How to network like a pro and stand out from the crowd on LinkedIn
Magpies left to rue missed chances but
LinkedIn is far and away the best known and most popular networking site in operation today.
Regardless of whether one sees imperfections in the site, it’s a vital step in landing a job and maintaining a career.
1 – Setting up your profile
Your LinkedIn profile is not just a copied and pasted CV. It’s an accessible, unique description of you and your strengths – more conversational and less formal than a CV, but still professional and within a formula.
LinkedIn has a step-by-step guide on building an effective profile.
Building it from scratch can be daunting, so have a look through some good examples and see how you can make yours individual to you.
2 – Choosing your photo
Your LinkedIn photo doesn’t have to be taken by an expert and it doesn’t even require that you dress formally, but it should at least look somewhat respectable. This means no party pics, goofy faces or novelty photos. It should also show your head and shoulders and not be a group shot.
3 – Highlight skills
List your skills, endorse connections, and encourage endorsements from others. This will make you look more hireable and will make your profile more likely to appear on searches.
4 – Make the most of other profiles
This applies to connections and to places where you’ve studied or worked. Add them to your profile to help put you on the radar of recruiters and employers.
5 – Build your connections
Start with those you’ve worked with, studied with, socialised with, and work your way outwards. The more connections you have, the more visible you become.
Ryan Peters has admitted that Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Solihull Moors felt like two points dropped in the immediate aftermath of the final whistle, but, on reflection, he says a point away to one of their play-off rivals could arguably be viewed as a hard-earned point gained.
United were closing in on their 10th league victory of the season after Nathan Blissett had hooked them in front from a corner in the first half. But, with around seven minutes remaining, Jamie Ward drilled home to give Moors a share of the spoils they just about deserved on the balance of play.
The visitors had their fair share of chances, with Blissett being denied a goal-ofthe-season contender in the first half after the referee spotted a handball in the buildup, and George Wells – named in the National League’s team of the weekend – seeing a second half effort deflected onto the crossbar.
However, once the dust had settled on the result, Peters was happy to acknowledge that a draw was fair on both teams and, speaking ahead of Tuesday’s trip to Dagenham & Redbridge, he said it keeps alive the side’s hopes of finishing in the play-offs.
“I suppose when you get to the stage in the game we did, and with the manner their goal went in, it felt like two points dropped,” he said. “But when we got back on the coach and analysed the game, we looked back on the first 15 minutes when we cleared two or three shots off the line. So, on balance, you’d probably say a draw is a point gained. It’s the way we see it now.
“They’re a good side who I would imagine will be challenging, like us, to get as close to the play-offs as they can.
“To perform the way we did, against a team like that – and, on a different day we probably go away with three points – so, we’re on the right lines.”
With no relegation to fear this season after the National League North and South seasons were called off and declared null and void, the Magpies are reassessing their goals for the season.
While recent postponements and disappointing results have seen them slip down to 15th (ahead of the mid-week matches), they’ve played fewer games than almost every side barring Dover Athletic and can still conceivably put together a run of form which would carry them into the play-offs.
In fact, Peters says Alan Devonshire has told the players the ‘sky is the limit’ and
they’re challenging the players to grasp that opportunity and not let it slip by.
“We’re still pushing to get to a position and to a period where we can say the playoffs is a realistic goal,” said Peters on Monday. “But to be able to push those teams that are also looking to do that, it shows how far we’ve come.
“We’ve also got a lot of players out at the present time, so, to be able to go to Solihull and get a point shows that the depth of the squad is there as well. We’re slowly but surely getting there. It’s a project that the gaffer has in mind and we’re getting closer to the end of that project now.
“The gaffer has said the sky’s the limit. Just because there’s no relegation any more doesn’t mean we can take our foot off the pedal.
“We need to stake a claim and let everybody know we’re here to stay. And that’s what the boys are going to do. We’ve got a chance with the boys we’ve got, but a chance is nothing if you don’t take it.
“We’d much rather have the points, but while we’ve got the games in hand, as long as we can get our performance and the manner in which we play right, you would hope that the points will follow.”
Defensively the Magpies were also much improved at Moors on Saturday, with players putting their bodies on the line to clear and block shots as they came under the cosh in the opening 20 minutes.
Having weathered the storm they then took the lead through Blissett’s opportunistic strike, following a mistake from Moors keeper Ryan Boot, and might have added to that lead before Ward hit them with a late sucker punch.
But it was at the other end of the field that Peters was most impressed.
“It was much better,” added Peters. “We have let ourselves down defensively over the past four or five matches. We maybe put so much energy into the first half of the season, so to speak, that there was going to be a tailoff and hopefully that was it.
“But the way we defended over the past four or five games hasn’t been good enough. It led to us giving ourselves a mountain to climb against sides like Aldershot. But Saturday’s game was much better.
“We’ve cleared a few off the line but that was down to their good play rather than our bad defending.
“We’re getting closer to keeping a clean sheet again which is what we wanted.”