In recent years LinkedIn has been growing in popularity as more people are forming online social connections and sharing information. For those of you not familiar with the website, LinkedIn is a social networking site specifically for the business community. It allows people to share their employment and educational history and their skill set. In contrast to Facebook, where your Newsfeed is usually filled with videos of cats, of an update of where someone went for dinner, Linkedin adapts a newsfeed of professional business updates dependent on your connections and business inspirations. However, unlike Facebook and Twitter where your typos are only an embarrassment amongst your friends and family, Linkedin allows you to connect with your past and prospective employers. Rocket has taken a break from their intergalactic expeditions to help you out with some of our top tips to make you stand out on Linkedin.

Check for Typo’s

Unlike other social media apps, Linkedin does not have a built in spellcheck. This has led to typos in company names, jobs titles and even user names (how is that even possible). Make sure you reread your page, check the spellings and if in doubt ask a friend to have a quick look over it.

Make your profile picture professional

Try not to confuse this site with Facebook or Twitter. Your profile picture should not be one of you in your bathing in suit in Ibiza, no matter how hard you worked for that summer body. The profile picture should be professional picture of you.

There is also the option to link your profile to your Facebook account, do not do this, I repeat, DO NOT DO THIS. Your professional connections do not need to see you sipping body shots on your lads holiday. Keep the two accounts separate.

Make it personal when connecting

When connecting with people on Linkedin for the first time do not use the generic message that is available. Take a few moments to make it personalized.

Be careful with the ‘people you may know’ section, this is available both online and on the mobile app. It allows you to send a connection request to the person without sending a personalized message. Taking your time to make it personal and less generic will make you stand out.

Personalize your URL

Your Linkedin page can be something that you have within your email signature, it is therefore important to change your URL so it does not end with a long list of numbers.

This is done by hovering over the URL underneath your profile picture and pressing the gear button. Try to avoid nicknames, or cute usernames that you once used when getting your first email; Barbiegirl96 doesn’t look all that professional in 2015.

Stalk Responsibly

Unfortunately, unlike other social media sites where you can stalk until your hearts content. LinkedIn is a little like Hansel and Gretel and leaves a trail of breadcrumbs. Try not to look at the same profile 10 times in one week, no matter how badly you want to work for their company.

Ask for Recommendations

Don’t be afraid to ask for recommendations, as they are an important part of you LinkedIn profile. However, it is also important that these recommendations are from someone who is reputable and speaks about your skill set. Talking about specific projects you may have worked on together stands out more substantially than ‘ Tim would be a great asset to any team’.

Engage with your network

LinkedIn provide a number of ways for you to engage with your network, from commenting on posts they have shared, to congratulating their work anniversary. Keep connected.

If you haven’t checked out LinkedIn yet we advise you to do so, it really is a great way for professional connections. Be sure to make connect with Rocket, we are accessible on Linkedin, Facebook and Twitter and love to see what you are all up to. For now that’s is it from us, to LinkedIn and beyond.

This post was inspired a post from the Business Insider: by http://www.businessinsider.sg/common-linkedin-mistakes-and-tips-2015-7/21/