Making the most of LinkedIn

As spring approaches it’s time to give your social media presence a new lease of life.

With everyone and everything currently being online, your social media profile might be in as much need of a spring-clean, as your houses and office desks.

If your profile is failing to gain the positive interest that you were hoping for, it may be down to your word choice.

LinkedIn have released a list of top 10 profile terms that are overused. These ten top words are all words that at some point in your life, if not currently, words that you have used to describe yourself and your attributes.

According to LinkedIn data, these are the top ten culprits,
Extensive experience,Innovative, Motivated, Results-oriented, Dynamic, Proven track record, Team player, Fast-paced, Problem solver, Entrepreneurial.

Although these words are not “bad” they are simply too commonly used. They become lifeless and generic to potential employers, these words do not offer anything memorable to you.

Instead, you should try changing them to words that are more specific to you personally, and the skills you are offering to potential employers.

Another factor that can have a huge impact is your chosen profile picture. Your picture is the first thing people will look at, and remember, first impressions count for a lot, and you don’t want to fail at the first hurdle.

Make sure your picture shows a positive reflection of you with a positive expression. Your picture should be high quality and professional, you don’t want to be chopping your picture out of the family’s holiday snaps.

If you work within a sector that has a instantly recognisable building take a photo outside it, if you work for a school or hospital get a picture outside these building as it is an instant link to you and your profession.

Another top tip is to add some LinkedIn Applications to your profile, for example, if you travel regularly you should think about adding Triplt, this will enable you to build a relationship with connections in the various cities you are visiting.

In addition, if you are more of a visual person you should try out SlideShare or Google presentation. These apps allow you to add your presentations and work to your profile. By adding as many apps as possible, that are relevant to you will help people to find something that you both have in common.

Finally, the best advice is GET ACTIVE! By being someone who is on the ball and posting thoughtful and engaging comments you will draw attention to yourself. All you need to do is actively engage with others, share interesting view points, comment on popular discussions as well as offer helpful and friendly advice and ideas to people.

By having a cleanup of your profile and following these simple and easy ideas you can set yourself up for great success. Use whatever works best for you and what you think is relevant.