Today, having an impressive LinkedIn profile is a must so that you can be noticed by recruiters and hiring managers. It can literally act as a job magnet if you give in some time and effort. It also becomes mandatory in case you want to grow your personal brand or company.
Even though you’re busy, LinkedIn is the platform that you can’t miss out on. The more you put in, the more you get out of it. And apart from your resume or CV, your LinkedIn profile is also viewed carefully by recruiters and hiring managers for the jobs you’ve applied for. In some cases, if your LinkedIn profile is not on point, you might not get the job even if you’re well-qualified for it. Not only for jobs, but most of the students also search for internship opportunities by scrolling through LinkedIn profiles only.
Therefore, it’s extremely important to pay attention to how your LinkedIn profile is being presented and that it represents the best possible version of you. Here are some carefully selected tips that can help you out in making your profile stand out on LinkedIn.
1. Use a Photo That Sends Out Professional Vibes
Apart from your name, your LinkedIn profile picture is one of the first things that anyone visiting your profile will look at. So, you want a photo that is recent and of high quality. Do not use any old or dark, grainy photo. And you definitely don’t want to deceive anyone by using a photo from several years back. And definitely don’t use photos from weddings or family functions. This does not cast a good impression and you obviously want to portray that you’re serious about your career.
Also, make sure that your photo is bright and clear, and that you’re smiling and looking professional. Be cautious about the outfit that you’re wearing in the photo. Guys can wear a collared shirt and a suit jacket. Ladies can go for a blazer with a nice fitting top that is appropriate for the office.
2. Use an Appropriate Headline
People have different opinions on what is best to put in the headline. Some people say that you should have multiple description words that are of high value and high impact.
But this is not completely appropriate. Some of the experts say that you should just put your job title as your headline.
The reason behind this is recruiters and hiring managers can find you more easily. This is more of a tip to get a hold on the LinkedIn algorithm.
If someone has a job opportunity and they’re looking for someone with your type of experience, your headline will make it easier for them to reach out to you. But if you put in all these complicated words or vague descriptions, people don’t know much about you. They don’t know who you are and what you do. So, it’s highly recommended to use your job title as your headline.
3. Have a Well-Oriented Profile Summary
Many people don’t write a profile summary which can be unpleasant. Having a profile summary will help you to get noticed for buzzwords that someone might be looking for.
You want the summary to be short and crisp.
One essential point to keep in mind is that you should not just go on with talking about yourself. Rather, talk about what you can do and what problems you can help with.
Try and incorporate your expertise in such a way that it says more like “I can do this for you” and not like “I am good at this”.
Try and have 3-4 sentences and that will look more decent. It will be your Intro to anyone who lands on your LinkedIn profile. But make sure not to lie in the summary as you're the sole person responsible for your profile.
4. Make Your Work Experience Short and Sweet
Do not lay out all your details, duties, and achievements all at once. And that is because this is the function of your Resume and not your LinkedIn profile. So, you can mention your current title along with companies you’ve previously worked at along with the duration that you worked with them for.
You can also mention your working experience in one single bullet point within each of the jobs you’ve held before.
The reason why you don’t want to feed in all the goods in your LinkedIn profile is that you would want to pique the interest of the people visiting your profile. It’s a high possibility that they may reach out to you and ask you to send in your resume in case they find you good for the opportunity.
5. Show off Your Recommendations
Many people hesitate about asking recommendations from previous bosses. But you should certainly get over your fear and ask for recommendations. That’s a simple way to make your profile truly stand out.
Make sure the recommendations are from the boss and not from peers and co-workers. The reason being, recommendations from peers are not very much effective.
6. Put Out the Most Used Contact Details
People often forget to do this, but putting the contact details is very important. You can include an email address that you regularly check. You can also mention your phone number, only if you’re comfortable with that.
The contact details should be mentioned in a way that they are easily visible. This way, if someone wants to reach out to you with some opportunity, they can do it easily.
Now that you have the most important tips, you can do the necessary edits in your profile. And that will significantly help you in attracting more opportunities towards you. Lastly, don't hesitate in building connections since connections make us learn something new every day.
Written by - Neha Kundu
Edited by - Kashish Chadha
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