As a platform dedicated to networking concept, LinkedIn is an undeniably powerful tool for boosting your professional reputation and making new connections. Sadly, it’s a social networking site that most people fail to put much interest and effort into. But if you’re willing to give the account a chance, we’ve got you covered. Here are six tips you need to know to leverage the power of LinkedIn, and get the most out of the account you used to ignore.

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  1. Frequently Update Your Profile

Before you start making the most out of LinkedIn, you’ll want to make sure that your profile is in its pristine form. After all, you’d want your new connections to see the most updated and accurate portrayal of your knowledge and skills.

Instead of plainly writing down the university where you graduated or the number of years you’ve been in the working world, tune up your profile by switching out your photo to a more recent one, adding new positions and job descriptions that adequately captures your duties, and adding some personality to it. Lastly, put in some little elbow into re-writing your summary. Also, make it a habit to read through your profile every now and then to double-check if everything’s still accurate, as well as to add new career developments to it.

  1. Use the “Who’s Viewed My Profile” Feature

Even if you’re currently not seeking new work opportunities, using this feature will still be beneficial. In fact, it’s actually a great spot to start your goal of expanding your network and making meaningful connections. These people viewed your profile for a reason; they probably got interested with your professional identity.

So the next time you see someone in your ‘who’s viewed my profile’, take some time to send them an invitation to connect. It may seem creepy, but it’s actually not. In fact, you can start several professional relationships using this same tactic.

  1. Practise Sending Connection Requests

Another way to effectively use LinkedIn is to proactively reach out to people you admire or want to get to know more about. That photographer in Singapore you’re hoping to work with, that marketing manager you’ve always admired, or that magazine editor you’d love to talk – you surely want to connect with all of them. But chances are, they won’t approach you out of nowhere. So go ahead, send them a connection request and start a conversation. You’ll never know what may happen.

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  1. Create and Send Personalized Connection Message

Before sending out any connection request, you need to be aware of one of the golden rules in LinkedIn: Always personalize your connection message when you’re requesting to connect with someone. Instead of settling with the generic request message, get a little personal and tell the person why you’d want to connect.

  1. Focus on Creating Meaningful Relationships

Sure, adding lots of people in LinkedIn is fun, but it’s also important to remember that your goal is to establish meaningful and quality relationships through the site. So spend your time looking for people whom you think could benefit your career path. Whether they’re frontrunners in your industry, or people with skillsets that could help you later on, focus your energy and time on creating valuable connections.

Use your connect requests as a starting point for your conversation. Then ensure to stay in touch by congratulating them on new accomplishments or simply liking their interesting posts. There’s no need to send and answer lengthy emails every day, but make some effort to ensure you stay in the loop.

  1. Utilize the LinkedIn Pulse Feature

LinkedIn Pulse is a site feature that allows you to self-publish a content. It’s a space meant for sharing your views and skills even if you’re not a writer. You can use this platform to publish your original content and give you some credibility, thus taking your LinkedIn profile up a notch. So go ahead and write about your favourite photography equipment and style to use, or your views on the changes in the healthcare industry.

At first, LinkedIn may seem like a useless and stuffy site that you only signed up in because you felt like you had to. But if you just spend some time exploring it, you’ll realize how amazing and powerful it can be. So sign into your account now, put these tips to work and prepare to get some great results.

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