Your behavior on social media, both professional and personal, is a major factor in your career’s future. These are some suggestions for how your LinkedIn profile should look so you can attract employers’ attention and make valuable connections.
According to data from American Society for Human Resource Management, LinkedIn is trusted by more than 90% of recruiters. Your profile is not just a file for professional contacts. It must be a dynamic and living representation of your professional life.
Here are the top LinkedIn tips to get employers’ attention and how they should perceive your application. “You have to tell people who you are and what you do,” says Donna Serdula, owner of LinkedIn-Makeover.com. According to Blair Decembrele, a LinkedIn expert, it’s all about your online reputation.
Searches that include a mention of their education rank users up to 17x higher than those that don’t. Another important detail is location: If you fill out this field with your desired work area, you will appear 23 times more in searches.
Another must-have is a professional-looking photograph. Decembrele says that profiles with photos receive 21 times more views and 36x more messages. A short description of your skills, motivations, and interests will help you stand out to potential employers.
Attention should be paid to the heading. You can think of ways you could use this space to get the attention of a hiring firm if you’re looking for a job. There are many profiles of marketing directors. A master in digital pharmaceutical marketing will get you more attention.
LinkedIn can be a powerful social media tool if you allow it to. Do not save the contacts that you have made in your professional life. Instead, keep in touch with your contacts by liking them, sharing news, and commenting on their activities.
Serdula says it’s great to make connections with people you don’t even know. Always include a personal message in your invitation. You might say, “Hey Steve! We don’t know each others but we both work as salespeople and I’m impressed with your work.” I’d love to get in touch with you.
LinkedIn can be difficult to use during work hours so Serdula recommends downloading the app on your mobile device and reading the publications during breaks.
He says that many of his clients have said, “I didn’t use LinkedIn until I had it on mobile,” he adds. “Now they connect while wearing pajamas.”
LinkedIn profiles give you the chance to personalize your professional story. Don’t copy your CV.
Serdula says that while the best profiles are written in the first person (“I am a Silicon Valley PR genius”), there are many other options that work. You can attract customers if you are in sales or marketing by using the second person. Executive professionals and anyone with a long list to their credit may feel more comfortable writing in the third person (“John Smith, an award-winning author”)
Think about who your target audience is. Are they potential employers? Are you looking for new clients? Try to use the right tone, and don’t be too distant.
Serdula says, “Write like there’s a real person on either side. Not ‘a dynamic professional who has 30 years of experience.’
It is important to highlight relevant experience that is current and up-to-date. While it is a good idea to highlight volunteer work that you have applied your skills to, this will not be of much benefit to you.
Decembrele says that “Relevance” is the key. “Add your experiences to your future career goals.”
You will need to keep your profile updated with examples of your work if you want it to be memorable. You have many options. These include the articles you have written, completed projects, and presentations that you made.
This doesn’t require you to have a regular job or a portfolio full of creative work. All you need is something you love and make it visible.
Serdula says that the driving idea is to get your audience to interact with you in real-life.
He says, “A true success profile motivates people – to pick the phone and dial you, to visit a website, or to download a white paper.”
Decembrele reports that LinkedIn has more than 11,000,000 active jobs. Spend some time reviewing the job listings that interest you, and writing down the required competencies.
Many companies that recruit use LinkedIn to search for keywords in job descriptions. These words can be sprinkled on your skills section, summary, and work experience to ensure they reach you.
Decembrele says that having at least five of these competencies will allow you to connect with the right opportunities.
