Expert tips on creating and optimising a LinkedIn profile to get companies and businesses to notice you
In today’s job market, it is getting harder than before to stand out from your competition. As a job seeker, it is important to be aware of how to gain a competitive advantage. While there are many ways to make yourself stand out from the crowd, recruitment experts will say that maintaining a good LinkedIn profile can help boost your chances of getting an interview. Our team of professional Recruiters put together a step by step guide that will help you optimise your LinkedIn profile, check out our expert tips below on how to make a good profile that will complement your CV!
Let's start at the top and work down! Click on the little pencils to the right to make changes.
Pictures: Choose a picture for the background that relates to the job you would like to do. For your profile picture choose a clear headshot. Depending on the industry you want to work in, for example, Banking
Add Profile Section: You can use this drop-down to view all profile sections and ensure you have completed everything you can to help your profile stand out!
Edit Intro: In this section, you can edit your picture and headline. Your headline is important as it is the first line recruiters see when they click on your profile. Ideally, your headline should reflect your needs to contain a short description of your current job or a short description that relates to the job position you are looking for. Use keywords you think recruiters will search for and related to your current job (or the job you want). Ask yourself this question:
"What is going to make a Recruiter or Talent person click into my profile? What do I want to say in order to be found and get people interested? What does my Headline say to others?"
If possible, give the reader an idea of your level (Senior, Executive), scope (Regional?) and what you do (Digital Transformation | Change Manager | Project Manager) Use up as many of the limited characters as you can to describe what you do.
Edit About/ Summary Section: This section is a chance for you to show some personality! This is about who you are AND what you do. An overview of what you love about the job you do (or the job you want). And what you can offer. You are aiming to Search Engine Optimise (SEO) your profile. The more a keyword appears in your profile, headline and job titles, means you will be pushed up the rankings higher, making the chances of recruiters seeing your profile higher.
It is also easier to read if you separate paragraphs and bullet point key areas/ skills etc.
Featured Section: This is an area to show off your skills, talents and certificates. Your most recent entry shows first so you may want to arrange important certificates or documents in order so that they can be seen immediately on your homepage. You can put links to portfolios and showreels here if you are a designer.
Open to Opportunities: Ensure that you have completed this section and you click “ON” if you are open. You can choose to share that you are “Open To Opportunities” with just recruiters or your entire network. If you are open to relocate to other areas, you can also choose the locations you are interested in to let Recruiters know.
Edit Experience: IMPORTANT: if you do not want to share the changes you make to your LinkedIn profile with your network, turn the “share with network button off. If this button is on, it sends a message to everyone in your network notifying them about the changes and updates you’ve made, such as changing your job. If you are working and not intending to leave your job yet AND you are connected with your boss, they will get a message notifying them you’ve updated your profile. The reason most people update their profile is because they are looking for another job.
This is where you add in and describe what you do. Ensure your job title is correct. Some job titles in companies are unusual, and to maximise your SEO keyword (keywords are important in job titles) you could put a description of your job in brackets or after a dash.
"Community Manager (Business Manager, Team Leader, Shared Workspace, Building Services)"
Ensure you complete the location part of this section.
Below is the description of what you did in the job. Again, Recruiters search for particular keywords, so think about which ones are relevant to you. What will a recruiter type into the search bar to find you? Use bullet points here as well as list your main duties and key achievements. Don’t be afraid to make the most out of the character limit, you want to strategically saturate your profile with the right keywords to increase your chances to be seen by recruitment teams.
Education: List out your education and the establishments you attended and got your degree from. University or college is typically enough.
Licences and Certifications: Add any extra qualifications and certifications you have here. Remember to find the governing bodies on LinkedIn where you can.
Skills and Endorsements: You can add up to 50 skills and ask people to endorse you. These skills are part of the keywords recruiters.
Referrals, Accomplishments, Groups and Following: Asking for referrals is important to build trust and a brand for yourself. Ask people you know and trust to write about you in an honest and open manner. If you add in accomplishments like publications this really helps.
Being in groups related to your field of expertise and also which are interesting and motivational can be useful and builds a sense of community.
Finally, follow people who will be useful for your career advancement, as their comments and posts will come up in your newsfeed. They can be inspirational and also give you access to other people who comment on their posts which you may be able to connect with and build your community.
Wondering how following businesses and companies will help your job search, and if it’s even worth it to go the extra steps after you’ve created a LinkedIn profile? By following companies and other businesses you are interested in, you can boost your jobseeking opportunities by turning on notifications for open positions on their jobs page.