When it comes to job hunting, the most important aspects that you should focus on is creating a highly skilled and impressive resume or CV and establishing or strengthening your professional networks. With LinkedIn, you can do both simultaneously. This platform allows you to establish your professional brand in the online sphere while making networking more accessible than ever before.
Potential employers nowadays will almost always check the LinkedIn profile of any individual that they are considering hiring. Unlike your typical resume, a LinkedIn profile is relatively expansive in the quantity of information you can include as well as the quality and uniqueness of your layout. We consulted a number of experts on the best tips and tricks for creating an impressive LinkedIn profile that will ensure you secure the job of your dreams.
Your Profile Should Tell a Story
Curating a LinkedIn profile is essentially a process of establishing a brand – your personal brand. An integral aspect of any brand is the story behind it and the associated values of this narrative. Your profile should clearly and authentically communicate your strengths, skills, passions, goals, and morals.
This may sound like a tall order, but it is possible to convey these key aspects of who you are as an individual in a manner that is both succinct and insightful. Consult the profiles of your respected peers for inspiration but ensure that your profile sets you apart from other candidates.
Build a Complete Profile
The algorithm behind LinkedIn’s search engine favours profiles that are complete. This means that the strength of your profile directly corelates with its completeness and therefore, a complete profile stands a better chance at being discovered by a potential employer.
Not only does an incomplete profile significantly dimmish your chances of being discovered but it also signals to viewers that you are not necessarily committed to completing tasks and laziness is, of course, a highly undesirable quality in a potential employee. Furthermore, the more sections you complete the more opportunities you have to include keywords – which we will move onto in a moment.
Use the Right Keywords
Using the right keywords is a product of having a good understanding of who it is that you are speaking to and ensuring you get bet big dollar rewards. In other words, you need to know your audience and specifically cater to what it is that they want to see. Keywords are very likely what employers or recruiters are typing into the search bar when looking for profiles.
Be sure to distribute your keywords equally throughout your different sections. You do not want your profile to be oversaturated with keywords – spreading them out allows the sections to flow into each other in a manner that is eloquent and impressive.
As much as keywords are paramount, it is equally important to avoid cliché buzzwords. Overusing words such as ‘hardworking’, ‘motivated’, and ‘intelligent’ can be detrimental to an otherwise well-built profile. This is because they are both vague and generic. Choose keywords that are more specific and suited to your individuality.
