LinkedIn Personal account which was established by Reid Hoffman has proven to help people in many ways including visibility for you. Having a LinkedIn account usually showcases you to businesses and helps companies conduct their information and evaluation search on the LinkedIn channel before deciding to work with you.
LinkedIn accounts help users learn about your past work experience, Skills, and hobbies as well as the best job position for you in their company as employers. A properly optimized page can also help with your business Search Engine Optimization and social media efforts by making you more discoverable online during scouting.
Your personal LinkedIn profile is great for sharing your resume, searching for new job opportunities, and promoting your image. Follow our guide on how to create a LinkedIn profile to build your network and boost your job search.
LinkedIn will also ask for information about yourself, such as your most recent job title, location, and profile photo.
Benefits of using a LinkedIn Personal Account
Creating a LinkedIn account is simple. All you need is an email address and a few minutes of your time. Let’s take a look at how it works. LinkedIn is a free, professional social networking site. You can use it to:
- Quickly connect with professionals
- Get visible to employers looking to hire
- Learn more about work you may be interested in
- Find and apply for new job positions
- Get advice and support from other professionals who have more experience than you
How To Create a Personal LinkedIn Account
To get started, go to www.linkedin.com in your web browser. Enter your information, choose a password, and then click the Join button. LinkedIn will guide you through the steps of adding more detail to your profile.
1. Choosing the best plan (Basic or Premium Account)
You will very likely be asked to choose between a Free account (Basic) and a Premium account (with a monthly subscription fee). Since you are just getting started with LinkedIn, it is recommended that you get the free Plan (Basic) for now. Though a Premium account provides additional features like more messaging options and more job opening details, we recommend using the Basic account for now.
2. Email Address
To sign up for a free LinkedIn account you’ll need an email address. Once you have signed up, LinkedIn will guide you through how to create a profile. Please make you use an email that makes your profile easy for employers to find after you have completed all sections.
Next, you’ll need to verify your email address. Go to your email inbox, look for a message from LinkedIn, then click the confirmation button or type the PIN into LinkedIn. It may also ask for your phone number to send you another verification code, so you may want to have your phone nearby just in case.
3. Upload a photo
This photo will serve as your profile photo. Your profile photo should be a recent professional image and be set against a plain background. The image must be a solid quality picture and let your face be visible to viewers.
4. Create your First Headline
This is an opportunity to create a headline that denotes who you are to your network.
- Make your headline fit the job you want at the moment
- It should include who you are in terms of personality
- What you do at the moment as a job
- What you want to be in the future
This can get the attention of a Recruitment Agency, an Employer, and everyone in your network. It is usually the information people see when you comment on their posts. It can also be shown to your network’s contacts.
5. Write your summary
Make your summary attract the kind of Recruitment Agency and Employers you want to work with. It should be enough to get them to read more about you or connect with you on LinkedIn.
Use your summary on LinkedIn to tell your story shortly, what you’re passionate about, and talk about what your goals are for the future. Your summary on LinkedIn is a chance to let people know more about you once they have read your headline. It can attract Recruitment Agencies and Employers who are hiring.
6. Work Experience
List details of any past work placements, shadowing, or internships. Let your past achievements at previous works stand out. You should also show examples of your work if you have online examples you can link to. Let it include experiences that are relevant to the kind of job you want at the moment. Show the value you have added to the things you have done in previous jobs. Concentrate on how you have made things better for people at work and outside work, what you did, and what happened because of it.
7. Volunteering Experience
Let companies and business owners know about any professional and past-related voluntary experience you have had. The volunteering detail shows commitment and can tell recruiters something about your values. This information is important to you. It helps to tell the story of who you are as a person. Employers are looking for people who will be valuable for their businesses.
8. Skills
You are advised to add skills to your LinkedIn profile. Add 7 skills or more if you want to appear in searches. Even 10 skills related to the job you want to do is a good start. These are usually in your cover letter. The more skills you list, the higher up in searches you’ll appear. You can find the most relevant skills for your career goal by looking at job profiles or other jobs.
9. Education History
Make it easy for employers to check you have the level of qualifications they are looking for. They will also want to know what you gained from studying. Concentrate on your education most relevant to your career aim. Give details of any achievements, like:
- Winning any award in your previous profession
- Getting a scholarship (Governmental or Non-Governmental)
- Giving a presentation at a renowned conference
- Successful projects one well in the past
- Any positions of responsibility held in school or after school
10. Connect with people on Linkedin
You usually use LinkedIn primarily to build connections. The more people you have, the more people can find you. Start with friends, family, and people you know or may not know at university or secondary school. As you meet more people in a social setting or at networking events, when you offer to connect with them or they offer to connect with you. Your network will soon begin to grow.
11. Email and Contacts Sync
When you sync the contacts list from your email account, it will make it easier for you to find people you already know on LinkedIn, it is advisable to do this eventually. You can always click Skip if you’d rather do this later.