Your CV Is Only Half the Story

Most UK jobseekers treat LinkedIn as an online CV they update once a year, usually the week they decide to move on. That is a missed opportunity. Recruiters and hiring managers use LinkedIn long before a role is advertised, and the people who get approached are rarely the ones with the most impressive job titles. They are the ones who are visible, helpful and easy to find.

Building a professional network is not about collecting connections like stamp duty receipts. It is about gradually becoming a familiar name in your industry, so that when a vacancy appears, someone thinks of you. The good news is that it takes far less time than you might expect — around twenty minutes a week, done consistently, beats a frantic weekend of connection requests.

Get the Basics Right Before You Network

Networking works best when people who click on your profile find something worth reading. Before you start commenting and connecting, spend an hour tidying the foundations.

• Your headline: not just "Marketing Manager" but something like "Marketing Manager | B2B campaigns and content strategy | Manchester". Recruiters search by keyword and location, so give them something to find.
• Your location: set it to the city or region where you actually want work. If you are in Leeds but open to remote roles, say so in your headline or about section.
• Your about section: write it in plain English, in the first person. Three short paragraphs covering what you do, who you have done it for, and what you are looking for next will outperform a wall of buzzwords every time.
• A decent photo: a plain background, good lighting and a friendly expression. It does not need to be professionally taken, but it does need to look like you on a normal working day.

Turn on the "open to work" setting if you are actively searching. It is visible only to recruiters if you choose that option, which spares any awkwardness with your current employer.

Sharing Insights Without Feeling Like a Show-Off

A lot of people avoid posting because they worry it looks boastful. There is a way around that: share what you have learned rather than what you have achieved. A short post about a problem you solved, a process that saved your team time, or a lesson from a project that did not go to plan will attract far more genuine engagement than an announcement about a promotion.

You do not need to write essays. Two or three sentences and a question at the end is plenty. For example: "We cut our client reporting time in half by changing how we collected data. Has anyone else found a simple fix that made a big difference?" That invites conversation, which is the whole point.

• Aim for one original post a week, or even one a fortnight.
• Write about your sector, not your employer's internal politics.
• Keep it free of jargon — imagine you are explaining it to a colleague in a different department.
• Reply to every comment. That is where the relationships actually form.

Commenting: The Quiet Route to Visibility

If posting feels daunting, commenting is your secret weapon. Thoughtful comments on posts by people in your industry put your name in front of a wide audience without any of the pressure of creating your own content. Recruiters notice regular, sensible contributors.

The trick is to add something. "Great post!" adds nothing. Instead, share a brief example from your own experience, ask a follow-up question, or respectfully offer a different angle. Two or three sentences is ideal. Do this on five posts a week and you will start to see familiar faces — and they will start to see you.

Follow a manageable list: a handful of people in your field, a few industry bodies, and any professional associations relevant to your work. Aim for quality over quantity. Being a recognised name in a small, relevant circle is worth more than scattering comments across everything in your feed.

Reconnecting With People You Already Know

Your existing contacts are your warmest leads. Former colleagues, university friends, people you met on a training course — these are the connections most likely to recommend you or pass your name along. Send a short, personal message when you connect, and keep in touch occasionally rather than only when you need something.

• Congratulate people on new roles, qualifications or work anniversaries.
• Share a useful article with someone who would genuinely benefit from it.
• If you are job hunting, tell your closest contacts directly what kind of role you want — vague hints rarely lead anywhere.
• Offer help before you ask for it. Recommend someone, answer a question, make an introduction.

A Realistic Weekly Routine

Consistency matters more than intensity. Try this: fifteen minutes on a Monday to comment on three or four posts in your field, ten minutes midweek to send two connection requests with a personal note, and twenty minutes on a Friday to write one short post or update. That is under an hour a week.

Keep a simple note of who you have spoken to and what about, so you can follow up naturally in a few months. Over a year, that steady drip builds a network that works quietly in the background — raising your profile with recruiters, keeping you informed about your sector, and making your job search far less of a solo effort.