There are 500 million users on Linkedin: more than the population of the US! Every day these users look for a job or post new vacancies, making Linkedin one of the best places to search for a job. Moreover, most of the hiring managers ask job seekers to indicate their Linkedin accounts, when sending a resume.
Do you have one? If yes, do you think that it is good enough? If not, don’t stress out! You are in the right place and after reading our article and applying offered tips your account will be among the best LinkedIn profiles!
We always judge the book by its cover, so when other users see your profile, they pay attention to how your profile looks. Want to impress them? Start with the following tips!
I think we don’t have to tell you how important a profile picture is. Even if your description is great and the work experience is really impressive, having a bad photo may ruin everything! Your profile picture must be professional (no bikini photos unless you are a model or a surfer), contain only one person (you) and be stylistically correct (good light, plain colors).
Stick to simple clothes without distracting elements, little make up and make sure that your face is visible (the photo, where you are standing on top of a cliff is good but for Facebook, not Linkedin).
Even though Linkedin is a professional network, it is still important to tell about your personality. This will help you to show that apart from being a good worker, you are a kind, compassionate and friendly person, able to become a part of a team.
Don’t worry to seem irrelevant and make sure you highlight the best parts of you!
The benefit of a Linkedin account over a simple resume is that you don’t need to decide what information to include and what to delete in terms of relevance. On Linkedin, you can write about your interests, tell about the things you enjoy doing and the things you want to learn.
This will not only help your account to become more visible but also to show hiring managers that you are a versatile and interesting personality. Moreover, if the manager has the same interests you will have additional topics to discuss during an interview!
If you have licenses or certifications don’t be afraid to post them. This will add value to your words and hiring managers will be able to see that you are a person, who constantly learns and improves.
Having a good self-description is not enough: you should be able to provide recommendations and letters from people, who you worked with. They mirror your personality and skills and show others that you are worth trust and attention.
In case you still don’t have any letters of recommendation, just contact your previous employees or tutors. They will surely help you!
Now let us move on to less obvious LinkedIn profile tips that you may easily miss out. Write them down and start working on your profile immediately!
Even though Linkedin is a more relaxed community, it is still a professional network for job seekers and employers. That is why your language should remain professional and clear. Paraphrase your description to make it free from slang and jargon. If needed, look up for synonyms online. It will greatly broaden your vocabulary and will make you a better interlocutor.
I think you understand how important it is to update your CV regularly. First of all, you may miss out on excellent opportunities if you don’t add new skills and experience to your resume. Secondly, without regular updates, your account will be less visible among your connects.
Even though you may feel tempted to create a general resume that would fit any industry, it is better to stick to a specific field. Make sure you include relevant keywords, explain your background and give enough information on relevant experience and education.
If one day you decide to change the industry, you will just rewrite your description and tailor it according to the demands of the field!
There are different privacy modes on Linkedin. If you want more and more hiring managers to find you, your account should be visible to everyone. You can change that in account’s settings.
To make your profile stand out from the rest, you won’t do without the next tips. Make sure you work on each of them to achieve the best results!
Apart from writing about your work experience, you need to emphasize your skills. Moreover, try to quantify them and show what results you were able to achieve on different projects.
Hiring managers always pay attention to this section, so you need to work on it attentively! If you don’t know where to start, read descriptions of the top profiles in your industry.
Not all Lindekin users know that there is a chance to customize your URL. Simply by making a few clicks, you will be able to change the regular URL address to your surname or any other text. It is a great way to show that you are not only professional but that you pay attention to the slightest details.
A summary is your first chance of reaching the reader. In a few words, you need to describe your main achievements and goals, motivating hiring managers to read other sections. It works the same as a summary of an essay at college, so you should have no problems here.
Contact information is a chance for a hiring manager to reach you most conveniently. Different companies have different corporate policies, so publishing various communication channels shows that you are thoughtful and think about the convenience of others.
Work experience is the core of your profile. However, you need to write only about the most relevant positions. If you lack them or have unemployment gaps, it is better to work on the skills section, making it the strongest part of your profile.
This tip may be obvious but you may be surprised how many people use the third person for their LinkedIn profiles. Choose first-person and use a narrative style, as if you are talking to a friend or a teacher, and not to a potential employer.
Now, when the main elements of your profile are completed, it is the right time to add colors to it. Using the following tips will surely be of great help!
Linkedin headline for students or for those, who are starting their career in a new field, is as important as for experienced workers. Don’t forget to insert keywords to the headline, which will increase your chances of being noticed through the search. Remain brief and clear, and state only the most relevant skills or job titles.
Volunteering may not be a compulsory part but still, it allows hiring managers to see that you are not just a professional worker but also a person with a kind heart. If you devote time to helping others, state that in your profile.
We guarantee that this simple tip will increase the attractiveness of your account!
We have already discussed this but let us remind you: you need to quantify your achievements instead of simply stating them. For example, you can tell what profits you helped the company to gain, how many projects you have completed or how many employees you have hired.
Numbers always speak in your favor, so why should you hide them behind plain sentences?
Apart from creating a profile, you can also write in the general feed. It is a place, where articles and messages are published, liked and shared. This means that you can share your story with thousands and thousands of users, telling about your experience, achievements, and lessons you have learned.
Regularly publishing articles, you will manage to reach the audience and to make new connects without any efforts.
Once you have finished your Linkedin profile, don’t rush to publish it. The most important tip that the majority of people neglect is proofreading. You need to reread everything you have written several times to make sure there are no grammar or spelling mistakes.
Also, you should check whether the sentences are properly structured and easy to read. Make your description engaging and smooth, and you will see how many new offers you will get in no time!