How to Effectively Use LinkedIn

The best and worst thing about LinkedIn is the fact that a future employer could be watching at any point in time. They could be the author of the post you just liked or the person you are replying to in the comment section. Because of this, whatever you do, you must always maintain a professional manner on LinkedIn. A simple and effective way of staying professional is by thinking about LinkedIn as being a continuous job interview: anything you say or do will reflect what kind of employee you would be.

If you want to stand out you have to be active. Would you show up to an interview and then not say a word? Of course not! If a user is active, creating dialog, producing thought-provoking content it will be picked-up by a future boss. To make this easier, here are a few tips to make that well-rounded LinkedIn profile.

Commenting

One way of producing content is by commenting on someone else’s post. There are a variety of different ways people use the comment section of a post, some are better than others. The most important thing to keep in mind is to stay respectful and stay positive. One of the first rules you learn in grade school is: if you don’t have something nice to say, then don’t say anything at all.

However, this doesn’t mean all rainbows and sunshine, all the time. A person can disagree with a post as long as it is thought-provoking and respectful to the original author of the post. By doing this, you are showing an employer that you can show restraint, be a productive member of conversation and still convey your opinion in a polite manner.

The only exception to writing an original comment is if your comment is similar to the rest of the comment section. If this is the case, and you write your comment, it will get lost. Instead of writing your own comment, reply to someone else’s and start a conversation.

Write Your Own Posts

Something to go above and beyond what the average LinkedIn user does is publishing your own post. Most users leave the articles and blogs to the professionals, however, no one should feel afraid to put a post out there. Sometimes, the hardest barrier to overcome is finding a topic. But what most people don’t realize is if you just write about something you are knowledgeable about, the entire process becomes easier, even enjoyable.

Some tricks to make a post stand out is first to have certain attention-grabbers like a catchy title and first sentence. The more interesting the title, the easier it is for readers to become hooked. Also, add pictures that will attract users to visit your page and read your article, that also tie back into the topic.

After you have an outline with all the flashy components, time to get down and dirty, and create some content. Statistics and other quantifiable data will help your argument and can be easier to find than some people might think. Having a target audience, a certain type of reader you are focusing your article towards, will add a sense of direction to a post.

Another thing to consider is the length. This is especially important because if readers visit your article and see a wall of text, they will lose motivation to read the article, and might click away. However, if too short, there won’t be any substance to the post. Lastly, add a call-to-action. Ask readers to not only check out your LinkedIn page but to read up on your past articles.

Joining Groups

As of May 2016, there are over 2 million LinkedIn Groups. There is a group for everything and they would love to have more members. This particular part of someone’s LinkedIn profile depicts what a user is interested in or passionate about. However, as always, users want to maintain a professional persona, therefore be aware and make sure that the groups you follow reflect your personal brand.

Groups are also a great way to get more exposure to your posts and act as a great resource where you can share your articles with like-minded colleagues. Also, a little secret about LinkedIn Groups: you can send up to 15 InMails to people you haven’t connected with if you are both members of the same group!

Be Consistent

When it comes to using LinkedIn effectively, a person doesn’t have to be on 24/7. However, if you just log in daily for 20-30 minutes, like a hand-full of articles, leave a comment or two and update your profile whenever something changes, it will be enough to keep a profile active. Most users log in every three months, spend an hour updating things and makes a lot of changes, and then go back to neglecting their profile.

What users don’t understand is that it only takes half an hour to maintain a good LinkedIn profile. One way that makes LinkedIn more accessible is their mobile app, where you can read articles and stay in touch with your network. The app is available for Android and Apple products.

To get the most out of LinkedIn isn’t very hard or time-consuming. If a user checks in every day for a small period of time to read some articles, like some posts and leave a comment, it is quite simple. If LinkedIn users follow these simple tips and tricks, they will gradually see a change that could potentially land them that dream job.

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