The Weston Career Center shares this article on optimizing your LinkedIn profile for the job search. Check out the Center’s resources for students, including career advising and job search resources.
A LinkedIn profile can be a window to potential employers and the first place where recruiters will look when seeking talent. Here are useful tips to make sure your LinkedIn profile is ready for prime-time viewing:
Consider your job-seeking objectives
You cannot effectively brand your LinkedIn profile without a clear understanding of what position or role you are seeking.
No typos, misspellings, or grammatical errors
Your LinkedIn profile should be error-free, succinct, and articulate.
Who do you want to be seen as?
Make sure you brand your LinkedIn headline in a way you want to be seen, especially by potential recruiters.
Communicate your value proposition, using keywords
Adding specialties to your LinkedIn profile is the perfect time to include some keywords for which recruiters are likely to search. Here’s an article with tips for LinkedIn SEO.
Search engine optimization is very important on LinkedIn. Your LinkedIn profile is about to become your electronic résumé, so scatter keywords recruiters are seeking throughout your profile. Add an industry in your professional summary because recruiters often use that field to search for candidates.
Seek recommendations and endorsements
Ask your internship or work supervisors or colleagues for a long-form recommendation or LinkedIn endorsement. Having positive recommendations and endorsements can often be the deciding factor between candidates and is an extra touch to your LinkedIn profile.
Consistency matters
Make sure the messages on your website, Twitter, Facebook, and any other online sites are all consistent. Recruiters will do online searches for you before they decide whether to call you.
Update your status regularly
LinkedIn can be your very own PR machine. Recruiters are looking for evidence that you are keeping your LinkedIn profile active and up to date.
Add more content
Use the experience section to explain and highlight each company in which you worked, and remember to include any board, civic, or voluntary positions.
Make sure you are open for business
If you are searching for a job, make sure your contact settings are set to include career opportunities, consulting offers, new ventures, job inquiries, and reference requests.
Follow relevant influencers and channels
Get the most out of your LinkedIn experience by following influencers and channels that interest you. This will allow you to tap into cutting-edge insights and trends from industry leaders and trends from industry leaders, and stay on top of news and events.
Main photo credit: Flickr/Ben Scholzen
