Upskilling Tips for LinkedIn

By Tanvi Jaiswal, Misha Manani and Georgia Stack

We end this social media platform series with LinkedIn as its importance in the professional world is one that cannot be underestimated. It is the first choice for every industry expert. However, despite being a holy grail for entry-level or even well-established people in the industry, many forget how essential LinkedIn is in terms of making connections and increasing their online presence. That is why, we have come up with top tips to create your account, online resources and some bonus advice that can help you create a stronger profile highlighting your potential for future opportunities!

Creating Your LinkedIn Account

• Have a professional headshot: A high-resolution photo of yourself from the shoulders up. The background should be tidy to avoid distractions. Don’t forget to smile! This is important in building your personal brand and conveying an image of someone people would want to know. You can add a frame to your profile picture to make it clear that you are open to networking.

• Utilise your ‘About’ section: Introduce yourself and include details such as your qualifications, interests, your current role (if relevant), industry-related awards and your career aspirations.

• Maximise your headline: This is the first piece of written information besides your name that people will see in their recommendations and in the search bar, so make sure it is valid, relevant and highlights your current position.

• Add your geographical area: The LinkedIn algorithm will suggest possible connections from this area. It is important to complete your profile and provide accurate information.

• State your job preferences: This is only visible to recruiters. Make sure you add which job titles you are interested in, the type of workplace and the job location.

• Sort the experience and education sections: LinkedIn will generate connections with the same qualifications, university or the company/organisation you have worked for. This will broaden your network among those with similar interests.

Online Courses

Check out these courses available on LinkedIn Learning that can help your profile stand out to employers. LinkedIn offers a one-month free trial, and you can cancel at any time!

• Designing a Book Cover: This course walks through several approaches to creating professional, engaging book covers using Adobe. This course consists of illustration, composition and layout, typography, and printing tips. It’s perfect for those who are interested in the artistic side of publishing.

• eBook Foundations: This course covers the basics you need to know about the developing industry of digital books. It will teach you how to use, create and sell eBooks. It includes choosing formats, using professional software and general tricks for creating engaging eBooks.

• eBooks: Distributing and Marketing: This consists of tips about eBook trends, marketing tools and the eBook marketing basics that everyone should know if they’re trying to launch a book effectively. This would be great for showing employers when applying for a marketing position that you’re engaged in the industry, even if you have had no prior marketing experience.

• Learning Metadata for Publishing: This course is super niche and would stand out to an employer on the lookout for somebody interested in the business side of publishing. Metadata is crucial for a successful publishing business, and this course covers how to use metadata to sell books to retailers in a growing digital book industry.

Bonus Advice from the Upskilling Team

• Personalise your link: Edit your link to make it professional by removing the additional numbers and ensuring it is just your name. This is useful to add to your signature via emails and CVs when applying for jobs.

• Ensure your profile visibility is public: This means prospective employers can see your profile ‘incognito’ if they are considering you for a role.

• Join publishing groups: Book Machine, Book Publishing Professionals, Children’s Publishing and Jobs in Publishing. Type these in the search bar and join!

• Complete your profile: The more you complete your profile, the higher the likelihood of you being viewed by recruiters and others in your industry. The good news is you can track your progress by the completion bar on your profile.

• Network: Feel free to send connections a message. This platform is useful for networking and people will be willing to talk with you and share their advice.

• LinkedIn Learning: Work through the publishing-related courses above. You will learn a lot and you can add them to your ‘Licences and Certifications’ section.

• Skills section: List your top skills here and make sure the most relevant are at the top. People and employers can endorse your skills which are useful for recruiters.

Thanks for reading Issue Forty-Five, the sixth and final article in our social media series! Join us again for Issue Forty-Six, where we will be covering Upskilling Tips with The Bookseller!