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You'll have heard about the importance of Linked In and the ability to use it to build your online portfolio, build a network of contracts and keep up to date with industry news. Creating a Linked In profile however is only part of the journey. In order to reap the rewards a Linked In profile can bring you, you need to manage your portfolio and use the resource to best effect. Here are a few basic details to consider for your profile page - Getting seen – being active on Linked In increases your chance of being seen - for example joining groups and participating in discussions alone can make your profile 5 times more likely to be viewed. By networking, joining groups, and becoming active participant it keeps your profile relevant and in the sight of fellow group members, on networks home feeds and visible to contacts past your own network. Be up to date – If you are working hard to get a presence it makes sense to ensure that when these people make it your profile that is as up to date as possible. By including your newest projects your CV appears more relevant to today’s industry, therefore giving your viewers a better insight in to your activities of now – rather than the past. Being up to date lets people know you are still active and see that you have been successful in gaining recent contracts. Simple details can make all the difference, for example including the industry you work in, your education details and include a summary 40 words or more to sum up your current position gives you much more chance of being found in a search. Be creative – make your profile stand out with a mix of relevant media – including videos, images, infographics and presentations. They do not all have to be created by you personally. If you come across something interesting and think it is relevant to your industry (will others around you also find it interesting) then share it with them. This content helps to add an all-round view of your profile. If you have industry ideas or suggestions you wish to express or want to share experiences publishing these on Linked In can amplify your reach massively. Ensure they stay on topic and they are respectful articles written in the right tone. This isn’t necessarily a place to rant about issues you are facing – best to save those for your work colleagues, unless you are confident you can deal with the fall out. Remember once published online content can take a life of its own and cannot be undone. Don’t be shy – make sure your profile covers all your key skills, in order of relevance. Review your current skills, those that are important in the industry at the moment and those you have a unique ability in. Put those to the top to get them noticed. Be specific where necessary. If you have certain qualifications that mean you are able to carry out restrictive work make sure the qualification is included in full – you never know what people will be searching for. Return