We’re sharing our top 10 LinkedIn tips on how to make sure your profile stands out to recruiters and Hiring Managers, whether you’re creating a new one or updating your existing profile!
With over 400 million professionals on LinkedIn, across 200 different countries, LinkedIn is a fantastic tool when fully utilised. Plus, hiring professionals use it daily for headhunting, so you want to make sure your profile makes a great impression and is truly representative of who you are.
1. Tidy up your LinkedIn profile
Make sure you have a recent, professional profile picture for your LinkedIn. It doesn’t have to be corporate but make sure it is a clear and friendly photo.
We recommend personalising your profile’s URL too, it makes your profile easier to find and it also looks professional when sharing.
Take a look at a few jobs that you are interested in applying for and see what skills are listed in the job specification. If you have those skills and experience, add them to your profile too! Then, when applying to jobs in the future, you’ll match more of the required skills and can apply directly on LinkedIn.
2. Fill out the summary section
A lot of people do not fill out the summary section, but it’s a great way for you to tell your own story, so don’t use this space to list job responsibilities. Your summary should be short and to the point, summarising your experiences and current job role.
Highlight specific achievements that you’re proud of that demonstrate your skills or show progress towards your goals. We recommend thinking of it as your elevator pitch. You have 30 seconds and need to get across only your key points. On LinkedIn, you can show off your personality more as well so don’t worry about it being too formal.
3. Add keywords to your headline
The headline section is for your job title, but you can also include industry keywords, so you appear in recruiter’s searches. For example, if you work in digital marketing, you might want to include terminology related to SEO (search engine optimisation) and PPC.
4. Turn on “Open to new job opportunities”
If you are open to new roles, your manager doesn’t have to know but recruiters can! When a relevant opportunity pops up recruiters can now get in touch with you.
Click on the ‘Me’ tab > click on ‘Add profile section’
Underneath the ‘Intro’ tab, it says ‘Looking for a new job’. Click here, and fill out your desired job titles and job location. You can also select whether you’re open to remote work, add your start dates and job types (full-time, contract or part-time).
Since the outbreak of Covid-19, you can now choose who sees that you’re open to hearing about new roles. You can either select ‘Just recruiters’ (so no one from your company will know you’re job searching) or you can select ‘All LinkedIn members’, which will add a green ‘Open for work’ badge on your profile picture.
5. Build your network
LinkedIn is a great tool because thought leaders and people you admire are probably already on there. Take some time to search for people in your industry that inspire and motivate you. You can then engage with these people by leaving comments, sharing their work or reacting to their posts. For example, if you work in UX design, you may consider following people who work in UX design for major companies like Google, Apple and Nielsen.
Similarly, a lot of your friends and colleagues are probably on LinkedIn too, so connect with them to further build up your network. Having a large network is helpful, especially when you try to reach out to new contacts and notice that you already are a second or third connection, which makes an introduction much easier.
6. Make the most of LinkedIn’s features
LinkedIn is constantly evolving their platform to help you market yourself and have various ways you can signal your skills and motivations.
Under your ‘Work experience’ section, you can attach examples of your latest work. Choose projects that you’re most proud of to showcase here, so recruiters can see your skills easily.
You can also add ‘Featured content’ to your profile, which will show underneath your ‘About’ section on your LinkedIn page.
To do this, click on ‘My profile’ go on to ‘Add profile section’, then click on ‘Featured’. Here you can add posts, articles, links, or media.
7. Take a skills assessment
You can now take a skills assessment, an online test, to verify your skills. If you pass the test, you will get a “Verified Skills” badge on your profile. Data shows that candidates with verified skills are 30% more likely to be hired.
8. Post long-form content
Long-form content performs well on LinkedIn for engagement, and the more you share and comment on content, the more you establish your expertise and thought leadership credentials.
Choose three subjects that you could talk about freely and adds value to your network. This could be personal stories, tips for your industry or commenting on trending news. You can also share articles you like, work you are inspired by, industry news, and personal achievements in your current role to further build up your personal brand.
Pay attention to the comments and shares you receive to see what resonates most with your network. This will help you to keep creating relevant content.
Posting long-form content will give potential employers and recruiters an idea of your personality, values and industry knowledge.
You could also write a short article on LinkedIn’s platform. Articles on LinkedIn are easy to find when you visit a profile, which will also help make a great first impression, plus it could be seen and shared by thousands through LinkedIn’s ‘Content suggestions’ tab.
9. Manage your endorsements
You can commend somebody for a skill they’ve included on their LinkedIn by clicking on someone’s profile, scrolling down to ‘Skills and endorsements’, and then clicking the ‘Plus’ button next to the skill to endorse them. People usually return the favour but don’t bombard people!
Keep your skills section relevant and make sure you add new skills regularly or takeaway ones that no longer suit your career path.
10. Have fun
Whilst LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional social channel, it’s still about building connections. Don’t be afraid of having fun. Messages, comments and shares are all normally well-received and are a great way to virtually network. Similarly, the first post you share could feel daunting, but it soon gets easier and can really help you stand out.
Good luck with your job search!
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