Comparison of LinkedIn Profiles (Essay Sample)

Comparison of LinkedIn Profiles
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Comparison of LinkedIn Profiles
LinkedIn profiles have become invaluable for serious professionals, job seekers, and recruiters alike. It is a network through which individuals can sell their professional skills while maintaining a social network across different industries with people you can share information regarding career development. Students particularly need to take the opportunity of making the necessary contact with people in their career paths of interest for the main reasons of learning from the best and also tailoring their dreams and aspirations using what other individuals have achieved. It is, therefore, essential to enhance employability by creating a proper professional profile on LinkedIn. In my case, I figured out how useful it would be to make a comparison of my profile with a successful professional within my scope of study and also an alumnus of the same college I am currently attending who currently works as a project coordinator at the Canadian public services and procurement department. The said profile would help me establish a basis for improving my profile to match the required preventability and help me reach out to a broader professional network where prospective employers and human resource professionals may filter out my unique profile. The criteria for comparing my profile and that of Sergio Rios include the differences regarding the depth of details shared on our profiles, recommendations, professionalism, the size of professional networks, and customization techniques.
Firstly, there exists an apparent difference in the depth of details shared on the two profiles, with Sergio's profile having explicit detailing of career progress and achievements in his previous engagements while my profile was too brief. It is essential to build an online portfolio that includes all details of professional significance (Fielding, 2020, para. 9). It serves the purpose of helping recruiters to know about an individual and the scope of what they do. Sergio's profile highlighted the work he engaged in under all employment opportunities he had landed, including the internship period as a business analyst. In comparison, my only indicated stint as a cashier did not expound on the kind of responsibilities handled and how they related to my major in supply chain management. Professional networking of this kind should enable effective sharing of valuable information that may catapult an individual professionally. It is essential that professional networking on social media platforms guarantee access to information that can easily lead to professional referrals and career opportunities (Utz, 2016, p. 2685). The mode of structuring professional profiles and the type of details included are incredibly paramount to the success of a LinkedIn profile. Luckily, LinkedIn has a percentage guide on how complete a profile is and can guide an individual with the details to include building a robust profile. The first step to improving my profile would be to have all the necessary information, including the professional certifications obtained so far, the details about the course, all skills learned up to this point in time, awards won during college, and the organizations or clubs that I have the privilege of being a member. All these details require regular updating when necessary for their relevance.
Secondly, my profile lacks any form of recommendation, while Sergio's profile includes the necessary recommendations and endorsements that prospective employers can rely on to build sufficient background information. Reaching out to course instructors, previous supervisors, or individuals from previous employment who know you personally and requesting endorsement for the roles you are competent in performing is helpful for growth (Fielding, 2020, para. 13). It is even better if you reciprocate this recommendation since prospective employers would know what you value in other people that help in your career growth. These recommendations exhibit credibility and that your skills and experience are verifiable beyond what an individual within the platform. The impeccable profile built by Sergio shows three important recommendations that feature one from a college professor who explains his previous dedication in the career management class. This endorsement tells employers how serious the individual perceives matters related to career development. Again, information benefits from platforms like LinkedIn include referrals for career opportunities or advancements via endorsements (Utz, 2016, p. 2686). This argument satisfactorily answers the question of how LinkedIn leads to progression careerwise. Therefore, it is my responsibility to look for recommendations beginning with my course instructors and colleagues or supervisors from my previous roles. These recommendations also make profiles more captivating by presenting the professional images of the contacts offering an endorsement. It would improve my profile that currently looks rugged from a default view of new platform templates.
Thirdly, there exists a deep contrast on the aspect of professionalism from the two profiles, and professionalism encompasses competencies, skills, work ethics, plus valuable personal traits. A profile picture should reflect professionalism and every profile requires one (Fielding, 2020, para. 3). Generally, professional profile pictures portray serious individuals with good work ethics, and photos like the one in my profile expose negative personal traits. Sergio's profile pictures depict sharpness and an outfit right for an interview process. Most job opportunities today require forwarding your LinkedIn profile link that acts as a resume, with most employers relying on such profiles to narrow down on individuals with requisite skills for the openings advertised. Another difference lies in the professional summaries in my profile and that in Sergio's profile that show his professional skills and summarizes everything that a prospective employer who might not have the opportunity to peruse through his entire profile can easily rely upon. This summary is equivalent to a cover letter (Fielding, 2020, para. 7). My profile summary does not portray enough details about myself and points towards naivety that comes out as unprofessional behavior. It is important to note that Sergio's profile includes details of his professional interests that align with his career path and lists his interpersonal skills that back up his leadership and management competence. All these are aspects of professionalism that significantly lack from my profile. Learning from Sergio's experience in embellishing his profile may boost my image within this professional network and increase my employability.
Next is a glaring difference in my professional network and the number of connections that Sergio's profile has. The number of connections with your LinkedIn network improves visibility, increasing the chances of prospective employers coming into contact with your profile (Botticello, 2018, para. 4). It is practical that an expansive network tremendously increases profile views translating to adequate visibility. Sergio's profile having two hundred and fifty connections assist in the automatic generation of other individuals that he might know, and my profile presenting thirteen connections cannot generate such valuable information.
Moreover, a more extensive network also increases the chances of getting endorsements of skills. Platforms like LinkedIn confers social capital to an individual that is proportional to one's social network (Utz, 2016, p. 2690). Social capital enables information sharing and turning new people into dependable contacts that an individual can rely on when needed. As such, it is a vital way of achieving career progress. The above information has played a crucial role in informing me about the need for an expanded LinkedIn network. So, my goal is to increase the number of connections to about five hundred connections progressively. Again, the visibility will aid in selling my skills to a broader audience of recruiters.
Finally, Sergio's profile has proper customizat