Do you have a LinkedIn profile but don’t know what to do with it?
Everyone else seems to be on it but you don’t know where to start.
Look no further, these are the 3 steps to start using LinkedIn to its full potential!
LinkedIn 101 for Hospitality Students and Graduates
Let’s start with the basics, and then look into ways you can make the most of LinkedIn by using it on a regular basis.
Step 1: Review and update your LinkedIn profile
Headline
Your headline should tell about you, your work and the results. It’s searchable so don’t add “available to work”, recruiters are not looking for that, they are looking for keywords like “receptionist” or “customer service” or “revenue management”, whatever is relevant for you.
It follows you everywhere on the platform, so make it reflect what you do quickly.
For example, I am being recommended to connect with these people based on our mutual connections and similar experience. I can only see part of their headlines and it should be enough to tell me what they do. The key message needs to be at the beginning.
Picture
Make sure your picture is recent and professional, take a simple headshot with your phone and make sure to look into the lens, not at yourself on the screen!
Using tools like Canva or Remove Background, remove your background and add a general colour background, like this:
So on your profile, it looks nice and clean.
Background photo
This is an opportunity for you to showcase your personality and your values. I have had this one for a while as I stand by this statement and believe it shows my work ethic and growth mindset.
Don't worry about making a statement, just use your own picture and not a generic background.
Work experience
Add descriptions of your achievement and responsibilities to all of your jobs. Make sure to use the keywords you want to be found for here again.
You want to show here what the results of your work were, showing the reader that you are a valuable employee that has delivered results.
Unlike a Resume/CV, on LinkedIn, you can also list some of your responsibilities after achievements.
Skills
Update your skills and endorsements, make sure that they are up to date. Do you still need “PowerPoint” there? Can you add new skills that you recently acquired?
Again, these are searchable so think about the skills you want to be found for. You get recommended jobs based on this, see how you match by opening some job descriptions and checking your compatibility.
Summary
Update your summary to represent you and what you are looking to do. It is a hard thing to write, just like on the resume. Key things to think about are:
Write in the first person, this is your personal page, so tell them about you.