Mastering LinkedIn for Career Success (Part 2)
- JobsTaylor
- Jan 20
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 14
How to leverage LinkedIn features to boost your professional image and job search success
In the previous post, we discussed why having 500+ Connections on LinkedIn is essential. The "500+" display on your profile projects a professional image, as it indicates a robust network without revealing the exact number. Nowadays, most active LinkedIn users exceed this threshold, making it a baseline for job seekers. (Thanks to Alan for pointing out that more connections increase your visibility, allowing you to see more profile pictures and gather better information about others.)
After attending industry events, meetings, or exchanging business cards with potential employers and clients, I always add them to my LinkedIn Connections. Not only does this prevent losing or mismanaging physical cards, but it also reinforces the connection for both parties. However, simply adding someone isn't enough. Let’s focus on an often-overlooked feature: Skills and Endorsements.
1. Skills: The First Step to Showcasing Your Expertise
Your LinkedIn Skills section acts as a tagboard of your professional abilities. Common terms like "Strategy," "Management," "Consulting," and "Reporting" are widely used yet essential for credibility. Instead of listing basic skills like "Excel" or "Microsoft Office," leverage your job description or employment contract to identify hard skills highlighted in the top lines. These are more impactful and resonate better with applicant tracking systems (ATS).
LinkedIn also suggests skill tags based on your background, making it easier to select and showcase your strengths strategically.
2. Endorsements: Building Credibility at a Glance
Endorsements allow your Connections to confirm the skills you've listed with a single click, boosting your credibility. While asking friends for endorsements may inflate numbers, the real value lies in increasing your profile’s attractiveness to LinkedIn’s algorithm and recruiters. When a skill receives enough endorsements, it is automatically featured as a "Top Skill," while others are categorized under "XX also knows about..." for additional visibility.
For greater authenticity, consider asking former colleagues or collaborators to write Recommendations. This feature allows them to provide detailed feedback about your skills and performance during your time working together. While this is more common in Western cultures where appreciation is openly expressed, it is underutilized in regions like Hong Kong, where formal praise is less frequent.
3. Who’s Viewed Your Profile: Tracking Your Professional Reach
The Who’s Viewed Your Profile feature is a powerful tool for tracking who has visited your page, their identity, and how they found you. This insight helps you assess your profile's visibility and optimize it for better reach. Although LinkedIn offers privacy settings to browse profiles anonymously, keeping your profile public is advantageous for job seekers looking to be discovered by recruiters and industry professionals.
An increase in profile views often correlates with active job-hunting periods or participation in professional networking activities.
Personal Branding Matters:
A polished profile picture can significantly impact visibility, sometimes even attracting unexpected attention.
For professionals in PR or image-centric roles, investing in high-quality visuals and a well-curated profile is a must.
Quick Tips: Maximizing LinkedIn for Your Job Search
Follow Companies: Stay updated on your target organizations’ activities.
Join Groups: Engage in industry discussions to enhance your visibility (but remember to regularly prune inactive or irrelevant groups).
Publish Articles: Share insights to establish thought leadership and build your personal brand.
Volunteer Work: While this is less impactful in some regions, include it selectively to showcase soft skills.
Use InMail: Premium accounts provide more InMail credits, making it easier to connect with potential employers or business partners directly.
Coming Next: How to Use LinkedIn to Find Your Dream Job – Stay Tuned!
