Editing your LinkedIn profile isn’t hard. We’re here to help you make the updates that will make a difference for your profile, whether you’re searching for a job or not.
1. Optimize your headline
Your headline is the first thing people typically see when they view your profile. LinkedIn gives you 120 characters or less to create a headline that is original and summarizes what you do. Why not make it memorable? Not only is your headline important in making your profile stand out, it carries a lot of weight in searches on LinkedIn. Using keywords in your LinkedIn profile will help you get recognized by more recruiters, as your profile will match the criteria they’re searching for to fill a role.
2. Update your photo
When we say update your photo, we don’t mean use the latest photo you took of yourself on a Saturday night because the lighting was good. You should use a high-quality photo that is professional but also shows some personality. Wait for a nice sunny day to fire up the portrait mode on your phone and take some photos that have an interesting, but not distracting, background.
3. Customize your LinkedIn URL
This one is very straight forward so we’re not going to waste any time. Go to your profile, click ‘Edit public profile & URL’ and click ‘Edit URL’. Use use some variation of your first and last name for your URL. When you’re finished, click ‘Set Custom URL’.
4. Update your current responsibilities
You’ve worked hard to get where you are in life, let people know what you’ve been doing. Whether you’ve taken on new tasks at work, started a side hustle, and even started a new project, update your responsibilities!
5. Curate your groups
Assuming you joined LinkedIn to network (as most people do), it would be a disservice to yourself not to be a part of LinkedIn Groups. Joining groups that are relevant to your profession and industry allow you to connect with individuals that can help you grow professionally and personally while advancing in your career.
6. Connect with your team members
LinkedIn is your professional network. Make sure it stays up to date with your professional network. Add people you’ve worked with in your department and even out of your department. You’ll always be surprised by the experience and connections that are just around the corner (literally).
7. Include volunteer experiences and causes
Just as you should look into a company’s culture and values before you apply, they will probably want to learn a little bit about your values. Including volunteer experiences or causes on your LinkedIn is a great way to show that you’re a well-rounded individual that also cares about the community.
8. Add multimedia to your summary
Instead of just talking about your work, show examples. LinkedIn allows you to add photos, videos, and slideshow presentations to your profile summary. Not only is it valuable for you to showcase your actual work, it also provides you with another opportunity to make you stand out.
9. Make sure people can find you
Under ‘Settings & Privacy’, LinkedIn gives you a number of options that allows you to choose how others see your profile and network information, how others see your LinkedIn activity, how LinkedIn uses your data, job seeking preferences, and blocking and hiding. All of these settings are VERY important. Changing even just one of these settings can mean the difference between a recruiter finding your profile, an important executive being able to access your LinkedIn profile, or even your coworkers easily being able to connect with you.
10. Let recruiters know if you’re open to opportunities
Piggybacking off the last tip to make sure people can find you, make sure recruiters can find you. Under ‘Settings & Privacy’ then ‘Job seeking preferences’, check if you are letting recruiters know you are open to opportunities. LinkedIn even takes it a step further by preventing recruiters who work at your company and related companies to see that you are open to opportunities.
At the end of the day, there are tons on factors that influence whether you get the interview or not. Updating and optimizing your LinkedIn is one huge step you can take towards getting the job you’ve worked so hard for.
Once you update your LinkedIn profile, you’re ready to take the next step by applying to job that will advance your career. You can find career advancing opportunities by applying to open positions at CyberCoders.com.
