Your photo
A professional profile photo receives 21x more views and 36x more messages.
Your photo should be recent, high-quality, and reflect a professional demeanour and should be taken in front of a plain background. Make sure your face takes up around 60% of the image (long-distance shots don’t stand out).
Your headline
Your headline is extremely important as it appears immediately under your profile picture and features in searching criteria.
Make your headline more than just your job title and company name. Include any other relevant information that informs your target audience more of what you can do.
Optimise your keywords
Keywords can be used in all parts of your profile,but are particularly important in your heading,about me and experience section.
Customise your URL
LinkedIn provides you with a generic URL link.
You can amend it to make it easier for people to find you. It also makes you look more tech savvy. As URLs are unique, if your name isn’t available, try using your middle name or a professional qualification (i.e.MBA). You will need to change this on a desktop.
Write your summary
Tell your professional story to motivate your target audience to want to learn more about you.
Write in the first person and provide personal insights.
Share passions, accomplishments, and career highlights. Think what you want to be known for and use this to guide you.
Update your work experience
Ensure your LinkedIn Profile aligns with your CV/Resume.
Ensure your job title represents your role to make it easier for recruiters to find you. Think keywords!
Provide context when describing your role (size of company, industry, and role scope) and list quantifiable accomplishments where possible. Link each role to the company page and avoid sharing more than 15 years of experience, unless it’s relevant to the role you are seeking. This will help alleviate any age-related bias.
Update your education
Including your education on LinkedIn boosts credibility and visibility.
Search target companies for employees from your university to network effectively. Highlighting your education helps establish common ground with employers.
Ensure your profile can be viewed publicly
LinkedIn is a public platform, so it's recommended that your searches are visible to others.
Keeping your identity hidden can negatively impact your visibility and hinder your ability to connect with others.
Skills and edorsements
You can select up to 50 skills on profile, but it’s important to choose those most relevant to the job role you are seeking and your area of expertise.
Including at least five skills increases your chances of being contacted by a recruiter by 33x.
Endorsements are often overlooked but they are valuable for networking. Start a conversation with your endorser by expressing gratitude. Additionally, because recruiters use keywords to find candidates, SKILLS and ENDORSEMENTS are more impactful than recommendations when sourcing applicants.
Ask for recommendations
Build your credibility through your recommendations.
Contact relevant connections to ask for a recommendation and don’t forget to update them regularly so you always have recent ones on your profile.
Find out how you can optimise your LinkedIn profile to stand out professionally and increase business oportunities with our LinkedIn guide here
