LinkedIn

Getting Attention with a Winning Profile

It’s so easy just to create a profile and then simply sit back and view everyone else’s posts. If you really want to make your profile work for you, there are some tricks to make it attract attention. Sometimes even making small changes can increase your visibility to recruiters or employing managers.

The following are tips from LinkedIn on how to maximise your profile.

There are many parts to a profile that you can choose to populate. Most of these are optional, however it is recommended that at a minimum you complete:

• Education. Really important! Particularly for those entering the workforce for the first time. Including your education helps to connect/reconnect with other students and Alumnus too.
• Experience. This section should always be up-to-date and include your current position. If you're not currently working (including part-time and casual work) LinkedIn recommends that you add an experience that is similar to the one you want to pursue. For example you could write 'Marketing major, open to marketing internships or experience' or 'Photographer looking for freelance gigs'. Speak about your experience using short concise paragraphs covering your work and expertise.
• A photo. It has been proven that profiles with an appropriate photo get more views and messages. Your photo doesn’t need to be a deadpan, overly serious professionally taken headshot on a white background (boring!). Rather it should be a clear, good quality photo of you that represents you professionally. And remember this is about you, so it’s not a great idea to include your furry friends or kids in your photo. You can polish it up using the editing tools in LinkedIn.
• Note your volunteer experience. Especially if your work experience is light on.
• Skills. Listing your skills helps recruiters and employing managers match you with the role they are filling. LinkedIn recommend that you should have 5 or more skills listed. List your skills in the order of the strengths that you want to be known for. The LinkedIn elves then work behind the scenes to target your connections who can endorse those skills that you’ve prioritised. The more endorsements you have for your skills the higher you’ll rank in search results.
• Summary. You can use this section to tell a story about who you are, your experience, the types of things you are interested in and the goals you’d like to achieve. This is like your elevator pitch (see our module on Networking for more info). Try to use 40 words or more as this is more likely to appear in searches. Use key words and skills that you would come across in your desired field of work. Don’t be afraid to put some of your personality in there! Recruiters and employing managers want to see this.
• Headline. This sits just under your names in your profile and it shows up in your feed when you post something. It auto-defaults to your latest position title, but you can change it to be more impactful. Consider adding something compelling, customised and representative of you. Use key words that are recognised in your professional community, pinpoint exactly what you do and highlight unique skills or passions that you have. An example could be ‘Powerhouse Program Manager, Rock Your Profile Queen and Opportunity Connector’ (This is Lauren's. She works at LinkedIn as a program manager and creates education modules called Rock Your Profile. She sings in a band and also recruits for LinkedIn).

Always write in the first person - after all, it's about you, not someone else.

Try to give a picture of how you stand out from the crowd (check out our information on how to Identify your Competitive Edge) and differentiate yourself from others in the profession. One way of doing this is by creating a personal brand through being active on LinkedIn and posting stories and examples of your work, add videos, photos or quotes that talk to who you are and support your personal brand.

Remember, as with all social media, its good practice to check your privacy and security settings to make sure they are set up to your liking. And while you’re at it, review your account settings and check you’re happy with them.