LinkedIn is a really exciting place to be right now, and your LinkedIn profile may play a key role in what your future career looks like.
In a time of economic uncertainty, and the fact that none of us want to be in the same room as other humans in fear we might kick start another pandemic, your professional online profile has never been more important!
LinkedIn is basically like Facebook, except your slightly racist aunt is no where to be found and you don’t have to worry about frantically trying to un-tag yourself from all those old pictures of you drinking your face off in your early 20s every time you have a new job interview.
If you have a new job or career in mind or are an entrepreneur looking for clients, you need to develop a really strong LinkedIn profile. Because guess what? Just like you cyber stalked that guy on Instagram you met that one-time, potential employers, recruiters, and potential and current clients are going to creep your profile on LinkedIn (and whatever else they can find – so start un-tagging).
More and more recruiters are using social media for hiring. And whether you like it or not, social media is how people figure out what you’re all about. Your LinkedIn profile can help you build relationships, impress the people you work or do business with, and even land you a new job.
So let’s talk about how you can step up your profile game and design a LinkedIn Profile that will impress anyone who comes across it.
When I made these small changes to my profile, my month-over-month profile views went up by 267%!
1. Personalize Your LinkedIn Profile URL
Your LinkedIn Profile URL defaults to something like this: /firstname-lastname-97837495. But did you know you can change it to whatever you want?
In the top right hand corner of your profile, click the option to “Edit Public Profile & URL”. Then, choose “Edit your custom URL”.
Change the numbers to reflect your name or brand – it’s more professional and you can actually become more searchable on Google this way.
2. Take a Professional Photo That Will Stand Out
You don’t have to take the standard “from the shoulders and up” mugshot headshot that everyone seems to have these days.
Always keep professionalism in mind of course but try to use a photo that represents you and your personal brand – because that’s essentially what you’re selling. A few tips:
- The photo should be high quality, recent, and look like you do right now
- Save the filters for Instagram (but if you have photo editing software you can always use it to adjust brightness and contrast)
- Look directly at the camera
- Be the only person in the picture and avoid distracting backgrounds
- While you don’t need a headshot per se, it is best if your photo is about 60% your face
3. Write an Accurate yet Compelling Headline
Your headline is the first thing people see when they search for you or view your profile. Your headline does not have to just represent your current job – it can represent whatever future aspirations you have, your side hustle, or the industry you want to break into.
For Example:
XXXX University Graduate | B2B Copywriting & Marketing | Seeking Entry Level Position
Experienced enior Project Coordinator at XXXX Company | Global Mining Team |
Freelance Copywriter and Content Creator | Experienced in SEO and Digital Marketing
Make sure to use keywords. Search for the jobs and industries you’re interested in and sneak those in your title.
You get 140 characters – so make the most out of it and create something impactful.
4. Add Some Thought to Your LinkedIn Banner
Are you still using the standard LinkedIn Profile Banner? It’s the age of social media – your online profiles represent who you are, just like LinkedIn represents who you are professionally.
You can do whatever you want with this.
- Keep it simple and use a graphic that represents your personal brand or current job position.
- Use it to market yourself by adding a logos or imagery that represents your business.
- Add a tagline or quote that inspires you.
- Use a photo of you working – are you a public speaker? Add a photo of you speaking at an event!
Use Canva to create a FREE banner for your profile that will pull in recruiters and impress your colleagues or clients.
5. Write a Strong Summary
Your Summary is your pitch. This is where you can tell recruiters what you’re all about or tell clients why they should work with you. Don’t forget to use keywords here.
- Outline your current job position and your experience. Talk about your accomplishments, highlight that cool project you worked on, and emphasize what you do for work.
- Highlight your aspirations or career focus. What do you want to be doing? What kind of clients are you trying to pull in? Mention your passion and what industry you’re interested in. This is the part that will pull in your profile visitors and potentially land you in a new job or industry.
Here’s a quick example:
“I currently work for XXXX Company as a Senior Project Coordinator, where I’ve had the opportunity to work with teams across Canada and for clients around the world.
As someone who’s worked in a corporate environment for close to 10 years, I’ve become passionate about helping millennials find career fulfillment and connect with strong, employee-focused companies so they can crush it at their day jobs.
I love writing about career growth and development and creating content that will help young professionals and entrepreneurs find passion in their work. If you’re interested in a millennial perspective for your online platform, please connect with me, I’d love to write for you. Visit my website for more info.”
- Add a Call to Action. See what I did at the end there?I’m telling people I want them to connect with me. I’m trying to add additional engagement here. Ask people to visit your website, follow you on social, or check out your most recent posted article.
6. Keep Your LinkedIn Profile Active
You don’t want your LinkedIn profile to look dormant. Activity on your LinkedIn profile gives clients, colleagues, and recruiters more of an opportunity to see what you’ve got going on.
- share articles you’re on subjects you’re interested in
- write an article
- make connections with potential clients or with previous professional interactions you’ve had
- post accomplishments (courses, awards)
- comment on and share posts
LinkedIn can bring so much to your career if you use it correctly. Do you have any more LinkedIn profile tips? Leave a comment below.
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