What Every Strategic Communicator Should Have on Their LinkedIn

 By: Jackie Sears

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LinkedIn is a online professional social media website that networks people with coworkers and other professionals. Launched in 2003, LinkedIn has stretched to over 330 million professionals. This social networking platform has become a primary way for employers to seek out potential employees. With this said, it is extremely important for strategic communicators to have top-notch profiles. In order to have a profile that stands out against competitors, here is a check list on what should be available on your profile:

Professional photo. This may sound like common sense but has been overlooked by many. According to LinkedIn, adding a photo to your profile can expand the views 14x than someone without. A crisp photo is a major factor in determining whether or not you are professional or not. Photos are critical in the way you are representing yourself to an employer. Now that you have selected a photo, it is important to keep in mind two things: not have another person in the image or have it look like a photo taken at a party. 

Fill out and complete your profile. As a communications professional, the copy you write in your LinkedIn profile can set you apart from any other candidate. Make sure to fill out a summary about your strengths in strategic communications and what type of job you are looking for while including keywords in order to be easily found by employers. To top off your profile, fill out and address your past experiences in the workplace as well as what all it entailed in precise detail. 

Add skills and endorse. Select the skills that best define you and begin to endorse people you know and coworkers in order to encourage others to endorse you for your strengths. According to LinkedIn, people who list their skills get 13x more profile viewers. The more views you receive, the more likely you are able to be contacted by a potential employer or further your network.

Publish your work and blogs. This is where your profile comes to life. By displaying your work, you are showing and not telling about your writing skills. This can easily make your profile pop and employers are able to get to know you as a writer. If you have works that are already published, it is a good idea share on LinkedIn. 

Join groups relevant to PR and Communications and you. Great, now that your LinkedIn is recognizable by employers, it is important to take advantage of the opportunities of communication LinkedIn brings to professionals. By joining a group that is related to PR in your city or wherever you may want to work, you are able to  reach out and start a conversation with like-minded professionals and network throughout the world in a way that you couldn't do before LinkedIn. 

LinkedIn offers many opportunities, it is up to you to take advantage of the free networking platform.

Works Cited:

LinkedIn. (2014, July 1). 10 Tips for the Perfect LinkedIn Profile. Retrieved from http://www.slideshare.net/linkedin/10-tips-for-the-perfect-linkedin-profile

Kumar, S. (2011, May 12). 10 Ways PR Professionals Can Leverage LinkedIn. Retrieved from http://www.edelmandigital.com/2011/05/12/10-ways-pr-professionals-can-leverage-linkedin/

Smith-Proulx, L. (n.d.). How to Double (or Triple) Your LinkedIn Visitor Traffic with Keywords. Retrieved from http://www.job-hunt.org/social-networking/LinkedIn-job-search/linkedin-keywords.shtml