LinkedIn — Zero to Mastery Handbook
This is the only blog you will need to master the LinkedIn game for getting a job as a SE.
Here are the steps to get the best results out of your LinkedIn Game.
- Know Your Target Audience.
- Profile Optimisation.
- Connection Loop.
- Content.
Let's tackle them one-by-one:
Step 1: KNOWING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
The very first step of marketing of any kind is knowing your market and the potential target audience for you. Best way to know your Target (TG) audience is to just think about by whom do you want to be seen.
As we are talking about a software engineer. If you are looking for a job your TG is the HRs, Senior SE (For Referrals), or Junior SE in your dream companies or the companies you wanna work in.
Write your target audience down. Your first 3000 connections should only be these people. Remove all the other unnecessary people from your connections who arent your TG. There can be few exceptions like bro what about my friends - you can keep them it’s alright 😌. This might not make sense now but sticky along with me to the end.
Now you might be wondering but Abhinav how can I find these peoples ?
Okay, hold up so you can use the LinkedIn search to find these peoples also by applying filters to be more specific.
HACK: Do you wanna get more search filters than just the free ones? get more narrowed down on your TG. In short, have premium search options without premium.
Use LinkedIn Boolean Search tool: https://linkedprospect.com/linkedin-boolean-search-tool/ (Get more specific keywords)
Along With Xray tool: https://recruitmentgeek.com/tools/linkedin (to avoid LinkedIn limited search)
Use Boolean Search in the Xray tool given above. Get Phrase from Boolean Search tool and paste it in Xray tool. And make an unlimited search going as specific as you want.
Step — 2: Profile Optimisation
What do I mean by profile optimization? Is your profile optimized enough? To answer all of these Questions in One line — You Should come on the top page when we search for you — Look at the number of search appearances in your profile.
The best idea to keep in mind — This is Based on Keywords, we will see a little bit later.
- Profile Picture: The very first thing someone will notice when visiting your profile is your profile picture it should look professional.
HACK: Ask your colleagues, friends, or family members how your picture looks. if you still can't figure it out there is a website that gives you reviews on the basis of other people rating your image you can go to https://www.photofeeler.com
2. Header: The second most important thing which most people ignore is their header. When someone visits your profile your header should clearly signal one of the three things :
- who are you?
- what have you accomplished?
- what are your skills?
Now you might be like but Abhinav how to make beautiful professional-looking headers without knowing sh*t about photoshop or design?
Don't worry I got you covered there too 😌
Go to Canva. https://www.canva.com => Search for “LinkedIn Header” you will see tons of awesome free professional templates you can modify or even create your own.
3. Title and Subtitle
Here Comes the most important part. You need to fill your title and subtitle with keywords you wanna be searched for keeping what your TG might be looking for in mind. And Don't just flood your title and subtitle with random words. do it in an interesting way so it makes more sense.
For Example, Akshay Saini had “Not From IIT or IIM” in his title. It's funny, right? because everyone does the opposite which makes him stand out. not only that it actually helps him out when recruiters are looking for employees because they might search for students from IITs or IIMs and Akshay will Appear in the list. you get the idea, right? use keywords in your Title or Subtitle very smartly.
4. Your About Section
Same as the title use your about section again to narrate your life story along with the keywords you wanna rank for in an interesting way.
For example. This is my About Section. I tried to use keywords in an interesting way.
5. Featured Section
This is the most important section in your whole profile you know why because this is your Call to Action for your TG. Just think from a recruiter's POV they visit your profile think of what do you wanna show them first? Resume? Your Projects? Some Blog you wrote?
Never Ignore this section attach all your important links here for the visitors to see them first. To give it a professional-looking thumbnail to an URL you can use something called https://www.peek.link
6. Lastly Keep All your Skills and Education updated.
You Get the Idea. Right?
Do all this. Give it some time. If Still you cant find yourself in search appearances. Here is a Ninja Technique for you.
Beat Your Competition in less than 30 minutes
Do Profile reverse engineering :
- Search for the keyword you wanna rank for.
2. Download the top 10–20 profiles as PDF from “more” in their profile.
3. Use the LinkedIn Review tool to analyze these profiles.
https://resumeworded.com/linkedin-review/
4. Then compare and customize your own using the same tool and make appropriate changes.
5. If your score is above 90 you are awesome.
Step 3 — Connection Loop
Just wait and watch. Now the things are coming together about what we did in the first step and why we want only TG in our connections because if you connect only with your TG. The people which will get your recommendation and vice versa will always be your TG. So technically, the LinkedIn algorithm is going to promote you.
Step 4 — Content
Final, and the most important step. At the end of the day, Content is Always the King.
Here are some of the points I would like to tell you as a best practice for your content creation style.
- The best Content which has the most reach is Text or PDFs(Carousals) — you can use Canva to produce them.
- The best time to upload on LinkedIn is around 9 AM–3 PM. Because most of the users are active in that time duration. and LinkedIn post reach decreases over time.
- Instantly turn a screenshot into mockup: https://www.screely.com or for a snippet of code https://carbon.now.sh/
- Engagement of 1 comment = 3 likes. what does that mean? Get people to comment on your post. Always give a Call To Action at the end of your post for ex. “Tell me what are your thoughts on this ?” or anything xD.
- Write Long Post. — Writing long posts will increase your engagement because longer posts take more time to read. Also, don't forget to give proper spacing between your lines. so people don't feel like they are reading something dense. write in a way that when people see the snippet or first few lines of your post they are urged to click on read more because then the LinkedIn algorithm will see that people click on your post. it will increase your reach.
- Avoid adding Links directly in your post. LinkedIn will reduce your reach you can add them in the first comment. Why? Because no platform what’s their audience to leave their platform. that's why keep the links in the comments.
Just from an Example :
- For Post Scheduling: https://www.publer.io/
- Remove Background from any image: https://www.remove.bg
SOME AWESOME GIFTS FOR YOU TO REACHING TO THE END! 🤩
- To understand how much you should get paid: https://www.linkedin.com/salary/
- Don’t just say Hi. Write a customized message while sending a connection request your chances of getting accepted will be far more. and pay attention to the first few lines in that message which urges them to click and read more. Treat it as your subject of your Email. This is what's gonna make you stand out Because very few people write.
- Wanna look at peoples profile without getting them to know “XYZ viewed your profile” use https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/incognito/kencjkgapindpgehbgolojoocgpcepfk
COMPLETE BLOG IN A MIND MAP TO REMEMBER: http://www.xmind.net/m/2SswHH
