It can be easy to ignore your LinkedIn profile. However, a Linkedin profile is essential in todays recruitment processes and therefore an essential tool for any job seeker.
Your profile on LinkedIn is your first professional impression when recruiters and employers search for candidates. Read on for an expert-backed summary to selling yourself and getting noticed by recruiters in the right way.
1. Put in the effort
Simply put, the more effort you put into your profile, the better the odds that recruiters will find you in the first place. So, completeness is important from this standpoint. The good news? LinkedIn will actually measure the “completeness” of your profile as you work and offer suggestions on how to make it stronger.
2. Choose a great photo
Choose a clear, friendly and appropriately professional image. A photo can go a long way to convey passion, energy, charisma, empathy and other soft skills that are hard to write about.
3. Write an attention-grabbing headline
Your headline doesn’t have to be your job title and company – in fact, especially if you’re looking for a job, it shouldn’t be. Instead, use that space to succinctly showcase your specialty, value proposition or your “so what?”. The more specific you can be about what sets you apart from the competition, the better.
4. Craft an interesting summary
Your summary is your opportunity to tell your story. It can be up to 2000 characters long so dive in a little deeper about your past experience, what you do well, what you could bring to a prospective employer. Attention spans are short these days, so keep it short and be creative.
5. Get a custom URL
It’s much easier to publicize your profile with a customized URL (ideally linkedin.com/yourname), rather than a long combination of numbers that LinkedIn automatically assigns you when you first sign up.
6. Start making connections
It seems obvious but it is easily forgotten. You need to keep growing your connections as you meet people because of linkedin’s system of first second and third degree connections, helps keep you visible to others.
7. Keep your page active
This is one of the most important things. As important as the right profile set up. LinkedIn is a lot more than an online CV. It is a social media network, In order to get the most out of it, you need to remain active. Look at what other people are talking about and writing and share what you find interesting and helpful. Joining groups on LinkedIn is a great way to meet people, converse and share interesting content.
At the end of the day, the best people to hire are the ones who put in the effort. So make sure your LinkedIn profile shows this and you’ll be good to go!