Linking up with LinkedIn as a 21st-century professional

If you are a 21st-century professional, you haven’t come across phrases like “I am glad to announce…” “I am delighted to inform…” and other related phrases, you probably haven’t stumbled across LinkedIn.

You might have heard a lot of castigations about LinkedIn, either that it is overwhelming or that it is for bragging, but don’t people always talk about everything?

Let’s shed light on some facts below.

1. LinkedIn is just another social media platform-believe me, it’s true. Imagine your Twitter or Instagram or Facebook (for those who still use Facebook) that is what Linkedin is, except that it is for professional purposes. 

Think about it, you post your lovely outfits on Instagram and share how you were a bridesmaid to your friend who got hooked to her long-term sweetheart who finally got a job with an IOC (oyel money) or you post how you attended your school reunion, or friends’ meet up or birthday or how you met your favourite celeb, and you show your expensive glam for the gram, don’t you?

That is what we do on Linkedin, we post events we attended, graced, spoke at, was a panelist at. We post exams we aced, certificates we just acquired, a new training we attended, a career coach we finally met and other related professional glam. (Are we together?)

2. Your content can be curated – On LinkedIn, you can choose the kind of people you want to follow, the kind of posts and news you want to see, the kind of notifications you want to pop up and the perception you want people to have about you.

When I started using LinkedIn, my content was Tax-centric. I was at a tax firm, and I demonstrated tax knowledge and competence. I followed tax firms, commented on tax-related news and other tax engaging activities.

However, in the last one or two years, I have been deliberate about being HR-CENTRIC. I have written elucidating articles and posts on employ-abilities and things related. I have examined concrete HR-related concepts like “End to end recruitment cycle, How to be employable, Internal Labour markets, workforce planning and strategy” and other related topics. And all these contents had made me recipients of many HR-related nominations and awards across different regions. (You see, I just bragged).

3. People always share success stories – That’s not true – People do not always share success stories and I have read a lot of rejection stories on LinkedIn. From people who missed out on a couple of scholarships, to people who couldn’t make a particular job application, people often share their journey, processes, failures and of course, their successes, or don’t you want them to share their stories too?

4. People’s stories are intimidating, people make a lot of fuss – That’s not true: LinkedIn, just like any other place is a platform where people most time show off their bests “days” and you can’t judge your everyday by someone’s best day. People post for different reasons and why they post isn’t exactly your business as much as what you learnt from their posts, you know that right?

How do you then optimise LinkedIn?

Share a bit of what you know: Either it is titbits of knowledge about Ergonomics or educating people about Physiotherapy, there is something you know that people need to know and it doesn’t have to relate to just Recruitment.

Engage people’s post:  It works like magic, maybe like magnet. The more you engage people, the more you are in people’s faces. Like people’s posts. Share distinct thoughts under and air your opinion when it does matter.

Share people’s post: While this isn’t mandatory, sharing posts also increases your visibility as people with like-minds get to locate you.

Building a profile: I could write another article on how to create a captivating profile but remember that an exciting profile always makes people stop by.

Your profile should contain your bio; an array of few paragraphs that tells us who you are and what you do, an headline that sells you succinctly, a beautiful picture and lots more.

There are also ways you can optimize your skills and narrate your experiences in a way that make people stop by and read through.

LinkedIn might be overwhelming but it remains one of the platforms where dreams become reality through diverse opportunities. Activate your account today.