Morgan Atwater
As if there isn’t enough to worry about when searching for a job. Your wardrobe (that you’ve convinced yourself isn’t good enough). That zit on your face that you swear wasn’t there yesterday. Most importantly, prepping for that nerve-wrecking interview, making sure you’ve studied your resume, cover letter, and the organization or company itself.
Your resume has been refreshed and you’re feeling good. You snap a selfie because your confidence has given you this phenomenal glow and you update your profile picture on Facebook, Twitter, AND Instagram. Once again, your LinkedIn account sits on the back burner and it’s starting to melt away. Your professional career will not suffer if you don’t have a LinkedIn account. But, if you’ve got it, you need to stay committed. We’re in the generation of technology.
LinkedIn is yet another social media platform. As posted on www.linkedin.com, it is “the world’s largest professional network: 300 million strong.” A place where you can “build your professional identity online” and “power your career” by discovering opportunities. You can connect with peers, colleagues, and employers. It’s an online resume where you don’t have to worry about running over two pages. Put as much as you like on your profile, in an organized fashion. Include your current and past work experience, education, coursework, skills, etc.
I conducted a short survey within my Persuasive Writing course to see how active my peers are when it comes to social media. The majority of my classmates will post a status, tweet, or photo often. They will share a post, retweet, or repost often. They will chat with someone openly or privately all of the time. How interesting is it that most students in a professional program will change their profile pictures once a month but rarely updates their professional social media account?
Here are 3 reasons why you should update your LinkedIn as often as your profile picture:
It’s one of the first things that comes up when you Google your name.
Your personal brand is so crucial to your success. You are in control of your brand. Remember that.
You will be up-to-date.
When it comes to the oh-so-dreaded editing your resume, maybe you won’t dread it as much if you’ve been self-documenting. Public relations student must stay informed and this is yet another way to do so.
It’s a chance to share your resume.
If an employer decides to check you out for the first or second time, this might be your chance to tell them about how great you really are and about all your worthy qualifications.
All in all, LinkedIn is a free, easy way to promote yourself. If you’ve been reading this article thinking “oh man, I am guilty”. It’s not too late. After chatting over this topic for my article with my professor, mentor, and friend, Janice Landry, she mentioned to me a few days later that I had motivated her to update her account. Which in the end updates her personal brand, her credibility, and her profile picture. Now it’s your turn.
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