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Tips For Executives: How to Use LinkedIn This 2020

By | Nancy Rivera

If you are not using LinkedIn to its fullest potential this 2020, then you may be missing out big time. With over 575 million users and of which, 250 million are active users, this will tell you that LinkedIn offers something valuable and that you should start investing time on it too. Aside from its extensive employment listing, this social networking site allows you to create business connections and network with like-minded individuals from the same industry as you.

It is also a great avenue for you to strengthen your professional profile and establish yourself as an expert in your field. If you want to start seeing positive results on LinkedIn this 2020, check out these 8 top things that you should be doing starting today.

How to Use LinkedIn to Maximize Business and Job Opportunities

  1. Make sure that your profile is 100% complete- This one is a no-brainer. If you want to harness the true power of LinkedIn, you need to set aside time to fill out your profile completely. This includes having a professional headshot, a headline that drives people to want to learn more, a summary that draws people in, and a comprehensive list of job experiences, trainings, and education that you attended in the past to establish your credibility.

Another thing that you can do to make LinkedIn work for your is to make it easy for people to access your resume should they need it. Learn how to put resume on LinkedIn so that recruiters and other business professionals who want to check your credentials can view or download it right away.

  1. Stop asking people for recommendations– This may sound counterproductive but instead of focusing your energy on asking for recommendations to boost your profile, try to add value to your connections first. Proactively recommend people you know in earnest. This could get the ball rolling and hopefully the virtual karma will get back to you with sincere recommendations from others too.
  1. Tailored Connection Invites– Stop sending out generic invites to people. Think of it as an opportunity for you to add your personal touch in this highly automated world. Personalizing your LinkedIn connection invites shows that there is a genuine person on the other end who is wanting to create a valuable connection.

How you angle your invite will depend on the reason behind the connection request and this should be made clear on the invite. People are more likely to respond if the expectations are set from the get-go.

  1. Utilize LinkedIn SlideShare– with now over 70 million active users, SlideShare is a great avenue for you to share your expertise and valuable contribution to the online world so make sure to jump in on it as well.

You can use SlideShare to strengthen your personal brand and reach more professional audience. It costs nothing and can help build your authority on a certain topic or area. When using SlideShare, make sure you are only sharing relevant and useful information in order to build a credible brand for yourself.

  1. Publish Articles – Sharing your knowledge through LinkedIn articles is a great way for you to build your credibility and market value. By adding relevant and valuable content on the site, people will start looking at you as a reputable source of information thus kicking your “expert level” up a notch. But of course, you must make sure that you are producing quality content. 

Some tips when publishing articles on LinkedIn- Thought provoking headlines, concise and easy to read, and free from grammatical or typo errors. Don’t know what to write? Think of something that you are very good at and share some tips to your readers. Remember that you are posting not for the sake of posting but to share knowledge and expertise.

  1. Engage with Your Connections’ Posts and Articles– And do not forget to comment or share. Reading articles from other people in your industry helps you stay updated when it comes to trends and developing news in your niche. Aside from this, commenting and sharing other people’s posts does not just show that you are interested about the topic, it also tells them that there is a person behind your profile.

Do not just be a ghost user, get your presence felt by sharing your respectful thoughts and ideas. This could be key to mutually beneficial connections where you can learn from each other.

  1. Be Purposeful When Making Connections – Stop trying to connect with every single person on the platform. Instead, strive for valuable connections. This means connecting with those who you can offer value to, as well as those from whom you can learn from. This is nowhere being “I scratch you if you scratch me” but rather building true connections with people you are truly interested in hearing and learning from. Quality over quantity as they say. 

A great way to build your connection is meeting people from your industry through online forums and groups. Start a conversation, add your two cents, or simply add value to a correspondence. Once you have connected with people who share the same ideas, then you can go ahead and ask them if you can connect with them on LinkedIn. Express your interest in learning more from them. This way, the connection is more meaningful compared to randomly adding people on the site.

  1. Stay Active– LinkedIn is not a one-shot deal kind of thing. You cannot just set up a profile and then expect job offers to start pouring in. Take the time to build your professional online presence on the platform by staying active. Even if you are not actively seeking for a job, try to post or engage on people’s posts at least once or twice a week. You can also join groups to meet new people with whom you can share ideas with.

There is no doubt that LinkedIn is one of the most powerful professional networking and job listing platforms in the world so take full advantage of its benefits by applying the tips mentioned above.


About the Author:

Nancy Rivera is a writer and a contributor. She writes mostly about career development and job searching. She hopes that she can provide valuable tips for those who are going through career change or job seeking.

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