6 Tips to Rock Your LinkedIn Profile!
In my last blog post I highlighted some of the reasons it is beneficial to have a LinkedIn presence. It’s a great way to showcase the work you’ve done and your many skills and experience. It’s also a great platform on which to build your professional network! You can meet colleagues old and new, and some you want to get to know. Lastly, through engaging with material on LinkedIn (either your own posts or by commenting on others’ posts) you can build your “LinkedIn Cred” as a thought leader and content creator.
Profile Sections
So now that you know what it is and why you may want to be there, let’s chat about how to rock your LinkedIn profile! The profile has several sections and the more time you take to build out as much as you can, it will definitely work in your favor. The key here is to be thoughtful about what you put on your profile. There is a strategy to it. Think about how you want to tell your story.
The Headshot
I realize that for those of us who cannot see, photos don’t do much for us. However, on social media, it’s all about the headshot. Here are a few interesting stats I recently heard on a webinar. A profile with a good headshot gets nine times more connection requests, 21 times more profile vies and 36 times more messages!
But don’t just throw up any old photo! Either have a professional head shot made or grab your iPhone and a friend and head outdoors where the lighting is optimal for a photoshoot! Dress in a nice shirt, make sure your hair is styled, and watch out for spinach in your teeth! That last one was a tip I wish I’d had!
Introduction
There are a few other things you can do in your intro section that make a big impact. You can record yourself pronouncing your name. This helps if you have a difficult name, but also people like to hear what you sound like. You can also add your pronouns so you can show up how you like. Lastly, you can record a 30 second video introducing yourself, what you do, your interests and your goals. This is a feature that is currently only available on the phone app. Keep it short and sweet.
Open To Work Banner
If you’re looking for work, let people know by adding the “Open to Work” banner on your profile picture. Recruiters can filter their search by a number of things and this one of them. A really cool feature is that you can customize your profile so the banner won’t show up for anyone from your current company or you can make it only visible to recruiters.
Summary
Next up is the summary section of your profile. Think of this like your billboard. Use around 40 words and focus on your career accomplishments and aspirations. In the featured content section, you can really shine. Here you can showcase things you’ve done – presentations, interviews, articles, anything that will illustrate the work you have done.
Experience
The experience section is very important. Make sure to complete this section as much as possible and keep it current. The same goes for education – make sure you capture all of it. Volunteer experience is optional, but I recommend it. It’s another part of your story and people enjoy knowing what you care about. Also, many hiring managers view volunteer experience as equal to work experience.
Recommendations
Last but definitely not least is the recommendations section. Recommendations might be difficult to ask of colleagues, but they help to validate your experience and build your credibility. Start by asking a few past or present coworkers if they can endorse you for a few of the skills your most known for and offer to do the same for them. The sky’s the limit!
LinkedIn can be the gateway to your next great opportunity, or it can help you build your professional network to new heights! With these tips and a little time and effort, you’re going to rock your LinkedIn profile! I know it’s tempting to look for profile examples and do what they’re doing, trust me though you want to tailor your profile to be as unique as you are!
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Melanie’s Bio:
Melanie Peskoe is a vivaciously, middle-age, blind woman, and a professional late bloomer having started her career in her 40’s! She currently works as the Public Policy and Research Coordinator with the American Foundation for the Blind. In addition to her roles as Bold Blind Beauty Career Contributor and Advisory Board member, Melanie is a VisionAware Peer Advisor and many of her blog posts can be found there as well. Born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Melanie has two older kids, and loves to crochet and read (preferably at the same time!)
Connecting With Melanie
- Linkedin @MelaniePeskoe
- Facebook @MelaniePeskoe
Image Descriptions
- The header image is a large LinkedIn logo. The word “in” is white text on a blue square background.
- Closeup photo of a woman’s hands holding a cell phone about to join LinkedIn.
- Author bio photo is a headshot of Melanie her light brown hair is styled in a fashionable bob and she’s wearing red lip color with a black v-neck top.