Have you ever wondered why LinkedIn is becoming an important social media channel for
almost every person?
LinkedIn is a professional social media platform that enables you to get connected with the right
people for your career and like-minded connections.
Having a LinkedIn account these days is essential for your career advancement, whether you’re
looking to change your job or not. You can never create your LinkedIn account too soon, as you
can start using this platform as early as a university student. The reason why LinkedIn is
booming is that it offers various benefits that no other social media platform offers. Here in this
article, I will tell you why you should aim not only to have a LinkedIn profile but to shape up
your presence on LinkedIn and how to do it, easily.

Here’s why you should polish up your profile on LinkedIn:

1. Recruiters and Human resources professionals are on LinkedIn
   Recruiters will look for your profile on LinkedIn. It may be speculating why, for example, you
   don’t have an account on LinkedIn, from the recruiter’s perspective. Not having an account on
   LinkedIn could mean you’re not internet savvy, which is a drawback in today’s digital world.
2. LinkedIn offers a wide range of job openings.
   If you are looking for a job, you can use LinkedIn’s job search engine. Many companies use
   LinkedIn to find suitable candidates through job postings, and there are many offers that are
   unique to LinkedIn.
3. LinkedIn enables you to receive (and give) endorsements and testimonials.
   Being endorsed by peers for your skills and receiving recommendations gives you credibility and
   increases your chances to appeal for new opportunities. Don’t forget to pay it forward and give
   recommendations and endorsements for well-deserving peers you know or work with.
4. LinkedIn offers a great content platform to develop your expertise.
   LinkedIn encourages users to create content. Publishing articles, for instance, helps build your
   expertise and having an optimal online presence on LinkedIn.
5. Browse companies you’re interested in joining
   With LinkedIn, you can browse companies you are interested in working with. If you are
   interested in working with a specific company, besides reading their company profile, you can
   use LinkedIn to connect with people who work for that company, and more.

How to have the optimal presence on LinkedIn?

• Engage with your network.
  Many people think that posting on LinkedIn is the major key to perform well; however, there is
  one way to absolutely improve your presence is to interact with your connections. Like,
  comment, and share their posts. This way you will appear on more people’s timelines and grow
  your network.
• Complete your profile
  Many people have incomplete profiles, which affects their presence on LinkedIn negatively. Pay
  attention to your profile on LinkedIn and try to keep it complete. Having a complete profile not
  only will make you appear better in searches, and have an edge when applying to new jobs.
• Make Connections Using LinkedIn Features
  LinkedIn offers a “who viewed your profile?” feature, which enables you to start a chat with
  someone who viewed your profile without leaving a message or sending a friend request. You
  can have meaningful connections or better job opportunities simply by reaching out to profile
  viewers. The more you engage with people on LinkedIn, the better presence you’ll have.
• Customize your LinkedIn profile URL
  LinkedIn allows you to customize your public profile URL and use your name (for
  example, www.linkedin.com/YourName) This will not only make it easier for people to find
  you, but it will also give you a better presence on LinkedIn. You can easily change your URL by
  following few steps and raise your profile presence on LinkedIn.
• Use the “name pronunciation” feature on LinkedIn
  On LinkedIn, you get the chance to connect with many people from various locations and
  backgrounds. Some people might find it hard to read your name, so adding a name pronunciation
  will help them get your name correctly, and will present you as a LinkedIn savvy who is up to
  date.

Are there etiquettes for using LinkedIn?
The short answer is, Yes!
Using LinkedIn (or any other online platform) comes with etiquettes which, by following them,
you can have a great presence on LinkedIn and get noticed for new opportunities. LinkedIn is a
professional community that requires individuals to respect its etiquettes and follow them.
Here are some of the Do’s and Dont’s of LinkedIn
Things that you are encouraged to use LinkedIn for:

• Personalize connection requests
• Use (Welcome and Thank you) messages
• Respond promptly
• Have a professional image
• Post meaningful content constantly
• Give recommendations and personalize recommendation request
• Engage with your 1st and 2nd connections
• Keep it professional
• Introduce people
  Things that you should avoid while using LinkedIn
• Sending spam/irrelevant messages
• Don’t ask people you don’t know to endorse you
• Don’t ask strangers for recommendations
• Don’t criticize others or comment negatively
• Don’t write about topics you don’t really know about
  To summarize, using LinkedIn professionally will lead to gaining better opportunities and
  getting noticed by a wide range of professionals and recruiters. You can never go wrong with
  creating a profile on LinkedIn. LinkedIn will benefit you whether you’re looking for a new job,
  want to engage with business connections, or get an impulse in an industry.

About the Author Shada Al Shawwa https://www.linkedin.com/in/shadaalshawwa