LinkedIn is one of the best platforms for job seekers and recruiters. Nowadays, 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to vet eligible candidates and hire top talents for their organization.
Today we are going talk about some ways to optimize your LinkedIn profile. However, before we get into that, let’s talk about the basics first.
Basics of Building a LinkedIn Profile
Before you start optimizing your LinkedIn profile, you should pay attention to some of the basics first.
Professional Profile Picture
LinkedIn is where you are building a brand for yourself. For that, you should have a professional look. Dress up professionally and get yourself photographed.
Brief Summary & Headline
Your profile should contain a brief LinkedIn summary and headline that will tell the recruiters about you and your future aspirations.
Career Timeline
Your profile should mention what you have done, where you have worked, and currently working. With a timeline, a recruiter can understand your career path. Mention your part-time and full-time gigs as well.
Education & Certification Details
Make sure that you update all your education details.
Now, let’s head over to LinkedIn profile optimization:
6 Tips for Optimizing your LinkedIn Profile
Here is what you need to do to optimize your LinkedIn profile for job search:
1. Use the Correct Keywords
Since your headline section is the most significant, use it creatively to land your dream job. Make sure you use the right keywords. The best thing to do would be to use the basic job titles and the industry of your choice so recruiters can see it in search results.
2. Customize LinkedIn URL
For a more professional impression, take out time to customize your profile URL on LinkedIn. Work on it so that recruiters can easily find you. Your name should be the URL name and dashes should represent the words as Google takes them as spaces. Here is how :
- On the LinkedIn homepage, on the top, click on the Me icon and then view the profile.
- From the options you see on the right, select Edit public profile & URL.
- To edit your current URL link, click on the edit your custom URL tab and press the pencil icon.
- Use your name, a combo of your name and middle name, and company, and press Save.
You can change it once a month.
3. Set Profile Setting to Public
Your profile visibility should be set to public for ease of future employers and customers.
4. LinkedIn should be a Fantastic Resume
See that you list your professional activities and achievements, and focus on those that are linked to the jobs you want to get. Avoid using slang or jargon. Write your main skills. Your description should be brief and to the point. Like your CV, your profile needs regular updates too when you make move in career, switch jobs, or learn a new skill.
5. Create Important Connections
Apart from accepting connection requests, send a few too. Be proactive in building your network with potential recruiters and reconnecting with previous peers in companies you wish to build a career.
6. Create Content
The content you share should match how you want it to be perceived. LinkedIn is a professional network. So, make sure that you create interesting, positive, and thoughtful posts.
Follow these tips to ideally optimize your LinkedIn profile for job search.
