Looking for a job on LinkedIn? A wise decision. LinkedIn is the right place for professionals to find the leading job offers. And the best thing about it is that recruiters are the ones who come knocking on your door, not you. This platform combines the functions of a resume and a networking tool. It’s in the name. And the links you build bring you closer to the job of your dreams. Recruiters scour this platform all day long trying to find candidates. But some people, no matter how professional they are, never receive their invitation. And the reason is, you guessed it, a badly maintained profile. So, let us discuss how to fill in your LinkedIn profile to get a job.
Your photo
LinkedIn is a social media, but not the one where you put casual pictures or photos from a picnic on your front page. Strive to be professional and choose an appropriate picture of you. On the other hand, you are here to make social connections. So, keeping a friendly look is preferable. Try to strike a balance between a serious face in a suit and a party person. And it should be a close-up photo so your potential connections would get an idea of whom they are talking to.
Your profile URL
LinkedIn generates a unique URL for every profile. But you can’t rely on a blind algorithm to make it look attractive. That is why you should manually change the random code in it to something tidier. Press the Edit public profile & URL on the right of your profile, hit the pen button, and type in your first and last name in place of the URL. This will provide you with a neat profile handle that you can put in your bios with more confidence.
Use keywords
These are the relevant words that recruiters will be looking for. To know them, find a description of the job you are aiming for and read it. There will be words that describe your position. Put them in your summary, headings, and other entries of your profile. Be mindful and don’t overdo with the keywords, but make them look organic in your story. Another way to get relevant keywords is by scrolling through your competitors, or even job ads.
Pick the right headlines
This is where you describe your professional profile in a concise manner. Try to encompass your experience, your skills, and goals in one readable portion of text. And don’t forget to spice it with keywords.
Polish your summary
People usually try to cram the entirety of their life story into the summary section. Do not do that. Recruiters have a very short attention span and you should account for that. Use this section to list your experiences, years of work, skills, and achievements. This is also a good place to write what you are passionate about.
For instance, I love writing and can spend hours reading my texts, looking for how to improve them even more. Write your entries in the first person too, since speaking about yourself in the third person may sound too haughty.
If the task of writing a balanced summary looks daunting to you, consider hiring a professional resume writer at Careersbooster. These people know how to fill in your LinkedIn profile for the best result.
Your skills
LinkedIn provides you with a skill section that can fit a maximum of 50 entries. Do not hesitate to fill them all! Mention every relevant skill you have, and don’t be afraid of putting similar skills alongside each other. What is important is that you should focus on your hard skills. Because soft skills is something very vague and can be attributed to any person. At this stage, recruiters will be looking for your hard skills instead. Which programming languages you know, what software you can work with, etc.
Moreover, do not forget to mention all the spoken languages you know. Even if you are a beginner in Japanese, note this in your profile too.
Your accomplishments
This section is very important because it will show your prospective employers how well you have resolved different tasks in the past. Put specific things you achieved during your work and in what time.
Your portfolio
Finally, show off your professionalism with tangential things that would serve as your portfolio. If you are a 3D designer, put some pictures and links to your 3D works to give recruiters a view of the products of your work.
Back up your claims with the certifications and other documents you might have received during the additional education you went through.
Ask for recommendations
You probably have friends on LinkedIn, so invite them to help you polish your profile. Ask them to make a recommendation to you and do the same for their profiles.
Take part in the community
And the last, but not the least, thing you should do to your profile is provide it with some activity. Visit your page at least once a day and write posts relevant to your area of expertise, share insights, or participate in discussions under the posts of other professionals. This is how people see that you are alive and breathing. Put some interests in your profile too. Especially, if the point of your interest is a company you are looking to join.
Bottom line
You have everything you need now to build your LinkedIn profile into your personal brand. If you do everything right, job offers will rain at you from all directions. Not all of them will be your cup of tea, of course. But every one will be an opportunity to tailor your profile to the demands of your dream job. Meanwhile, grow your network, participate in discussions, and learn new things LinkedIn has to offer in its learning center. And if you get the job you were looking for, do not abandon your profile either way. Stay active and you will keep your professional brand on top.
