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7 LinkedIn Mistakes To Avoid

LinkedIn has become a pivotal tool when searching for a job and offers users multiple benefits.

Your LinkedIn presence is becoming more and more crucial.

A respectable presence on the Internet is required as internal and external recruiters use it to source their talent.

In this day and age, it is an honest matter of brand or be branded.

If you fail to follow the best practices of a successful job search with LinkedIn professionals, they will assume:

• You are not tech-savvy enough to know how to use social media
• You do not have any truly notable achievements or accomplishments
• You have something to hide

It is merely not enough to have an up to-date-name and job title to merit a presence in social media.

LinkedIn can help you network efficiently. It allows you to connect with contacts who may assist with identifying job opportunities, referrals, and offer advice and information.

Many LinkedIn mistakes could be major professional liabilities, which can ultimately damage your chances of getting a job and harm your professional image. Here are a list of the most common mistakes people make on LinkedIn, as well as how to identify and fix them before they become fatal to your job search.

1. Do Not Accept All Connections

Many people are mistaken when they think the bigger the network, the better it looks. This is incorrect when you are a job seeker. Although it is great to have a big network of connections, they must be appropriate connections; in this case, it definitely is quality over quantity.

You need to exhibit to potential employers and recruiters that you have connections in a relevant sector and industry. For instance, if you are competing for a job in a particular field, but your profile shows that 90 percent of your connections are in random fields unrelated to the job, it looks, to employers and recruiters, like you are not well-connected for the position.

2. Absence Of Profile Picture

When searching for a job, one of the most important things to do is ensure you make a good impression. The very first thing on LinkedIn to help you do that is your profile picture. There are a surprising number of profiles that do not have an image at all.

Failing to fully optimize your LinkedIn profile with a picture has the same effect online as coming to a meeting dressed inappropriately. People will be more likely to click on your profile if you have a picture than if you don’t have one.

Ensure your photo is up to date, clear, professional and a true expression of you. Remember a smile can also go a long way. If you are a casual kind of person, no one expects to see you in a suit. Dress appropriately for how you are marketing yourself.

In an online world, it is not unusual to do business with someone we have not yet met. The connection provided by a photo is a warm and welcoming reception that will go a long way.

3. Not Personalizing Communication

Most LinkedIn users complain about the impersonal invitations they receive. When you connect with someone for the first time on LinkedIn, it is strongly advised not to use the generic messages suggested.

Take the time to write something personalized. It will make the recipient more open to your request, and the message feels a lot less like spam and a lot more directed and personal. This shows the recipient that your request is more personal and not a mass message to everyone to simply grow your connections.

4. Neglecting Your LinkedIn Summary

Many of our prepared resumes begin with a summary section. It is supposed to highlight your career and achievements and show your value proposition.

The same goes for your LinkedIn profile — it summarizes your career for potential employers. It is the section of your LinkedIn that sells yourself to the employer. So it is essential to have a great summary to land a great job.

Surprisingly, a lot of people prefer to leave out their summary. This is another fatal mistake and can hamper the impressions your LinkedIn profile might have to potential employers. Ensure you add a comprehensive summary to make your profile more attractive for the employers.

5. No Past Work Experience

Unless you have never had a job and are finding your first job, you should share all your experiences with potential employers. Include all of your past experiences on your LinkedIn profile; this includes work experience as well as education.

There are a number of LinkedIn profiles that do not include these details. Even if you have changed your field of work, you should not eliminate these details from your network as potential employers might find this information useful.

6. Neglecting To Use LinkedIn

The number of professionals and businesses who ignore this platform and do not leverage it to its full capacity is very common. LinkedIn is a platform that allows you to connect with an abundance of new potential customers, find new partners to help grow your organization, connect with the media to build your personal brand, and even a way to hire new staff and connect with future employees and employers.

7. Ignoring Privacy Settings

LinkedIn has its own security settings, and it can really be essential at times, like when you are looking for a new job and need to connect with new people. You will have different types of conversations with people that you may not want your current employer to know about.

