LinkedInLinkedIn should become your primary job search tool and mastering the platform should become one of your top priorities. Here are ways you can get a head start on your competition.

Tips To A More Professional LinkedIn Profile

• Add a profile headline and summary.The headline gives yourself a professional ‘identity’, a front that may or may not showcase some of the more detailed parts of your profile, hidden away from viewers who are not connected to you. A summary would bring out your personality which can complement your Curriculum Vitae (CV) if an employer were to view your profile.

• Do not lie about anything.Not only is it very easy to check and confirm just about anything on the Internet, it is also a sign of how ethical (or non-ethical) you are. Appearing untrustworthy is never good for business.

• Customize Your Public Profile URL.Pick the name you would like to display on your vanity URL. Your profile URL will bear your name, something like ‘linkedin.com/in/JackDoe’. You can even take it a step further by making sure that your vanity URL for LinkedIn, Facebook and Google Plus are all the same, for added coverage.

Tips To A More Professional LinkedIn Profile

• Use LinkedIn badges on your website.To find these badges, go to ‘Settings’ and then click on the link to ‘Edit your public profile’. To the right, you will see ‘Profile Badges’. Clicking on ‘Create a profile badge‘ will bring you to another page where you can choose from the many designs available.

• Be Active in LinkedIn Groups.Groups on LinkedIn is a place for members to share and participate in a professional setting in a specific industry or area of interests. There are plenty of groups for job seekers your university alumni, specific professions and a variety of associations from all over the world.Being actively involved in these groups could lead you to make new connections and maybe land a new job, especially since job listings are a common sight in these groups.

Things You Should Do On LinkedIn Each and Every Week

• Update your status on your profile with either news about a connection or an upcoming activity that you plan to hold or attend.

• Review your main stream and Like or Comment on things your network has shared.• Research people or companies you’re interested in or are targeting for future work or collaborations.• Follow some new thought leaders or Company pages.• Grow your network by sending personalized invitations to Connect to the new people you meet each week.• Share your thoughts in a group discussion that has lots of previous comments.• Look at other people’s profiles.• Endorse people.

Tips to Master LinkedIn in a Way You Never Imagined

• Create a call to action.Most people will contact you by either sending you an InMail or a connection request.However, you can guide the right people to find out more about you by providing a link to your website, other social media assets and content you’ve created on 3rd party websites.

• Optimize your profile for search. Put more of your most important keywords in your profile—and put them in the right spots.

• Include your LinkedIn URL in your email signature, business cards, resume, and other social sites.

• Create and participate in LinkedIn groups.• Be savvy about who you connect with.

Things You Didn’t Know About LinkedIn

• You can remove connections.Select "Connections" from "Contacts" menu, the "Remove Connections" option is next to "Add Connections" at top right.

• You can change the order sections appear in your profile.Select "Edit Profile" from "Profile" menu, position cursor over section heading and simply drag to reposition.

• You can request to connect with people in the same group even if you didn’t know them.Go to the profile of the person you want to connect with , choose connect and indicate which group or groups you have in common,invite to connect.

• You can share targeted updates with selected individuals or groups.Go to "News" select "Signal", choose an update you then have the option to share an update with one of more of your groups, withspecific connections or via Twitter with your followers. Be warned if you share with a group the update will be posted as a discussion so you will need to add a question or introduction.

Things You Didn’t Know About LinkedIn

• You can turn off your activity broadcasts.Select "settings" from under your name, go to privacy controls and turn off activity broadcasts.

• You can send a LinkedIn message to 50 direct connections at once.From "Inbox" got to "Compose message", click on the LinkedIn icon to the right of the "To" box, this will bring up a list of your connections. Choose which connections you want to send a message to. You are allowed up to 50 in one go. Write your message and untick the default "allow recipients to see each others name and email address. It's usually a good idea to tick the box to send a copy to yourself .

• You can be anonymous for a short while.Select "settings" and "privacy" controls then "select what others see when they have viewed your profile".

Mistakes You Should Never Make On LinkedIn

• Putting up the wrong picture.Should be professional

• Neglecting the Privacy Settings.• Don’t use the standard connection request.• Skipping the Summary.

Since so many people are competing for the same jobs with similar educations and qualifications, filling out the summary can give you an edge with a prospective employer. It is recommended that you write it in the first person to give it energy and personality.

• Eliminating Past Jobs or Volunteer Work.• Lurking.

Be active by updating your status regularly, join groups, follow companies and keep an eye on who is coming and going.

What Not To Include in Your LinkedIn Profile

When you're creating a LinkedIn profile, it's important to stand out from the job searching crowd. You don't want your profile to read exactly like everyone else's profile. Here are the top 10 terms that are overused by professionals based in the United States, courtesy of LinkedIn.ResponsibleStrategicCreativeEffectivePatient

ExpertOrganizationalDrivenInnovativeAnalytical

Resources

• Wayne Breitbarth – “Easy Ways To Get More Eyes Looking at Your Profile”• Libby Kane – “8 Mistakes You Should Never Make on LinkedIn”• LifeHack – “How To Get A Job Through LinkedIn”• Sandy Jones-Kaminski – “The 10 Things You Should Do On LinkedIn Each

and Every Week”• Brian Voo – “10 Tips To A More Professional LinkedIn Profile”• Allison Doyle – “9 Simple Tips to Make a Better LinkedIn Profile