LinkedIn is the biggest social media platform for professionals, so it makes sense to use it to its fullest and accelerate your career potential!
To give you an idea on how big the platform is, I typed SAP into the search bar and over 1.4 million people came up in my results.
The following tips will help you stand out from the crowd on LinkedIn and with the sheer amount of SAP professionals on the platform, the reason to better your LinkedIn is critical.
So where do you start?
Upload a Great Profile and Background Picture
Sounds simple right? But you would be surprised by the amount of people who look like this:
By leaving your profile and background picture blank, you are effectively becoming invisible to potential hirers. You want to stand out from the crowd, and this is the first thing people see.
The guidance for a good profile picture includes it should be a recent photo of yourself, and your face should take up approximately 60% of the total space. Try to have a picture with only you in it, having multiple people in your profile picture can be confusing for the person viewing your profile.
Your banner should represent what you do as a career. Something that highlights a bit more about you. This doesn’t have to include you but try to make it something that would be memorable to the viewer. It could be a banner showing what you are a specialist in, what is your SAP skill? There are many editing tools you can use to make it stand out and be a bit more interesting. Have fun with it and make it represent you!
Your Headline, Sells You!
Make your headline more than just your job title. Whilst there is nothing wrong with this, but people are more likely to click on your profile if it is something a bit different. Think of something punchy, that shows off your personality whilst keeping it professional.
Tell A Story
Some people like to just list their work experience and valuable skills. Try to refrain from doing this. Use the experience and about section to tell your story and really let the reader know who you are.
Imagine you are a recruiter and you’re looking for candidates for a role you are trying to fill. You troll through profile after profile with job lists and skills – that’s it, nothing else is included. You then come across a profile that has the previous roles listed but also, they explain what drew them to that role, why they decided to leave and what they wanted to go to next. Who are you more likely to want to have a conversation with?
Really use the about section to highlight your personality. What got you into SAP? Why do you want to continue working with this fantastic platform? What value can you bring to any company you work for? I get it, some people find it difficult to blow their own trumpet, but you really need to sell yourself!
Constantly Update Your Profile and Post Regularly
Make sure your profile is up to date. Don’t be afraid to tinker with it, add a sentence here and there, delete something that you no longer feel is relevant to you anymore. You never know who will be looking at your profile and when. The same person may look at your profile multiple times – give them something new to find!
Posting regularly will boost you within your network. Post articles you find interesting that you believe other people may find useful, ask your network a question and get a conversation started. As well as posting; interact with other members’ posts – like and comment – this will show your SAP network and their connections you have an opinion, and you want to get involved in the conversation. You never know who may be reading the posts.
Highlight Your Skills
The platform is used by a vast number of recruiters and hiring managers, so it makes sense to add your skills. Adding your skills and expertise makes it easier for recruiters to find the candidates they require. A word of caution – with the amount of skills available on LinkedIn it can be tempting to over share. Make sure the skills you add are relevant.
Update Your Contact Information
This tip is self-explanatory, if you are on LinkedIn to find your next role. Make sure your details are up to date, this also goes for your location.
Request Recommendations
Whilst skill endorsements are great, consider taking things to the next level. A personalised testimonial will give a great insight into the skills you have and what kind of person you are to work with. Simply reach out to your closest contacts for recommendations that are relevant to your current role or even for your next venture!
Follow Your Interests
There is something for everybody on LinkedIn! If you follow your interests, then you are opening yourself up to a wider range of opportunities and you will find yourself connecting to like-minded people. Even if you interests don’t directly align with your job role or prospective positions, having a broad interest base can help boost the impact of your profile.
Keep Your Profile Public
LinkedIn is a completely different social media platform to Facebook and Instagram. Whilst most social media users want to keep their personal lives private, LinkedIn is a platform that you want to keep public. But don’t worry, there are settings for any information you wish to keep private. The reason for keeping your profile public is simple – there are plenty of people on the platform that can help propel your career, but if your profile is private – they can’t find you!
Whilst there is no sure-fire way you will get hired on LinkedIn, these tips will help you along the way. They will help your presence on the platform which could open many opportunities for you overall!
Contact us at Focus On SAP today if you are looking for your next role or even if you would like help and advice on how to be the best candidate you can be!
