Your Personal Brand: Using LinkedIn to Enhance Your Social Media Image

By now your mom has probably told you to be careful what you post online because of how it might look in the future. Well, mom is right again. Believe it or not, employers do care about what you post on social media because it allows them to get a glimpse of your personal brand. Done right, your social media can represent you in a very positive way. That’s where LinkedIn comes in.

LinkedIn and You

Twitter and Facebook can be great social media platforms, but there’s no better professional outlet than LinkedIn. LinkedIn is your one-stop job shop for networking, job listings, and personal branding. If you’re new to the platform, understanding the do’s and don’ts is going to be the first step to success.

Do

  • Include a Professional Profile Picture: LinkedIn profiles with photos receive 21 times more views because it proves you’re a real person. Stop by the MU Career Center’s Selfie Studio to take your own photo!
  • Write an Amazing Summary: your profile summary is the best spot to sell yourself to get recruiters. Research keywords and brag about yourself!
  • Post Regularly: the goal isn’t just to show recruiters that you’re professional. It’s also to show them that you’re a real person. Post content about things you’re passionate about and post them regularly. This includes photos of your extracurricular activities, volunteer experiences, and even articles about things you deem important.

Don’t

  • Be Unprofessional: This could mean many things, but overall applies to how you present yourself when you post and interact with others. Use common sense and the Grandma Rule. Before you post, think to yourself: would you want your grandma to see this?
  • Disappear: LinkedIn is a social platform as much as it is a professional one. Make sure that you keep your connections updated on the professional moments of your life. This lets recruiters have something to look back on.
  • Spam Your Connections: While you want to expand your network, you don’t want to scare people away. Spamming your network with multiple messages begging for a job is one of the quickest ways to lose a connection.