LinkedIn is a popular employment networking service that is used by over 600 million employers and job-seekers alike. With over 300 million monthly active users, you could only imagine how important mastering a tool like LinkedIn is for young professionals.
This number may seem alarming for job-seekers, but I assure you that there are ways to cut through the noise (aka your competition) and stand out. This starts with Optimizing Your LinkedIn Profile! This simply means that you add things to your profile page that helps recruiters, hiring managers, and other professionals easily find your profile. Today, I’m going to teach you just how to do that.
1 | Give Your LinkedIn Profile A Professional Refresh
You can easily give your profile a lift by adding a professional headshot and creating a catchy headline.
Upload a New Professional Headshot
The image on your profile is plastered everywhere on LinkedIn and is usually the first thing someone sees. This is why you should make sure it’s a good one! A “professional” headshot includes:
- A neutral background color that doesn’t conflict with your face! You are the main focus of the photo, not the background.
- A friendly facial expression and a confident posture or pose are a must!
- A professional or business casual look is a good move.
Hire a photographer or grab a high-quality phone camera, and snap a new picture for your profile. Use the examples below as a guide for your new photo!
Examples of Professional Headshots for LinkedIn
Refresh Your Headline
Much like your headshot, your headline follows you everywhere you go on LinkedIn. It’s a statement that screams what you’re all about! A good LinkedIn headline includes:
- Keywords or job titles that detail your career field
- Your current company (or previous company)
- Your top skills/area of expertise
- A mission or brand statement
Examples of Professional Headlines for LinkedIn
In the example above, this professional listed the following:
- Job Title: Creative Director / Graphic Designer
- Area of expertise: Digital Painting Enthusiast / Superhero Aficionado
- Brand Statement: Inspiration Provider
In the example above, this professional listed the following:
- Job Title: CEO/Found of Wonsulting / Ex-StratOps
- Companies: Cisco, Google, Snap
- Area of expertise: Strategic Advisor
- Brand Statement: Turning Underdogs Into Winners
Level Up on LinkedIn Ebook
Crafting a compelling LinkedIn profile is only the first step in mastering LinkedIn. If you want to keep the momentum going, check out the Breakroom Buddha Level Up on LinkedIn ebook!
Drop your deets below, and you’ll be the first to know when the ebook drops!!
AFTER READING THE BOOK, YOU’LL GET:
- More views on your LinkedIn Profile
- Know which communication style best works for you in a professional setting
- Have the perfect brand statement (aka your elevator pitch)
- Gain a professional network that’ll have your back during the tedious job-hunting and networking processes
2 | Master the”Humble Brag” on Your LinkedIn Profile
The meat of your LinkedIn profile comes from your summary, work experience, skills, and extracurricular activities. If you’re able to clearly state what you’re currently doing and what you’ve done in the past, then you’ll start to attract quality people and companies to your profile!
Write an Effective Summary
The summary is your professional statement or professional bio. The summary should be an extension of your headline. Briefly state:
- The number of years you’ve worked in your career field
- Keywords that are used in your career field
- Skills that you have mastered
- A more in-depth description of your brand or mission statement
- A call to action for people who are visiting your profile
Related Read: Develop a Killer Brand Statement
Detail Your Work Experience
People are most excited to see where you’ve been and where you’re going. You want to be the first person to show up if someone is looking for an expert in the field that you’re working in, and the work experience section is how you’ll do it!
In order to make sure that your profile gets new views, you should:
- Strategically choose your job title. If you’re working in a field where job titles are interchangeable, make sure you list the one on your profile that is the most popular!
- TLDR: Include a brief summary of what you do. People who are too lazy to read your entire job listing will appreciate you for including this.
- Tools, tools, tools: This part is often overlooked. Detail the technical tools you use to complete your job!
- List your roles & responsibilities: This is the easiest part. List what you do on a day-to-day basis. If you have the original job description handy, then use it as a guide.
- Show impact: Much like your professional resume, you’ll want to detail how you’ve made a difference in your past and current roles.
Related Read: How to Write a Winning Resume
Example of the Work Experience Section on LinkedIn
Stock up on Skills & Side Hustles
Would you happen to know how to do any of the following:
- ¿Hables español?
- Write and edit content for digital media
- Use the Adobe Creative Suite (Bonus points if you’re a master at Photoshop or Premiere Pro)
- Code using C++
- Quickly crank out a presentation using Keynote or PowerPoint
- Draw digitally, or animate using Maya
- Know Microsoft Office products like the back of your hand
The above items are just a few examples of what you can list on your profile in your skills section. LinkedIn also has a feature that allows you to take skills assessments, and earn badges to prove that you’ve mastered the tools and skills you’ve listed on your profile.
Example of the LinkedIn Skills Assessment
While you’re at it, go ahead and detail any long-term / short-term projects, professional organizations, or volunteer experiences that you’re involved in! Everything you do outside of work counts too! Some examples include:
- Working with a local community organization
- Running your own business
- Joining a community service or professional organization board
- Freelancing on projects or side hustles that you do not list in your main work experience section
Related Read: Give Back More Than You Take – Digital Volunteer Projects
When you’re building your LinkedIn profile you should treat it like a Google search engine result. You want to make sure that you’re profile is one of the first profiles that show up when someone types in your company (past and present), or your career field.
Remember to only include experiences that help tell the story that you want your visitors to see! Always keep this in the back of your mind so that you are attracting and connecting with people who are in your related career field!
WHAT’S NEXT: MORE LINKEDIN TIPS & TRICKS
Want to learn more about how to stand out and build your network on LinkedIn? Check out the Breakroom Buddha resources below.
10 Ways to Tailor Your LinkedIn Feed
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Great ways to transform a LinkedIn profile. This is very good for networking and recruiters