Your LinkedIn profile could really take you places.
With 950 million users in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide, LinkedIn is the leading professional social network.
Maybe you already have a LinkedIn profile but you’re not sure what to include in it. Don’t worry, I’m giving you my top tips about what you should include to make your profile stand out from the other 950 million…
- First Impressions
When you are actively job hunting, you can be sure potential employers are searching LinkedIn. If you show up in search results, the first things they will see are your name, profile picture and headline. This is your chance to make a great first impression.
Your Name
I’m not suggesting that you change your name to find a job, but you can change the URL for your LinkedIn profile. By default, it will be your name, with numbers after it if you have a name shared with other users, I.e.., /jane-brown-192835. The good news is, you can change this to something more memorable. This is a good opportunity to stand out to potential employers. Use something like, ‘/jane-brown-sports-therapist’ instead. This also has the advantage of improving where you show up in a search for Sports Therapists.
Your Profile Picture
You should use a professional photo which has a good view of your face. Remember, this isn’t Facebook so holiday snaps aren’t appropriate!
Choose a photo of you wearing something that you would wear to work. This is the first step in creating an impression of you as a professional individual.
You can also upload a cover photo, although this won’t show up on an initial search. It will be visible on your LinkedIn profile though, so it should also capture your industry and/or personality.
Your Headline
Your headline is the text that shows immediately underneath your profile picture. There is a misconception that this should only be your jobtitle, but you can use it to make more of an impact.
Use your headline to say more about who you are and what you want to achieve. Remember, this is the first impression a potential employer will have of you so make sure you stand out from the crowd… in a good way!
2. Profile Content
About You
Your LinkedIn profile is an opportunity to tell your network, and potential employers, all about you. This starts with the ‘About’ summary section.
Consider this your personal pitch to employers and your mission statement for yourself. It can be up to 250 words and covers your main career goals, achievements, skills and experiences. This is similar to the summary section of your CV but the language doesn’t need to be as formal.
You should also include a call to action to encourage recruiters to reach out to make a connection. For instance, ‘send me a message to find out more’.
Main Body Of Your Profile
This should be the highlights of your achievements and experience.
It’s worth remembering that your LinkedIn profile should complement your CV, not replace it. You don’t need as much detail so stick to around 3 or 4 key achievements or responsibilities for each role.
You can, and should, use the Skills and Endorsements section to demonstrate your skills to employers. Recruiters can also search by skills when looking for candidates. You can also, politely, ask people in your network to endorse your relevant skills too.
If you’re just starting your career or don’t have a lot of work experience, you might be wondering what to include in your profile. The answer is simply to include any relevant experiences. For instance, have you undertaken any volunteering roles? Or taken part in any clubs or organisations relevant to your industry? These are also useful experiences and highlight a host of transferrable skills.
If you don’t have any experience to include, this is a sign to explore opportunities to get some!
General Dos and Don’ts
DO:
Tell your story and build rapport.
Talk in the first person about your achievements and don’t be afraid to show a little personality. Your LinkedIn profile should have more informal language than your CV.
DON’T:
Be vague when describing your achievements.
Use tangible examples throughout. Facts and figures will demonstrate your skills and achievements in a quantifiable way. Use STAR to describe the Situation, Time, Action and Result of your work.
DO:
Use LinkedIn Keywords.
Keywords are search terms that people use to find relevant posts and people in your industry. You can find keywords by looking at the profiles of people in your industry or in vacancy posts on job boards. Which words or phrases come up most often?
When you’re using keywords, try to use different variations of them throughout your profile. For instance, you could use ‘project manager’ and ‘managing projects’ and ‘leading projects’.
DON’T:
Use buzzwords to enhance your profile.
It might sound good to call yourself a ‘specialist’ or ‘expert’. You might throw around words like ‘strategic’ and ‘big picture thinker’, but you should only call yourself an expert if you evidence the qualities and experience to back it up!
Avoid the business-speak and improve your profile.
3. Next steps
Once you’ve enhanced your LinkedIn profile to make it the best it can be… what next?
Now it’s time to start building your network and making connections.
Start by finding groups relevant to your career. How? Search those keywords you found earlier!
Once you’ve found the groups and leaders in your field, follow them and engage with the content they produce. Joining in discussions will also mean that you see similar content on your feed.
Following industry experts also helps you keep up to date on current industry trends. You’ll also the first to hear about future vacancies. You never know, it might even give you some background information for a future job interview.
So, what are you waiting for? Your new and improved LinkedIn profile is the next step towards your future career.
If all of that sounds like too much hard work, don’t panic! I can help. Send me an email at: info@militaryspouseworks.com to get started.