Look into everything you need to have a polished and professional LinkedIn profile.
For the best talent to fill openings, recruiters turn to LinkedIn, a leader in the field. It is currently one of the most widely used social networks worldwide. However, its function as a professional gateway sets it apart from other purely social websites you may have used, like Facebook.
LinkedIn is excellent for when you’re starting a career or seeking new chances and need to stand out from the crowd because it focuses on professional networking.
This social network can truly help if you want to be perceived as someone who is serious about your career goals and wants to advance in your field.
What Makes LinkedIn So Helpful?
Why is this social media platform so helpful, then?
The secret lies in its capacity to serve as a CV database for the international digital era. If you’re looking for work, you may list your schooling, credentials, and references in one location where companies from around the world can access them.
Also, you can utilize the website to get in touch with potential employers directly and keep up beneficial networks with former coworkers and classmates.
In addition, if a specific business is on your list of ideal employers, you can follow them to receive notifications when openings for those coveted roles occur. This gives you the chance to reach out quickly and explain why you are qualified for the job before your competitors do.
10 Tips to Master Your LinkedIn Profile
Here are some of the most important tips we’ve put together to help you get the most out of LinkedIn.
1. Fill out your profile completely
It sounds rather simple, doesn’t it? Yet, you’d be shocked at how many profiles there exist missing important details.
The first things a potential employer will glance at are your summary, title, and employment history, so pay close attention to them.
2. Improve your profile photo
A photo on your LinkedIn profile is not a “nice to have” option in the eyes of today’s employers — it is a must.
Sorry guys, but that poorly lit pic from last week’s excellent hair day just won’t do this time. The first thing recruiters see on LinkedIn is your profile image, so you better say cheese.
Your profile picture should be in business attire and quite conservative-looking with regard to hair and cosmetics. On many college campuses, there are opportunities for students to get their pictures professionally done for their LinkedIn pages.
Although dressing in a suit for your online profile photo may seem “extra,” you should approach LinkedIn differently than Instagram or Twitter because it is a professional platform.
Recruiters should have a positive impression of you as a professional from your LinkedIn profile image. A very neutral background and a picture that focuses mostly on your face would be your best chance for a LinkedIn profile image. Ask a buddy to take a photo if you don’t already have one that appears to fit these requirements.
There is no justification for not having a profile picture on LinkedIn given all the ways you may show your best side. Never let a hiring manager see your profile without a bright smile. And always smize (or smile with your eyes.)
3. Create a captivating summary
Recruiters immediately glance at your summary to obtain a quick overview of your experience and what you can bring to their organization before even reading the remainder of your profile. Consider it a preview of your entire profile.
The overview part ought to accurately portray who you are. In your summary, you should draw attention to the abilities you have acquired, the principles you uphold, and the objectives you are pursuing.
You must be selective in what you want to mention because you only have 2,000 characters, but you also shouldn’t oversell yourself. Include any accomplishments and job experience that is distinctive and pertinent here. It’s acceptable to boast about oneself. Determine what distinguishes and differentiates you.
If you do not already have a summary on your LinkedIn profile, the site provides you with an example of what a skilled person’s summary would look like. Use this as a foundation and add to it. It takes a tremendous amount of self-reflection to identify the precise reasons why you enjoy your studies.
Be yourself and allow your personality flow through your words, all the while communicating your goal in the job market. For inspiration, have a look at the profiles of people who have comparable backgrounds to you or who aspire to work in your field. Just be aware that when you examine someone’s LinkedIn page, they can see. Yikes.
4. Be mindful of your activity
Beware. Everything you’ve liked, commented on, shared, or posted on LinkedIn is displayed in the activity area. This section distinguishes LinkedIn from practically all other social networks.
Take caution in how you communicate on the platform. LinkedIn can be used as a networking tool, a social media platform, or both at once. Your aim should be to express oneself if it’s social media. If a networking tool, you should be more likely to share articles you believe will help your future.
If you think about LinkedIn as a hybrid of the two, share content that you and your connections will find interesting. Make them relevant to the field in which you currently or eventually hope to work.
