What is LinkedIn?

If you are keen to develop your digital presence, and take forward the skills and knowledge from this course in terms of improving your career prospects and professional development, becoming part of a wider professional network such as LinkedIn is probably a good idea. LinkedIn offers the ideal opportunity for you to find opportunities to showcase the skills you have.

The two videos below provide some information about LinkedIn and how to get started. As you watch them, think about how they might help you to improve your professional profile.

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Top tips to get started on LinkedIn
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LinkedIn is often seen as an online CV. It should be as complete and as detailed as a CV, and should be kept up to date. Other ways LinkedIn can help with your career include enabling you to:

  • connect with others in your industry or profession
  • find jobs
  • be part of professional groups and discussions
  • find connections through other people.

Companies and employment agencies use LinkedIn to recruit staff. They will be searching for specific keywords, so it’s essential to include those keywords within your profile. Think about what recruiters are likely to search for. If you’re unsure, look at job specifications or advertisements for essential skills.

Activity 3.6 Setting up your LinkedIn profile

Timing: Allow as long as you need!

If your don't have a profile in LinkedIn, we encourage you to set up one. How to set up a profile in LinkedIn [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]  will help you with the basics.

This is what Zin Min Thant had to say about his LinkedIn profile.

“I thought I needed a more professional presence on LinkedIn. I’ve had an account for a number of years, but I haven’t updated it. But now I want to focus on growing my business I think that LinkedIn is one of the places that prospective new clients may look to find out more about me. So I have updated my profile to promote my professional experience and showcase my relevant skills and accomplishments. I have also arranged my settings so that prospective clients can contact me.”

You have now reached the end of Week 3. Continue on to Week 4 to explore digital skills from an open perspective. 

LinkedIn