How to update your LinkedIn profile for 2019

How to update your LinkedIn profile for 2019Whether you have a New Years resolution to boost your network or you are gearing up for a job search, sprucing up your LinkedIn profile is a great way to start the year. Lets look at some strategies for starting your year off right, and setting yourself up for even better connections and opportunities in 2019. googletag.cmd.push(function() googletag.display(div-gpt-ad-1467144145037-0) ) 6 ways you can refresh your LinkedIn profile for career successUpdate your profile photoThe human eye tends to gravitate toward images first, sowhen youre making over your LinkedIn profile, thinking about your photo is agood distribution policy to start. How old is your current photo? If its several years oldat this point, consider replacing with a newer photo. You may elend have changedmuch, but its still important to keep things fresh.Remember, your LinkedIn profile picture should be a natural-looking headshot, or at least a photo of you solo. (No party p ics, for so many reasons.) You dont have to be doing a Zoolander-esque Blue Steel pose to show everyone you mean business, so a little smile and approachability can go a long way. It also doesnt have to be an official productiona candid shot is fine as long as its a clear shot of you and is appropriate for any professional context.Upgrade your headline and summaryYour LinkedIn profile is the very definition of first impression. A hiring manager or recruiter might be browsing, or checking up on you to supplement a job application. You want the first thing they binnensee to be attention-grabby, but informative.Here are some examples of strong headlinesSalesperson of the YearInnovative Project ManagerCreative Social Media MavenYour summary should be an updated snapshot of where you are in your career right now. That means taking stock of the past year and thinking about what youve been working on, what youve achieved, and what youve learned about your industry. The summary isnt a full- on resume, but it should be a brief paragraph or two for a reader to get a quick sense of who you are as a professional, at this moment.Check your settingsThis is a good idea with any social media account thesedays, but you should take this opportunity to do a yearly review of yourLinkedIn account and privacy settings. Whos able to see your profile? Whosable to contact you? Are you officially open to opportunities from recruiters?All of this information is in your Account settings page on LinkedIn. The opento opportunities setting is most important if youre about to kick off a jobsearch. Its not available to the world, but can bring opportunities your waythat might not otherwise pop up.Update your keywordsMost industries move pretty fast these days, so the trends and buzzwords from the last time you updated might not be so relevant anymore. A little legwork can help you modernize your profile for 2019. Look at job descriptions in your field. What kinds of skills are they looking for ? Are there new software programs or skills that are emerging? What kinds of qualities are they looking for? Even if youre not actively looking for a job, browsing the current job openings can tell you what the landscape looks like and what language employers are using. Then you can apply that to your own profile, using keywords that can catch attention.Update your experience bullet pointsThis is especially true if you havent really touched your LinkedIn profile in the past year. Consider what projects youve done and whether youve picked up any new skills, certifications, or accolades. Part of LinkedIns appeal is that it can serve as a kind of living resume in addition to its social media aspects, so take advantage and make sure your professional bio is up to date.Review your connectionsIf you want to broaden your LinkedIn connections or maybe get rid of some that are no longer relevant, now is the time to do it. Look at your current connections and think about whether you want to k eep them in your orbit. Browse connections-of-connections and see if theres anyone new or interesting youd like to have in your network. Search content or blog posts in your field and discover potential connections that way. If you want to maximize LinkedIn this year, make sure youre getting the most out of the massive network of human connections.Your LinkedIn profile is one of the easiest targets for upgrading your professional life this year. It puts your most up-to-date information out in the world, so pay attention to it and keep it fresh Some great new connection you make now could lead to awesome opportunities in 2019.

