​My TOP 10 tips for a standout LinkedIn profile!

As recruiters, we see hundreds of job applications on a weekly basis! As part of our candidate screening process we always look at a candidate’s LinkedIn profile.

What you put on your Linkedin profile matters. Why? Because Recruiters aren’t the only ones who check LinkedIn profiles…. Employers also do! 

Here are my Top 10 tips to make your profile really stand out!

1: Make sure you have a professional profile photo that is relevant to your industry/profession. Unfortunately, a “cute” photo holding your cat in your bedroom, isn’t appropriate for LI, keep that for your Facebook! Unless of course that’s your industry and you specialise in cat sitting! 

You don’t need to spend lots of money on professional head-shots. You just need something clear, simple and professional. I.e. Plain background, good lighting. I actually take a few of my colleagues’ photos with my phone and use a photo app to enhance the picture. 

2: Is it up to date? Making sure your profile is up to date with what you have been doing in the past 5 years is important. It acts as a second resume!

3: Be active! LinkedIn is a great tool for making new connections, networking and learning information about your industry. Join groups that are relevant to your industry and start interacting with peers. 

4: Write about something and share! A great way to help market yourself, is to share interesting news or to start a conversation/discussion about something that interests you or is relevant to your industry. 

5: Fill in your summary- Sell yourself! Use the summary section to write what you enjoy about your profession or what your goals are for the future. 

6: Education: Make sure you include where and what you studied and any other courses that are relevant to your professional space. 

7: Use keywords - like a boss!! If you want to come up in searches (especially if you are job seeking) then ensure to use keywords in your profile that are relevant to your industry. Use them in your title, your summary and also when you are explaining what you do!

For explain: If you are an Intermediate Accountant within Public Practice, then the words: Intermediate, Accountant and Public Practice need to be repeated within your profile. If you are within Financial Services, use the words that are relevant to you i.e. Client Services, Adviser, Planner, Insurance, Risk. 

8: Get recommended: Ask your colleagues or managers, people in your professional network to write a recommendation on your page. It is a good way to display references. 

9: Take it off LinkedIn! It is not uncommon to ask someone for a coffee if you would like to network face to face! I find most people feel comfortable enough to either accept or decline your invite without too much upset.

If you are wanting to engage with professionals in your space, then LinkedIn is a good platform to ask for referrals, or recommendations from people that you might not normally come in to contact with.  

10. Be yourself! In the end that’s all that really matters!

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References:

1: https://www.cpacareermentor/articles/job-seeking/linkedin-101?utm_medium=email%20&utm_source=CPACMeDM&utm_campaign=Edition037&utm_content=Linkedin%20101:%20The%20top%2010%20profile%20tips

2: https://www.inc.com/larry-kim/22-top-tips-to-effectively-raise-your-profile-on-linkedin.html

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