When it comes to careers, you'd be hard pushed to find two things people hate more than CVs and networking. Sure, interviews are tricky. But you've got to land yourself one in the first place.
So, it should be no surprise that LinkedIn intimidates lots of us. A brilliant resource, LinkedIn prides itself on being the world's largest professional network on the internet, which is all well and good if you know how to get started.
Unfortunately, lots of workers don't or make a half-hearted effort. However, even the simplest of well-designed profiles can make a real difference, according to career coach Rachel Schofield.
Talking to the Mirror, the expert explained how you can best utilise the platform, plus the major mistake she often comes across.
First and foremost, Rachel outlined why LinkedIn can be so useful. She says the platform, which you can link in your CV, is a great way to boost your 'online footprint'.
Do you want to show off your creativity, evidence previous projects, or stand out from the crowd? LinkedIn is a brilliant way to do this.
"You can put videos, so people can see you in action talking about stuff. You can put leadership pieces, showing that you are across what's going on in your industry and that you've got unusual ideas," Rachel explains.
However, try not to feel daunted by all of the possibilities if you decide this approach is not for you, or at least not yet.
"Some people get scared of LinkedIn because they think it has to be all bells and whistles. At the very least just keep it up to date," she recommends. "Keep it ticking over so that when people find you they've got a lovely photo they can see of you and they've got everything up to date."
Your profile should be clean, tidy, and a good representation of who you are, she adds, and if you feel like you've got a lot of work to do, take it one step at a time.
The pro advises: "If you set yourself the goal of making the most amazing LinkedIn profile with every single thing filled in that's going to blow everyone's minds, you will soon give up because it will get overwhelming."
Her advice: "If you think, right this week I'm going to work on that section, next week I'm going to do this and this, at least you've got something there that is who you are."
Alongside polishing up your LinkedIn, it could also be worth conducting a 'Career MOT', according to the pro.
Rachel explains workers can benefit from checking in on their careers annually, just like we do with our cars. "Normally, if we're employed, we get to have a session with our line manager to talk about how's the year been, what's been good, what's been successful, what do you want to do more of, what have you not enjoyed, where do you see yourself going?
"But a lot of people I work with say, 'well I had a vague conversation with my boss, but it wasn't very helpful.' So I always say to people every year it's great to do your own career MOT. Just make some time and space to get under the bonnet of your work and find out what's running smoothly, what's making funny noises and making me uneasy, what's not heading me in the right direction, so that you can take ownership of your career and feel a little bit more in control of the direction it's going in."
Of course, once you've completed your evaluation, you can also use all the strengths you've identified to boost your stellar LinkedIn further, provided you've taken the first leap and created your profile.
Rachel Schofield's The Career Change Guide, published by Penguin Michael Joseph, is available now.
Do you have any job interview tips? Let us know in the comment section below.
