PASCAL OPARADA
Earlier this year, Governor of Oyo State, Seyi Makinde, appointed Seun Fakorede, a 27-year-old, as a commissioner. The appointment generated a lot of controversy on social media.
A lot of people thought the governor was just rewarding loyalists, who had worked for his election.
When he was asked if he had known Makinde previously, it turns out the governor only saw Fakorede’s LinkedIn profile and liked the impressive resume the graduate of Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University had built.
Prior to his appointment, Fakorede was the founder and Executive Director of Home Advantage Africa, a non-profit outfit, “advancing the frontiers of sustainable development in Africa”.
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He built this into his profile on LinkedIn and when he and the governor connected on the platform, it was not hard for the governor to make a decision.
If you do not have a LinkedIn account, it is time to create one. Apart from being a social media network for professionals, LinkedIn is a great networking tool for those, who wish to get ahead in their careers and businesses.
Unlike other social media platforms, LinkedIn provides users with the opportunity to build impressive resumes and be there on recruiters face.
A sketchy profile that is barely there will not allow you to fully harness LinkedIn.
Apart from connecting with recruiters and job hunters, the platform offers users the opportunity to advance their careers with LinkedIn Learning. LinkedIn Learning is brimming over with various courses in all aspects of human endeavour.
If you are job hunting, rather than just hand recruiters your hardcopy resume, ask them if you can send a link to your LinkedIn profile.
When building or rejigging your profile, here are the things to take into considerations:
Build a multimedia profile
Most profiles on LinkedIn are just plain text. Build a visual profile and you’ll instantly stand out. There is a LinkedIn feature called Professional Portfolio. It allows you to share presentations, photos, videos, links, PDFs and more. So use it to your advantage and show off your creative work.
Go for details
Elaborate on the areas that simply would not fit on a hard copy resume, like an odd job, volunteer position, or success story. Include your coursework when you were job searching just out of the university.
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Write a killer summary
Whatever you do, don’t leave the summary blank or limit it to a few flat sentences. This is your chance to be creative and describe who you are and what you are passionate about. Make it personal, while also highlighting key accomplishments you don’t want anyone to miss. LinkedInsights has some great summary ideas.
Don’t be afraid to connect.
You could seriously get a job this way. If you genuinely want to keep up with a contact, then connect on LinkedIn. Write a personal note saying “hello.”
Network in LinkedIn groups
Groups show up in your profile and demonstrate your interests. But beyond that, LinkedIn groups are a great way to meet people in your industry and have a meaningful conversation. These groups are a valuable resource, so use them. When you run into a challenge you don’t know how to solve, find a group of similar professionals who’ve likely run into the same problem. Ask for help. And help others in return. They will remember the favour.
Give recommendations and endorsements.
Give, and people are likely to give back to you. It’s a chance to help your fellow professionals, and it establishes you as an authority.
Ask for recommendations.
These make for a good first impression. You know people who would gladly recommend your work, so ask them to do so on LinkedIn. But don’t rely on LinkedIn to do the asking for you with their recommendations request feature. The best approach is to ask in person or to write a personal email sincerely expressing what their recommendation would mean to you.
Keep it organised.
With all the options for LinkedIn fields to fill out (experience, education, coursework, volunteering), your profile can get really big, really fast. Take control by making your descriptions easily scannable. Bullet points can save you a lot of hassles.