GET A BETTER LINKEDIN PROFILE!

Increasingly, LinkedIn profiles are critical to the job search – your home page is essentially your online professional reputation which will be seen by future employers, colleagues and clients. It’s also your main networking source – potential contacts are going to look at it, and they are going to judge you on the basis of it. When your LinkedIn profile looks great, your networking becomes far more powerful – and we’re all about networking at Harrison Careers. 

This article contains advice on how to help you improve your LinkedIn profile.

1.         The importance of a great photo…

LinkedIn users who include a photo receive 21 times more profile views than users without one – so what are you waiting for?! Upload a high-quality profile photo (head and shoulders only). Wear professional attire – and don’t forget to smile! We want you to appear professional, approachable and likeable.

2.         Make yourself easy to find!

Change your LinkedIn URL from the automatic LinkedIn-assigned name/number combination to a personal URL, containing your name only (or something memorable connected with your name). You can access this section by clicking “Edit Public Profile and URL” on the right taskbar on your profile page. Then update your resume to reflect this!

3.         Headline – make it snappy!

Include a profile headline (max 120 characters, which will appear directly under your name) to give you a professional “identity” – if you don’t change this, your current job title and area will automatically appear here. Having a personalized headline will really make your skill-set stand out to the reader.

4.         Summarize your skill set!

You must update your Summary section (max 2,000 characters, which will appear underneath the headline) to explain a bit more about you and your background. Ideally it will be based around the Summary section on your resume, expanded to include a little more detail on your experience/career progression, and an invitation to connect. The language here should be more chatty than formal, presenting you as professional but approachable.

5.         Sell your professional experience…

Your LinkedIn profile should not be a straightforward copy of your resume, but should work in tandem with your resume to present your “public face” – essentially, it’s a high-level overview of your career achievements that you want potential employers/clients to know. As a social media tool, your LinkedIn profile will ideally contain a snapshot of your career trajectory (which is expanded upon in your resume) and will showcase all the professional achievements and skills that you want potential contacts to know about you.

6.         Other stuff:

A great way to highlight your unique skills and experiences, and accordingly to stand out from the crowd, is to add “additional” profile features. Here, you can add details of languages you speak, projects you have been involved in, volunteer experiences, your personal website etc.

7.         LinkedIn Groups

Groups are a great resource and can do wonders for your job search. By joining groups relevant to your profession/industry, you’ll show that you’re engaged in your field. More importantly, however, you’ll instantly be connected to people and part of relevant discussions in your field, which makes this kind of like an ongoing, online networking event.

In conjunction with your resume and cover letter, your LinkedIn profile is your strategic marketing tool – it’s incredibly important that you get your profile right, so that it makes an immediate impact and helps you to win interviews, job offers and new business. Get yours in great shape NOW!