9 Ways to Ensure Your LinkedIn Page Will Help Advance Your Career

LinkedIn is where it’s all happening for professionals. It’s the Who’s Who of Thought Leaders, the place to be seen, Studio 54 of the digital space. It’s also where job seekers meet recruiters and passive job seekers are headhunted.

With LinkedIn commanding such a presence among social media platforms, how do you use it to your best advantage professionally, whether you are looking for opportunities or building your brand? Here are nine ways you can create the best LinkedIn profile to advance your career, according to industry experts.

1. Use keywords to describe your skill set.

If you want to be more visible as a talent or expert in your niche area, keywords are how others will find you. Include relevant keywords in the titles, job activities, and skills sections of your LinkedIn profile. Recruiters and others search for keywords to find people with the skills they are looking for. According to an expert in marketing on Glassdoor,

“I think the use of keywords in a resume or book for job hunting is to have them applicable for the job you’re applying for. Look at the job description, does it mention specific tools, specific types of scenarios, client-types, or even types of creative this role will be working on?… ensure you have content mentioning those specific keywords that you do have experience with.”

So, if you are a coder, include the languages that are listed in the job description if you specialize in them. If you are a marketer, include what aspects of marketing you specialize in, such as search engine optimization (SEO) or PR campaigns.

2. Boost your visibility with hashtags.

A hashtag (#) is a keyword or phrase preceded by the hash symbol (#). It appears within a post or comment and makes your post easily discoverable by anyone interested in that subject. If you are building a brand or establishing yourself as a thought leader, adding hashtags to content or articles that you post on LinkedIn will pull traffic to your profile.

When you add a hashtag to your post, LinkedIn categorizes it and makes it discoverable to anyone searching for that hashtag as long (as you aren’t using privacy settings). That said, use hashtags sparingly (one or two per post) to avoid your content looking too spammy.

You can create original hashtags or LinkedIn will suggest hashtags you can use when you create a new post. You can also look at the hashtags others are using in your industry. LinkedIn Analytics will help you monitor the effect of your hashtags by showing the number of views, likes, and comments your posts receive.

3. Customize your LinkedIn profile before applying for each job.

The best advice for job applications includes tailoring your resume for each position you apply to. That way, you can include keywords and show how you are uniquely qualified for a position. The same is true for your LinkedIn profile. You should make sure it shows you have the right skills for each job. Here’s what Eric Putkonen, lead recruiter with LinkedIn, had to say on this topic:

“Recruiters search with booleans searches looking for various keywords. The keywords in the search will depend on the requirements within the job description …Job seekers can stand out by having the keywords I am looking for and having a completely filled-out profile…including bullet points under each role describing their experience and accomplishments.”

In case you are wondering what a Boolean Search is, it’s a logic-based, digital search that uses the operative words AND, OR, and NOT to help employers find the skills they are looking for in a resume, cover letter, or application. For example, a recruiter trying to fill a position in the billing department of an insurance office might search using “billing” AND “insurance,” “billing” OR insurance,” and “billing” NOT “marketing.”

4. Use the “Open-to-Work” feature.

Your LinkedIn profile gives you the option to display “Open to Work” on your banner. Some experts might consider this a red flag because the best people will not be looking for work; however, other experts argue that there are good reasons to use this indicator to market yourself.

Here is a comment from The Remote Job Coach about the option to display “Open to work”:

“From my observation, the photo frame [open to work] users that seem to be having the most success are those who are posting very specifically about what they want. These people often have an in-demand role as well.”

A good reason to use the Open-to-Work feature is that it is not just a tool for the person looking for work; it is a time and money saver for recruiters. A corporate recruiter might pay around $10,000 for an annual license to LinkedIn’s Recruiter Corporate, the LinkedIn flagship product granting access to over a billion professionals worldwide. However, for that $10,000 outlay, a recruiter may be limited to sending just 30 inmails (a premium feature that allows you to directly message another LinkedIn member that you’re not connected) to a month to potential candidates.

