How to Take Your LinkedIn Profile to the Next Level

Career Management, Interview, Job Search, Networking

As you know, your LinkedIn profile is one of the most important resources you have to reinforce your personal brand and candidate appeal. Now that you have the working elements in place, it’s time to make your profile even stronger so it stands out against the competition.

In this checklist, you will learn in-depth the 10 DIY steps to customize your LinkedIn profile. Note: This is for intermediate and advanced LinkedIn users.

 

1. Optimize Your Tagline

Optimizing your tagline with applicable keywords, descriptors and deliverables you want to be known for is a “must-do” to be found in any LinkedIn searches. Your tagline is the first thing potential hiring managers see when they get search results or land on your profile — and it needs to be strong.

Instead of describing your previous title or company, fill this space with hard-hitting, action-driven words and skills you want to be known for (with a 120-character limit). Start with your core subject matter expertise and ensure it has a widely known descriptor. From there, add your level of knowledge and expertise, and end with additional skills that round out your brand as applicable.

Here are some examples:

  • Digital Artist/Graphic Designer – expertise in Art Direction and Project Management
  • Corporate Trainer/Instructor – skilled in Instructional Design, Curriculum Development and L&D Management
  • Business Development Director – Franchise and Restaurant Operations

 

2. Use a Professional Photo

Your profile is the personal connection in an otherwise “behind the curtain” networking meetup. Without a photo to show trustworthiness, it’s too easy to think a person is not who they’re representing themselves as. Not having a photo isn’t an option.

Having the right photo, though, is equally important. For each industry, the exact standards for the best photo option will vary. But across the board, your photo needs to be a cropped headshot of you without any other distractions or variables to take away from the personal connection.

In all cases, you should be dressed in appropriate attire and looking your best. Smiling in the picture is preferred to a blank stare, but don’t get so overboard with it that it turns into cheesy.

Remember that your picture is there to create a connection — you want to be seen as likable, approachable and someone the hiring manager would want to work with. You don’t have to look perfect or flawless, but use a photo you wouldn’t be embarrassed about seeing on the front page of The Wall Street Journal.

 

3. Achievement-Driven Summary

The summary section in your LinkedIn profile provides ample opportunity for you to “wow” potential hiring managers and recruiters in 2,000 words or less. You should think of it as an executive summary for you and your personal brand. It’s also the most searchable field on LinkedIn, so make it count.

As a general rule of thumb, your summary should be written in third person and should be focused more on your achievements and key accomplishments than on previous job titles or company-specific job descriptions.

Remember your audience — people who are trying to get to know your abilities better. They don’t want to be told how great you are; they want to be shown what you have done. (Tweet this thought.) Metrics and deliverables shine in this section, as they will entice visitors to continue reading the rest of your profile — but only if you make an impact.

A little-known secret: you can enhance your summary even more by adding a list of specialties or core competencies at the bottom, reinforcing your skills and adding even more keywords (see step below).

 

4. Use Keywords in Summary and Experience Sections

The importance of using the right keywords cannot be repeated enough. Like on other search engines such as Google, being “found” on LinkedIn for the right skills will increase your odds of being hired or seen as a viable candidate.

In your summary section, you should optimize keywords throughout your description, not just with a closing list. Be sure you’re constantly reinforcing the correct skills and capabilities throughout each section.

When it comes to the experience section, don’t list out your previous job description. Instead, reflect back on the applicable keywords and be sure to include various examples of how you’ve delivered those skills in each role. Reinforce your subject matter expertise using the right words to get yourself found.

 

5. Choose the Right Skills and Endorsements

The best way to differentiate yourself as an expert is to have focus. It’s tempting to choose 40 skills in an endless list of options, but doing so dilutes your actual skill set.

Instead, choose only skills applicable to the position you want that match your personal brand. LinkedIn shows your top 10 skills in a list, with room for 15 others without having to hit the “more” button. Use this as a guidepost for the number of skills you choose — have at least 10 and aim to have no more than 25.