However, keep in mind that you shouldn’t share a message here if you wouldn’t share it with your existing supervisor. And don’t update LinkedIn with pictures of your breakfast since it is not Facebook.
5. Remove irrelevant job experience
When else do you get the chance to extol your own virtues?
LinkedIn’s experience area gives you the chance to accomplish just that. List all of your prior employment, community service, and leadership roles that you consider to be relevant to your desired profession. Include all of your experiences as a college student that you believe are pertinent to the vocation you want to pursue.
Don’t write that you worked at an ice cream store or as a paperboy on LinkedIn unless you genuinely had meaningful experiences that will help you reach your final objective. Include any school-related organizations that you are a part of.
Employers will see how well-rounded you are if you can demonstrate that you did more than just spend countless hours in the library and ace your tests while in college.
6. Know how to measure your experience
You must describe each experience after deciding which ones to include in your profile. Although it may seem difficult, this undertaking is not overwhelming.
To the point and specific quantify your experience if you can. Instead of writing you managed people, write how many people, for how long, how much capital, etc.
Career consultants and counselors frequently advise college students to quantify their experiences. Employers are interested in more than simply the duties you performed; they also want to know how you contributed to the success of the organization.
Although it doesn’t replace your resume, many employers see this section of your LinkedIn as their initial point of contact with you.
7. Make sure your profile is search-engine friendly
Make sure your LinkedIn profile has pertinent keywords throughout to increase its exposure in LinkedIn search results.
If you want to work as a corporate lawyer, for instance, your job title is the apparent keyword to include in your main job description, summary, job titles, and descriptions of your career history.
It will appear higher in the search results the more frequently a candidate uses that word in their profile. In light of this, please complete your profile as entirely as you can. Use common terms and acronyms that you could encounter in job listings for your industry wherever you can. Go-to-market strategy (GTM), sales, inventory, and operations planning are a few excellent examples (SIOP or S&OP).
Recruiters won’t always look for you just based on your role, though. You must therefore think outside the box when creating your LinkedIn profile.
8. There’s such a thing as “Too many skills”
We are aware of your many assets. You deliberately set out to do a lot of things as a college student.
Don’t add too many random abilities on your profile, as much as you might want to. Employers review skill areas to determine whether your abilities match those required for the position.
Too many abilities listed on your profile may even damage your reputation and give the impression that you’re exaggerating to potential employers. Concentrate on the abilities you have that might make you stand out to employers.
9. Get others to endorse you
Employers can trust you because when you disclose your skills on LinkedIn, the connections you make can attest to them. Many people are curious about how to obtain the abilities they list endorsed.
To obtain endorsed for talents, be proficient at them and support others in implementing such skills. Asking former supervisors or peers to recommend you is nothing to be afraid of. Don’t be scared to compliment them on other abilities they possess as well. They’ll be happy about it.
10. Be savvy about who you connect with
How many individuals should you connect with?
Having more than 500 connections is fantastic, but not all connections are created equal. Engagement is considerably more significant than network size.
To connect, you don’t necessarily need to know the person you ask well. Connect if your career paths are comparable. Having a lot of connections makes your profile look excellent. The objective is 500 or more. Don’t be scared to say no when someone you don’t know wants to get in touch with you. Take cautious at all times since the Internet can be risky.
Final Tidbits
- Take the time to reply to recruiters when they message you if you are open to new chances, even if it’s just to let them know you are not interested.
- Always check your profile for errors. If you misspell a term, job title, or firm name that the recruiter is looking for, your information won’t appear.
- Update your profile frequently. Take it down if you are no longer interested in fresh chances. Update your title and workplace if you received a new position.
- Follow businesses that interest you. Recruiters can use this additional filter to locate talent, and LinkedIn will keep you informed of any new job posts from the business.
- To maintain and grow your LinkedIn community, log in frequently. The more connections you have on LinkedIn, the more probable it is that you and the recruiter may share connections. You will appear higher in the recruiter’s search results as a result.
As you can see, if utilized properly, LinkedIn can be a useful tool to support your job hunt, establish a strong online presence, and develop your personal brand.