LinkedIn operates the world’s largest professional network on the internet, with more than 400 million members in over 200 countries and territories.
But simply signing up isn’t going to land you a job. Your profile needs to stand out to entice recruiters and hiring managers. Make yours a memorable LinkedIn profile with the tips below!
Here are five informative and appealing strategies to create a memorable LinkedIn profile:
1. Include a Photo
Eyes naturally gravitate toward a picture. Providing one gives viewers a visual to attach to the information they read, which makes you more memorable.
Choose a good-quality headshot in which you convey professionalism and friendliness—qualities that welcome potential employers to pursue further action.
2. Craft a Powerful Headline
Don’t waste prime real estate with the default “Job Title at Company X.”
“Use the space after your name to tell the LinkedIn world what you do, what your impact will be, or what you are passionate about,” says business and life strategist Erica McCurdy.
“Leave the employment section to tell the story of your work history. You have one opportunity to make an impression on your potential employer—give them a reason to look further.”
3. Add Some Pizzazz
While a LinkedIn profile should include your educational and professional qualifications, don’t simply treat it as a carbon copy of your resume.
Instead, use your LinkedIn profile to paint a vivid picture of who you are and what you bring to the table. Career coach Cheryl E. Palmer, owner of Call to Career, suggests these attention-grabbers:
- Incorporate multimedia: You can upload audio files, as well as video and PowerPoint presentations, that illustrate your expertise. For example, you can show growth in sales by including a chart that shows a spike in sales over time. Including multimedia on your profile will add more life to it and give potential employers a more comprehensive view of you as a candidate.
- Add examples of your work: Providing great blog posts can be an excellent way of demonstrating your expertise. You can upload posts along with pictures that illustrate the theme of your posts. Then, you can add keywords so that your posts can be found.
- Include links to outside profiles or portfolios: LinkedIn allows you to not only list your published works, but also to link to them on the web. Showing that you have been published gives your profile greater credibility.
4. Include Testimonials
Just as you might read customer reviews before making a purchase, potential employers turn to input from others before investing in a candidate.
Put the information at their fingertips by including recommendations from previous supervisors, colleagues, and clients attesting to your abilities.
5. Complete the Entire Profile
Finally, take heed of this advice from Karen Taylor Roane, founder of New Destiny Marketing, in order to be a stand out both literally and figuratively: “Work on your profile until you reach LinkedIn ‘all-star’ status by filling everything that LinkedIn suggests you fill out (see this rating on the righthand side of your profile page). This is another way to help you come up higher in the search ranking.”
And including that extra bit of information—whether talking about your volunteer work or listing membership in a college sorority—may be just the edge that keeps a viewer around a little longer and lands you an interview.
Written by: Beth Braccio Hering
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