Setting Up A LinkedIn Profile: The Benefits & Setup Guide

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In the modern world of employment and development, having an online presence is more crucial than ever. One platform that stands out for career development and professional networking is LinkedIn.

Dynamic Training, an apprenticeship and bespoke training provider, believes it is important to have a LinkedIn profile which showcases your career progression, achievements and experiences. Below you can find a step-by-step guide to creating your profile, and how to get the most out of it.

To stay up-to-date with our guides, resources and industry knowledge, please view our blog or follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook.

Setting up a LinkedIn profile offers numerous benefits to employees, particularly those taking part in apprenticeships and are engaged with training opportunities. LinkedIn allows individuals to showcase their skills, experience, and achievements in their professional careers.

LinkedIn also serves as a platform for staying updated with industry news, participating in professional groups, and accessing job postings. Additionally, it can facilitate endorsements and recommendations from colleagues, thereby help employees to learn and feel confident in their role.

A LinkedIn profile serves as a dynamic resume that is accessible to a wide audience, allowing you to create a professional brand which can be admired by others.

By creating a detailed profile, employees can highlight their skills, experiences, and achievements. We find this to be particularly beneficial for our learners, who can showcase their achievements and progression during their apprenticeship programmes.

By having a LinkedIn profile, not only do you demonstrate your qualifications but also your willingness to learn and progress in your career, and celebrate your achievements along the way.

LinkedIn is the world's largest professional network with over 774 million members. LinkedIn spans many industries and sectors, with groups and communities representing many different career paths. With our focus on healthcare, we regularly interact with both individuals and groups within the healthcare setting on LinkedIn.

This vast network offers unparalleled opportunities for professionals to connect with peers, industry leaders, and potential employers. For our learners, being on LinkedIn connects them to this network where they can share insights, seek advice, and establish valuable connections that can aid in their career growth.

LinkedIn's job search feature is a powerful tool for anyone who feels now is the right time to look for a new employer. Employers frequently post job openings on LinkedIn, including job postings which may not be found on recruitment platforms.

By maintaining an active profile, employees can easily apply for these positions, set job alerts, and receive notifications about roles that match their skills and interests. As a result, the more detailed and up-to-date your profile, the more qualified you look for job opportunities.

LinkedIn is more than just a networking site. We have also found that our learners can use LinkedIn to help with their professional development.

We find that engaging with industry communities and groups leads to fantastic advice and knowledge given by others in similar job roles. In particular, LinkedIn is a fantastic source of industry insights and helps you keep up to date with the latest news and developments.

There is also LinkedIn Learning, a dedicated learning platform which offers a wide range of courses on various topics, from technical skills to soft skills.

The first step is to head to the LinkedIn website and create a new account using an email address and password.

We recommend using a personal email for LinkedIn, so that you will still have access to your account if you change jobs. We also recommend you use a memorable password so that you can easily log back in. If you do forget it, don't worry. LinkedIn will allow you to reset it as long as you still have access to your email.

LinkedIn will take you through any additional setup steps, but from here you can start adding more about yourself.

Now that you have created your account, it is important to start making it your own. One of the most obvious examples of this is uploading a photo of yourself.

As LinkedIn focuses on your professional development and career, it is important for your picture of choice to represent your career and how you want to come across to collegues and employers. Pictures of cats and dogs may be cute, but are not suitable for your LinkedIn profile.

Your profile can also have a background photo, which appears at the top of your profile page. This photo is less important, but can help add more character or provide more information about you and your interests. As with your profile photo, pick one which you think best represents you to collegues and employers. 

LinkedIn profiles can contain a lot of information, and it's important to fill as much of it out as you can. You do not have to do this all in one go, but having a more accurate and full profile has a lot of benefits.

As well as your name and photo, your LinkedIn profile should, as a minimum, contain information about your current employment, your location, and your education. You can also add your employment history and contact details to your profile if you are interested in hearing from potential employers in future who might use your profile as your CV.

Most employers should already have a LinkedIn profile. Search for your current employer, and fill out your current employment details such as job title, and when you joined. You can also add your location data, and your education history, within your account.

Your headline appears under your name on your profile, and provides a brief, one-line, summary of who you are and what you do. Consider putting your industry and where you are based, so that it is very easy to identify you.

Your profile about section is a more comprehensive look at who you are, and you can use this to say more about yourself. What are you passionate about in your career? What successes have you had? What are your dreams and aspirations? Tell others what they should know about you, and be proud of your achievements. 

Throughout your career, you will pick up various skills and have an opportunity to show competence in many areas. LinkedIn allows you to select 50 skills which will show to others who view your profile. You can also select your top skills, which you feel highlight your experience and areas of competence.

You can also select where you have demonstrated each skill, picking a role from your employment history to help paint a picture of what you learned from each role. This activity can also be a useful way of celebrating how you are developing, as you add new skills to your latest job role. 

Now that you have a profile, it's time to start reaching out to those you already know.

Begin with those closest to you. Your friends, family and collegues are useful starting points. Consider connecting with those you have worked with previously, and those who you have come across in the professional setting. Keep an eye on LinkedIn's recommendations, it may well find people you know without you having to search for them.

As you meet new people, consider connecting with them on LinkedIn to grow your network. The more people in your circle, the better LinkedIn can be.

LinkedIn is not only about connecting with people you know. Also consider searching for groups in your industry, as well as top voices or experts who can offer insight or development.

Follow hashtags and topics which you have an interest in, and also consider taking part in events. As LinkedIn understands your interests, it will start to recommend posts, groups and events which it thinks you may like to engage with, which will only help to make LinkedIn more useful.

Now that you have a LinkedIn profile, it is important that you use it and keep it up to date. Keep an eye out for new people you can follow, and check up on industry news a developments. Also consider interacting with your friends and collegues, celebrating their achievements.

You can also use LinkedIn to celebrate your own achievements. If you are proud of something you have done in your career, LinkedIn is a great place to share this. As you learn new skills, earn new qualifications or take part in new projects, you can add this to your profile and make yourself look even more impressive.

You now have a LinkedIn profile! However, we have only just scratched the surface of what you can do on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for our upcoming guide for how you can make the most out of your LinkedIn profile, providing further tips and advice to maximise the LinkedIn platform.

To keep up to date with upcoming blogs, guides, resources and industry developments, follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook.

All of the Apprenticeships and Workshops we offer are purpose-built with accessibility and inclusion in mind. You can view our courses or contact us to find out more about how we can empower you or your workforce with apprenticeships or training programmes.