The purpose of today's post is to discuss the importance of LinkedIn , and how powerful a profile can be if it is properly structured. 

Let me introduce myself first.

Hello, I'm Nurse Dina, the Founder and Owner of Nurses Move. 

As an Italian expat nurse living and working in London, I have been helping Nurses to move abroad safelly, strategically and successfully since 2015.

Since I've been using LinkedIn for many years, I can tell you why it's so powerful! 

Since 2003, LinkedIn has been around, and is widely regarded as the standard in professional networking. Over 313 million people use LinkedIn on an international scale, leading to more connections and career opportunities, or, even better, building great relationships and collaborations among professionals. For many professional networkers, social networks have replaced traditional forms of meeting and socializing. The socialization that we use in other platforms like FB and IG for recreational purposes is however not the primary aim of this platform and its golden users.

The purpose of this short article is to explain why you should use LinkedIn properly and how you can create an outstanding profile that will help you land the job you desire.

To begin with, let me explain why I am in a position to speak with you about LinkedIn.

The first thing you can do is take a look at my LinkedIn profile here and see how it presents itself. As you can see (today is August 30th, 2021), I have 4644 followers and I am in good contact with them. 

As my profile says, I am a cardio-thoracic ICU nurse and a COVID ICU nurse and I work in a big heart center in London, UK, but my LinkedIn profile also serves as a way for me to promote my personal brand: in fact, I help nurses move abroad, I am a mentor and a writer, and I promote my expertise on my LinkedIn profile. 

Most of my activities are on my Youtube channel Nurses Move, where I discuss how to move abroad successfully and healthy as a nurse, covering different topics such as registration, documentation, health and wellness tips, and more. DM me and I will explain everything to you! You can book a free Zoom call with me if you are interested in learning more!  about it!

In addition, I enjoy interviewing other Nurses to learn about their extraordinary experiences!

However, LinkedIn is where I establish good connections and where my clients seek me out! 

Although I am not a recruiter, I am able to assist other nurses in better understanding the process of moving abroad as a nurse with my content. 

As you can see, I am not an expert or a coach on LinkedIn, but I can help you build an impressive LinkedIn profile that will enable you to establish a good network and further your career abroad 

Aside from that, you may definitely say that I am very proficient in using it. 

SO...

LinkedIn is used by recruiters and hiring managers to search for candidates.  

In other words, if you do not have a presence on this network, you will not be found during a search. Furthermore, having a LinkedIn account allows you to research companies, interviewers, recruiters, and hiring managers before submitting an application or attending an interview. 

The most important thing is that recruiters and/or hiring managers can check out your LinkedIn profile when you apply for a job by sending your resume to the hiring manager's email address, as this platform is used by a great deal of societies, businesses and organizations.  

The lack of a profile or having a bad profile will make it very difficult for you to get an interview invitation.

Employing managers will check ALL your social media accounts because they search for candidates who reflect the real core value of the organization they work for or own.

There is no doubt that it is crucial for your career, and collaterally for your life, that you have a well-presented and outstanding LinkedIn profile, because they'll look at it first, and then, if they don't find what they're seeking, they'll review all your social media to see if you're truly aligned with your profession's values and integrity.

My advice as an International Career Coach is to create an outstanding LinkedIn profile and take a look at all your social media to ensure you aren't sabotaging yourself!

Furthermore, if you don't have a LinkedIn profile or any social media account that recruiters can view, it's like you are missing something. LikedIn is the fastest way for recruiters to reach out to you and make a decision between you and other candidates: from the curricula and resumes they have already checked and selected, who to invite for an interview, and who to pass over.  

As I always do for my own LinkedIn profile, I always recommend that my clients reorganize and tidy theirs, as it is very important to retain a certain level of professionalism and your profile will tell a lot about you. As a nurse who helps nurses move abroad, I always suggest that they present their LinkedIn profile in a way that shows they care about their profession, especially before applying for a new job, in this case, for a job abroad that can change their lives. 

