Why even use LinkedIn? Of all the social networks, it’s one of the ones we tend to forget about so we don’t really think of ever setting up an account.
For young people, it seems uncool and boring, but it does its job well.
LinkedIn isn’t like Facebook or Twitter or Instagram. You don’t use it to share updates on what you did last night or post pictures of your breakfast.
LinkedIn is designed for use by professionals - you share your work experience and other such things. It’s basically an online CV in social network form.
The Perfect LinkedIn Profile
Let’s take a look at how you can set up the perfect LinkedIn profile to maximise your chances of standing out as a job seeker.
Photo
A good picture is mandatory. A good-quality, professional headshot is what you want to go for here - something that clearly shows your face.
If you have a picture, you’re roughly 7 times more likely to get noticed.
Headline
Next you’ll need to enter a headline. This is a short sentence that says what you do and needs to be perfect: it’s the first part of your profile people will see.
For example, “Head of Marketing at The Skills Portal - the top source of training news”.
Summary
Next you’ll want to write up a summary. This is almost like a short cover letter, explaining who you are and what you do.
Make sure you include lots of keywords: for example, if you work in social media, be sure to mention “marketing” and “social media” in your summary.
Write in the first person and include your contact details at the bottom.
Work Experience
LinkedIn works kind of like a CV; you can include details of your current and previous places of employment.
Go into detail: give the name of the company and your position and explain exactly what you do.
Skills & Endorsements
You can also add skills to your profile. Are you good at customer relations? Now you can tell people!
The people you connect with can then endorse you for those skills, showing that yes, you are actually good at customer relations.
Now you know how to set up the perfect LinkedIn profile to help you stand out as a job seeker. You’re now ready to start browsing and applying for jobs through the network!
