3 Ways to Optimize Your LinkedIn Experience as an LGBTQ+ Professional

Like any other social media platform, LinkedIn is changing how we connect and communicate.

And not only that, it changes day by day, from the algorithm to which we are not privy, all the way to the nature of the content we share on the feed.

Despite all that, we can still employ best practices to use the platform to our advantage as LGBTQ+ professionals.

LinkedIn can be your secret weapon to finding your next job or client––and the best part? You can do so authentically and on your own terms.

As queer professionals, we have to assess our surroundings in every social environment. Professional spaces are no exception.

They’re probably even more precarious environments than others because––as much as I wish it weren’t so––our livelihoods depend on our work.

The historical context of being LGBTQ+ at work doesn’t mean we can’t use modern social media platforms like LinkedIn to our advantage.

As a queer digital marketer specializing in LinkedIn optimization, I'll teach you the best practices you have to make your LinkedIn profile POP while protecting your space as an LGBTQ+ professional. I’ll show you how you can create a fantastic network of other queer professionals like yourself.

All of this is a part of my Queer Professionals workshop series. These free workshops taking place over the course of Pride Month in June delve more deeply into how to use LinkedIn and how to network and create a more inclusive professional network of other supportive LGBTQ+ professionals and allies.

Let’s get into it.

Step 1: Assess your notifications

LinkedIn, like other social networking sites, can abuse the notifications feature. I’ve disabled notifications of all sorts except for in-app notifications related to likes and comments on my own posts.

Whether it’s email notifications, in-app notifications from newsletter sign-ups to new promotions, or push notifications that blow up your phone––I can’t be the only one who finds them insufferable! Disabling notifications gives me more peace of mind when I log into the platform. Every time I log into LinkedIn, it’s with purpose, and this step helps me keep it that way.

You can easily adjust your notifications in your LinkedIn settings.

Navigate yourself to LinkedIn.com and log in. Once you’ve logged in, you can click on the drop-down menu with the text “Me” and your profile picture in the top right navigation bar.

From there, click on “Settings & Privacy.” Then click on “Communications,” There should be all your settings for e-mail, in-app, and push notifications. Go wild!

Step 2: Cleanse your feed

Did you know that you can mute your LinkedIn connections without removing the connections altogether?

It’s no secret that the larger your network on LinkedIn, the more you show up on searches from recruiters. You don’t want to underestimate the power of LinkedIn’s search engine. Your next client or job could be right on the other side.

But that doesn’t mean that you need to constantly see the same kind of content from someone you’re not that close to or interested in.

When you see content on your feed that you’re not happy with, feel free to improve your feed by muting or unfollowing the creator without notifying that person.

Navigate to the three dots in the upper right corner of any post you see on your news feed. It will show a drop-down menu with several options to mute or reduce the number of similar posts on your feed.

Painless and guilt-free!

Step Three: Sign up for my workshops made by a queer pro for queer pros––all about optimizing your LinkedIn profile!

Since the beginning of my career, the importance of LinkedIn has never been understated. And since that time, the platform has changed significantly, and it’s arguable more valuable now than ever in finding your next big gig.

What hasn’t changed? My counselors and mentors never considered resources to thrive on the platform as an LGBT+ professional, and from my research, that’s still an underserved area of improvement. That’s why I am hosting four workshops on networking and LinkedIn as an LGBT+ professional in June for professionals no matter their level of experience.

Best part? In honor of Pride Month, it’s all free!

There’s much more to LinkedIn than the tips mentioned above, especially if you're an LGBT professional like me. I’m creating a safe space for other queer pros to discuss and ask questions they’ve never had the opportunity to ask before.

In this article, you learned about how to improve your personal experience. But in my workshop, you’ll learn how to best connect with other inspiring LGBT+ pros and allies while using LinkedIn as your superpowered engine.

So sign up for the Queer Pros Workshop Series, and I’ll see you there!