LinkedIn is the top social network for professionals, with more than 590 million members worldwide. Recruiters and hiring managers are actively searching out candidates on LinkedIn. Optimise your profile and prospective employers can find you, even if you are not actively looking for a new job.
Here are 8 top LinkedIn hacks for 2019:
1. Populate as much of your LinkedIn profile as you can. A complete LinkedIn profile is 40 times more likely to receive opportunities through LinkedIn.
2. Strive for “All-Star” status. Check out your LinkedIn Profile Strength meter. (Click on the “Me” icon at the top of your LinkedIn homepage and select “View profile.” Scroll down to the Strength meter.) Click the dropdown icon in the upper right-hand corner to see more information about your next step towards completing your profile and achieving “All-Star” status. (Once the meter is full and all prompts are complete, you’ll receive an All-Star profile rating.)
3. Watch for announcements of changes to the LinkedIn user interface. These can affect how your content is presented and viewed by others. Make changes, as necessary, to ensure your profile adapts to the changes LinkedIn makes.
4. Make it a point to add new connections consistently. Try to actively connect with 5-10 new connections a month.
5. Spend a few minutes each week on LinkedIn reading and responding to posts from your connections in your news feed. Like and comment on posts to increase your visibility and connection with people in your network.
6. Review your LinkedIn profile on a regular basis. Remove older content and refresh it with newer content at least once a year.
7. Back up your LinkedIn profile regularly — at least every three months at a minimum. There are two parts to backing up your profile: Save your profile as a PDF and also archive your LinkedIn profile data. LinkedIn occasionally removes features — and sometimes, this removes content from specific sections. If you have your information backed up, you can add the content back into a different section. The data backup will create spreadsheet files (in .csv format) of your LinkedIn account — your connections, contacts, email inbox, positions, and profile. It will also include a “Rich Media” folder with the images included on your profile. LinkedIn will also send you an email with your activity and account history.
8. Use LinkedIn to advance your career. One of the best features of LinkedIn is that it can help you stay current with what people you know in “real life” are doing — especially when they change jobs. It’s especially useful for staying connected with former co-workers that you may not want to friend on Facebook.
