I’m going to cut right to the chase here and say it: most of my clients do not love LinkedIn.

They know that they “should” be there.

They know that they “should” be investing time in developing new relationships and building new connections.

But mostly, they log in, scroll, feel overwhelmed by endless self promotional content of #thoughtleaders - and log right back out.

I completely get it.

And, I still think it’s very worthwhile to use LinkedIn to maintain relationships, nurture new ones and find new opportunities.

The key is to really take ownership over your LinkedIn experience!

Whether you’re looking for a new job or hoping to figure out your next steps, I want to offer 11 ways to make LinkedIn work for you so you can meet your professional goals.

1. Use a photo

LinkedIn profiles without pictures aren’t taken seriously. Period. In fact, LI profiles with profile pictures are viewed 11 times as frequently as profiles without pictures.

If you’re going to invest the time to use the platform as part of your professional development strategy, I do think having either a professional headshot or at least a high quality photograph, is a must.

LinkedIn is a way to learn about other people and that means we like to see you.

If you opt to take your own picture, use a picture where you look as professional as possible. Make sure that your face is visible and the picture is decent quality.

2. Keep a tally

If you’ve worked with me or watched our webinars, you’ve likely heard me say that resumes should not be a running tally of everything that you’ve ever done and that you need to customize your application materials for each job.

Generally speaking, LinkedIn is a better place to share the breadth of your experience. Staying connected to previous employers may mean staying connected to references and relevant experience as your career progresses.

While I like everything to be clear and concise - I generally find LinkedIn a better place to prevent the totality of your experience.

3. Use your professional headline creatively

I’m a big fan of the “professional headline” which is the text located right under your name,  on your profile:

Use your “professional headline” to share what you do!

Here’s why it’s a pretty cool feature: while most people use this space to share their job title, you’re in charge of the content that goes here!

For many of my clients, we want to take into account what recruiters and sourcers may be searching for in terms of job title, skill, etc and make sure that we’re using language that will Resonate with potential employers.

4. Be generous with your connections

Make use of the “People you may know,” feature and connect with people generously.

You never who you might be able to help or who may be able to support you. If you send a request to someone that you haven’t spoken to recently or don’t know that well, consider sending along a brief message.

That said, LinkedIn can have some aggressive and spammy connectors so definitely use your best judgement and give yourself permission to set boundaries to protect your time and safety!

5. Give recommendations

People are often resistant to networking because they feel like they’re asking for something and that makes them uncomfortable.

Giving recommendations is the perfect solution to this problem! Imagine how your colleagues or former colleagues would feel, logging in and finding an unsolicited but glowing recommendation of their abilities? Pretty great, right?

You can give recommendations to friends, colleagues, former classmates, professors and more. Some industries use feature this more than others. My friends and colleagues in the corporate world have way more recommendations than my friends in academia - but I think everyone can benefit from this.

I know I have a lengthy list of impressive people I should be recommending. This is a great feature with the potential to pay off in spades! You have nothing to lose and your colleagues will be very grateful.

6. Networking follow up

LinkedIn makes it super easy to keep in touch with new contacts. Instead of sending follow up emails after events, meetings or introductions, I now use LinkedIn exclusively. It’s easier to actually develop a relationship with new people by staying connected on LI rather than back and forth via email.

This way, you can “like” their content, post content and tag them if it feels relevant, and send a message if you need to be in direct contact.

It’s a little too easy to email someone, “Hey, nice to meet you!” and then forget all about them. Use LI to create and nurture these new relationships and potential collaborations as easily as you do with your friends on other platforms.

7. Show off your work

Are you a graphic designer, marketer, researcher, artist or blogger?!

You add papers, writing samples, syllabi, and other material to your LI profile.

If you’re in a field where you ought to have a portfolio or any sort of supplemental material, consider uploading them directly to your LI profile where potential employers and others can see your work.

8. Follow companies you might like to work for

“What do you know about us?” is a fairly common question at job interviews. By “following” companies that you’re interested in working for, you’re setting yourself up to get a sense of the culture, history and future of a place you may well interview one day.

Companies often share things like job postings, “day in the life” of their employees, and other institutional highlights. It’s like getting an informational interview for free and right at your desk.

Start following who major employers are in your geographic area and/or your areas of interest and you won’t have to struggle with that job interview question ever again!

In fact, filling your feed by following relevant people and organizations can really improve your overall experience and I absolutely recommend taking control of who and what you’re seeing in your feed.

9.  Join relevant groups

LinkedIn has a groups function with forums and they function much like a Facebook group. They can be organized around location or industry or both. You should consider looking for groups that meet your interest and joining them. I will be the first to admit that LinkedIn groups can be hit or miss.

I like to look for groups that require permission from a moderator to join. These groups tend to stay focused on the topic at hand and there are usually rules about promotional posts. These groups can be useful for industry veterans and career changers alike.

If you’re experienced in your field, consider starting your own group to establish your expertise and leadership. Are you looking to change industries?

Joining industry specific groups is a great way to get access to professionals who are doing what you want to be doing.

You can ask questions, get feedback on your experience and learn how other people got into that line of work!

10. Join the conversation

There are a lot of ways to engage other people on LinkedIn and I suggest that you find a way that works for you and start doing it regularly. When you log into LinkedIn you’ll see these options:

Here are some easy things you might share to initiate or join a conversation on LinkedIn:

a) Share an update: This is a great place to announce a job change or to share some someone else’s content. It’s safe to assume that people on LinkedIn take their careers and work seriously so any content that’s related to these things would surely be valuable content to share with your connections. You can also share industry specific content and tag people who might be interested.

b) Upload a photo: This seems like a really under-utilized feature! Why not post a “behind the scenes” photo from your office or event?

c) Publish a post: You can even write your own content with “Publish a Post.” I’ve seen people use this feature to share jobs at their company and share blog posts or other work. This would be a great way to initiate a conversation that you’d like to see happen in your industry.

11. Set up your custom LinkedIn URL

I love this feature because it’s a nice, clean URL that allows people to easily see the breath of your experience and journey. It can easily fit underneath your address on a resume, which is where I often suggest my clients add it.

You can view my LinkedIn profile by visiting: www.linkedin.com/in/jennwalkerwall.

 Want to set up your own LinkedIn URL like this? It’s super easy.

Just log in and go to Profile —> Edit profile. You should see your profile, which will, in part, look like this (but, you know, with your face, instead of mine…):

See where my URL appears in the bottom left hand corner? Hover your mouse to the right of that link on your profile and a “settings” icon should appear. Click on that.

You’ll then be taken to your public profile page.

In the upper right hand corner, you should see this:

Click on the little pencil icon and edit away to create your own custom URL!

While these are some strategies that have worked for me and others, success on LinkedIn, like many other things, is about setting reasonable expectations and being consistent.

If you’re not on LinkedIn, you really could be missing out on learning more about career opportunities and developing relationships with new people.

If you’re on LinkedIn, but don’t have a strategy or a goal, I’d love to hear how you might use it now!

Do you have any LinkedIn tips or strategies? Or questions? Let me know in the comments below!