In a world that’s more connected than ever, it’s crucial to keep your best foot forward via your digital professional presence. Contrary to popular belief, maintaining your LinkedIn profile and network is not just important when seeking a new opportunity, it’s a crucial key to career success throughout any phase.
LinkedIn is a powerful tool for professionals of all levels. It serves as a great way to network and connect with like-minded individuals, as well as participate in your community. Ensuring your profile is up to date with your most recent experience and achievements is important as it serves as your online professional representation and people are searching for you more often than you think.
As the number one online networking tool, other professionals are consistently using LinkedIn to find potential partnerships, new business relationships, references, informational interview contacts, and market information. It is also likely that you are being looked up online in preparation for any external meetings or events you may attend as well. Your profile could be showing up in dozens of these searches daily. This means your information is being read and your network is being reviewed as to how you are connected and how active you are in your online community. It’s important to leave a good impression as you may have to someday be on the other end of the search box trying to expand your network, grow your business, or seek the next step in your career.
Even if you have a long tenure at your current organization, your online profile may be a contributor to your next promotion or advancement. It is a common first step for human resources professionals or hiring managers, even inter-company ones, to review the online presence of candidates. In order to best represent yourself, make sure your profile is complete with detailed qualitive and quantitative information based on your daily responsibilities in your role. Additionally, make sure you are active in a network of user groups, organizations, and groups to showcase your interests and engagement in your community. To finalize your profile, don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues for an endorsement or recommendation. These referrals help shape your credibility to both potential business and employment prospects.
Ultimately, it’s difficult to predict when your online presence is being reviewed and by whom, so it’s best practice to routinely manage and maintain your profiles as often as you can. If you have any questions in regard to how to best use your LinkedIn, let’s connect!
