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With the world seeing social distancing as the new reality since the advent of Covid-19, the dependence on utilising a digital profile as an extension of physical selves has grown considerably. The job-seeking landscape too, has seen drastic change in the last ten years with professional social media sites such as LinkedIn having allowed us to create digital manifestations of our CV.

The wide adoption of LinkedIn has grown to become a recruitment tool for many HR professionals, recruitment consultants and hiring managers alike. When job hunting, it is almost certain that whoever is reading through your resume has already searched you on LinkedIn. For us in the recruitment world, we use LinkedIn in multiple ways such verifying who you are and checking if your work history matches your CV. In essence, your professional profile should be a direct digital copy of your resume listing your work experience, professional achievements, educational qualifications and a network of connections from similar fields and expertise. For jobseekers, LinkedIn should be used as tool to share your professional side as part of your overall digital footprint.

For jobseekers, LinkedIn should be used as tool to share your professional side as part of your overall digital footprint

In order for you to get the best out of your digital footprint here is are some tips for you to follow in order to create a better professional version of your digital self.

Take a moment to review your LinkedIn profile, what would you find?

Showing your best digital side on a platform like LinkedIn should answer these three core questions:

Is your LinkedIn profile up to date with the same information as you have in your CV?

When building your LinkedIn profile, you should endeavour to enter in all your employment history with the correct dates. Be sure to also list all your responsibilities and any achievements you made whilst in the role. Use this as an opportunity to extend on your CV such as roles you may have chosen to omit from your physical resume or expand on each of your roles.

What does your profile say about you? E.g. things you share and post, and your network connections - are they from your industry?

As for your profile and presence on LinkedIn, what does it say about you? Do you keep up to date with your connections, and more importantly, your industry? Sharing of information and interesting thought pieces about your industry will shed some light about your interests and professional industry knowledge. Following thought-leaders and companies helps you stay on top of what’s happening in your industry or job function – firsthand info that is unfiltered by the media. In addition, connecting with your colleagues past and present will add further value to your network and to your digital footprint.

Do you treat your LinkedIn like you do with other social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter?

It is important to appreciate the distinction between your regular social media accounts versus your LinkedIn. When sharing or uploading content, be sure to treat your profile in a professional tone and manner. Whilst you can advocate your personality, interests and thoughts you should avoid sharing silly or irrelevant posts, no matter how funny or political.

LinkedIn provides one of the best opportunities to increase your visibility and credibility in the digital jobseeking landscape. It lets you stay connected to large networks of contacts and provides the ability to positively brand yourself on an online platform. By following our tips, you are able to use this powerful online tool that’ll help you paint a compelling picture of who you are in the real world.