Use LinkedIn to supercharge your career

Have you ever Googled yourself? Is so, you’re likely to have seen your LinkedIn profile somewhere near the top of the search results. 

From networking opportunities, to connecting with recruiters and conveying your personal brand, there are lots of ways that you can leverage your LinkedIn activities. Read on to learn more…

Get profile up to scratch and keep it updated

Employers (and recruiters) will develop an impression of you, based on your LinkedIn profile, so what can you do to improve it?

• Use a professional headshot – as they say, a picture is worth a thousand words. What does yours say about you? Using a professional photograph can increase the number of profile views by up to 14 times more. 
• Create a short, sharp enticing headline packed with 'searchable' keywords (more on this below)
• Flesh out the 'about section and include your career experience. Use short, engaging sentences that address the reader’s needs/concerns/interests and entice them to want to learn more. 
• Ensure any specialist areas of expertise jump off the page. Show off your education and qualifications.
• Ask for feedback. Past colleagues and friends can proof-read and provide input. The best person to review is a specialist recruiter who understands best-practice and can help you to fine-tune.

Convey a clear personal brand

Unlike your CV, LinkedIn is a place where you can use more conversational language on LinkedIn e.g. say ‘I'm a self-confessed numbers nerd - I live and breathe analytics’ rather than, ‘I’m an expert in Analytics’

Create your own content is a great way to show off your knowledge, build trust and crystallise your personal brand. Writing thought-leadership articles or opinion pieces on LinkedIn will help to demonstrate your expertise and builds trust amongst online communities. Carousels and PDF documents are powerful tools for creating engaging content. And don't forget... sometimes a compelling image or graphic can say far more than words alone.

If content creation sounds too daunting, start by commenting on other people's posts and by resharing helpful tips, interesting articles or useful data. Just remember to add value by adding a personal perspective.

Network, network, network

LinkedIn’s mission is the “connect the world's professionals to make them more productive and successful.” With more than 850 million global members, this powerful platform provides a tremendous networking opportunities. 

Think of it as a giant spiderweb, with people connecting in lots of different ways. The more active you are, the more your connections multiply. 

You don’t necessarily need to someone personally in order to invite them to connect, but it is a good idea to suggest why you thought they could be a good connection e.g. do you have a mutual acquaintance, or interest? 

LinkedIn networking tips for HSE professionals

• Join industry bodies, such as Safe Work Australia, the Australian Institute of Health and Safety, Women In Safety and other relevant organisations in your state or territory.
• Follow prospective employers, learn about what’s happening in the organisation and keep an eye out for available roles
• Research, reach out & connect. Don’t be afraid to reach out to people in organisations you would like to work for. A little bit of research to find some common ground or link to a relevant Leader will build you an exceptional network. 
• Look for friends of friends online, then ask for an introduction in the real world
• Connect with specialist recruiters. This is a good way to hear about new opportunities and changes within the job market.
• Ask for endorsements & recommendations. Think broadly about which managers, co-workers or suppliers can comment on a skill or experience that you have. 

Help recruiters to find you

By keeping your profile up to date you will ‘visible’ for potential new job opportunities. 

In-house talent teams and external recruitment consultants all use LinkedIn to search for and connect with potential candidates for roles they are looking to fill. Professional users will search via a variety of criteria including keywords, job title and geographic regions to find people.

Consider how you can increase the number of keywords within your LinkedIn profile headline, as this is searchable by recruiters. A good headline has lots of keywords e.g. Head of Health, Wellbeing & Safety| HSE Executive | HSE Consultant | Victoria

Offer to write endorsements & recommendations for others

It easier (and nicer!) to help others, than to ask for help yourself. Offering favours to others, also has the benefit of leaving them feeling kindly and possibly indebted to you.

Get in people’s good books by writing an endorsement or recommendation. This can cover a period of time that you have work with an individual or Manager. Alternatively it could relate to specialist experience, or a particular partnership or project.

Do your research

LinkedIn is a great way to keep up to date with industry news and trends.

Before attending a job interview it is always worthwhile using LinkedIn to find out more about the organisation and the person conducting your interview. Background insights can be useful for shaping the conversation. Look for clues to organisational culture, health and growth opportunities. These will often be shared on company or employee pages.

How can we help?

LinkedIn activities are a crucial part of sharing your career, but there are many more strings you need to add to your bow for the best chances of landing the perfect role.

Signing up for job-alerts and working with a specialist recruiter who understands your career objectives will make a significant difference.