10 Easy Ways to Instantly Improve Your LinkedIn Profile
Selling yourself isn’t easy. Whether it’s writing your CV or updating your LinkedIn profile, it’s all about making a great first impression.
But today, especially with remote and hybrid working, LinkedIn is almost unavoidable, and it is, without a doubt, one of the best ways to get noticed as well as boost your credibility and make new and relevant connections within your industry.
So, what are the most important aspects of your LinkedIn Profile? What are recruiters looking for and how can you make yourself stand out from the crowd?
Why have a LinkedIn Profile?
Firstly, you need to understand why you’re there in the first place.
LinkedIn can be a scary place. There are millions of industry experts and influencers posting on the platform every day and for anyone who doesn’t regularly post, it can be quite overwhelming.
But this can also send the wrong messages about what you should and shouldn’t be doing.
Posting because you run a business and you want to grow your followers and posting because you’re an individual with an opinion – are two different things.
In this feature, we will discuss how to get noticed and stand out as an individual who is simply interested in having a positive presence on LinkedIn.
10 easy steps for building a great LinkedIn profile
Below, we’ll take you through our guide to updating your LinkedIn profile so that you can make a great first impression.
1) Choose a clear, professional photo
When applying for a job, attaching a picture of yourself would be frowned upon. But with LinkedIn, not having an image – or having a poor image – can make you worse off.
In fact, LinkedIn themselves have written an entire feature on how to make sure your photo makes a good first impression. In short, it should be clear, professional looking, you should be the only person in the photo, you should be wearing work clothes and it also helps to smile!
LinkedIn also offers a video feature now for your profile, but this is again, more suited to those who are a) promoting their own business or services and b) who are naturally comfortable on camera!
2) Update your cover image
This is another way to grab people’s attention and a completed profile will help your visibility. Choose something that helps to tell people a little bit about yourself. Make sure it’s not too distracting and that it is clear and fits the frame correctly.
You might also want to update it with your company’s approved LinkedIn cover image which is especially good if you need to contact customers.
3) Get straight to the point with an attention-grabbing headline
Gone are the days of rigid job titles and formal introductions – this is social media and what matters is showing your audience how you are different. Don’t be afraid to show a little personality, say what is important to you, what subjects you’re passionate about and what topics you’re interested in.
You might notice a few profiles with hashtags e.g. Talks about #digitaltransformation #cybersecurity etc. These are also great, especially if you are posting regularly and want to grow your audience.
4) Write a compelling profile summary
The summary is a great way to sum yourself up but also convey your personality. Help the audience get to know you and understand what makes you different. Know your strengths and write naturally. Recruiters will also be looking for someone who fits a particular company culture as well as if your skills fit. So if you can showcase your friendly nature and approachability, this will stand you in good stead.
Just think, if you were asked in an interview to summarise your skillsets and what makes you different, what would you say? What are your standout moments? What should they know about you? And also, what other skills do you have that aren’t necessarily listed in your experience?
Finally, avoid overused, empty phrases such as, “an eye for detail” or “has a passion for [insert subject matter that no one is really passionate about here]”.
5) Focus your keywords
Your skills and experience should all be up to date. This doesn’t mean having every single job you have ever had on your profile. But make sure the majority of your relevant positions are covered and your education is up to date too – including any online courses.
When writing these, it’s ok to use bullet points but just make sure you have all of your relevant keywords in there. Recruiters will be looking for particular skills so just be conscious your profile satisfies common search queries for your job title.
6) Get your profile endorsed by others
Getting other professionals who have worked with you to endorse your profile is a great way to show your audience that you are good at what you do. It’s almost like a living case study where you can prove your skills within a particular area, that you are well connected, and others enjoy working with you.
You can do this through recommendations as well which are more detailed – don’t forget to share the love and write some back for your colleagues to help them out!
7) Stand out with featured content
Those who put time and effort into their LinkedIn profile will immediately convey not only an attractive page, but this also gives your audience the message that they are worth your time, that you are hardworking and that you care how people see you.
By uploading interesting documentation that perhaps you have published or been involved in, will give others an idea as to what your standard of work is like and also how knowledgeable you are.
It also makes your profile more colourful too which means people will stay on it for longer.
8) Emphasise your enthusiasm for learning
Those who willingly want to continue learning no matter where they are in their career, will always be treasured. Ensure you regularly update your online courses and certifications to highlight how self-motivated you are and that you are always willing to put in extra time and effort to improve your skillset.
9) Show off your knowledge
Writing is a great way to show off your knowledge as well as demonstrate how passionate you are about your particular area of expertise.
Always make sure you promote any publications you have been involved in – and include a link or an attachment where relevant – on your profile. But also, LinkedIn allows you to include your website on your profile. This could be a blog or an online profile, which then offers a whole world of content that’s all stemmed from you.
Once you have a few pieces on your blog, link it to your LinkedIn Profile and spread the word through regular posts that include a few relevant hashtags e.g. #cloudcomputing.
10) Join the conversation!
Being on LinkedIn doesn’t mean you have to post all the time. But joining conversations that are relevant to you will help you build your network and get noticed by the right people. Follow hashtags that are relevant to your subject matter and join in the conversation with supportive, positive and thought-provoking comments. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can build your network simply by supporting trending posts and being a friendly voice within your community.
Find out more
If you would like any help on standing out or would like to speak to us about our latest roles, just get in touch!
We’re available Monday to Friday 9am-5.30pm, just call: 1890 911 211
Or email us and send over your CV to: info@itcontracting.ie