We all know that getting your foot in the door in the fashion industry can be difficult, but building connections across the industry can be incredibly beneficial, and what better way to do this, than with LinkedIn.
No matter where you are in your career and job-hunting process, keeping your LinkedIn profile up to date and active is key to standing out in the industry and against the competition.
LinkedIn has more than 810 million users worldwide and is the number one professional networking site. If you’re serious about your professionalism and career, a LinkedIn profile is a necessity; it’s your chance to get your name and face out there in the professional network of your preferred industry. However, if you do create a LinkedIn profile, you need to ensure the content you post draws in the correct connections and the attention of potential employers to really impact your career and professional network.
This blog will go through our top tips to make sure your LinkedIn profile stands out in the fashion industry.
Picture
The most simple but effective thing you can do on your profile is to put a face to your name. A professional headshot is recommended, as it is the first impression people will get from your page, but be sure to be creative with your picture and try to show who you are and your personality too. If you don’t have a professional headshot, don’t worry, you can choose a picture of yourself that mimics one. With the mass of profiles on the platform, those without a picture get easily pushed aside.
Headline and Summary
Your headline sits right below your name and will be the first piece of information about you that visitors will read; think of it as a small billboard advertisement for yourself. You have 120 characters to work with but remember to think about who you are writing for. Are you targeting industry peers, hiring managers, or clients?
A perfect example of a LinkedIn headline would be; ‘Fashion Marketing Manager helping clients create winning marketing strategies. Over 150 successful clients.’
Your LinkedIn summary then gives you the opportunity to develop from this and tell your story. Here you have 2,000 characters to work with, but don’t just focus on your past career experience, tell people what your skills are and what you can bring to the table. Be wary that attention spans are short these days so we recommend not to use up all those characters and focus on the keywords you use - you want to be strongly connected to your desired field.
Highlight your Experience
Base your experience on your profile off your existing CV as a starting point, but you don’t have the same two-page restriction, so use this to deeper explain your previous roles and experience - remember, as mentioned above, internet readers have short attention spans. Include any jobs that seem relevant to your desired career path and demonstrate the impact you made and initiatives you’ve led in these roles.
Use Media
In fashion, everything is visual, so display this in your profile too. Why don’t you make a visual header in your personal branding? Or maybe use images and videos within your posts to catch the attention of visitors and connections.
This is another opportunity to display your personality and creative skills if you create your own imagery.
Make Connections
It may seem obvious, but it can be easy to forget after you’ve already set up your profile. Making connections are what will develop your professional network and identity. Be sure to connect with people of value and in your target area of the industry. We advise sending a note with your connection requests to add a personalised touch and explaining why you’d want to connect.
LinkedIn is a powerful tool and is really easy to take advantage of to develop your professional network, but the most important thing to remember is to keep your page active. By making the most of your profile and following these tips, your profile will stand out in the industry and help you develop connections and a professional reputation during your career and job search.
If you would like further advice and help during your job search, please get in touch with us at u&i search, or you can find more of our blogs here.
