The world’s largest professional networking site, LinkedIn boasts 610 million members, 40% of which check the site daily. With over 13 million companies owning a LinkedIn page, and 77% of recruiters using the platform, LinkedIn is a key tool for contractors to network, discover new opportunities and ultimately secure their next contract. After all, there are over 6 million professionals identified as contractors on LinkedIn, and 14% of these professionals have found work on the platform.
With 2 professionals joining LinkedIn every second, competition is fierce. That’s why contractors need to ensure they have a fully optimised, up-to-date LinkedIn profile that stands out.
To do this fill in the following information:
It’s important to include relevant keywords in your content to increase your visibility and improve the chances you will be found by the right people on the platform. After all, LinkedIn boasts powerful search functionality, so if you wish to be found as an IT contractor specialising in GDPR, you need to include this information throughout your profile.
Having created a top LinkedIn profile, contractors should work on building their network. Having an expansive, targeted network increases your exposure to clients, new opportunities and latest news.
To be active and visible on LinkedIn, it’s important to build you network which you can do through connecting with other users. It can take just one connection to spark a new lead which can turn into a new opportunity.
Users can search for other users with thorough accuracy on LinkedIn, refining their search by location, mutual connections, company and industry. Once you have found relevant users, simply invite them to connect. It’s a great idea to connect with past and present colleagues and clients to further build you network and maintain contact.
It’s also important to interact with your connections, which keeps you at the forefront of their minds. After all, merely sending LinkedIn messages has led to new opportunities for 35% of users.
Contractors may also consider using LinkedIn’s InMail services. This is a paid feature of LinkedIn that allows users to send direct messages to other users that they are not connected with, expanding your reach to users that would otherwise never known about you. InMail has a 300% higher response rate than email so is worth considering for contractors with the budget.
98% of LinkedIn users are members of LinkedIn Groups, a feature that lets members connect, interact and engage with other users. Within Groups, members ask questions, seek further information, discuss news and start conversations about what’s happening in your industry or niche.
As LinkedIn rewards users who are active on the platform, joining Groups is not only a great way to contribute towards being an active member, it also gives you the chance to highlight your expertise and increase your visibility to recruiters and clients.
LinkedIn Groups are free to join and can be found by carrying out a simple search.
This isn’t a space to share photos of your kids or cats, as a professional networking site this is a place to share interesting, relevant content related to your industry or niche. After all, 36% of LinkedIn users rely on their LinkedIn feeds to get the latest news.
Being active in sharing content ensures that you appear in other users’ feeds and increases your searchability and visibility on the platform.
It is also a good idea for contractors to create their own content. Publishing articles on LinkedIn has proven to be a very successful marketing strategy, establishing contractors as experts in their field and increasing their visibility on the platform. This is a great way to stay active whilst showing off your unrivalled knowledge to clients and recruiters.
But, don’t post on LinkedIn for the sake of it, after all, with over 100,000 articles published every single week, you need to share your best work to stand out.
This is a feature that allows contractors to privately notify recruiters that they are open to being contacted about new opportunities, without broadcasting it to the world. This makes it super easy for both clients and recruiters to find contractors on the platform.
The Contractor Targeting tool allows recruiters to filter their searches for contractors that are available, while the LinkedIn algorithm also analyses contractor profiles to suggest the best fit for client. That’s why it’s important to have an in-depth, up-to-date profile to improve the chances you will be scouted on the platform.
If you’re open to new opportunities, LinkedIn’s Contractor Targeting tool is a great way to make it known.
Working through an umbrella company offers contractors the benefits of self-employment while freeing up time taken on paperwork, admin and tax returns. That means more time to work on the things that will help progress your contracting career, like building a killer LinkedIn strategy. But, not all umbrella companies are created equal which is why using Umbrella Supermarket’s umbrella company comparison tool is a great way for contractors to find the best umbrella company for them.
Any contractor considering switching to an umbrella company will want to know how to find the best provider to work with.
