LinkedIn is a great resource for job seekers that want to network and find their next position. However, LinkedIn can be a dangerous place if you do not know what you are doing. In this blog post, we will discuss 12 mistakes that people make on LinkedIn that are hurting their chances of getting the job they want.
1. Not using a professional, up-to-date photo.
People tend to use their LinkedIn profile as an online resume, so having a professional photo is important. You don’t want your potential employer or recruiter to see you in your pajamas when they are looking at the picture of you on LinkedIn! Make sure that you have a high-quality photo and check it often because photos can be changed easily if something comes up.
2. Use your full name instead of a more professional alias or nickname.
It is important to make sure that you have a professional alias or nickname on LinkedIn. Use your first and last name, but replace any middle names with an initial. You also want to remove any titles from your name such as “Mr.” or “Mrs.” unless it is part of your formal title (i.e., Dr., PhD.).
3. Posting too many irrelevant articles on LinkedIn.
Just as not posting any articles is a mistake, so is having too many. If you have over 15 posts on your LinkedIn profile, the majority of people will assume that you do not know what to post and therefore are using other websites’ content without giving credit or linking back to their site. Make sure that if you write an article for another website that it has something to do with what you want your potential employer/recruiter to see about yourself!
4. Ignoring the “skills” section and not adding any skills to your profile.
The “skills” section is important because it shows what you know. If you are applying for a job that requires certain skills, then the potential employer/recruiter will want to see that you have those skills on LinkedIn! You should also update your profile regularly by adding new skills as they become relevant and removing old ones when they do not apply anymore.
5. Not following up with people you’ve met at networking events, conferences, etc.
It is important to build your network as much as possible. If you meet someone at a networking event, conference, etc., then follow up with them! You can connect on LinkedIn or send an email to say hello and see how they are doing. However, make sure that if you do connect on LinkedIn after meeting in person that you have some things about yourself filled out so the other person knows who he/she is connecting with!
6. Sending an email that’s poorly written or formatted.
When you send an email to a potential employer/recruiter, make sure that it is written well and looks professional. In the first paragraph of your email, mention what position you are applying for and how you found out about this job opening (i.e., LinkedIn post from another user). Also include why you want to work for their company specifically as opposed to just any old job! Finally, end by thanking them for taking time out of their day and showing interest in your skills and abilities with proper capitalization and punctuation.
7. Not posting anything at all.
Making a LinkedIn profile is easy and free, but it doesn’t do any good if you’re not using it! Make sure that your profile has been set up properly with all of the correct information. You also want to make sure that you have some posts on there as well as what they should contain (see mistake #11). In addition, make sure to update your status regularly by posting articles/news stories about topics relevant to what industry or field you are looking for work in.
8. Asking for help in the wrong place.
If you are looking for help on LinkedIn, make sure that you ask people in the right place! There is a section of the website called “Groups” where anyone can start up their group. If you have questions about something or just want to connect with someone, then join one of these groups and post your inquiries there. However, if it has nothing to do with networking/helping others/finding work-related information don’t bother posting it because they will ignore your request.
9. Overusing exclamation points!
This may seem like a small mistake, but it can be very costly. If you overuse exclamation points in your emails to potential employers/recruiters then they will automatically assume that you are unprofessional and not worth hiring! You want to use these sparingly if at all when writing an email to someone who knows nothing about you.
10. Talking about yourself too much and not providing enough context about what you do for others.
This is a big mistake that many people make on their LinkedIn profiles. Make sure when writing your profile to talk about yourself in the third person and provide context for what you do by talking about how it benefits others! If you only focus on what you have done or want to do, then potential employers/recruiters will not know why they should hire someone like you instead of someone else who has similar skills with more experience.
11. Including your email address in the wrong spot.
This is another mistake that can be pretty costly if you are trying to get a job through LinkedIn. If an employer does not have access to your email, then he/she cannot contact you back! Make sure when filling out what type of work you do on LinkedIn that it matches up with where your email goes (i.e., don’t put “writer” under Jobs and “ [email protected] “ under Contact). Also, make sure that there isn’t more than one version of how people should reach out to contact you because this confuses potential employers/recruiters- they will not know which way to send their message so just pick one!
12. Not understanding the different types of LinkedIn accounts.
There are three kinds of LinkedIn accounts that you can choose from when creating one for yourself: Personal, Business, or Other. If you have a business or if your account is “other” then it will be harder to find people who might want to hire/work with you because they cannot search solely by name on their platform! However, if this is what you prefer and do not need any help finding work through these sites then go ahead and make your account type whatever fits best with how you operate online- just know that there may be some limitations down the road in terms of networking possibilities.
Conclusion:
As you can see, using LinkedIn to look for a job is very important in this day and age. There are many do’s and don’ts when it comes to networking on the site so make sure that you know what they all are!
Check Also :
13 Proven Ways to Get More Out of Your Professional Development
Have you ever thought of asking for a raise in your job?
If not, then it might surprise me, how come no one has ever asked for whatever they deserve.https://blog.jobsearchine.com/how-to-effectively-demand-a-raise/
Try joining LinkedIn and watching the businesses you want to work with.
This will encourage you to remain up to date on their successes and help you find any work opportunities.
