Your LinkedIn doesn't need to be perfect – four ways to build an authentic profile to boost your personal brand

• But if you’ve spent any time on LinkedIn, you’ll know it’s something anyone can develop with well-crafted posts and engagement.
• In recent years, students and young professionals have turned personal branding into a tool for success in competitive, global job markets.
• A personal brand is about both how you differentiate yourself from others, and about how others perceive you.
• We also spoke with recruiters and a career advisor about creating personal brands on LinkedIn.

1. Stay up to date

• They use these profiles to evaluate potential hires’ talents and professional skills, but also their fit with company culture.
• The more current and detailed your profile is, the easier it will be for the right employer to find you.

2. Don’t leave out your weaknesses

• But our interviews reveal that taking the risk to showcase your weaknesses and imperfections can pay off.
• Participants told us that these posts are popular with followers, help generate conversations, and result in stronger personal brands.
• The post attracted hundreds of likes and comments, including advice, encouragement and similar stories from people in her network.

3. Engage with others

• You should initiate conversations, collect thoughts and gather feedback from others in your field.
• As one student told us:
  We’re all developing, and I don’t want to show employers a perfect, yet not ‘me’ image.
• We’re all developing, and I don’t want to show employers a perfect, yet not ‘me’ image.

4. Keep your personal life separate

• It is important to set clear boundaries between your work and private life, and make good use of privacy settings to maintain your personal brand.
• Your posts on professional sites can be personal, but from a professional context and not something you don’t want recruiters to see – for example, photos that show you partying.