Do you want to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out? Juggling online job boards, talking to recruiters, tailoring your resume, and preparing for interviews can be a time-consuming process. Being proactive is the best way to make better use of your time when you have so much to do.
A LinkedIn profile is a great tool for this. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional social network, reaching more than 600 million users worldwide. There are a lot of benefits, but perhaps the most important one is that recruiters can find you, companies can find you, and your network can find you to talk about job opportunities.
We’re sharing our top 10 LinkedIn tips for making your profile stand out to recruiters and hiring managers, whether you’re creating a new profile or updating an existing one!
LinkedIn has millions of members across 200 different countries, making it a powerful tool when used properly. You want your profile to make a great impression and truly represent who you are, as hiring professionals use it daily for headhunting.
1. Organize your LinkedIn profile
Make sure your LinkedIn profile picture is current and professional. Make sure the photo is clear and friendly, even if it does not have to be corporate.
We recommend personalizing your profile’s URL as well, this will make your profile easier to find and will make it look more professional when sharing.
Review the job specifications of a few jobs you are interested in applying for and see what skills are required. Add those skills and experiences to your profile as well! Once you match more of the required skills when applying to jobs in the future, you can apply directly on LinkedIn.
2. Completing the summary section
It is common for people not to fill out the summary section, but it is a great way for you to tell your story, so avoid using it for listing job duties. Summary of your experience and current position should be brief and to the point.
Your achievements should demonstrate your skills or your progress towards your goals. A good metaphor for your achievements is the elevator pitch. With 30 seconds to spare, you need to convey only the most important points. Don’t worry about being too formal on LinkedIn since you can showcase your personality more as well.
3. Write a headline that catches the eye
Your headline will be the first thing profile visitors see on your LinkedIn profile, right below your name. As a default, the current position is filled in, which is fine for starters – but it can be whatever you want. There are 120 characters to work with, so why not write something memorable? This is like a small billboard ad for you and your company. Include your specialty and how you benefit the company or clients instead of just listing your job title. Consider your target audience as well. Is your message targeted at peers in your industry or to customers and headhunters?
4. Make your headline keyword-rich
You can also include industry keywords in the headline section, so recruiters can find you. You might want to include terminology related to SEO (search engine optimization) and PPC (pay per click) if you work in digital marketing.
5. Create your own personal URL
You can find your URL on your LinkedIn profile. Usually, some variant of your name is followed by a string of letters and numbers. In addition to looking awful, this will also affect your ranking in search results. If your name isn’t available, think of a version that is available, like including your middle initial or middle name. Ensure it is neat and relevant.
6. Make use of visual media
LinkedIn allows you to upload a background image or cover photo just like Twitter and Facebook? Choose a theme that speaks to your profession or personality, and it will make your LinkedIn profile stand out.
It is also possible to connect other media to your profile, such as Youtube videos, infographics, etc. Make your page stand out by using relevant media and making it pop off the screen.
7. Publish content fairly regularly
You will stay in people’s minds this way. Please don’t overdo it. No one wants, or needs to hear from a spammer more often than once or twice a week. Adding relevant people to your posts is also smart and strategic since they are more likely to share them. These actions demonstrate your knowledge and commitment to your industry.
8. Choose Your Endorsed Skills Strategically
Have you earned endorsements for a bunch of run-of-the-mill skills that do nothing to differentiate you (e.g., Microsoft Word, Google Docs)? If so, they detract. When it comes to your skills section, you want two things to happen: keywords that make you more searchable, as well as a story that reinforces who you are and what you can do. Click on that section and do the following three things:
- Don’t list any meaningless skills (hint: unless you’re trained in social media and manage professional pages, don’t list Facebook skills)
- Add skills relevant to your industry and job role
- Put your most important skills at the top of the list
9. Enable “Open to new job opportunities”
Your manager doesn’t have to know if you are open to new roles, but recruiters do! You can now be contacted when an opportunity arises that matches your qualifications.
Navigate to the ‘Me’ tab > click on ‘Add profile section’
Under the ‘Intro’ tab, it says ‘Looking for a new job’. You can fill out your desired job titles and location here. Additionally, you can select whether you’re open to remote work, your start dates, and the type of employment (full-time, contract, or part-time).
Having Covid-19 in your system now gives you the opportunity to choose who knows you are open to new roles. There are two options: You can select ‘Just recruiters’ (so no one from your company knows you’re job searching) or you can select ‘All LinkedIn members’, which will indicate that your profile picture is open for work.
10. Develop your network
There are probably already thought leaders and people you admire on LinkedIn. Look for people in your field who inspire and motivate you. By leaving a comment, sharing their work, or reacting to their posts, you can then interact with them. Those working in UX design for large companies such as Google, Apple, and Nielsen may be worth following if you work in that field.
Connect with your friends and colleagues on LinkedIn to further build your network as well. The benefit of having a large network is when you contact new contacts and realize that you already have a second or third connection, making the introduction that much easier.
Conclusion
LinkedIn is a powerful tool that’s very easy to use and make the most of. Take advantage of it by optimizing your profile to stand out in a sea of candidates, showcase your skills, and validate your accomplishments. Visitors should be able to easily understand who you are and what you are capable of by looking at your page visually. Follow these 10 tips to Make Your LinkedIn Profile Stand Out.
Also Read: Self-serve Reddit Ads: A Guide to Advertising on Reddit
4 Comments