make sure they feature in this section. Use job descriptions related to your sector as the source of specialist language for skills\u2026. Recruiters will use those words in their searches.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
                • Add social\u00a0proof<\/em>
                  • Don\u2019t forget to ask for recommendations, ask your tutors, your peers and any clients or previous employers for a testimonial of your work and of your character\u2026. This will magnify what you have done in and outside University.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

                    Build Your Reputation and Credibility<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                    1. Create original content<\/em>
                      • Be creative, write articles or film video testimonials about your projects\/your internships. If you are passionate about a specific cause, write about it, share your stand on it.<\/li>
                      • Use 3-5 hashtags only at the end of each post.\u00a0Overuse of hashtags does not help a post gain more views and it reduces the amount of text you can include.<\/li>
                      • Make hashtags relevant to your post.\u00a0<\/li>
                      • Choose well-followed hashtags in posts. LinkedIn uses the first three hashtags in a post from a personal profile in the post\u2019s URL so choose popular ones. Find out how many followers a post has by putting it in the search bar and clicking Enter.<\/li>
                      • If you engage in topic which could prove to be controversial, be prepared to have to deal with people who have different opinions and who may not be so professional in putting them across. If someone tries to derail your post, delete it.\u00a0As the post\u2019s author, you can control a number of aspects of the comments including removing any @mention (or tag), reporting it and deleting it. <\/li><\/ul><\/li>
                      • Google now indexes LinkedIn posts<\/em>
                        • your posts may appear in search feeds for specific terms if you write them with that in mind.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
                        • Be creative \u2013 use the Experience section for more than just jobs<\/em>
                          • Don\u2019t just use the Experience<\/strong> section for paid work. Create entries for University or self-initiated projects to showcase your work and don\u2019t forget to add links, sizzle reels or samples of your articles\/research.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
                          • Document posts now receive the highest number of views<\/em>
                            • Previously text-only posts were the most viewed of the post formats but these have been overtaken by document posts.<\/li><\/ul><\/li>
                            • Posting quality content regularly is the best way to build a following<\/em>