They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. In the case of Hindi Editor Poonam Pandey, that is exactly the case. When Poonam started studying journalism, she hardly imagined that it was the first step to her becoming a Hindi Editor one day.

Poonam came from the city of Agra in Uttar Pradesh to Mumbai, with the aim of fulfilling her career hopes and dreams. "I'm originally from Agra, but I have been living in Mumbai for the last five years." Poonam took up a journalism course at Mumbai University and was looking to make a mark in the field. But being from a conservative family, her parents were not particularly keen on letting her pursue a career in journalism. Just like many conventional parents, Poonam's parents too thought that it was a tough field for a woman to choose and excel in.

Being very passionate about writing has always been the case for Poonam. "When I was a young girl, I always knew where my passions lay. I wrote stories and poems even as a child so I was aware that I possessed some skill in this space." Just like a lot of girls even today, she knew pursuing her dreams would not be easy and she would have to prove she deserved a chance to pursue her dreams.

"I was always looking online for a chance to add to my education. One day while looking at journalism courses I stumbled upon an online course on content writing." Her parents were not going to allow her to go and join a writing course in another city, so she enrolled and completed her course in content writing online itself.

Seeing her dedication and drive, her parents supported her in pursuing her dreams and she was able to secure a job as a Junior Writer. One thing led to another and the rest is history. Poonam is now a Hindi Editor and writes for Hindustan Unilever's online housekeeping solutions platform Cleanipedia. By refusing to accept conventional career options for girls from smaller towns, Poonam chose to persist with her dreams and wrote a powerful story about women empowerment.

LinkedIn is a very popular online platform. It connects potential employees to companies looking to hire. The networking site has a lot of advantages and can prove to be beneficial career-wise. Almost every working person uses it. Hence, you can connect to leading people in your industry. The site is a very effective tool for marketing oneself.

What does marketing oneself mean? Simply put, it is a way to promote yourself. This is done by highlighting education and achievements and generally showing employers what you can do. This means that people become aware of who you are and the kind of work you do. Marketing yourself also helps people realise whether you are a good fit for their company.

So if you don't have a LinkedIn profile yet, create one today! If you do, here's how you can effectively use it to promote yourself to prospective employers.

• First, you need to appear on search lists of employers and hiring agents. The key to using LinkedIn in the best way possible is to ensure you're 'discoverable' to agencies and employers. Updating your location helps recruiters know where you are based. It also allows you to narrow down places of work.

• Once a hiring manager or a recruiter checks out your profile, what will they see? Remember, your LinkedIn profile is their first impression of you. HRs don't only check if you are interested in being hired. They look at your profile picture. They check your posts and interactions. They even check posts and images that you are tagged on. This helps give them an idea of the person you are. Ensure that your profile picture is clear and professional. It needs to be appealing to see and not taken in an inappropriate setting or a dimly lit room with a messy background. Not only your profile picture but even your cover photo also needs to be aesthetic. It could be anything, even a simple background.

• Update your bio! Keep it short and sweet. Mention what you do and what you are looking for. Think of it as marketing yourself using three sentences.

• Ensure your education, accomplishments and work history is up-to-date. Write only important points, so it isn't too cluttered. The HR needs only to see the key points. Too much information can make it looks messy and unorganised.

• It is essential that you use all your connections to your advantage. Connect with people from the same industry. Connect with coworkers and friends. It will help you come across as well-connected and with a friendly personality.

• Mention your previous jobs. Add the company you worked at and the work you did for them. This also increases your discoverability. Plus, it helps recruiters see what you are experienced at.

• You can also share posts about your accomplishments in the company. Show that you value your company by sharing company posts, blogs and articles.