5-Step Quick Guide For Getting Started On LinkedIn

Step 1: Update Your Resume

The first step is to make sure your actual resume is updated. Once you've done that, then you can transfer the data to your LinkedIn profile.

You always want the information on your resume and LinkedIn profile to be the same. Recruiters and hiring managers like consistency!

Step 2: Change Your Privacy Settings

Your resume is done—great! Now, it's time to start adding information to your LinkedIn profile.

Before you add anything, though, make sure you change your privacy settings so your profile activity isn't visible until you're done filling out your profile. You don't want your connections to see every single change you make to your profile!

Need help with this? Visit LinkedIn Help for more information.

Step 3: Add Your Information

Once you've adjusted your privacy settings, you can start adding content to your LinkedIn profile. In addition to adding the information from your resume, you can showcase visual accomplishments like PDFs, online articles, and images. Keep your personal brand in mind!

Warning: No information on your profile is suspect, but too much is overkill. Do your best to balance it out and include the must-haves.

Step 4: Optimize Your Profile

After you've added your information to your LinkedIn profile, you must go through and optimize it so it's easier for people (employers, recruiters, and connections) to find and read.

Recruiters and hiring managers conduct keyword searches based on skill sets. Your goal is to optimize your LinkedIn profile with specific keywords that relate to your skill sets so you show up in their results.

Once you've properly optimized your LinkedIn profile, you'll start to get a lot more views from recruiters and hiring managers.

Step 5: Make It A Part Of Your Routine

After optimizing your profile, you need to keep it fresh. The more you participate on LinkedIn, the more it rewards you. It puts you in searches, finds relevant people you can connect with, and so on. So, you should make sure that you're an active user on a regular basis.

"The more you put into it, the more you'll get out of it," says J.T. O'Donnell, Work It DAILY's founder and CEO.

Make an effort to update your information monthly. You should also be active on a daily basis by sharing articles, participating in groups, and keeping up with your connections. This is the surest way to build your personal brand and stand out to recruiters on the platform.

By following these five steps, you'll be off to a great start on LinkedIn!

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This article was originally published at an earlier date.