Leveraging LinkedIn for Career Success

This assignment delves into the strategic use of LinkedIn for professional development. It emphasizes crafting a compelling LinkedIn profile that highlights skills and experience, building a strong network, and leveraging the platform's features to advance one's career. The document provides practical advice on optimizing various sections of the profile, including the headline, summary, experience, and projects. It also stresses the importance of networking, engaging with content, and utilizing LinkedIn's search functionalities effectively.

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BUS: LinkedIn Theory and Profile
Name
Date

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Theory
Advantages of Using Liked In
For someone just starting out; LinkedIn provides a wealth of opportunity; human resource
professionals and recruiters are on LinkedIn; by having one’s profile in the same platform, it is
easier to get noticed or be specifically searched by a prospective recruiter. With recommendations
and considerations, one stands a better chance of landing a job as recruiters look for you, rather than
the other traditional method of looking for the recruiters (Zimmerman & Ng, 2017). Further, the site
has extensive job listings so that a person looking for work or a new career change can take
advantage and find their dream jobs using the LinkedIn search engine. Several top brands use
LinkedIn to advertise jobs and also find specific people with a specific set of qualifications, and
with connections, this is made much easier (Alba, 2014).
Being connected is one of the ways one can get opportunities; one of the significant
advantages of using Linked In or having a profile on it is to get connected. LinkedIn is a social
networking site but only focused on professionals; however, it uses the power of social media which
is a powerful tool for getting connections. LinkedIn has a very good search feature that one can use
to help them find specific people, opportunities, or jobs in specific industries. Apart from searching
for specific jobs, people, and industries, LinkedIn enables a person to keep tabs on areas of interest,
including on jobs. Through LinkedIn, one creates useful connections that give them notifications on
any changes, including job availabilities. A potential employer or partner is likely to stumble upon
one’s profile as LinkedIn gives one visibility in a professional site (Harper, 2015), (Sherman, 2014).
Using LinkedIn, one can promote their brand as a specialist or authority in a specific area.
This is achieved by joining specific professional groups of interest and their listings. With such
connections and listing, one will be able to get endorsements on their skills and have the site
automatically update their skills set and send out notifications. With endorsements and belonging to
such groups, an individual can get the highly sought after recommendations that will not be missed
by recruiters; the recruiters will likely take the given recommendations into consideration when
looking for staff of specific skills (Vermeiren & Verdonck, 2011).
Common Mistakes People Make While Developing their Profiles
Failing to fill out the summary section
One major mistake that people make while developing their LinkedIn profiles forgetting to, or
leaving their summary blank. Some people go ahead and write a summary about their
company,which is a bad in itself; The platform is not just for explicit explanations of what one has
done before, prior achievements, jobs held, and education; it should be use as an opportunity for
telling the world, in summary (in brief), what and a person is. The summary is like an executive

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summary for a research report; it quickly gives the reader a summarized compete outlook of the
entire research report, and this can interest a person to read through the profile further. There are
likely many more people with similar qualifications and skill levels; having a well executed
summary will give one advantage, not just during searches, but also when a potential recruiter goes
through the profiles; they will be likely looking at several profiles; a well done personal summary
will likely make one stand out (D'Onfro & Shontell, 2016), (Serdula, 2016).
Incomplete profiles
Another mistake many people make with their LinkedIn profiles is sending connection
requests before fully completing their profile and when they send them, they are not personalized
requests. Many users send connection requests when they haven't finished their profile or refreshed
it in years (Serdula, 2016). Connecting with people for the first time requires that one creates the
right image about themselves. Many people use the generic options available on Linked In, such as
“ I would like to add you to my professional LinkedIn network”
While this passes a message, you don't just want to ‘pass a message’, you actually want to create an
impression that makes it irresistible for the person you are making a professional request to: to feel
they are connecting with the ‘right person’. You create the impression that you are just another
‘ordinary’ user, and not someone with a personalized profile that would lead to mutual benefit
between the two (Williams, 2016).
Boring and unprofessional profile
Yet another mistake is mistaking their profile for being their resume; while its a professional
competence summary, it is not exactly a resume. It is more than a resume that should precisely
reflect the person, from their skills set to their experience and what value they will offer a
prospective employer r partner. For starters, some people have a profile in which the profile photo
does not really reflect their true image. Further, some have profiles that lack a background image;
the adage ‘ a picture tells a story of a thousand words’ holds very true in this case. The background
image or visual should make the profile stand out, and convey some information about the person
(D'Onfro & Shontell, 2016). Someone who is a chef needs a background image on food or culinary
subjects; not their last vacation image! Some people incorporate professional images and even
background photos, but then it is not done professionally such that the image may look too
pixelated or stretched. While it may be the right picture, it conveys the wrong message about an
individual; that they are careless and do not pay attention to details, elements that are a must in
today’s business world (Elad, 2017).
Advice on How to best leverage LinkedIn