Although you could spend your precious time and energy searching the web for the best umbrella company, there is an easier way – using an umbrella calculator.
In this guide, Umbrella Supermarket explains why every contractor should use an umbrella calculator in 2021.
If you are considering contracting you will need to decide on PAYE or umbrella.
It can be a difficult decision to make and contractors will inevitably be questioning which option will be the best for them.
To help every contractor get on the right track for them, in this guide Umbrella Supermarket looks at PAYE vs umbrella, outlining the key differences and how this will impact you.
There are many reasons that contractors across the UK opt to work under an umbrella company.
Umbrella companies offer an easy way to contract and remove the need for the contractors to worry about the burdens of admin, finances, tax and IR35, all things that limited company contractors have to deal with.
For this reason, many contractors will be weighing up their options and questioning whether it is worth using an umbrella company in 2021. To help make the decision that little bit easier, Umbrella Supermarket has put together this guide on the pros and cons of using an umbrella company.
Any contractor that is considering operating through an umbrella company in 2021 will need to understand Umbrella Company fees - from why an umbrella company charges fees, how they are paid to how much the contractor will pay.
In this guide, Umbrella Supermarket answers those all-important questions to help every contractor know exactly where they stand when it comes to umbrella company fees.
If you’ve made the decision to contract through an umbrella company in 2021, you will next need to find an umbrella company that’s right for you.
After all, there are lots of umbrella companies out there, so how do you know which one to choose?
To help you find the best umbrella company for you, in this guide Umbrella Supermarket outlines what makes a good umbrella company, so you can rest assured you’re making the right move.
One of the many advantages to operating through an umbrella company for contractors is that they become an employee of their chosen provider.
In turn, this means that the contractor will be automatically enrolled onto the umbrella company’s workplace pension scheme.
To help contractors find out more about umbrella company pensions Umbrella Supermarket has put together this handy guide.
If you are considering contracting through an umbrella company you will naturally have questions and queries over how they work.
After all, making the move to umbrella can be a big step for contractors. To help, in this guide Umbrella Supermarket explains how to get started with an umbrella company and share our top tips for using one in 2021.
PAYE or umbrella is a question asked by every contractor. Which one you opt for will have a big impact on your contracting career and lifestyle. So, it's important to make the right decision for you.
To help makes things a little bit easier, Umbrella Supermarket has put together this guide on PAYE or umbrella, outlining the key differences between each, to help you make the best and most informed decision for you.
One of the many benefits to working through an umbrella company is that you will receive holiday pay as well as a range of other statutory benefits including sick pay, maternity and paternity pay.
To find out more about umbrella company holiday pay, and how to calculate how much you will be entitled to, Umbrella Supermarket has put together this handy guide.
Contractors must make several decisions throughout their contracting careers. One big decision contractors have to make is how they will operate.
One way that contractors can work is through an umbrella company.
Umbrella companies have become an increasingly popular way to contract in the past few years, offering many benefits to the contractor. But, how do you know whether this option is right for you?
To help every contractor make the right decision for them, in this guide, Umbrella Supermarket explains when not to use an umbrella company.
There are tons of benefits to using an umbrella company, which is why they have become such a popular option for contractors in recent years.
After all, an umbrella company takes away the stress and hassle of operating through a limited company whilst offering contractors a range of advantages, such as statutory rights, paying them a salary, deducting correct tax levels and National Insurance, and taking care of tasks like expense processing and invoicing.
However, as more and more contractors opt to use the services of an umbrella company, more providers have started to claim that they are HMRC approved.
To bust the myths around HMRC approved umbrella companies and get straight to the facts, in today's guide Umbrella Supermarket look at whether HMRC approved umbrella companies really exist, so you know exactly where you stand.
If you're considering making the leap to contracting, you will understandably want to know how much you will have to pay in umbrella company costs. After all, this amount comes directly out of the contractor’s pocket, so it’s important to be clued up on how much you should expect to pay.
To help contractors, in this guide Umbrella Supermarket answer the all-important question of how umbrella companies cost in 2021.