If a candidate responds to an inmail, LinkedIn will credit the recruiter that inmail. Because of this, recruiters will target the candidates who indicate they are open to work because they are more likely to engage in and respond to a recruiter’s outreach.

If you’re still not convinced that using the open-to-work feature is a good idea: CNBC reported that those who turn on the Open-to-Work feature are twice as likely to receive emails from recruiters.

5. Be smart with the “Open-to-Work” feature.

Now, what if you are currently employed and don’t want your boss to know you are actually “open to work.” If this describes your situation, LinkedIn optimizes your profile in two ways.

First, there is an option to only show this banner to recruiters so that your employer is unaware you might be thinking about greener pastures; LinkedIn puts you in stealth mode.

Second, while LinkedIn is sharing your signals with people who are paying to play (and to use LinkedIn Recruiter), the platform will not show the signal to recruiters at your current company. Thus, your job should not be at risk.

6. Respond to inmails!

If a recruiter sends a LinkedIn inmail about a role, respond. Even if it is simply accepting or rejecting a message. Remember that $10,000 that a corporate recruiter has spent? Well, they are penalized when you don’t respond because that’s one less email they can send to someone who will.

If you do respond, you leave the door open for the recruiter to contact you again. You could even request they check in with you in six months or a year. It’s also a good idea to say why you are not interested in this particular role but take the time to describe what you are looking for. You never know if the recruiter has another opportunity in their back pocket that would be perfect.

7. Use “groups” for networking.

Networking is a great way to connect with like-minded professionals, mentors, industry experts, and potential employers or clients. By joining groups on LinkedIn, you might find collaboration opportunities. If you post content regularly and use relevant hashtags for your group, you can increase your visibility and become a thought leader in your niche.

You can find and join groups on LinkedIn by typing in keywords or group names into the search bar, filtering the results by tapping Groups at the top of the page, tapping the group name you are interested in, and requesting to join.

Here’s what contributor to LinkedIn, Ron Roane, advises about infiltrating network groups on LinkedIn:

“Focus on providing value to the group by sharing relevant content, resources, and insights that can benefit other members. Avoid self-promotion or overly promotional posts, as these may be perceived as spammy and detract from your credibility.”

For job seekers, recruiters also use groups to narrow down their pool of candidates, find people interested in niche areas, and build relationships with them.

8. Align your LinkedIn profile with your resume.

It is a red flag to an employer or recruiter if the information on your resume does not match the information on your profile page. While aligning your profile page, make sure you add a professional picture, and add details to your work experience. The more detail a recruiter has about your skills and experience, the easier it is to find you and place you.

9. Post quality content.

Posting insightful articles, participating in discussions, and sharing valuable content can position you as a thought leader in your field. This not only enhances your professional reputation but also attracts opportunities for speaking engagements, collaborations, and media appearances.

You can “post” or write articles on LinkedIn.  You can post from the “Home” page and share an article, video, or a comment. According to Mark D. Shwartz, author, speaker, and contributor to LinkedIn, how many people see your post depends on how many followers you have and the hashtag algorithms.

You can write an article on Linkedin by clicking on the “Write an article” icon. Articles are more visible on your profile than posts as you can add a headline, add images and videos, and there is a separate section for the text. Posts also tend to get buried as you add new ones, but articles are easier to find on your profile and stay visible for longer.

Quality is more important than quantity, so post articles that are original and insightful to improve your brand and develop a reputation as an innovative thinker.

Note, however, that what you post must be original content. You cannot “share” posts from other sources. If you do post, use keywords in your title and description so that it can easily be found by LinkedIn users and add hashtags to attract attention.

LinkedIn as your launching pad.

A LinkedIn profile is a must if you want to advance your career. While a profile has not completely eliminated the need for a resume, it is the go-to source for recruiters and a point of interest for other professionals who want to know about your background, skills, networks, and professional expertise.

LinkedIn is a flexible platform where you can expound on your knowledge and experience by posting articles and establishing yourself as a thought leader. Take advantage of this versatile platform and watch your network and your career flourish.