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Detailed descriptions
One should have an eye-catching and suitable image as well as an eye catching headline.
Your profile will be like a calling card on Linkedin, it’s how people start to perceive you and it goes
beyond just impressing a recruiter or potential business partner. The headline must be suitabke and
attention grabbing, with key words relating to one’s profession used so that it comes out on top
during searches (Funch, 2014). The profile headline needs to be more descriptive of the person; for
instance a student at University X undertaking a PhD should never use a statement like;
PhD Student at University X
Instead, a headline like
Advertising major student with experience in new product introductions
Or, for someone seeking a job, a suitable profile headline would be;
Advertising professional with five years experience at a Fortune 500 company looking for
opportunities in the Technical Medical Field
Even for a person with a ‘strong’ job title, such as Marketing Executive needs to use their headline
space to describe themselves better and in more detail. While giving more details for the self
description, one needs to avoid the risk of ‘over describing’, such as including too much
information as to put off a potential viewer of the profile. An eye catching headline would be
something like;
“I help organizations craft the best strategies for new products | Copy writer | Trainer |
Consultant “
Some people make mistakes such as stating that they are currently ‘unemployed’; recruiters
are looking for upwardly mobile people ad this can put them off; instead, one should describe their
aspirations pr what they are looking for to create the impression of being dynamic. This should be
topped with a unique LinkedIn URL (universal resource locater) that makes it easier when search
words used are similar to one’s profile (Bahler, 2017).
Always fill out the summary
One should include a compelling summary as it is the most important and crucial part of any
LinkedIn profile and will ensure one’s profile pops up during searches. The summary should
include key search terms that do not have typo errors; the search terms as well as key words must
closely relate with the present job one is doing or the kind of jobs and opportunities one is looking
for. This increases the likelihood of being found by HR managers and recruiters when they
undertake their searches. The skills included in the summary must be words recognized by
LinkedIn; one should not just add a bunch of skills, even if they possess those skills. The skills
should not be obscure words that LinkedIn does not recognize, as searches will fail to reveal you

