Getting the Most of Your LinkedIn Profile

Getting the Most of Your LinkedIn Profile LinkedIn, that according to this research, is the world’s most popular professional site for networking, has quickly become an indispensable tool for recruiters and job seekers alike. If you’re looking to boost your career, chances are that you’re already using the platform. But is your profile as well-optimized as it can be to attract the right kind of attention, or are you neglecting to make some easy changes? Here are some tips to get the most of your LinkedIn profile! Make Sure Your Photo is Professional Simply adding a photo to your LinkedIn profile can make you 14 times more likely to be found. Whether others click on your profile will in part depend on the picture you choose to use. Stick with a headshot photo where you are making direct eye contact, presenting a friendly smile, and showing a professional front. Beware of any background distractions in the photo and avoid using selfie snapshots, which come across as unprofessional. Present Headline That Speaks to Hiring Managers and Recruiters First of all, don’t be boring. A little bit of humor won’t hurt. Your headline depends on what type of job you are looking for and on your skills and qualification. Use strong language. Strong adjectives and words will make you more professional and reliable candidate. Be specific. Include career-related details that can make a difference (certification or training). But stay concise and channel your efforts on describing yourself, your best traits or biggest professional achievements. Highlight Your Experience in the Summary The Summary section is an important piece of your LinkedIn profile. This is where you can directly promote and market yourself as a professional. Inform hiring managers and recruiters why you are someone they should talk to for a job opening they have available. This is also a section in which to build up keywords that matter, which will help you come up on top in search results. Show Your Experience In a nutshell, the Experience section of your LinkedIn profile is your online resume. To quickly create a LinkedIn profile, review your resume and copy/paste the relevant information into your profile. Its essential that your resume matches your profile because prospective employers will check. However, when you get more time, make sure to add as much as possible to your LinkedIn profile. Employers expect your resume to be somewhat condensed and specific to the job you seek. But your LinkedIn Profile should be more vast and complete. Showcase Your Skills When you add skills to your LinkedIn profile, it increases your profile views by up to 13 times the amount it would otherwise receive. Often, hiring managers and recruiters search for talent based on specific skills required for the job. The more your profile is identified with specific skills and the more endorsements received for those skills, the better your profile will rank in search results. Work to identify and prioritize what skills are important for the job and engage with your contacts to endorse those skills. Ask for Recommendations Take time to request LinkedIn recommendations. Recommendations from people you have worked with carry a lot of weight. To a potential employer, a LinkedIn recommendation is like a reference in advance. Review your contacts and approach the ones who can vouch for your work and put in a good word in the form of a recommendation. Include Your Location Including a location will let recruiters find you easily and can help you connect with other professionals in your area. If you’re looking for work outside of your current location, update it to your desired location but mention your actual location elsewhere in your profile to avoid seeming deceptive. Show Off Your Interests Joining groups and following companies in your current or desired industry shows up on your profile and lets others know more about your career and extracurricular interests. Now you see, that creating an eye-catching LinkedIn profile is not daunting, on the contrary, it is so rewarding and worthwhile. Invest your time in personal branding. Follow these simple tips on how to create a LinkedIn profile for job search and you will definitely get a professional LinkedIn profile that will be on the top of this resource. You will be stunned how fast hiring managers will notice your profile and you will get the desired interview.