5 LinkedIn Tips That Will Expand Your Career Network

Will you be looking for a job in the next six months to a year? Then you need to be on LinkedIn and have a compelling profile. There are more than 200 million members on LinkedIn, so you need to be in the game and able to be found on the professional social networking site.

Tip 1: Get in the game with research
More and more employers are using LinkedIn to recruit talent. They post jobs, promote their meetups, and provide insider information on their LinkedIn pages aimed at offering insights into what it's like to work for their company. Read this content to see what companies in your industry emphasize, such as the language they use to describe experiences and skills, and use it to inform how you present your profile.

Tip 2: Hook with a headline
Write a catchy headline to make your profile stand out. Headlines help define who you are, what you're good at, and describe a niche that a potential employer might be looking for.

Tip 3: Complete your profile
Have a complete profile with all your work experiences and include a professional photo. If I can see you, I can then decide whether I want to connect with you. It's about trust. Plain and simple, you need a photo.

Tip 4: Ask people you trust for recommendations
The endorsement section of your profile is a good place for people you trust to write a little something about you. Connections cost you nothing but the time you put into the relationship. Ask them to write a recommendation for you. In turn, if someone asks you for a recommendation pay it forward and return the favor!

Tip 5: Accept and add contacts
Be careful when accepting and adding contacts. Sometimes less is better, but not with LinkedIn. The more contacts you have, the more likely you are to show up in searches.