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(Bahler, 2017). While typing skills in the LinkedIn profile, one should ensure that the word is found
in the drop down menu, and then just select the term, rather than typing it completely as it may
result in typographical errors. Instead of typing
Competent in Microsoft Office or Excellent at Copy Writing
One should instead use terms already found in LinkedIn such as
Microsoft Office and Copy Editing
It is possible that one actually does have the written skills, but the problem is that the words used in
‘skills’ is not searched frequently or it is wrongly spelled, or it is not recognized by LinkedIn. As
such, one should stick with the skills already found in LinkedIn and just click those that closely
match their skills. When searching for a specific job, a person should use specific key words, and a
good place to start is in the ‘Advanced Search’ feature/ tab. Using this feature is likely to bring up
relevant career opportunities and jobs that a person is actually looking for. Search for jobs by
keywords, instead of using just features like company or the specific job being searched.
Use multimedia and keep the profile updated
One should include multimedia content; both in outline and the content of the profile.
LinkedIn has a multimedia feature that should be fully exploited with photos, and images, such as
those related to work. Once one has crated their profile, it should not be forgotten; instead, regular
updates will keep things fresh and create feeds to keep the profile ‘loud’. The profile should be
updated with content, including multimedia presentations that one did relating to their profile and
this should be done regularly, such as weekly. The updates should not just be on the ordinary things,
like the images; one should connect with people within their LinkedIn circle, such as sending them
congratulations on a job anniversary or on their recent achievements. Further, an individual should
keep their profile active by requesting for endorsements and recommendations. Further, the
recommendations need to come from reputable persons so that it adds value to ones’ profile. The
profile should not be a drab continuous profile, instead, one should break down the profile into
sections (Funch, 2014).
Apart from creating the summary, one should add content such as volunteer work and
experiences, honors received, any awards given, projects that a person has worked on or is working
on, organizations worked at, and even languages. A single long sentence block makes for a boring
LinkedIn profile that will not attract much interest or keep a potential recruiter absorbed for long
enough to read through the whole of it. Further, one does not have to use the default sections as
provided; it is okay to play around with the sections order. For instance, a recent graduate with a
more relevant and interesting project, even above previous work experience should make them drag
the ‘projects’ section to the top, above ‘experience’ section (D'Onfro & Shontell, 2016). Upon

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connecting with someone on LinkedIn, it is important to fill information concerning the
‘Relationship’ on their profile. Adding notes on their interests, reminders, and even information on
how you met so that it reminds a person to reach out to them after some time. Finally, use the ‘Find
Alumni’ feature a lot to connect with old course mates; this can be very useful in getting a job or
contract because people like associations, and Alumni is a great way to create associations with
other people.

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References
Alba, J. (2014). I'm on LinkedIn--now what???: A guide to getting the most out of LinkedIn.
Cupertino, CA : HappyAbout
Bahler, K. (2017). What Your Resume Should Look Like in 2017. Money. Retrieved 8 January 2018,
from http://time.com/money/4621066/free-resume-word-template-2017/
D'Onfro, J., & Shontell, A. (2016). 19 terrible LinkedIn mistakes you're making. Business Insider.
Retrieved 8 January 2018, from http://www.businessinsider.com/common-linkedin-
mistakes-youre-making-2016-6?IR=T/#youre-not-taking-advantage-of-the-find-alumni-
option-19
Elad, J. O. E. L. (2016). Linkedin For Dummies. S.L.: John Wiley & Sons.
Harper, C. (2015). 20 Benefits To Using Linkedin Even If You Don't Sell To Other Businesses. Social
Media Fuze. Retrieved 8 January 2018, from https://socialmediafuze.com/need-linkedin-
business/
Funch, J. (2014). 10 Ways to Leverage LinkedIn Keeping You Top of Mind in Your
Network. LinkedIn. Retrieved 8 January 2018, from
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140507135150-12858667-10-ways-to-leverage-linkedin-
keeping-you-top-of-mind-in-your-network/
Serdula, D. (2016). LinkedIn Profile Optimization for Dummies. Somerset: John Wiley & Sons,
Incorporated.
Sherman, D. (2014). Maximum success with LinkedIn: dominate your market, build a global brand,
and create the career of your dreams. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Vermeiren, J., & Verdonck, B. (2011). How to really use LinkedIn, second edition. Stamford,
Conn.: Hannacroix Creek Books.
Williams, G. (2016). Creating a career portfolio. Alexandria, Virginia : Association for Talent
Development
Zimmerman, J., & Ng, D. (2017). The Benefits of Using LinkedIn - dummies. Dummies. Retrieved 8
January 2018, from http://www.dummies.com/business/marketing/social-media-
marketing/the-benefits-of-using-linkedin/