I recently attended this workshop at a local community college. Here are a few takeaways that I hope you will find useful for your own LinkedIn profile.
LinkedIn is the most important social media channel for professionals. Having a complete profile enables you to rank higher in LinkedIn’s search results. When creating a profile. you need to list 5 skills for an All-Star profile and only the top 10 skills will show. However, the All-Star status won’t show until you make 50 connections. Including a headshot photo makes your profile more likely to be viewed. Make sure that your photo is high-resolution and correctly sized. You can upload a professional image to serve as a cover photo. The Headline is one of the most important parts of your profile. it is pulled into online search results and searches within LinkedIn. You can have up to 120 characters. Describe your expertise, strengths, and what makes you stand out from your peers. LinkedIn scans headlines for keywords in its searches which is very helpful for recruiters looking for candidates. Keep it short and to the point.
You can customize your public profile/vanity URL and provide your contact information such as email address and phone number. You can write a summary, in short paragraphs and in first-person language, with no more than 2,000 characters. Only the first 100 words will show so make sure they include keywords that will help others find your profile. Include relevant jobs in the work history section with a short description of what you accomplished during your time there. list the years that you held each role and if you were promoted.
The Skills section shows your professional skills which can be reordered. Be sure you ask for recommendations that can showcase your expertise to others. You can also add certifications, publications, projects, honors, and organizations. The Groups section is useful to find like-minded professionals that allow you to expand your network and share content. LinkedIn users can tag or mention other users and companies in their status updates. If you tag a LinkedIn member by using the @ symbol, they will be notified that you mentioned them.
Always personalize connection requests and do not use these to inquire about jobs. LinkedIn is a great tool to use for job searches. It’s important to be active daily on this platform. It has a resume builder feature that allows you to upload many resumes that are tailored for specific jobs. LinkedIn will send you email notifications about open positions. You can also earn certifications on this platform and add your profile in another language. Currently, LinkedIn is the number one platform most recruiters use when searching for candidates. Trying the Premium LinkedIn feature is a great way to check out other candidates that are applying for the same jobs.
