In an ever-increasingly ‘online’ world, where you can get your food shopping delivered within 20 minutes, attend a GP appointment via video, or complete a full-blown university degree, the world of work and professional networking is no different! With over one billion users worldwide (that’s one eighth of the total global population), LinkedIn has now become synonymous with establishing one’s place in the modern workforce. Founded in 2003, it has grown exponentially from a pioneering but small platform to a must-have when it comes to industry prominence, headhunting success and finding a new job.
The interactive and intuitive elements of LinkedIn are what makes it so universal, with users able to personalise their experience and get something unique out of it to suit their needs. Whether you wish to market yourself concisely, providing a brief overview of your career highlights to leave people wanting more, or to use your profile as a proxy for your full CV, how you wish to speak about yourself and present yourself to the professional world is entirely up to you.
This modularity is also made possible by the ‘add section’ functionality, a relatively new element of the platform that allows the user to include (or omit) specific sections of their professional (and personal) achievements and history depending on what applies to them. This could include volunteer roles, specific projects, certifications, causes, languages, and more.
One key element of how your profile can be customised and curated is ‘key skills’. Similar to the buzzwords that can make a CV stand out to a recruiter or hiring manager, the use of key skills on a LinkedIn profile serves multiple purposes; they can be amended depending on how you wish to package yourself to your audience; they can align with the in-demand skills associated with specific roles or industries; they can be added to your profile to ensure your suitability for specific, advertised jobs.
That leads us to LinkedIn Jobs! Launched in 2011, the ‘Apply with LinkedIn’ feature makes arduous job applications and CV uploads a thing of the past. This feature enables you to apply for roles advertised on the site with a few simple clicks, and the automated functionality means that you can see via a percentage how much your profile matches the skillset required for the role in question, allowing you to amend your profile accordingly to maximise your chances of reaching the next stage of the application process.
Finally, let’s not forget the human element of the site. LinkedIn has been a gamechanger to many, replacing the anonymous, faceless element of job hunting of the past. Via LinkedIn you can connect with likeminded individuals, industry leaders and organisations, gaining insights into market and industry trends that may not have previously been possible. That is probably worth the minutes it will take for you to sign up. Should you then like assistance with populating your LinkedIn profile with relevant, key word-optimised content, feel free to contact me on enquiries@sarahlovell.co.uk
