With 500 million plus business focused members, LinkedIn is a great place to put your professional information. Your LinkedIn profile lets you keep in touch with current and former colleagues. It also allows you to build presence and brand yourself as an expert.
Sometimes we forget that it’s a two way street. You can respond to job postings and you can also research inquiries from prospective employers, recruiters and friends.
Like any other mode of communication, you only have one chance to make a good impression. Here are some tips to make sure you are putting your best foot forward.
Applying for a Job
First of all make sure you meet at least some of the criteria, if not, don’t apply. If you do click the Apply Button .Sometimes it leads you to the company’s application page and other times it leads you to another LinkedIn page. Regardless, you need to fill in the boxes on the page (usually your contact information). In most cases, attaching a resume it optional.
Always attach your resume.
You can customize it first if you want. Often your LinkedIn profile doesn’t have enough information to really support most job applications. Also, your resume is laid out and stylized in your particular way. It better represents you.
Responding to an Inquiry
When you log in to LinkedIn, check out the Messaging Tab. It will be lit up with a red number so you know there are new messages.
You can choose to ignore them, but you never know when it might lead to your dream job. Take a look, it’s worth a few minutes.
When are you typing your response, keep in mind that the LinkedIn default is to send a message every time you hit enter. This means the person who sent you the note will get a series of short messages – a bit like a string of text message. You can click on the three dots beside the Send button to change this.
You will see the alternative which is for LinkedIn to send the message only when you press the actual send button. This is definitely the better way to go.
Both of these tips help you make a better impression when you use your LinkedIn profile.
Follow Laura Machan on twitter. Read more articles on managing your career by Laura available on Oakville News.