If your current employer is in your LinkedIn circle, keep these conversations hidden by using the privacy settings in LinkedIn. Of course, it is also important to make your profile public so you can be located by potential connections, prospective employers and recruiters so they are able to access your information.

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Your LinkedIn profile needs to have the quality and professionalism to appeal to the prospective employer. Keep this in mind while creating your profile and ensure that you are marketing yourself in the best possible manner.

If you are able to do this successfully, you will enhance your chances of landing a great career in no time. But be aware of these mistakes — do your best to avoid them to ensure the best results.

(Photo by Niek Verlaan / CC BY)

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9 Qualities of Amazing Public Speakers

Speaking in front of a large group can be turn many people into a bundle of nerves, but if you are out to make an impact for the greater good, then avoiding public speaking isn’t an option.

You have to channel all of the inner courage locked inside of you.

Public speaking is all about sharing your ideas, concepts and views with a large crowd in order to spread awareness or open hearts to new directions.

Without a sharp, focused and confident mind however, it can all come crashing down fast.

Let me share with you what I’ve gathered — the finest tricks and tips to channel the natural orator within.

 1. Have Confidence

 A true public debater is one who displays absolute certainty about the topic he or she wishes to share and discuss with their audience. You know the subject will be welcomed openly by the audience, because of your familiarity and interest in it.

Having understood how well the listeners will perceive a speech and believing in a positive outcome is another sign of a speaker’s confidence.

2. Keep it Simple

You are not here to present an elaborate dissertation. You’re merely spreading your message, concept and viewpoints in the quickest and most easily understandable manner possible.

Don’t overthink it. What you have to say will come through best if you aren’t trying to impress anyone by complicating your message.

3. Be Passionate

 Doing research about a topic is of course important, but the reason it stays with and affects an audience is because of your strong feelings. You have a fire inside you about this subject you have to make sure that it appears as such in the eyes of your audience.

In fact, you have so much passion you will look under every ominous object and examine each anomaly to present your topic with legitimacy and accuracy.

4. Be Bold

You are the type to speak about something that most will turn away from due to frustration or controversy. Because of you have good and unbiased intentions, you shouldn’t back away from speaking your mind.

This charming characteristic increases your visibility and improves your standing as an orator.

5. Find Your Eloquence

Talking without stuttering is one of the most sought-after skills that obviously only the well-versed speakers harbor. One simple way to develop this is to practice your speech so often that you could do it in your sleep.

Having such a firm grasp of language that your speech sounds like poetry invites more listeners even if it’s not in their area of interest.

6. Be Humble and Friendly

Aside from possessing innate knowledge in your area of study and fortitude in expressing it, display a friendly outgoing demeanor will make your speeches more attractive.

Who wouldn’t want to follow someone who can keep the crowd delighted and engaged while remaining down-to-earth? Don’t shy away from sharing a few quick and witty jokes, or a personal anecdote or two.

7. Get Presentable

To boost your credibility to your audience, you will need to look the part of an esteemed speaker that is both professional and sophisticated.

Being sharply dressed reveals your attitude — people and critics will take you and your discussions more seriously. It can also help you feel more confident — there’s a reason people say you should dress for the role you want to have.

8. Be Informed

 Naturally, a great speaker knows exactly what he or she is talking about. The only way to invigorate your audience and slay the doubts of every critic is how precise and authentic your speech is.

Understand the arguments to your point of view, and leave no room for contradictions, eyebrow-raising moments or miscommunication.

9. Openly Welcome Criticism

To seal the marriage between amazing and public speaker, you must be open to all kinds of criticisms the audience might have in store for you. Whether they’re merely doubts, questions for clarification or harsh feedback, you must welcome all of it with calmness and respond in a polite tone.

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There’s a running joke that since many people are more afraid of public speaking than death, they’d rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy. Public speaking doesn’t have to be frightening — in fact it can be invigorating. Adopt these qualities and you can get your message to the masses in no time.

(Photo by Nadine Dereza / CC BY)

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