LinkedIn’s presence in the social media landscape became unexpectedly important in 2020 as job seekers sought to rebound from mass layoffs across the country. Today, job seekers are still actively engaged and competition is fierce. To stand out from the crowd, it’s important to capture employers attention. Try some of these LinkedIn profile tips for a leg up in your job search.
Set your profile to “open to work”
If you are searching for a job, let people know. Make this tweak step one if you’re looking for work. Recruiters can now find you and your connections can see the badge on your profile as well. The more people who know you’re looking for work the broader your network and potential opportunities to connect with the right role. Use your full name and not a nickname for a professional presentation.
Choose a professional photo
One of the most important LinkedIn profile tips is to make sure your headshot reflects the image you want to portray to human resource and recruiting professionals. Take time to select a simple outfit and choose a well-lit setting with a neutral background. Then, customize the cover photo with a color, subtle pattern, or other representation of who you are to enhance your headshot or highlight your experience or personality. An app like Canva can help with this.
Customize your URL
When you set up a LinkedIn profile, you are assigned a random URL that includes a string of numbers. Customize your URL by removing those numbers and adding your name to the end of the link. Go to your profile, clicking Edit public profile & URL on the right rail, and then clicking Edit URL. Use both your first and last name. If you have a common name, include your middle name, a middle initial, hyphen or some other distinctive. This LinkedIn profile tip is a simple change that helps you represent yourself better to employers.
Use keywords in your headline
You won’t be hired if recruiters can’t find you. An important LinkedIn profile tip is to include your preferred job title in your headline. For example, if you’re looking for a project manager role, make sure these words are in your headline. Google search the job you’re looking for and find the most used words in these job descriptions and include them in your headline. You can also include variations on these words in your description to help your search. For example, words like supervisor or coordinator might work for manager.
Don’t be shy
When you are seeking a new job, get comfortable and be confident selling yourself to potential employers. Highlight your accomplishments. Include specifics about how you contributed to a past employers bottomline or how you successfully made something happen. If you’re a new graduate, include any recognition or accolades you received. Use bullet points to make these easier to read and quickly scannable to the eye. Add media links to a portfolio, video, presentation, or any other visual documents to set yourself apart and highlight your work.
When you use these LinkedIn profile tips you will set yourself up for success in your job search. Let us know how it goes!
