LinkedIn is the ultimate professional networking website out there. But if you were like me a few months ago, you probably have no idea how to use LinkedIn effectively and to your benefit. Serving as a digital resume, it’s important to make sure your profile showcases your abilities as an employee, leader, and pharmacist.
Whenever I’m going through the job search process, a dedicated LinkedIn tab was always open on my MacBook as I networked and applied for open positions daily. In addition to networking and expanding my career, I also enjoy using LinkedIn to share my own blog posts about pharmacy and work-life balance. It’s a great platform for anyone looking to grow their career and increase their network if you know how to use it appropriately. Instead of spending hours connecting with random people on LinkedIn, here are 8 ways to use LinkedIn more effectively.
Make a compelling and effective profile
This may seem obvious, but your profile is your digital resume 2.0. It’s your profile that tells a recruiter or future colleague everything that they need to know about you professionally, which means that its arguably the most important thing you can improve on LinkedIn.
Two easy ways to improve your profile immediately is to add a professional photo and a banner image. For your professional photo, you’ll want to make your image showcases you at your best. Good lightening, a clear background, and a genuine smile will do wonders for your page. Even adding a banner image that showcases either your passion or profession will help you stand out among the crowd.
Post updates that your audience would appreciate
Build quality relationships within the pharmacy profession starts by being an active contributor and voice in the community. Consider posting relevant content that your network would find useful or valuable. This could include a new study or drug that was released, an engaging story, a quote that resonated with you, and updates on your journey. By being active on the platform, you’ll not only increase your visibility, but you’ll also gain some new friends along the way.
Network
The unique part about LinkedIn is the opportunity that you have to connect and network with people you wouldn’t normally get a chance to. You can connect with industry leaders, potential mentors, and even people with unique career paths. But before you add a ton of random strangers on the platform, try to only connect with people who you have a genuine interest in.
The goal isn’t to have the biggest network on the app. It’s to build a meaningful network that pushes you to grow in your career and to find people that inspire you. To get started, try reaching out to a few people that you’re interested in within the profession and ask them for a virtual coffee date or a quick phone call. You’d be surprised with how much you’ll learn from others, and you might even find a new aspect of pharmacy that you had no idea even existed. I’ve found some really great mentors by doing this!
Use LinkedIn courses to expand your knowledge
A hidden gem that many LinkedIn users miss is the opportunity to take some of the courses that LinkedIn offers on its website. If you take a look, there’s a good mix of both free and paid courses available to expand your knowledge in just about anything you could imagine, such as digital marketing, excel, and even cyber security. The different courses vary in length, but once completed, those certificates can be added to your profile for everyone to see.
Write an informative summary
Probably the hardest part about perfecting your LinkedIn profile is the part where you have to write a successful and informative summary. It can be hard to narrow down what you should include in your summary while proving your point. Do you include things such as your current role, how long you’ve been there, and where you hope to go?
While there is no right answer, I think it depends on the goal that you have for your summary section. Are you trying to level up in your career or are you happy in your current position? With the summary section, focus on telling your story, what makes you different, where you want to go, and a few fun facts about your life outside of work. I love sharing that I love to travel, blog, and anything pitbull related!
Add rich multimedia
The really nice part about LinkedIn is the ability to make your resume come alive with the addition of multimedia. Under each of your job descriptions, you can opt to add samples of your work. This is such an easy way to use LinkedIn more effectively, but don’t go crazy with this section by adding every project you’ve ever worked on. I would only include the projects or work that you are particularly proud of or that show your work abilities.
For an example, I’ve included some marketing campaigns that I’ve worked on through my blog as well as articles that I’ve been included in. By adding in multimedia to your digital resume, you’ll give the hiring manager or recruiter to see a visual representation of the quality of the work you provide as well as the extent of your skillset.
Ask for recommendations
Similar to multimedia, recommendations provide an additional layer of creditability to your LinkedIn profile. Recommendations are statements or testimony from people you are connected with on LinkedIn that can showcase more about your professional work ethic. It’s a great place for a former boss or co-worker to explain why they enjoyed working with you in detail, such as why you were a great leader or how you improved the team dynamic. Don’t forget that you can also leave recommendations on other people’s profiles, which is a double win-win for you. You get to increase your profile’s visibility and help boost a co-worker’s career too.
Practice consistency
Just like Rome wasn’t built in a day, your network also takes time and consistency to grow. As you get more comfortable being on the platform, create a new habit of checking in once a day to like, comment, and share content from others. If you’re looking to land a new job in the future, you’ll need to be consistent to get noticed by hiring managers and recruiters. While a great profile will help you stand out for sure, the real magic happens when you plug in into the pharmacy community on LinkedIn. Consistency is probably the most important tip or way to use LinkedIn more effectively.
What are some ways that you are using LinkedIn more effectively this year?
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