It is the goal of IT Resources Corp to help match people to the rewarding career they deserve. In today’s day and age that includes a Linked Profile that standouts from the crowd. We have put together a 15 Step Guide to help you build a strong LinkedIn Profile that will get noticed by new employers. Please fill out the form and you will be emailed our comprehensive guide of LinkedIn Profile Tips To Standout.
Utilizing LinkedIn to its full capacity has the potential to boost your career or job search. Gaining connections can find you new job opportunities that would have been harder to find otherwise. But navigating a new social media network can be tough, so how do you make the most your LinkedIn profile?
Tips on How to Make a LinkedIn Profile Standout | LinkedIn Profile Tips To Standout
The new year isn’t just about crash diets and exercise regimens. It’s also about setting professional resolutions. As we embrace a new year of social distancing, LinkedIn is more important than ever. Professionals must maintain an online presence similar to a digital resume. To accomplish those resolutions, our career counselors put together their best tips on how to create a LinkedIn profile.
- Keep your profile updated even when you are not looking for something specific on the site. You will get out of LinkedIn what you put into it, so the more frequently you update your page, the more helpful it will be.
- Writing an attention-grabbing bio is an important step to gaining connections. What assets do you have that set you apart from others? Answering that question in your bio will catch the eye of someone who stumbles across your LinkedIn profile.
The positive outcomes of networking are limitless so it is in your best interest to get the most out of your LinkedIn profile. These tips will help you make quality connections so you can find success in utilizing your LinkedIn profile to the best of your ability.
1. Upload a professional headshot
Having a photo-less LinkedIn profile will not get you very far. LinkedIn profiles with photos get 21x more views and 36x more messages. Users prefer to connect with someone they can recognize as human rather than a icon. Furthermore, LinkedIn professionals can view the LinkedIn avatar image as a bot rather than a person. When choosing a photo, follow these guidelines:
- Don’t pick any random one. The more professional the better. However, if the last professional photo taken of you was in 1997, consider either finding another or getting your headshot taken. You want to be recognizable in the photo.
- Additionally, use a photo with high resolution. Pixelated photos appear unprofessional and lazy.
- Be the only person in the photo. Group photos can confuse viewers.
- Make sure your face takes up about 60 percent of the photo. Photos that are too far away or too close also appear unprofessional.
- Get someone else to take the photo or use a self-timer. Thanks to social media, most online users view selfies as informal.
- Wear professional attire such as what you would wear to the office. Wearing casual clothing can make the wrong impression.
- Lastly, don’t use crazy filters. Filters can distort your features and also appear unprofessional.
2. Write a summary statement
Create a small summary of who you are that should mention your title, brief experience, industry and goals moving forward. Besides your photo and title, summaries are the first item people view on your profile. Get straight down to business and give employers the introductory information they would need to determine if you qualify as a candidate. However, you don’t have to stick to one type of summary. Instead, narrow it down to three:
- The mission-based. Spin your summary with the intention on how you can help the employer. Many of these types of summaries deal with clients.
- The personality. Certainly the more creative of the three, tell users a unique story of how you got into your industry. A word of caution: don’t make it too lengthy.
- The short-and-sweet. Make it easy and straight to the point. Recruiters and some human resources professionals probably look at 100 profiles, resumes, and summary statements a day. So give them the necessary information they need in a concise format.
3. Fill out relevant experience
This one is a no-brainer. LinkedIn gives you the ability to feature companies on your profile that can be linked to their main LinkedIn page. Even though you don’t have to worry about lack of room, stick to 4-5 relevant items so users can easily search through them. Additionally, you can attach any relevant work such as links, photos, and documents. This gives LinkedIn the ability to act as both a dynamic online resume and portfolio. As you may already know, summarize your experience using a quantitative description rather than qualitative.
4. Add certifications and organizations
Adding certifications and organizations to your profile can also expand your LinkedIn page. When other people see the projects and organizations you are involved with, they get a fuller picture of who you are and what you do based on your profile. This can help develop more useful connections. Your organizations can show your passions and causes you care deeply about. If you add professional organizations, you can increase your credibility on LinkedIn as well.
5. Connect with users
LinkedIn has the feature where you can sync your contacts through various sources such as email or social media. That way, you can find relevant connections more easily. Get the best out of our LinkedIn networking tips by connecting with people you know such as past or present colleagues and old peers. Then, branch out from there. Begin following industry professionals with large followings. Lastly, find organizations on LinkedIn and start connecting with their CEOs and human resources department. There is no rule on connecting with people on LinkedIn. However, since you want to develop a network, we suggest developing a larger amount of connections rather than smaller.
6. Obtain references and endorsements
Reconnect with old colleagues and managers to receive references and endorsements. After sending connections to colleagues and managers, consider asking for a reference or endorsement. A reference is simply a professional recommendation featured at the bottom of your LinkedIn profile. An endorsement is a connection indicating that you excel in a particular skill. Both items help boost professionalism.
Our LinkedIn Profile Tips include these and many more that are designed to set you apart from the competition. So sign up now!