Overcoming your fear of posting on LinkedIn

Let me make a small confession: I used to be scared about posting on LinkedIn. So I get it. You might not post because you’re worried about what people think, you might think what you have to say isn’t sufficiently “thought leadership”, or you might just not know where to start.

If you’ve invested time and energy into updating your LinkedIn profile that would all be wasted if you never posted anything. It doesn’t have to be something to worry about, so here’s some great advice about overcoming your fear of posting on LinkedIn.

Not perfect is perfect!

What you post on LinkedIn doesn’t have to be world-changing, and it certainly doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to be authentic.

There’s a wide range of types of posts on LinkedIn, everything from here’s what I did today, to highlighting a company or personal achievement, to thanking someone who has helped you. Not all posts are lightening bolts meant to shake up people’s world. A simple post could just be about a course you’ve signed up to, or a new project you’re excited to get underway.

Don’t spend all morning drafting an update, just write it, check it for spelling and grammar and then post it! As Facebook says, done is better than perfect.

You’re not visible if you’re not posting

If you’re thinking that a new role is on the cards then, as with many things in life, what’s important is that you show up on LinkedIn. Your shiny new profile will be seen by approximately no one if you aren’t actively posting and engaging on the platform.

If you’re worried about your boss suddenly seeing your activity and getting suspicious, you should read my blog about staying active on LinkedIn all year round, which will help you divert attention away from a sudden explosion of activity.

When considering looking for a new role your job on LinkedIn is to be visible, to remind people you’re around, and to look like a decent candidate if a recruiting manager takes a look at your profile.

When recruiting for clients I always have a look not only at the profile but at the person’s activity. It’s possible to see all of a person’s activity, from which posts they have interacted with or liked, to articles and posts of their own. So it’s important you have some activity for HR people to take a look at.

Start small

You don’t have to start posting on LinkedIn with a huge personal disclosure. Some easy ways to get going are sharing articles from your professional body or a relevant trade magazine, or looking at colleagues’ profiles and sharing something they have posted.

You can also interact with what’s in your feed, adding a comment or tagging a relevant person. The most successful people on LinkedIn use it to be useful, to share knowledge, expertise, and access to their network, in order to add value to other people.

Think about the kinds of small talk you would make standing at the kettle if you were back in the office, and make a start there.

Don’t worry if no one interacts with your posts, just keep trying. The LinkedIn algorithm is a tricky thing and if you haven’t posted in a while it won’t be showing your posts to many people. A simple trick is to like your own post after you’ve posted it. This tells LinkedIn people are engaging with it, and means it is shown to more people. The more people who interact with your post, the more people in your network will see it.

The open job market may seem slow, but the hidden job market is thriving on LinkedIn!

It might seem like slim pickings if you’re searching the usual job boards at the moment, especially as there’s an oversupply of candidates because of the current situation. But the hidden jobs market – the one where opportunities are not publicised widely, or are passed on via networks – is still alive and well. And it tends to live on LinkedIn with our professional connections.

If a former colleague had just the right role for you, you would want to be front of mind for them so you get to find out about it. Posting on LinkedIn keeps you visible and will make you more memorable if that was to happen. We can’t catch up with people via coffees or after-work drinks any more, so LinkedIn is a way to replace some of that networking, helping keep you connected to your network.

For a free and informal chat about preparing for your next job opportunity – including overcoming your fears about posting on LinkedIn – give me call on 07765 894040.

Photo by Adam Solomon on Unsplash