With over 500 million users, over 80% of recruiters having recruited someone via LinkedIn and over 10 million job seekers having found work via LinkedIn it’s no surprise that LinkedIn is the world’s most popular professional networking platform. With so many users on the platform it can be easy to feel out of your depth and that’s why standing out and making your LinkedIn profile as good as it can be are so important. To help you out we’ve put together some top tips for creating a great LinkedIn profile, follow these steps and in no time at all you’ll be a LinkedIn wiz.
- Get that perfect pic.
What’s the first thing you look at when you view someone’s profile on a social media app? Their picture, even though LinkedIn is a professional network the same rules still apply. Having a good profile picture is key. You want your profile picture to represent the area of work you operate in and in most cases a professional head shot works for this. The main thing to do is make sure you at least have a photo as the majority of employers will completely skip past candidates without pictures on their profile and with so many users on LinkedIn those without a picture are easy to push aside.
- It’s headline time.
Your headline text is the first text that shows up on your profile and is where you can tell employers what you’re all about. Imagine it as a small billboard advertisement for yourself, give some insight into your skills and interests and aim to include an achievement you have.
- Who are you? Summarise.
In your summary you have much more room to work with than your headline so you can dive a little deeper. Rather than just focusing on your past success, look into the future, talk about what you do well and what you can bring to a possible employer. Use relevant words to your field, be creative and really pitch to employers who you are as a professional.
- What’s your experience?
With LinkedIn being an online platform you have to consider the behaviour of people online. The majority of online users have a short attention span and can be easily distracted by a GIF of cat, it’s up to you to keep your content concise and to the point, you don’t want to bore potential employers. Therefore, when writing about your experience don’t just copy your CV. Try to include relevant jobs to the field you’re looking to work in, with a limit of 2 to 4 bullet points per job. Also try to state not just what you did in each role but what you accomplished. Remember, conciseness is key.
- It’s time to get creative.
As we said earlier your profile picture is the first thing someone’s going to look at on your page, but did you know can do even more to spruce up you page? Chose a background image which can not only tell employers a bit about your personality but can be tailored to your industry to give an impression of knowledge and skill. For example if you’re looking to work within the construction industry having a picture of yourself surveying a site would be ideal. You can also connect other media to your LinkedIn account such as YouTube videos. By creating content on alternate media and linking them back to your LinkedIn your page will stand out from the rest and grab people’s’ attention.
- Customize your URL.
You may not know this but you can customize your LinkedIn pages URL, making it easier for potential employers to locate you. Your default LinkedIn URL may be pretty simple and won’t need any changes, however, it may be default set to a random, long-winded URL that no employer will ever find. Change your URL to something simple so you can share it on other platforms and employers can easily locate you with.
- Get connected.
While it seems like making connections is the most obvious thing to do on LinkedIn it really does help. Having lots of connections makes you more visible to others through LinkedIn’s suggested connections system.
- Recommend a friend.
While editing your profile on LinkedIn you can chose to ask for recommendations. By sending out recommendations to connections your connections can approve you for your skills. This is key for making your page stand out as employers want to know that others have approved your work.
- Get active.
LinkedIn is a networking site and like all networking sites, to get the most out of it, you have to stay active. The best way to stay active is to keep up with trending topics. See what other people are talking about and offer your opinion, like and share posts relating to your sector. You could also join a few groups, they’re a great way to stay up-to-date with the sectors you operate in and by interacting with others in that group you can build connections and industry links.
- Are you strong enough?
Checking your profile strength is an effective and really simple way to know if you’re profiles missing anything. When editing your profile LinkedIn will keep you up-to-date with how strong it is and will prompt you to add elements to your profile to get it to it’s optimum. Follow these prompts and keep updating your profile with any new skills and experiences you have.
When used right LinkedIn can be a very powerful tool, it can help you build connections in a very simple and fast way and is a great platform for showcasing your talents to the world. You want your page to be informative without feeling like a CV and engaging without feeling like a load of nonsense. If you can find that perfect balance between informative and engaging, are constantly updating your page and have followed our 10 tips you’ll be well on your way to the perfect LinkedIn Profile.