LinkedIn for Personal Branding is another interesting and professional way for salaried people to create their own profile to attract employers, companies or good job opportunities.
If you are someone who is looking for a new job, you are probably familiar with the names of websites such as JobThai or JobBKK. But if you ask them if they know LinkedIn , many of them will shake their heads immediately, even though LinkedIn is the largest network for finding jobs and internships on the Internet in the world. You can access LinkedIn from desktop, LinkedIn mobile app, mobile web experience, and mobile app. In other words, you can find jobs all over the world from here in one place.
“Did you know? 95% of recruiters or organizations are looking for candidates on LinkedIn.”Forbes
LinkedIn for Personal Branding: The Ultimate Guide is an Amazon #1 bestseller in 2011. It is written by Sandra Long, a best-selling author, LinkedIn expert, speaker, former B2B sales leader, corporate trainer, corporate consultant, and founder of Post Road Consulting, a company focused on helping companies use LinkedIn effectively for sales and recruiting.
Even though this book was written a long time ago, the content has been improved and there are interesting stories that today, the admin would like to share with all of us salaried workers so that we will have tools to help us find good jobs in the future.
“When writing your LinkedIn profile, find your best self first.”
A brand is often used to refer to a product or industry, but today people think of themselves as a brand too. Managing your own image is like building your own brand. People are defining their own values in order to make a good impression on potential customers, bosses, or business partners. People use LinkedIn to build their personal brand and learn about the career paths of others. They can even make good first impressions on potential buyers, clients, or business partners through the social platform.
“Your personal brand is a combination of your personal characteristics, skills, and qualities.”
There are many benefits that you can find on LinkedIn for building your personal brand. It can provide better opportunities to partner with others, grow your career faster, increase your sales, recruitment and consulting opportunities, boost your credibility and recognition, and even help you grow or build your own network. It is important that you provide accurate information about yourself. LinkedIn can only be successful if you consistently demonstrate your strengths and are willing to share your expertise.
“Choose your images and highlights to create a good brand.”
Anyone looking for job opportunities should have a LinkedIn profile, as many Google searches lead directly there. It’s easy for clients, coworkers, and employers to find job seekers. Here are some things you can do to get noticed on LinkedIn:
- Have a complete profile
- Make sure your profile is public and visible.
- Show your full name
- Indicate your location, specifically the city where you currently work or live.
- Have a custom URL with a clear first and last name.
- Share your contact information in your profile too.
Another tip is to choose the right language to fill in your bio. Try to make it look interesting. In addition to using good English, you should also include visuals such as photos, links, and media. The profile picture should be professional, such as a picture of you smiling and wearing an outfit that is appropriate for the job you are doing or the job you are interested in doing.
“Add as many sections to your LinkedIn profile as possible to showcase your accomplishments and professional achievements.”
In the experience section, write about your professionalism to create more interest. You can add interest to this section by using accurate language, links, images, and presentations, and including the company name, location, dates, and descriptions of every position you list in the experience section. Try to focus on your accomplishments rather than past responsibilities. Also, provide accurate information about your background and consider what you should disclose about your experience and what you should keep.
“When deciding what to write, think about your entire audience and especially your potential customers.”
The education section is another thing you need to complete. Fill in the correct information about the university and high school you attended, as well as the field of study you graduated from. Other sections you should be aware of include:
- Activities section This is the section of activities you have participated or done, including interests, comments, and shares. Documents also show personal content.
- Organizations section This section shows the company name, position, length of employment, and a brief description of the professional associations and organizations with which you are affiliated.
- Languages section: Add the languages you speak and your level of proficiency in this section. This section is important for multilinguals, as employers tend to prefer to communicate with someone who can speak their native language.
- Licenses and Certificates This is where you specify your certification name, certification authority, license number, certificate URL, and relevant date.
You should fill in all the sections mentioned above accurately and straightforwardly. These will make the information in each section attractive and definitely catch the eye of the employer or client.
“Make sure your profile makes people think, “I need to know more!” or “I need to meet this person as soon as possible!” or “We need someone like that on our team!”
This is another important part of LinkedIn: make your profile a story that will grab the attention of potential clients or jobs. For example, start with an opening sentence or paragraph about how you dealt with a problem that occurred at your previous job. This will encourage readers to actively follow your story and they will want to work with you or refer you to others. Take the time to know the goals you want to achieve and write a great essay that sets you apart from the crowd.
What to do to make your LinkedIn profile interesting and meaningful
After filling out all sections of LinkedIn, you should do a final review to make sure all the information provided is accurate and appealing. Here are a few ways to do this:
- Review unnecessary information in your profile. Anything that does not promote or support you to stand out, remove it. Because clarity and accuracy of information will make others understand and know you better.
- Delete all confidential information to prevent future problems.
- Make sure your profile date matches what’s on your resume.
- Check your spelling and grammar.
- Use your phone or tablet to view your profile and try to remove anything that looks unprofessional.
- Always consider the overall readability and appearance of your profile.
- Make sure all information is correct, and consider using symbols and bullet points to make it look more appealing.
- Always take your time to think before posting anything on your profile to avoid conflicting information.
- It is best to use a laptop or desktop rather than a smartphone or tablet to edit any information in your profile.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is useful in many ways, such as helping you build meaningful relationships with others and allowing people to support each other, including their coworkers, clients, and vendors. LinkedIn can also help job seekers connect with potential hiring managers and employers.
But on the other hand, LinkedIn also has several disadvantages that come with using this platform, for example:
- The risk of identity theft is becoming more prevalent as the LinkedIn platform requires individuals to display a large amount of personal information for potential employers to see.
- Using the platform can be time-consuming, and it takes a lot of time for people to learn how to use LinkedIn effectively and get the most out of the platform.
- LinkedIn’s premium packages can be expensive. While anyone can join the platform for free, you’ll need to pay to access a premium package. For example, the Medium Professional tier costs around $29.99 per month, which can be expensive for startups or medium-sized businesses.
- Even professionals may not get recognized on the platform. You need to be active on LinkedIn to get noticed, so even if you’re an expert and qualified, if your bio is out of date and you’re not connected to others, your profile may not be seen by anyone.
While there are downsides to using LinkedIn, it is still a great platform to find and post available jobs, professional experience, internship opportunities, and even join professional communities. However, everyone should use the platform with caution and responsibility. Comment on posts, contribute to content, and make sure your profile is up-to-date to gain more exposure and get the most out of LinkedIn.
