How to Use LinkedIn to Show Your Thought Leadership

While it serves nicely as THE social network for business, LinkedIn is also a place where interested engineers are able to display their thought leadership. The site provides a platform for business leaders to share useful content about their specific industries or areas of expertise.

Here are a few steps that you can take to leverage LinkedIn to display your expertise in engineering — something that helps grow both your career and professional network.

Use your LinkedIn Profile as more than a Résumé

Be sure to regularly update your LinkedIn profile. Not necessarily with new work history or professional industry group memberships, but use it to publicize accomplishments. Things like professional papers, industry awards, and significant work milestones are perfect to enhance your profile. Also leverage the profile’s publications section to highlight relevant written work.

Frequently updating your profile with links to articles you’ve written and other similar activity helps draw traffic and leads to more connections and a larger network. These are good things when it comes time to look for a new position.

Reorder the Profile Sections to Suit your Purposes

LinkedIn allows you to add, delete, and reorder the different sections that make up a profile. If you are fresh out of college with a membership in the National Honor Society or another educational society, emphasize that fact by placing the education, courses, and test scores sections towards the front of your profile. Delete any sections that aren’t relevant as it helps keep the overall profile focused.

Obviously, if you’ve enjoyed a robust career with loads of relevant project experience, this information should lead off the profile. As mentioned earlier, enhancing the profile with publications you’ve written and significant work accomplishments helps you to stand out as a thought leader in engineering or any other field.

If you would like some additional advice on the best strategies for advancing your career in the engineering, talk to the experts at The Talley Group. Since they are one of the top engineering staffing companies in the Seattle area, they can provide the unique insight to help both your and your career. If you are looking for environmental engineering recruiters in Seattle, contact us today.