Setting up the perfect LinkedIn Profile

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If you are a professional in any capacity, especially a job seeker, then you can’t neglect Linkedin any longer. It is the Facebook of the business world and is becoming an economical recruitment tool for businesses and recruiters.

When you’re applying for a job, hiring managers these days simply put your personal information into a search engine and will see what comes up. A perfect Linkedin profile is a great way to showcase yourself. It’s more extensive than a resume or CV and has some more extra benefits like building up an online network.

In addition, companies and recruiters look for new suitable personnel on LinkedIn and you can even apply for jobs via Linkedin. As a recruiter myself, my experience is terrific in that I can search candidates in which state, job title, experience, and some keywords. Rather than spend time posting a job advert and hoping the right person applies, LinkedIn allows users to search the database to find their ideal next employee!

Although it looks easy to set up a profile, just filling out all the required fields, there is more to get out of it. Paying attention to the little details explained below can make you stand out just that extra bit more than the rest.

1. Use the headline to your advantage

Below your name, you can write a headline. It is possibly the most important part to setting up a perfect Linkedin profile, as it is your 120 character hook to people finding you in a Linkedin search. Be creative or funny and make it catchy. If you would describe yourself or your specialisms in 120 characters, what would it be? Even examples as “living the dream” could be a reason for people to click on your profile and find out more about you.

2. Location and Industry

If people don’t know where you’re located or which industry you’re specialised in, they won’t feel the urge to click through to your profile. They might not even find you when looking for suitable candidates to fill a position.

3. Write a summary

You have 2000 characters to describe your background. The summary is besides the fields mentioned above one of the things hiring managers are interested in. When you decide to include a summary (which is highly recommendable) make it a clear, comprehensible and complete one. Make sure to include keywords so you’ll be found in searches.

4. Be specific

When writing down your work experience and education, include duties and tasks you do or did, responsibilities you have or had, projects you work(ed) on, etc.

5. Add Skills

According to Linkedin, people that add skills to their profile receive an average of 13x more profile views than those who don’t. Important to remember is that when summarising your skills, put the most relevant ones on top. Also don’t be afraid to ask people in your network to endorse you for a specific skill. This can be fun and rewarding when others endorse you for a skill and it adds great credibility to your profile.

6. Join Relevant Groups

The groups you join will be visible in your profile. Joining relevant ones in your field shows that you’re committed to you industry and that you like to stay up-to-date on the latest developments. Comment on articles and be active in discussions.

7. Volunteering Experience

If you have any volunteering experience, point it out! It says a lot about you and your passion to do things. Also, it counts as experience; over 40% of hiring managers view volunteer experience equivalent to formal work experience.

If you don’t have a perfect Linkedin profile then stop right now and create one, it won’t take too long. With these 7 points of advice I hope to help you bring your Linkedin profile to the next level and bring you a step closer to your dream job! When setting up a Linkedin profile, Linkedin will also prompt you on how to build your profile. No need to wait, get started today.
Once your happy with your profile, get in touch! You can follow Career of the Day and get connected with some of our consultants Evan and Ryan.

03/02/2015