No matter whether you are looking for a job, collecting leads or networking in your industry, having a professional and attractive profile on LinkedIn is a great idea to make sure that you are found by the right people at the right time.
It is not difficult to fill out a profile, but there are some best practices that are important and which you should follow to ensure your profile is the best it can be.
Start with the photo, be as professional as possible. We are talking here about a business card and a resume, so people have to visually know who you are. The photo may be your first impression with a potential employer.
Customize your title. By default, LinkedIn fills your title with the position and the current company, but you do not have to keep that. Consider listing your specialty and speaking directly to your audience.
If you want your profile to be searchable, include important keywords. If that’s not so important to you, stand out. Try to keep your title with about 10 words.
Fill in the “Summary” field with 5 to 6 of your greatest achievements or accomplishments. Use markers to make reading easier. Think about your target audience, and then create the image of how you can make life easier for that person and/or company.
You can also add media files, including videos, so if you’re a speaker or presenter, an introductory video might be a great idea.
Add images or documents to your experiment. Did you know you can add media files to your experience? It’s a great way to create a visual portfolio along with your standard information from your resume.
Fill out your profile as much as possible. This includes skills, voluntary associations, education, etc. This is the place to put all the interesting things that do not fit into your resume, but adding more information about you conveys greater transparency.
A quick note: If your volunteer experience is directly related to your job search, put it as work history, so it should be in the relevant section, not in “others.”
Keep your work history relevant. You do not need to list all the jobs you’ve ever had. Instead, list only those jobs relevant to your current career goals.
Add links to relevant sites. If you have a job-related blog or an online portfolio, make use of the three permitted URLs in your profile. Here it is not interesting to keep personal projects or hobbies unless they are relevant to your current goals.
Ask for recommendations. Endorsements are great, but recommendations are a bargaining chip within LinkedIn. Contact your previous colleagues, managers, and associates and ask them to write a recommendation.
Use status updates to share industry-relevant content. This can help show recruiters that you are focused and always up to date with the marketplace that is relevant to your industry.
Follow these tips and you can ensure a much more attractive LinkedIn profile for potential recruiters, hiring managers and potential customers.
If you need help, have doubts or concerns, do not hesitate to leave a comment in the comment box below and we will try to help you as soon as possible!