This also helps your connections choose the right skills to endorse you for. If you list that you’re great with Microsoft Excel, but you’re seeking a job as a designer, there will be a disconnect between the skills you need and the nice-to-haves. So in the example above, replace “Excel” with “Adobe Photoshop” and let former colleagues agree that you are a Photoshop wiz.

If you provide the skills you want others to reinforce, it creates a nice tie-in with your overall brand and profile, while also giving you the social proof to stand behind your various skill sets.

 

6. Complete All Sections, Including Education and Interests

The Education section not only shows hiring manager/recruiters your education accomplishments, but it also gives you easy access to alumni connections, associations and groups. It can also be an added bonus to make a personal connection to a potential hiring manager — you never know where they went to school unless you look!

The Interests section is a new addition to LinkedIn, and it allows you to reinforce things that are important to you but may not fit under a different category. Remember that this is a professional network, so you want to include interests that reinforce your personal brand, add value to your subject matter expertise and stay firmly in the professional zone.

The more complete your profile, the more searchable it becomes, so completing all relevant sections is important. The two mentioned above can help showcase your personality, who you are as a person and if you’d be a good culture fit to potential companies and connections.

 

7. Claim a Vanity URL

Your direct link URL is a key identifier between a rookie LinkedIn user and an advanced user. It shows that you’re using LinkedIn as a networking tool, not just slapping up a profile.

It takes a minute or so to update your vanity URL, and it’s worth the effort. When you do change it, try and get it as close to your first name and last name as possible. If you have a more common name, this may be tricky, but try different variations that are still related.

Some examples:

  • LinkedIn.com/in/JohnSmith
  • LinkedIn.com/in/JSmith
  • LinkedIn.com/in/JBSmith

Try to stay away from numbers, nicknames and any other character that may come across as unprofessional. Your vanity URL can then easily be used on your business cards, resume, cover letter and other social media networks.

 

8. Get Recommendations

Having others reinforce your experience through recommendations goes a long way for potential hiring managers. It removes the potential risk of interviewing someone based on their word alone.

Reach out to your colleagues, bosses, clients and peers and ask them to recommend your work. It’s important to be specific in your request — you don’t want a bunch of “Yeah, she’s great” recommendations on your profile. Instead, you want recommendations that provide qualitative measures about why you’re so great.

When you send the recommendation email, be specific and direct. In your email, ask the person to provide feedback on a project or task they worked on with you, or a particular deliverable or skill set. The more specific your request, the better the recommendation will be. Then review the recommendations and approve them to be visible on your profile.

 

9. Showcase Your Work

Instantly add credibility and tangible proof of your accomplishments through the various ways you can showcase your work on LinkedIn. Enter all of your professional credentials in the appropriate sections and share the various things you have created.

If you’ve written a white paper, upload it for easy access. Same goes for different media outlets or features, presentations you’ve created and delivered, and videos you have been a part of. If you’ve earned awards, list them — just be sure to explain what they’re for if they’re company-specific –and so on.

Each of these items lends itself to reinforcing your brand and credibility in a particular subject. It helps paint the story of who you are through various touch points outside of just your resume.

For everything you add, keep in mind that it should make you an easier choice to reach out to — consistency in your brand and expertise are key.

 

10. Sync Your Profile to Your Resume

There’s nothing that can demolish credibility faster than facts not adding up or being consistent. When someone reviews your LinkedIn profile and your resume, they should be getting the same story.

How you say it can be different depending on the outlet, but the messaging and branding should be consistent throughout. The dates of your previous roles should line up. Your expertise and skills should be directly correlated.

There should be no question from one resource to another about who you are and what you have done. Don’t work so hard on your overall profile, only to be passed over because the facts didn’t match. Take the time to ensure you have a consistent story throughout.

Which steps will you take next to optimize your LinkedIn profile? Share in the comments!

This post originally appeared as a two-part series at Chameleon Resumes.

Image: Flickr

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