LinkedIn is a powerful platform that connects people in the professional world. As a matter of fact, you are probably reading this blog because you were scrolling on LinkedIn. Many of us can agree on the advantages of LinkedIn given that it’s been used to network, share insights and it can even connect you to your dream job.

As a jobseeker, you would want to ensure that you are maximizing your chances in landing that next great role. In this blog, we will cover how to do exactly that by having a winning LinkedIn profile.

1. Tell your personal branding story

You have probably heard of the phrase “Be your own brand”. It’s true, just ask Ben & Jerry’s, HP, or Calvin Klein. The reason why they are successful as a brand despite using their own name is quite straightforward; people know who they are and what they are good at so people trust buying from them. And this stems from a good personal branding. What makes you stand out from the rest? Who are you and what are you good at? Think about how you want to portray yourself as a brand and you will be able to push that out on LinkedIn.

2. Know your audience

We all have that one person we avoid talking about world news with or a friend that can never read the room and write jokes in a serious blog about Creating a Winning LinkedIn Profile. *cough cough*

As how we prepare ourselves in our business meetings or presentations by understanding the stakeholders that will be in the room, we must also understand who our audience on LinkedIn is. By understanding your audience, you would be able to present yourselves in a more curated manner and deliver a much more impactful brand.

3. Work on your profile

It goes without saying that the first two points are irrelevant if you don’t complete your profile. Having an incomplete profile on LinkedIn and hoping for it to attract people is like walking into KFC and asking for a Double Cheeseburger. You can but it won’t work!

Some of the things to consider for your LinkedIn profile:

• Photo – Use a nice professional headshot and if you don’t have any, use a nice photo of you at the park. Just no selfies. Please.

• Background header – Because it looks nice.

• Summary – A nice, interesting story about you. If you find this hard to write, just ask your friends to write for you. They are always honest.

• Headline – Be catchy. You can put your job title or what you do.

• Customize your URL – The devil is in the details. But also, who wants their name with a bunch of numbers as their URL anyway?

• Optimize your profile – Use keywords and terms that are relevant to your industry to ensure your profile pops up on search. In other words, optimize your profile for a good SEO!

• No to buzzwords – Because honestly, it’s very cringey. Walk the talk everyone, we live in a world of show and not just tell. Show people that you are “dependable” or “experienced”.

• Highlight your experience, skills, and achievements – Flex on those experiences because you want to tell people what you did and achieved!

• Personal – Share with your network on who you are outside of your work! You can be casual with things – share photos of your pet, your sport activities or even anything else that shows you have a personality. We are humans and we are allowed to have a life.

4. Network

You can’t have a winning LinkedIn profile with 4G network. Just kidding. LinkedIn is a platform with a plethora of industry experts that are just waiting for you to send that message to connect. Network with the connections that are within the industry of your choosing. Are you a law student looking to learn more about the finance industry? Connect and network. Are you an aspiring Management Consultant looking to grow more in their career? Connect and network. But how do you connect and network? That is something for you to plan out.

5. Be active

After you have identified your personal branding, knowing your audience, worked on your profile and networked; the last step to this is to be consistent. Share a post or your opinions on the latest technology trend or engage in another person’s posts. Do this consistently but also avoid spamming. Spamming is like spicy food; a bit of spice here and there is fine but too much just gives you that weird feeling in your tummy.

In summary, we all must do our best to market ourselves especially if you are a jobseeker and LinkedIn is the best way to do that. Treat your LinkedIn profile as how you would with your CV as everyone should have a personalized profile. At the end of the day, the most important product you’re selling is yourself.