New year – new you! If your job doesn’t satisfy you anymore maybe it’s time to send out the right signals to the universe by updating your LinkedIn profile. The prefect boss could already be out there, on a hunt for a perfect employee (read – you). Let them find you!
Technology has changed the way we interact with many spheres of our life and recruiting is one of them. So if you’re still circling interesting job opportunities in a newspaper, you’re doing it all wrong. The best offers have gone online and the biggest and exciting contracts are now all signed via business social network called LinkedIn. Your profile on LinkedIn is your new CV and cover letter, all in one. And you no longer have to apply for a job as Human Resource departments are searching for the best candidate on the market. But, with so many people ‘on display’, it also means the competition has become more intense than ever. So what should you do to stand out from the virtual crowd?
Treat your LinkedIn profile wisely
Remember, you have to show potential employers how good you are in what you do. Most of them will make a decision on whether they should contact you, or not, based solely on what they see. Make your LinkedIn profile look professional and flawless! There are a number of fields to fill in – your profile photo, general description, education, work experience, skills, portfolio, etc – so, take the time to fill these out and give as much relevant information as you can. Add active links to your portfolio and upload your best examples of presentations, articles, designs you’ve created as .jpg or .pdf files.
Only 50.5% of LinkedIn users take the time to fill out every section of the profile. Don’t be that one half of users who fail to use the platform to its full potential!
Profile photo
Easy as? Not really! Many people get away with passport-type photos, but remember, we’re talking THE MOST EFFECTIVE LinkedIn profile that will land your dream job here. And your profile picture is obviously the first thing you’re going to be judged upon, so add a bit of personality to it. Stay away from your family photo from the last year’s vacation though and plan to end up somewhere in between your dull passport photo and your way-too-personal-me-rocking-my-best-bikini one. A portrait of you smiling into the camera and looking friendly and happy (and dressed!) will be fine.
Not sure what photo to choose? Let other people vote! Apps like PhotoFeeler allow you to upload several photos and see what people think about it. Do you want to look competent or influential for your next career step? The right photo will demonstrate that you have what it takes.
Example of PhotoFeeler votes
LinkedIn summary rules
The LinkedIn summary field that appears right below the photo, is basically your cover letter. But since you’re not actually applying for the job when writing it, it allows you to do it in a more creative, engaging format. This is the place to briefly describe all the things in your career you’re proud of. Include your experience, skills, motivations and interests! Mention what makes you so passionate about your profession to increase your chances of attracting the right opportunity.
In order to help recruiters find your profile, make sure you’ve included correct keywords in this section. Reading a few job descriptions of the position you’re aiming for will help you figure out what skills and experience will make perfect keywords.
Word count? Well, it should be at least 40 words to appear on LinkedIn search but save recruiter’s time and patience by keeping it to 2-3 paragraphs. After all, being able to express your thoughts in a clear and short form is a great skill on its own!
Avoid buzzwords!
LinkedIn had recently revealed the 10 most overused marketing buzzwords on résumés and profiles. If you want to look professional, creative and, let’s be honest, a little bit more desirable for recruiters than those people simply repeating the same on-trend words, you should avoid them entirely. Here’s the list for you:
- Strategic
- Creative
- Specialised
- Leadership
- Passionate
- Experienced
- Focused
- Enthusiastic
- Expert
- Track record
Thesaurus is a great tool to find appropriate synonyms. For example, ‘creative’ can be replaced with ‘innovative’ or ‘imaginative’; ‘specialised’ can be turned into ‘niche’; and ‘track record’ is really just a ‘performance history’. See, now you’re definitely the one who stands out!
Make connections
Knowing ‘the right people’ in the industry these days is equally, if not more important, than your work experience and education. The first thing you should do after filling in your personal profile is to look for colleagues and professionals you’re familiar with. Simply type in their names in the ‘Search’ field at the top of the page and send a request to connect.
Not sure you remember all of them? Search for a particular organisation and LinkedIn will show you the profiles of everyone who had mentioned this company as their workplace.
Finally, you can allow LinkedIn to go through your work email and retrieve contacts based on people’s emails.
While there is no magical number, it’s generally accepted that having less than 50 connections shows you in a negative way. Are you too shy to communicate? Are you afraid of social media and technology and prefer to stay away from all these things? We don’t know what’s wrong with you but something is definitely not right.
Endorse your skills
Remember, it’s not always about what YOU think you’re great at but what your colleagues and employers confirm you’re great at. And here is where all the connections you’ve made on LinkedIn come in really handy. Ask these people to ‘endorse’ (verify, approve – call it what you want) the skills you’ve listed on your profile. They don’t have to tick ‘plus’ next to all of them, of course. Some of them might have only noticed your exceptional advertising skills, others know you’re really good at organising meetings and some might have experienced your talent to inspire and motivate the team. If each of them ‘endorses’ the skill they know you have, your future employer will understand that people in the industry actually agree with what you say about yourself.