Your LinkedIn profile can be the gateway to your professional world. It’s where you showcase your skills and expertise, share relevant content with others, and connect with peers, recruiters, and influencers.
Sadly, many of us don’t attach much importance to how our profile looks on LinkedIn. Either we are busy or just too confident that we don’t need to market ourselves. However, there are small things that you could do to make sure your profile stands out from the rest.
Ask yourself these questions about your LinkedIn profile and see where you may be lacking:
Do you have the right kind of profile picture on LinkedIn?
Strange as it may sound, your profile picture works like a calling card, making the first impression on recruiters. Make sure it’s a recent picture that resembles you and features a close-up of your face. Wear the right work clothes and smile, and you will get noticed!
Does your profile have a background photo?
A good background photo can attract attention. Its sets the context, showing others what is important to you. It helps to make the page striking and memorable and engages with viewers.
Do you have a catchy headline?
Instead of only including a job title, include an attention-grabbing headline that tells others a little more about what you do and how you are different from others.
Does your profile tell a story?
The summary section is overlooked on LinkedIn often, but it can set you apart from your competitors. It gives you a chance to tell your story, and it’s a mistake to simply type a job title and a bunch of skills to fill this blank.
Have you added too many “buzzwords” to your profile?
Buzzwords are adjectives that people use randomly on LinkedIn profiles. Words like “leadership,” “experienced,” “expert, and” certified” are so often used to describe oneself that they lose their essence. You need to say something more to make your profile worthwhile.
Have you synced your profile?
Remember to sync the profile with your address book to allow LinkedIn to recommend contacts sharing similar skills. This helps you to grow your network and get relevant contacts to reach out to you.
Have you listed your relevant skills?
This will get your profile “noticed” quickly. Employers can scroll through your skillset list and identify which of these matter to them. This complements what’s already mentioned in your summary and headline. Refrain from adding a lengthy list of skills that don’t actually explain what you do or who you are.
Do you have endorsements?
When other LinkedIn members endorse you, it increases your credibility. Start endorsing those in your network who you feel deserve to be endorsed. They will return the favour; else, you can always reach out to people for endorsements. Once these start coming, manage them proactively, showing only those endorsements that are relevant to the jobs you are looking for.
Are you taking a skills assessment?
Don’t forget to take regular skills tests. These are online tests showing your skills level and displaying a “Verified” badge on the profile. You should know that people with verified skills have higher chances of getting recruited.
Are you active on LinkedIn?
You can have many connections on LinkedIn, but if you aren’t active and don’t show up on feeds, your profile suffers. Sharing relevant content with contacts gets you “noticed.” It could be a leadership post that you have written or a post by an industry influencer.
Do you follow relevant influencers?
To engage with the right people and with the network as a whole, you must look for members with similar interests. When you follow relevant industry influencers, you can share their content with others. It improves your profile credibility.
Remember the better your profile looks on LinkedIn, the higher are your chances of landing the right jobs and finding better growth opportunities.
