Graphic design is a highly competitive industry, and finding employment as a graphic designer might require some extra effort to stay ahead of others. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking website, boasting over 170 thousand new users every day. These are some strategies to give your LinkedIn profile a leg up so you can find the best employment opportunities.

Optimize Your Profile

These are things to consider when creating a LinkedIn profile that can greatly impact potential employers’ impression of you.

Use Better Photos

Your profile and background photos are your chance to grab people’s attention visually, so make sure they are well-thought-out and professional. It is the equivalent of the first impression you make with a strong handshake. Avoid photos of you in the distance, because people will want to see your face. And of course, don’t forget to smile! Also, you may add a design element to these photos to showcase your skills.

Get Creative With Your Headline

Most people use their headlines to give a simple and concise job description, but this can be a chance to market yourself further. What you include in the headline will be visible before a user opens up your profile, so it is a chance to lure them in. Include a little more information to help people understand you better.

Networking

Although we don’t usually think of it that way, LinkedIn is a social network, like any other social media platform. To gain more exposure, the first step is to synchronize your email address book. You can also purchase LinkedIn followers to give yourself a higher chance of getting noticed. As your network gets bigger, you will find that it is organically expanding to include more professionals in your field.

How do you network for the right references? Well, you can use your previous jobs as references if you are able to resign professionally and leave a good impression. A previous job could be the most reputable source a candidate can have.

Endorsements

This feature allows users to support or recommend each other on certain skill sets. Having many endorsements of your previous designs helps give your profile more credibility. A great way to increase your endorsements is to look for people you’ve worked with before and endorse them first. It’s sort of an exchange of recommendations and works out to be a win-win situation. However, only show endorsements that are in line with the image you are trying to create. In this way, you can focus your profile on only the skill set you choose to advertise. Example: Your bartending skills from way-back-when are irrelevant to a graphic designer’s profile.

Use It As A Social Media Network

Create content specifically for LinkedIn and share it regularly. This will allow you to get more interaction from people, and build your reputation in a better way. Get creative with your posts and make sure they are relevant to graphic design or design in general. Consider it an opportunity to talk about your passion and showcase your strengths.

Also, you should be interacting with others on the network, as you would on Facebook or Twitter, or any other social media platform. Mention people in the content you post, which will allow their professional acquaintances to see you as well. The idea is to expand your network and build a reputation for yourself. Share other people’s content as well, and comment on content you think is worthwhile. Your comments will give people an insight into your knowledge levels and opinions.

Building a great LinkedIn profile is not as complicated as it seems, and the platform is essential to advancing your career as a graphic designer. With tweaks to your profile and a few habits to develop, you can vastly expand your professional network. Use it to its fullest potential to stay ahead of your competitors, and find the most suitable projects to work on.