How do you stand out and become an all-star in the number one professional network in the world? How do you stand out from a pool of over 700 million users? Members of A Leader Like Me’s The Nest had the privilege to learn and interact with a powerhouse and global LinkedIn coach, Sabita Singh.
Sabita is an Accredited Business Communicator who started her career in Communications and then expanded into digital marketing and social media. She led digital functions for companies including Sun Life Financial and KPMG in Canada. In 2018, she took the leap from the corporate world in consulting when she launched Trivetta Consulting Inc., Her company shows corporate professionals and entrepreneurs how to build a powerful presence on LinkedIn.
In her interaction with members of The Nest, Sabita shared tips on how to stand out among a multitude of professionals as a LinkedIn All Star. To become one, she explained that you need some key components. This translates into your profile receiving 40 times more views than profiles that are missing key elements, according to LinkedIn.
Here are the key components, plus some bonus branding tips provided by Sabita:
1. Display a photo, top banner and a headline. By having a photo, you will receive 21 times more views than a profile without one. Ideally it should be a professional, head and shoulder photo that makes you look approachable. A smile always helps! The top banner and the headline should reflect your profession in the best way possible. Customize your banner to match your professional identity and create an attention-grabbing headline. Include keywords and a tag line that speak to your area of expertise or passion.
2. Tell your story in the about section. In this section, Sabita encourages you to share your career story. LinkedIn is all about relationships – the more you share, the more people will want to engage with you. Include your specialties to improve your discoverability, as well as a call to action to encourage people to connect and interact with you.
3. Show impact in your work experience is another important component that you should include to stand out on LinkedIn. Sabita advises to not just add your work responsibilities in your current role and previous roles, but also include the impact and metrics around what you have achieved.
4. Showcase all of your education. List your schools and any additional programs you have taken – dates are not required so don’t worry about aging yourself (too young or too old).
5. The more skills, the better. For your discoverability, you need to have at least 5 skills, but Sabita says listing more skills will help you show up higher in search results.
6. Check your location and industry. You need to include your location to be an all star, but display where you are available to work instead of where you live. You would have selected your industry when you first set up your profile so go to your settings and check to make sure your industry is still accurate.
7. Expand your connections. LinkedIn provides an all-star rating to profiles that have at least 50 connections. Sabita says focus on quality over quantity. Grow your network over time with quality connections.
There are a lot more insights and tips that Sabita shared with members of The Nest. To learn more about Sabita and to connect with her, check out her LinkedIn profile.
To hear from other experts, join A Leader Like Me and gain access to tips and techniques to help you become the best version of yourself, professionally and personally.
A Leader Like Me is an empowering community for women of color who want the courage and confidence to progress in their careers.