Just thinking about it: it is commonplace to assume that people who move abroad, especially from poorer countries, do so to get a better salary and a better life, which is honorable, but not sufficient to win in the marketplace. When an open position is a good starting point for a great career, managers want candidates who resonate better with them. 

And don't get me wrong, I know that the resume and cover letter are fundamental as they are the first impression, but the LinkedIn profile is also part of that first impression, so it should also be incorporated into the cover letter to demonstrate what your professionalism is about.

I would also like to give you another piece of advice: DON'T USE LINKEDIN as you do Facebook or Instagram!  LinkedIn isn't designed to make new friends or to find a new love (although it might happen along your professional journey) but rather to build new connections for future jobs and career opportunities as well as to build productive and fruitful collaborations.

Take LinkedIn seriously, since how you use it will determine whether it works for you or against you!

Learn how to create an outstanding LinkedIn profile that will help you with your career and your life and how to use it: it is not a difficult task, but it is important to do it properly, instead of leaving it to chance or at the mercy of phantom gurus who only want to get your attention and your time for sporadic information that you can find on the internet.

Learning a suitable strategy will help you take the first steps without the need to spend a lot of money. The rest you'll understand interacting with other users and using the platform as you go. 

Understanding how to make a profile work strategically without sacrificing your privacy is all you need to know. You can also grow professionally and socially by showing off yourself as the most qualified candidate for the best job offer possible. LinkedIn is the #1 most effective job search tool that almost nobody uses.

Using LinkedIn can help you build the career you've always dreamed of, no matter how old you are or how busy you are. LinkedIn's tools make job search and career advancement easier and more effective, yet most people don't even know about them.

No matter how much or how little you are familiar with LinkedIn, this guide will provide you with everything you need to know to make the most of it, including:

1. Make your LinkedIn profile stand out to hiring managers, even if you're not actively seeking jobs: You need to create a profile that represents you as if you were preparing for an interview, you need to make sure you look professional, and you have to show your career goal with your picture and banner. Additionally, you need to fill your activities with content you are interested in and that is related to your career goals. Be sure to update your summary and headline based on your current position and future career goals

2. Maintain your privacy while becoming highly visible to the right people: Use powerful tools in "privacy and settings" to become highly visible to the right people without your network or current manager knowing about it (open candidate). You may also want to add skills to your profile section to make yourself more visible to recruiters

3. Find out which employers are the best fits for you: by using the search bar and selecting "Companies" and "Jobs" from the filter menú you can narrow down your research to the most suitable employers for yourself.

4. You can find open positions that others have missed: LinkedIn helps you find relevant jobs that suit your skills and qualifications. You can either search for a job using the search field on top of the LinkedIn homepage or you can directly access the Jobs page where you can search and apply for jobs. Millions of jobs are posted on LinkedIn every day, so it’s important to look for the right job postings that fit your expectations and requirements.

5. Make sure your professional network opens doors of opportunity: The professional network you build on LinkedIn represents your personal network of professional contacts. Establish connections with professional contacts who you know and trust to start building your network. LinkedIn members can have a maximum of 30,000 first-degree connections. Build your network by inviting people to visit your account by commenting below a post that you are following, sending in-mail messages, following people, and requesting connections.

With this guide, you will stay competitive and take charge of your career. Implementing just a few of its suggestions will give you an advantage over your competitors.

Wouldn't it be great if we connected on LinkedIn? Click here to view my profile!

Could you please let me know what you think of this article, and if you think it could help someone else, please forward it to them, they will really appreciate it, and I will really appreciate it as well!

I appreciate you taking the time to read my article. Hopefully you enjoyed it

This site contains information about my services and how I help nurses advance their careers abroad. If you want to learn more, click the drop down menu on the top left hand side.

Read my website www.nursesmove.blog

Don't forget to take care of yourself, stay safe, and dream big!

NR Dina Paoloni