With the increasing amount of social media platforms available to use nowadays, LinkedIn is probably on the bottom of your list of actively used apps. However, most companies and hiring managers turn to LinkedIn to learn more about their potential employees. Follow these quick steps to refresh and revamp your LinkedIn profile.
Profile Photo – No matter what you do, make sure that you include a profile photo of yourself on your LinkedIn profile. The professionality and style of profile photo should correspond to your interested field of employment. For example, a professional in the investment banking industry should have a drastically different profile photo than a lifestyle influencer or blogger. Remember that human beings are visual animals and that your photo will speak a thousand words to your reader before they even get a chance to scroll through the impressive credentials on your profile.
Headline – Put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes. You look through thousands of applications a day and read through endless decks of resumes. If someone would just kindly summarize themselves in a short and concise sentence, it would make your job so much easier. This is where your LinkedIn headline comes into play. Perfect that elevator pitch with specific goals and unique personality traits to make a strong and confident statement about yourself.
Professional Skills – Use the professional skills portion of your LinkedIn profile to show off everything you’ve got! For many skill-based industries, employers are looking for potential employees with certain sets of skills. Put yourself at the front of the line by showing exactly what you know how to do and also having coworkers endorse you.
Personalize – Although LinkedIn is primarily a professional network, it is still important to add personal touches in order for you to be more relatable. There are several ways to do this. First, you can customize your background photo on your profile. This should show your personality and your style while still remaining professional. Furthermore, listing interests and hobbies will allow employers to get to know you outside of a purely professional setting. These interests and hobbies often make for great conversation starters at interviews.
Contact Information – Lastly, as strong as your profile can be, all your hard work goes to waste when you are unreachable. Make sure that your contact information is clearly listed and available on your profile. This can include anything from phone numbers and emails to other social media handles. But remember, keep other profiles professional if you are planning on linking them!
