10 Tips for a Job-Winning LinkedIn Profile

Most recruiters have started using LinkedIn to scout for talent. As the largest professional network for jobseekers, networking on this platform has the potential to lead you to your next best job.

A job-winning LinkedIn profile can be made through optimizing different sections of your LinkedIn profile. Even when you are not actively looking for a job, your LinkedIn profile should be perfect.

Read on to learn the top 10 tips to engineer a job-winning LinkedIn profile:

1. Display a professional headshot

A professional headshot like the one shown below will present a likable personality that will draw attention from other people.

It is a simple yet effective way to spruce up your LinkedIn profile.

If you are a creative professional, have a little fun with it. For instance, if you are a photographer, a headshot of you taking a picture will be perfect.

Select this picture carefully as it is the first impression you make on anyone that visits your profile.

2. Draft a striking headline

The headline is displayed just after your name on your LinkedIn profile. The default setting of LinkedIn displays your current job designation. It might work for newbies, but imagine the scope of possibilities you can convey by writing who you are and what you do in a one line LinkedIn header.

This is an elevator pitch of 120 characters so why waste this space by just featuring your job title? You can use this space to write about what you do best and how it benefits your customers or company.

3. Write a gripping summary

You can extend on your headline and present a stronger case for your achievements in the summary. With a limit of 2000 characters, you can put the focus on your work experience as well as what your expertise is and how it can help a future employer.

Use industry-specific keywords to give your words more meaning and strength. It is advised to not use the whole word limit.

A 1000 character summary would be enough, any longer and no one would read it.

4. Put your professional experience in the spotlight

Do not just copy everything from your resume’s professional experience section and paste it here. A resume comes with a one to two page restriction where you have to fit other information as well.

There is no such restriction in your LinkedIn profile. However, remember that long is boring and readers have short attention spans.

Only include the past jobs that are relevant to your current career trajectory. Include two to four bullet points to describe your roles in these jobs.

Use action verbs to start each point and riddle the points with performance figures.

5. Use a great cover photo

Add a background photo/cover photo on your LinkedIn Profile.

You can customize one to fit your needs. Not only will it make your profile stand out, but you can also add information like your contact details on the picture. Pick a picture that reflects your personality as well as your profession.

You can even connect your LinkedIn profile with your other social media profiles. So, if you have a relevant profile such as a YouTube channel, mentioning it will increase your credibility.

6. Customize your profile URL

The web address for your LinkedIn profile is the URL. The default URL that is generated when you create your profile will contain your name and some meaningless numbers.

Why not personalize it when you have the option to do so?

You can easily customize your URL by going to the option that lets you edit your public URL. You will find it along the right side of the profile. Find a suitable URL and make it neat and personalized.

7. Start networking with the people in the same industry

The further you reach out, the better will be your chances of being spotted. Keep networking and building connections.

The more connections you will have, the more your profile will be visible. Start with the people you know in real life and have worked with in the past and take it from there.

8. Ask for recommendations

Do not shy away from asking for recommendations from your past colleagues. You can choose what you would like to be recommended for and ask the people who you have built a good relationship with to recommend you.

If any prospective employer visits your profile, recommendations will help you seem like a great person to work with.

However, do not make the mistake of asking for recommendations from friends or write a complementary recommendation for them as this is seen unfavorably by LinkedIn.

Moreover, recommendations from friends do not hold value unless you have a direct working relation with them. So do yourself a favor and stay away from engaging in a back & forth recommendation giving and receiving malpractice.

9. Be active on your page

Do not treat your LinkedIn profile as an online resume. It is a social media platform and should be treated as such. That’s why like most social media, you have to stay active to stay relevant.

You can start by engaging with the posts of your connections. Leave comments, and like and share posts actively.

There are many groups that you can join. Participate in the conversations happening in these groups. This is how you can meet people who are interested in the same thing as you and build a network.

10. Check the strength of your LinkedIn profile

You can measure your profile strength by looking at the gauge on the right-hand side of your profile. This is nothing but the measurement of how ‘complete’ your profile is.

There might be some sections you have left out or your profile could use some minor tweaks. LinkedIn will make recommendations that you can follow until your profile reaches an “All-Star” rating.

It will also help you find out if you missed something.

Conclusion

According to Jobscan, 87% of recruiters use LinkedIn to find candidates for jobs. Hence, it is a powerful tool worth having in your artillery.

You can make the most of LinkedIn by optimizing your profile to land you a job.

These are the 10 tips that will help you make a job-winning LinkedIn profile:

  1. Add a professional-looking headshot.
  2. Write an eye-catching headline.
  3. Write an informative summary.
  4. Write briefly about your professional experience.
  5. Display a great cover photo.
  6. Use a customized URL.
  7. Build connections.
  8. Ask for recommendations.
  9. Maintain the activity of your page.
  10. Check the strength of your LinkedIn profile.

About the author, Aditya Sharma
On a quest to help professionals across the world land their dream jobs, Aditya lives and breathes. Hiration — an AI-powered online resume builder and platform to help job-seekers find their way in the treacherous job market — where he’s a Co-Founder and the unofficial CPO (Chief Problem-solving Officer). He likes to code away his days and nights when he’s not busy disrupting the career space.

Top photo from Unsplash.com

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