How to make the most of LinkedIn

Not only is LinkedIn an avenue that can show talent acquisition teams your experience, it is a great way to demonstrate your expertise and proactivity in your sector. You can either do this by posting your own content or by interacting with industry experts and posts.

It is one thing to have a network of connections on LinkedIn – it is far better to have an active role in that network, appearing in your connections’ LinkedIn feeds in a way that adds value for them.

Sharing relevant content with your network is one of the most accessible ways of doing this. You can make a start by keeping a close eye on your LinkedIn feed, and sharing content that you find genuinely interesting – and that aligns with your point of view.

Invested

‘By posting your own content, you can highlight to potential employers that you are invested in your industry, think outside the box and stay up to date with the relevant developments within the sector,’ says Chris Willsher, accountancy and finance recruitment expert at Reed.

‘If you are not comfortable with writing, still be sure to follow and interact with other industry leaders. This will expand your network and provide insights into your capabilities.’

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One of the easiest and yet most relevant ways to grow your LinkedIn network is to synch your profile with your email address book. This enables LinkedIn to suggest people you could connect with. This can be extremely effective at surfacing relevant people for you to reach out to – and no connection requests are sent without your permission, so you can vet all of the potential connections.

Beyond this, get into the habit of following up meetings and conversations with LinkedIn connection requests – it is a great way of keeping your network vibrant and up to date.

Connections

‘What LinkedIn is mostly used for is to network and, when used correctly, you can develop connections with recruitment teams even when they may not have the job opening you desire,’ adds Willsher.

‘If you keep in touch, message them or simply post relevant industry-related content, they are likely to get in touch when there is a relevant job opening.’

Endorsements from other members substantiate your skills and increase your credibility. Go through your network and identify connections who you feel genuinely deserve an endorsement from you – that is often the trigger for people to return the favour.

Finally, don’t be afraid to reach out with a polite message asking for endorsement for a few key skills as well. Remember though – relevance matters. Reach out to people whose endorsement you would really value.

More information

This article was first published in Student Accountant in August 2022 | Get the SA app now