Job hunting? Love your LinkedIn Profile

by Joanna Gaudoin | Jan 12, 2018

Do you love your LinkedIn Profile?

Do you make time for your LinkedIn profile and update regularly? Its time to start falling in love with your profile!

How often do you login to LinkedIn?

Most individuals in large organisations have a profile but it's often a bit neglected, any update usually means the hunt for a new role has begun. Of course, it's much easier if you keep it up-to-date but few make the time for that, even if it would only take 10 minutes a month.

LinkedIn Profile

However, if you are job hunting your LinkedIn profile is essential, here are some reasons why:

• LinkedIn is now a primary way for getting a new role – either by recruiters/companies/headhunters finding you or you applying through LinkedIn, so LinkedIn is likely to be the first encounter they have with you. You could get ruled out of opportunities and never be any the wiser! Think of it as your shop window.

• Even once your CV has hit someone’s inbox or desk - people are often lazy, it's easier to tap your name into LinkedIn and get a feel for you as an initial screening, rather than going through your CV.

• There’s the opportunity to bring yourself more to life on LinkedIn than in an application form or CV – a photograph of you, a banner image, recommendations, information on any volunteer work you do…

Worth a read: What the new data on Women on LinkedIn really means

So if you are even considering looking for a new role, then it’s time to get your profile in shape. Here are the elements to focus on:

1. An excellent photo of you – appropriate for what you do and one that is positively memorable. Make sure there is a clean background and you are looking straight at the camera. It’s also important it resembles who you are. I started work with a new client recently and her LinkedIn picture made me think she’d be rather staid and stern; she was the complete opposite in person, so make sure your photograph captures who you are and how you’d show up at interview.

2. Add in a banner image, potentially something related to the sector you work in. It shows you have made some effort and added some interest to your profile.

3. Make your headline interesting and include any key words that people may search on to find people like you.

4. Try to get to over 500 connections, so you come up in more searches.

5. Write a pertinent and interesting summary of your expertise.

6. Make sure your job history is accurate and makes sense.

7. Ensure each role has your key achievements/responsibilities against them, especially your present/last role which you may want to write more extensively about.

8. Get some recommendations from colleagues and if you can, clients and suppliers you have worked with. If people are stuck, say you’d just like something on why/how you started to work together, what you worked on with them and the outcome, as well as something about what you are like to work with. Make it easy for them!

Download: How to make the most of LinkedIn for career and business success

Sometimes it’s hard to get perspective on how to have impact with companies and recruiters to get the role you want. I have worked with many clients on the impact they have throughout the application process – through LinkedIn, on their CV, in interactions with recruiters and companies and importantly, at interview.