How to Capitalize on LinkedIn’s Newest Update

Capitalizing on your LinkedIn presence can open a lot of doors. LinkedIn is kind of like a massive resume database.

Given that it’s the world’s largest professional network…it’s a huge gateway to contacting people that can change the course of your career. Plus, most everyone you meet in a professional setting will look you up on LinkedIn. And recruiters will comb through profiles and stumble upon your skills.

So, keeping your LinkedIn profile fresh is critical to stay high in the search engine ranks, catching the eye of an employer or recruiter and

Apparently, 89 of the Fortune 100 companies are using LinkedIn to recruit talent, LinkedIn reports.

LinkedIn recently rolled out a wave of new features for premium members. Take a look at the latest methods of showcasing your professional talent.

1. Distinguish Yourself with Your Cover Photos

LinkedIn is taking a cue from, well, basically every other social media platform by adding cover photos. Rather than keeping it bland and basic, cover photos are a good opportunity to build your professional brand. It's currently available for premium members, but this feature will be rolled out to all users in the next couple months...so keep a look out!

Companies have had this feature for a long time. Check out this list of 21 Examples of Powerful LinkedIn Company Pages to help you get creative about your professional cover photo. Some contain intriguing collages. Others feature a clean tagline.

It might not seem like a big deal, but now that cover photos are a thing on LinkedIn, it’s going to be one of the first things that people will see on your profile. Make an impact.

2. Be More Visible with Suggested Keywords 

“The next time someone searches for, let’s say a “designer” on LinkedIn, your profile will look twice as big as other results and offer more tidbits from your profile to help people easily spot you,” according to LinkedIn. So, they are literally making paid members more visible in their search engine.

“And those members will also get suggestions tailored just for them to help optimize their profile in searches,” ReadWriteWeb reports.

The bad news? You have to be use the paid subscription in order to get this little perk (It’s how they made 20 percent of their revenue for the first quarter, after all). The good news? They have a new $10 option….the cheapest they’ve ever offered.

3. Make Yourself Available to Everyone….Even Outside Your Network 

If your public profile is intriguing enough, folks outside of your network can contact you about potential opportunities. If you’re super in-demand and don’t feel like being swarmed with emails, you can turn this feature off as well.

Follow CyberCoders on LinkedIn to stay connected.