LinkedIn hosts more than 500 million professional profiles and is an endless supply of networking and job opportunities. It’s dynamic, fast-moving and ever changing, which means that your profile must be up to date and you need to keep your posts topical. For starters, make sure your profile is complete and current, including a headline that summarises what you’ve done and what you’re interested in doing, a “stand-out” summary of your key skills and experience, and details of your work history. Include a professional, clear, recent headshot (definitely not a poorly lit or casual selfie).

• Remember that LinkedIn reflects all of your actions in its feed, so they are visible to your followers and also the followers of those whose content you’ve reacted to. If you follow a certain management guru or successful investor, don’t be shy to comment or respond to their content. You may even get a direct response and start a conversation!
• Make it count and make it impactful. Don’t over-share, over-post, or over-comment. Your engagements – the articles you comment on, the posts you share, and the events (promotions, anniversaries, etc) that you “like” all represent the quality of the people you associate with professionally.
• Publish! If you have a unique experience, an unusual anecdote, or an area that you’re expert in, publish original content with a LinkedIn Article.
• Share content that you find genuinely insightful, relevant, and useful. Don’t engage with flavour-of-the-day memes.

Since all this posting can be time consuming, use social media dashboards such as Hootsuite or Agorapulse to sync all of your social media accounts in one place. This will help you reach a broader audience more quickly.

Most of us are guilty of doing a little social media stalking before meeting someone and this is also true of potential employers and clients. With modern tools like WordPress and Wix, beautiful and professionally designed websites are now surprisingly easy to create (trust me!) and no longer require professional web designers. Putting your resume online can help you highlight your personal narrative and showcase what’s unique about your personality, personal interests, hobbies and work ethic. Using keywords relevant to your professional interest in each section will help you to be more searchable. If your background is in creative, design, advertising or media, make sure a portfolio, sizzle reel, and links to your projects are on your site.

This tip is just in time for spring! Clean up the rough edges on your social media accounts. Photos from your past live forever online and should be managed carefully. According to a 2018 CareerBuilder survey, 70 percent of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process, and about 43 percent of employers use social media to check on current employees. Make sure photos on your profile are appropriate and don’t just highlight wild nights out in Lan Kwai Fong! Making your Facebook and Instagram profiles private is another good way to manage the worldwide exposure of your personal life. Your posts often form a person’s first impression of you, so make sure to put your best foot forward and remember that what you share is a reflection of your character.

In a world that is so digital and sometimes impersonal, it’s paramount to make meaningful connections.

• Be personal, be memorable. When using the messaging tools within LinkedIn and other Social networks, take time to personalise and tailor your messages. It’s best not to use the generic LinkedIn note. Instead make mention of where you met the person, why your interests are aligned or how you could possibly work together. Be sure to think about what value you can add to your connection and not just what you want from them.

LinkedIn is a means, not an end, to opening the door to making real connections. Once a LinkedIn invitation is accepted, follow up with a personalised note. And then finally, use the online connection to grow the relationship through a phone call or meeting so that you can really connect on a personal level.