November is Career Development Month, and we’re here to guide you in optimizing your LinkedIn profile. This platform is a powerful tool for recruiters to discover and understand your skills, experiences, and what drives you professionally. Here are some key benefits of having a strong LinkedIn presence:

• Personal Branding & Building your Network: Showcase your professional identity and strengths. Build a network that works for you.
• Job Search Hub: Discover and apply for jobs seamlessly – some with a click of a button that links to your LinkedIn profile!
• Employer Insights: Gain valuable insight into your target companies.
  • Our Research Shows: 87% of students find LinkedIn valuable for learning about employers, with 28% using it to gain insights into team growth and career advancement.

 

Before we dive in, if you haven’t already, tip one is technically to create a LinkedIn profile! It’s free and very user-friendly. For both those new to LinkedIn and those with existing profiles, here are some ways to ensure your LinkedIn profile sets you up for job search success:

 

(1) Upload Your Profile Picture

Use a high-resolution, professional photo. According to LinkedIn, profiles with pictures are 14 times more likely to be viewed than those without.

 

(2) Create Your Headline

Your headline is like a professional tagline. It’s one of the first things people see, so make it descriptive, highlighting your key skills, expertise, and career goals.

 

(3) Upload a Photo to Your Profile Banner

While not extravagant, a relevant background photo visually enhances your profile. It can showcase the city you live in or aspire to be in or represent your career.

Tip: We recommend using unsplash.com for free, high-resolution photos.

 

(4) Create a Compelling Summary

Craft a short, engaging narrative highlighting your strengths, interests, and career aspirations. Show your personality!

 

(5) Add Your Experience

Organize experiences to ensure they follow your most recent and relevant roles. Add a 1-2 sentence description of what the company does to all experiences and highlight 3-4 bullet points highlighting your biggest accomplishments. 

Use action verbs and quantifiable achievements where possible. Include keywords relevant to your job search and roles you are interested in. This will help recruiters find you!

Example: At Veris Insights, when our team is sourcing for researchers, we may search for keywords such as “survey creation” “market research” “quantitative research” “qualitative research” and “secondary research”.

 

(6) Add Your Skills

Incorporate relevant skills you have gained in your roles. It’s important to remember quality over quantity when it comes to listing skills on your LinkedIn.

 

(7) Turn on “Open to Opportunities”

Make sure you activate the open to opportunities feature and share the job titles you are interested in. 

Tip: When you do this, make sure to select “recruiters only” unless your employer knows you are looking for opportunities or you are unemployed.

 

(8) Request Recommendations

Reach out to former colleagues, supervisors, clients, and anyone you’ve managed for personalized testimonials. These testimonials can act as living reference checks for recruiters.

 

(9) Expand Your Network

Connect with anyone you meet in a professional context, join relevant groups, follow influential professionals, and engage with content to expand your network. A great goal to work towards is to reach 500 meaningful connections.

 

(10) Stay Engaged

Spend 5-10 minutes a week engaging on the platform to stay visible. Comment on posts, follow influencers, and post articles!

 

(11) Allow Push Notifications

Make sure you have your push notifications turned on to be notified when a recruiter reaches out to you and make sure you are promptly responding to messages.

Insider knowledge: The more messages open and respond to, the more likely you are to show up on the backend of a recruiter’s search. This will increase your visibility to recruiters actively searching for candidates.

 

By investing some time and completing these eleven steps, you are making a world of difference in marketing yourself to employers. Best of luck in your career journey!