LINKEDIN as a YP

Social media has only grown over the past ten years, and its role in the professional world is still being explored. While the use of platforms like Twitter, Mastodon, Instagram, TikTok and Facebook for professional purposes can inspire long debates over their applications, ethics, and the line between personal and professional, LinkedIn remains pretty uncontentious when it comes to presenting your professional ‘self’ and carving out online space to market it.

LinkedIn is a powerful platform with many features, but this blog is more geared toward how to build and curate your ‘online presence’ as a Young Professional in the Water Sector. It will cover tips and best practices for leveraging this tool to grow an online ‘brand’ and get connected with other folks across the industry – folks who may lead to jobs or other opportunities within the sector. So, let’s hop in!

Foundations: Your Profile

Best Practices

1. Customize your URL! Yes, you can do that – check out the resources below.

2. Keep it short and concise. That goes for everything : job titles, descriptions, your headline and the ‘about’ section. Your LinkedIn profile should be a high-level summary of your professional self, not a novel!

3. Pick the right pic. If you don’t have headshots, it’s easy to take some yourself – use online resources to guide yourself on taking one right at home.

4. Work that headline! It’s the main thing potential employers will see, so it should summarize who you are and what your ‘superpower’ skill or trait is.

5. Fill out all the sections – including schools and volunteer work. You may be surprised to find you have an alma mater in common with potential connections!

The No-no’s

1. Don’t include information about attributes which fall under protected class status unless you are OK with potential employers seeing it:

· Those include race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, or gender identity), national origin, age, disability and genetic information.

2. Avoid listing every job you have ever had in detail. It’s easy to use LinkedIn as a catchall for every experience that doesn’t fit your two page resume, but try to resist going into extreme detail on a role (like that summer job you had scooping ice cream) unless it is directly relevant to your career path direction.

References and Resources

Cromie, G. (2023, January 6). How To Take A Professional Headshot. Shotkit. https://shotkit.com/professional-headshot/

Reddy, C. (2019, November 26). Top 14 LinkedIn Profile Tips for Young Professionals – Wisestep. Wisestep. https://content.wisestep.com/linkedin-profile-tips/

Schaffer, N. (2023, February 1). 21 LinkedIn Best Practices for Business Professionals to Follow for Success. Social Media & Influencer Marketing Speaker, Consultant & Author. https://nealschaffer.com/linkedin-best-practices/

Who is protected from employment discrimination? (n.d.). US EEOC. https://www.eeoc.gov/employers/small-business/3-who-protected-employment-discrimination

Next level: Connections

Best Practices

1. Add a note when connecting with people – remind them where you met or why you are reaching out.

2. Engage with your connections through likes, comments, messages, and endorsements – not only will it keep you present in their virtual ‘sphere’, they will be more likely to return the favour!

3. The “follow” function is different from the “connect” function – use each one as applicable to how you would like to engage with potential contacts.

The No-no’s

1. Adding famous people on LinkedIn just to have their name in your LinkedIn sphere can be tempting, and at times even useful, but perhaps not as meaningful as adding real connections that you’ve met or who have things in common with you.

2. Using LinkedIn as a personal dating or friend-finding application; it creeps people out and comes across as very unprofessional.

References and resources

Dodaro, M. (n.d.). LinkedIn Etiquette and Best Practices [20 Do’s and Don’ts]. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-etiquette-best-practices-20-dos-donts-melonie-dodaro

Bibby, N. (n.d.). How to Write the Perfect LinkedIn Connection Request (with Examples). https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-write-perfect-linkedin-connection-request-examples-bibby

Doby, C. (2020, November 16). How to Network on LinkedIn (6 Dos and Don’ts). Lifehack. https://www.lifehack.org/890707/how-to-network-on-linkedin

Mastery: Content!

Best Practices

1. Content should be targeted to touch on topics related to your career, passions, or professionally relevant hobbies.

2. Posting about something you’ve learned recently (in a course, at a conference, or in general) can even help you retain it more effectively.

3. Vary your posts – links, long-form content, celebrating colleagues and classmates, and personal achievements.

4. Share content from your connections with a comment or reaction with the “repost with comment” feature.

5. Guru Level: Time your posts! Many studies exist to offer guidance on the busiest times on each social media platform and LinkedIn is no exception! For example this chart form Sproutsocial shows the most engaging times on Linkedin:

The No-no’s

1. Personal life accomplishments and travel can have a place, but you should consider LinkedIn an extension of your workplace. Be sure to curate posts and content in a way that avoids sharing too much of your personal life, and that keeps your image polished and professional.

· This doesn’t mean you can’t showcase your vulnerability if you feel it helps empower you, but perhaps a post about winning the alumni beer pong championship is better suited for another social media platform.

2. Don’t spam your connections – only tag your colleagues or connections on relevant posts, and only if you have a strong enough relationship or online engagement to justify it.

References and resources

Content best practices. (n.d.). Content Best Practices. https://members.linkedin.com/linkedin-creators-resources/content-best-practices

Derek Videll. (2022, January 12). Posting on LinkedIn Best Practices for 2022 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wW3s2CLha7k

15 Inspiring Content Ideas for Your LinkedIn Page. (n.d.). https://www.linkedin.com/business/marketing/blog/linkedin-pages/10-content-ideas-for-your-linkedin-page

Keutelian, M. (2023, January 26). The best times to post on social media in 2022. Sprout Social. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post-on-social-media/#linkedin-times

Sorrentino, D. (2023, February 10). 5 of the Best Types of LinkedIn Content to Post (Infographic) | Brafton. Brafton. https://www.brafton.com.au/blog/social-media/5-of-the-best-types-of-content-to-post-on-linkedin/

The Fundamentals to Consistently Writing Amazing LinkedIn Status Updates. (n.d.). https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/product-tips/fundamentals-to-consistently-writing-amazing-linkedin-status-updates