10 Quick Ways to Drastically Improve your LinkedIn Profile

The importance of having an up to date and appealing LinkedIn profile is something many people tend to forget. When you’re not looking for a job, it can be easy to ignore your LinkedIn profile but you should never underestimate the advantage of being prepared. Recruiters spend hours every week scouring LinkedIn on behalf of their clients and who is to say you are not missing out on your dream opportunity just because your LinkedIn profile isn’t up to date. Always better to be prepared we think. So here are our top tips  to help your LinkedIn profile really shine and start getting noticed by recruiters

1.     Invest some Time to Make it Stand Out

The more complete your profile, the better the odds that recruiters will find you in the first place. LinkedIn search functionality works on key words so simply put, the more relevant key words you have relating to your role and industry the more likely you are to appear in a search. So, don’t be lazy—fill out every single section of your profile, it will really pay off

2.     Get a Custom URL

It’s much easier to publicize your profile with a customized URL (ideally linkedin.com/yourname), rather than the combination of numbers that LinkedIn automatically assigns when you sign up. How to get one? On the Edit Profile screen, at the bottom of the window that shows your basic information, you’ll see a Public Profile URL. Click “Edit” next to the URL, and specify what you’d like your address to be. When you’re finished, click Set Custom URL.

3.     Choose a Great Photo

Choose a clear, friendly, and appropriately professional image. Take a look at the competition - look at what the people in your target company, industry sector, or business level are wearing. Match that.

4.     Use Your Target Job Descriptions to Your Advantage

Take a look at the job descriptions of the positions you’re after, and dump them into a word cloud tool like Wordle. See those words that stand out? They’re likely what recruiters are searching for when they’re looking for people like you. Make sure those words and phrases are dotted throughout your summary and experience.

5.     Nail your Summary

The summary section is your primary opportunity to showcase all the good stuff about you, with your target audience in mind. First impressions are everything so try not to appear arrogant and be careful how you highlight your achievements – don’t brad. Never EVER write in the 3rd person about yourself and try to give the reader a feel for your personality and style

6.     Treat your Profile like your CV

Your CV isn’t just a list of roles and responsibilities (or at least it shouldn’t be!) It’s a place to highlight your best accomplishments. The same goes for your LinkedIn profile. Make sure you flesh out your experience by highlighting your achievements in each role instead of rattling off your day to day duties. This will make your profile completely unique to you and really stand out from the crowd. Be sure that the dates on your CV and your LinkedIn profile tally. Most recruiters will look at both and if there is a difference this can make for an awkward conversation in interview

7.     Request LinkedIn Recommendations

Don’t be afraid to ask your colleagues and associates for recommendations of your work. This is most successful directly after you have completed a specific project or are moving on from a role. Aim to never leave a company without getting at least one LinkedIn recommendation from someone you worked with. Your recommendations are a permanent fixture on your LinkedIn account and will really stand to you when applying for new roles

8.     Update Your Status

You can update your LinkedIn status as often as you wish. So, do! Update it professionally and strategically (share the article you just wrote, not what you ate for lunch today), ideally once a week. Your entire network will see your updates, both in their news feeds and in the weekly LinkedIn network updates emails they receive.

9.     Be a Groupie

LinkedIn Groups are an incredible resource—and they can do wonders for your job search. By joining groups relevant to your profession or industry, you’ll show that you’re engaged in your field. But more importantly, you’ll instantly be connected to people and part of relevant discussions in your field—kind of like an ongoing, online networking event.

10.  Make Sure People Can Find You

Don’t forget to add your email address to the contact information section of your resume. You’d be surprised how many people leave this off!