Freelancing Tips Supplement Your Nine-to-Five

Freelancing Tips Supplement Your Nine-to-Five Freelancing Tips Supplement Your Nine-to-FiveBecause everyone should have a side gig.If youre looking to make some extra cash or expand your resume, then you might want to consider freelance work.In todays world, the opportunity to moonlight or land a freelance job is easier than ever. With freelance websites, such as guru.com, outsource.com, writersaccess.com, peopleperhour.com and more, you can land jobs as writers, graphic designers, web developers and website builders, to name a few. The key is determining for what type of freelance work youre well-suited, and then making a game plan to land work. Here are some freelancing tips to considerFor what type of freelance work are you well-suited?The list is endless when it comes to the type of freelance work from which you can choose. In addition to the work described above, you can also freelance as a nanny, virtual assistant, editor, data entry personnel, copywriter, scriptwriter, videogr apher, makeup artist, photographer and more.To determine what your options are, make a list of your current skill set along with the things that you enjoy doing. Dont leave any stone unturned. When you freelance, you might choose to do something thats similar to what you currently do at your day job, or you might choose to do something different that you know theres a need for and youre already good at. You also want to do something you enjoy if youre freelancing, especially when youre already working a full-time job. If you dont enjoy what youre doing as a freelancer, then youll only be draining your energy, and its not worth it in the long run.Questions you need to consider when freelancingHow much time do you have? You dont want to stress yourself out by stretching yourself thin or selling yourself short on personal or fun time. You also dont want your freelance work to negatively impact your full-time job if you have one. Conduct an honest evaluation of your current availability and decide how much time youre willing to commit to freelance work and stick to it. This time should include the time it takes to market and secure freelance work.Whats your current companys moonlighting policy? Some companies look down on moonlighting, though its rarefrom my experiencefor them to prohibit it. Find out if your company has a moonlighting policy, so youre in the know. I would suggest you keep your moonlighting somewhat under wraps if you feel it would somehow negatively impact your current position, but do what you need to do to take care of yourself, as well. Whats your companys conflict of interest policy? When you choose to freelance, you want to be mindful of your organizations conflict of interest policy to ensure youre not crossing any boundaries.Could it add value to your resume? Extra work is great and it can bring in extra money, but its even better if it can help boost your resume. If you have a variety of skill sets that would support freelancing, and you need to narrow down your options, consider what type of opportunities would add value to your resume or help you land future jobs and work that you would enjoy.How much are you willing to financially invest? Often, you can start a freelance business for little to no startup cost, depending on your current network reach and referrals. At the same time, you can possibly land work even more quickly if you use sites such as upwork.com or peopleperhour.com to bid for gigs. behauptung sites typically allow you to purchase a membership or a certain number of bids to be used in a specified period of time for a relatively low-cost. Do your research to decide what approach would work best for you.Do you need a website and marketing materials? For many freelance opportunities, you can build a profile on a job site, like upwork.com, and thats all you need to get work. If youre looking to freelance as a photographer or videographer, however, you might need a simple, yet professional, website to help promote yourself to book work. If you have time and are somewhat technical, you can visit sites like ehost.com or wix.com to build a website for a relatively low cost, or you can opt to hire someone to help you. Youll just need to consider how much you want to invest upfront, as mentioned in the previous question.How can you land work? If youre freelancing as a videographer, photographer, or makeup artist, you might choose to build a website, use social media or attend networking events to market your services for leads. You might also look to target a particular niche, like brides, and attend bridal fairs to market your services. Word of mouth referrals are great for these kinds of services, as well.For web design, writing, editing and logo making, you can go to job board posting sites and bid for jobs. These include sites like guru.com, peopleperhour.com and upwork.com. There are several sites that are job specific, as well. For example, writersaccess.com is specific to edito rs and writers and fiverr.com is targeted towards graphic designers (but also has other types of jobs for which you can bid). Do an online search for your type of work, and several other sites will come up that allow you to bid for gigs. Use caution, though, and do your research. leid all sites are created equal, and some require a long-term contract in order to bid. Look for a site with which youll be comfortable working for a relatively low cost, and give it a try. You can always try another site down the road.Nothing has to be permanent in the land of freelance workFreelancing can be an amazing thing. You hone in on current or new skill sets, often meet interesting people, tap into your entrepreneurial spirit and have extra cash in the pocket to boot. At the same time, its not for everyone, and thats okay. Freelance work requires discipline, good time management, the ability to work with different personalities and the ability to be a self-starter. Some people are better suited f or structure and a typical office-type environment. Or, maybe you need to try a different type of freelance gig before you call it quits. Either way, if youre considering freelance work, its worth it to give it a shot using the information above. Youll know soon enough if youre made for the land of freelance. And if not today, maybe in the futureNeed help with your resume? Our TopResume writers can helpRelated Articles