LinkedIn is the number one social networking site for professionals and business people. These are the latest stats on LinkedIn (and why you need this LinkedIn checklist):
Members – 200 million registered members
New Members – 2 new members register every second
Company Pages – over 2.6 million
Groups – 1 million
Hiring – Half of Fortune 100 companies hire through the site
That’s a lot of people! Plus, most recruiters and hiring managers will post their jobs on LinkedIn, and they will search for new candidates on this massive network.
This definitive LinkedIn Checklist Guide will help you build an established LinkedIn profile, network with industry professionals, learn new concepts, and build long term business relationships.
SEE ALSO: Stop! You’re Using LinkedIn Wrong Without This Step
If you are seeking a job you are missing out on a lot of opportunities if you’re not a member on LinkedIn. Even if you are on LinkedIn you may not be utilizing it properly to gain the attention you need in order to land your dream job.
It’s even important to maintain your profile during your employment so if you should lose your job, relocate, decide to switch careers, or want to go with another company you can keep your contacts from your previous employment. Maintain a good reputation and your connections will help you reach your dreams.
Optimize your LinkedIn profile to best market yourself in your chosen job field with this definitive LinkedIn checklist. According to Undercover Recruiter, only 50.5 percent of members have a complete profile as defined by LinkedIn. Let’s fix that for you.
LinkedIn Checklist: Complete Your Profile
It’s vital to have a complete profile on LinkedIn. It makes you easier to find by recruiters with a professional and attractive profile. Recruiters don’t like incomplete profiles. Here’s your checklist within a checklist on completing your profile:
- Professional Headshot: Get a nice photo for your profile.
- Keyword Heavy Headline: Use keywords related to your profession so recruiters can find you.
- Create a Custom URL: using your name is best.
- A Stand Out Profile Summary: add in your specialties and make sure your summary sets you apart from your competition.
- Add Your Experience: add in all of the information from your previous jobs.
- Include Proof of Your Awesomeness: How did you help your previous employers? Did you increase sales? Decrease expenses? Win awards?
- Job Position Titles: Make them powerful statements.
- Choose Your Skills and Expertise Areas: Add up to 50 or more.
- Add Your Education and Credentials: be thorough with this information.
- Join at least 2 LinkedIn groups that are related to your career industry.
- Ask for Endorsements: Get at least 3 of them.
- Go through your profile and add in industry related keywords throughout your profile.
- Check out the extra sections to see what you can add to your profile.
- Add links to your profile to your website and anything including your work.
- Confirm your contact information.
Build Your Network
Now that your profile is complete, expanding your network is next on your LinkedIn checklist. It’s important to have connections from professionals within your career industry.
- Add connections to get up to 250
- Send invitations to get connected to important people
- Start endorsing your connections so they return the favor
- Join more LinkedIn groups (10+)
- Make sure your endorsed skills are visible to others
- Frequently look over and improve your key words
Expand our Network
Now that you’ve begun to build your LinkedIn network it’s time to step it up and really expand. This will ensure you reach more people, get more connections, and help recruiters find you.
- Build your connections to 500
- Personalize your connection requests
- Join more group related to your career so you are now in 30 LinkedIn groups
- Accept fitting connections as you get requests to connect from others
- Introduce yourself to your LinkedIn groups
- Join discussions within your groups
- Remove connections as needed
- Start regularly posting status updates
Nurture Strategic Connections
Your LinkedIn profile’s complete, you’ve built your connections, and you’ve expanded your network. It’s time to put your profile to work by using these strategies to gain exposure to more career opportunities.
- Start new discussions on your LinkedIn groups
- Send LinkedIn messages to your connections
- Update your status more frequently
- Use the advanced search to find recruiters and hiring managers
Keep your profile fresh by updating relevant information, answering messages, posting status updates regularly, and expanding your connections even further. This is the best way to work your profile to get the connections you need to gain the interest of relevant recruiters and hiring managers.
You must keep in contact with them, as well as maintain group discussions. Print this LinkedIn checklist and get to work building your network. Keep this list and check it again in three months to maintain the strength of your networking.