LinkedIn is one of the fastest-growing professional social media platforms with over 300 million active users and counting. If you want to manage your professional reputation, LinkedIn is the place where you need to be.
However, with so much competition out there, it is possible to feel lost. One needs to grab the attention of recruiters and employers with the help of a robust LinkedIn profile. The best way to get noticed on a professional social media platform like LinkedIn is to create a meticulous and compelling profile.
Think of creating a high-powered LinkedIn profile as building your brand. This LinkedIn page will be the foundation of your brand and it will use its pros as a personal marketing channel to fuel your skills and ambition.
Here are 10 tips that will help you create a robust LinkedIn profile:
- Choose the right head-shot as your LinkedIn profile picture
Your profile picture is the first thing the recruiters will notice when they come across your profile. It is the passage through which your brand is introduced and makes the first impression. There are a few simple tricks that you should keep in mind when setting your profile picture: make sure that the photo is recent and resembles you; long-distance or wide-lens shots don’t stand out, therefore you have to make sure that your face covers at least 60 percent of the frame; make sure that the photo is well-lit and that you are wearing formal workwear clothes
2. Make the most out of your headline
Optimizing your headline is crucial. Remember that your headline should be more than just your job title. Therefore, cleverly use your headline to say more about you, your role in the professional sphere, and what makes you stand out. Instead of listing your job title, it is best to give the recruiter a sneak peek into your brand.
3. Use a background image
LinkedIn profiles with no background image appear boring and unsophisticated. The background image is the second visual element in your profile and it sets the context to your brand. Make sure your background image makes your profile stand out and engage attention. You can use Canva to create a background image of a quote that embodies your vision or list the goals you stand for.
4. Make your summary into your story
The worst thing you can do on LinkedIn is to leave the summary blank, and you will be dumbfounded when you find out how many people do that. The last straw for recruiters is to come across a profile with a blank summary. With the Summary feature, LinkedIn allows you to tell your story. Don’t make your summary a list of things you are good at or the job titles you’ve held. Instead, focus on why those skills matter and how they can make a difference to the company that hires you.
Create an achievement-driven summary and invest time into it. Make a few drafts before choosing the final one. Also, make sure you keep your summary updated.
5. List your relevant skills
Think of your LinkedIn profile as your resume. To get hired, it is important to create a functional resume. Listing your skills is one of the quickest and easiest wins on LinkedIn. Scroll through the list of skills and choose the ones relevant to you. The key here is to be relevant, so only list skills that are core to your brand.
6. Customize your URL
It looks professional to connect people with your LinkedIn profile if you have a direct URL with your name in it. The auto-generated URLs tend to be tediously long and generic and don’t make a good impression. Therefore, take advantage of the feature LinkedIn has to offer and customize your URL.
7. Request endorsements and recommendations
Recommendations are personal testimonials that illustrate your expertise and what it’s like working with you. While endorsements are important on LinkedIn, recommendations take things one step further. A recruiter who comes across your profile with the intention to hire you will be impressed when they hear what others have to say about your work. Therefore, take time to choose the right people to request recommendations from. Reach out to specific contacts that can vouch for your prowess, for example, a former boss, colleague, HR manager, supervisor, etc.
8. Include your contact information
LinkedIn allows you to include your contact information and socials on your profile. Take advantage of this feature. This will make it easy for hiring managers and recruiters to hire you. Make sure you include your email id, phone number, Twitter, your website or portfolio, etc.
9. Grow your network
One of the quickest yet most appropriate ways to become noticeable on LinkedIn is to grow your network. Let LinkedIn sync your profile with your address book and connect with people. It is amazing how you can connect with so many people on Instagram. Furthermore, a profile with more connections gets a head start to getting hired and kickstarting a career compared to a weak profile. On LinkedIn, a weak profile is considered one with fewer connections. So, make sure you connect with people and grow your network.
Besides, it is also important to nourish and maintain those connections by engaging with the people and meeting up with them in real life. This will make sure that you have a vibrant and up-to-date network.
10. Publish content
The more content you publish, the more you establish your caliber. Publishing long-form content is a smart way of getting noticed on Instagram. Start writing posts about things you believe in (your niche-related of course), keep things real by sharing your experiences, share tips and tricks for LinkedIn beginners, etc. The possibilities are endless. After you post, it is important to follow up by sharing that post on your other socials, engaging in comments, and keeping the conversation going.
Building a robust LinkedIn profile doesn’t have to be difficult and definitely, doesn’t need to take hours of your time. Work through your ideas, and take one step at a time. Once you have finished optimizing your profile, you will be amazed at the opportunities that come your way.
