Top Five LinkedIn Hacks To Kickstart Your Career On Civvy Street

Every month 260 million users log onto LinkedIn but as a service leaver how can you best exploit the site to connect with professional contacts and potential civilian employers around the world?

Forces Radio BFBS Catterick's Chris Kaye spoke to Careers Consultant, Lisa Jones, from the military charity the Officers' Association who has these top tips to advance your career. 

UPLOAD A PHOTO

You are 14 times more likely to be viewed if you have a photo. Recruiters and hiring managers view profiles with the grey outline of a figure with suspicion.

Therefore, upload a suitable image and ensure it isn't set to private. Often employment fairs will have a dedicated photographer taking headshots so take advantage of this.

"You are 14 times more likely to be viewed if you've got a photo."

CUSTOMIZE YOUR URL

LinkedIn will automatically generate a unique URL for you. This will be quite unintelligible but you can change it.

Click 'customize your URL' on the right-hand side of the screen. You can then create something that will look snappier on a business card.

SELL YOURSELF

Automatically LinkedIn will pull through your job title into the professional headline section. You might be a Royal Navy officer, but that doesn't help a recruiter get a sense of what you offer.

'Experienced engineering manager' might be a better way to describe yourself. Highlight specific skills or qualifications you have. You have 120 characters to play with so make good use of them. 

GET CONNECTING

The average person is connected to more than 300 people. Tap into that vast network. Connections breed connections.

It means you have the opportunity to meet the people who work for the companies you're interested in. 

NOT JUST A CV

Bring your profile to life with photos, videos and articles. It will add colour.

For example, if you've worked on a major project that generated media coverage include a link to the publication. 

Cover Photo Credit: Pexels