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Did you know that, as of 2022, there are over 800 million active LinkedIn users? Job seekers, businesses, and recruiters looking to fill positions, as well as people who are content with their current roles.
This platform presents great opportunities for building your network. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date and accurately represents your personal brand, key skills and work experiences.
“Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room.” - Jeff Bezos
Your LinkedIn profile helps you share your story and build your professional network. It creates recognition, opportunities, credibility, and showcases your unique talents. Done well, your LinkedIn profile brings your work to life!
Nearly everything you do online contributes to your digital footprint, which builds your Personal Brand. When people google your name, the first thing to show up is your LinkedIn profile. Whether you're actively seeking a new role, working for a promotion, or simply building your professional network, it’s important to keep your profile relevant and up to date. Here’s 5 tips to optimise the key sections your LinkedIn profile and enhance your professional brand.
1. Profile Photo
Adding an engaging profile photo can lead to up to 21 times more profile views and get you up to 36 times more messages from your community.
Your face should be clearly visible, meaning you'll want it to take up 40-60% of the space in the frame and have good lighting. It's best that you're the only person in the photo and keep it professional in appearance.
If you don’t have a professional headshot, don't worry. These days, modern smartphone cameras are adequate to take your profile photo. Make sure there's adequate lighting, and try out the Portrait Mode setting to create a nice blurred background. Once uploaded, experiment with the filters available on LinkedIn to adjust your profile photo to perfection.
2. Headline
Your headline shows in search results alongside your headshot, and it is the first thing people see before they click your profile. This will default to your current position unless you customise it, so make sure you put in the effort to write a custom headline! Use this space to represent your brand, show your personality and differentiate yourself from others in similar roles.
Use this space strategically, and include industry keywords to get found through search results. Include your role title, what you do, and the unique skills or talents you possess.
3. About section
Share your personality in your About section. Start strong with a warm, engaging first sentence. Keep it genuine, conversational and personal so that people can connect with you. Expand on your elevator pitch, if you have one.
This is a great place to share your vision statement, who you are, what you have achieved, the key skills you’ve developed, and why it is you do what you do. Tell your story by highlighting your contribution, and why your work matters.
End with a call to action, such as ‘connect with me’ or ‘send me a message to get in touch’.
Finally, add ‘featured content’ to share something you’re proud of using articles, images, PDF documents, presentations, videos or links.
4. Experience
Have you fully completed your professional Experience descriptions? Adding a current work position means you’ll receive up to eight times more profile views. This is important as recruiters, hiring mangers, colleagues and mentors look at your profile to connect, form strategic partnerships and create opportunities.
When writing about your work experiences, tell your story and emphasise the impact you made personally in the situation. Lead with your results, such as the change you led, or your area of focus and passion. Speak to your experience while also showcasing how you achieved outcomes.
Always speak in the first person, using short, concise sentences. Strategically add key skills you utilised to deliver results - this will boost your search results and help with job search parameters.
Remember to bring your work to life using multimedia. You can upload a document, video, presentation, images or link to a specific webpage to showcase your work and studies.
5. Recommendations
Credibility is key when it comes to telling the story of your career journey and providing validation of your experience, skills, and expertise. Recommendations are a great way to authentically and genuinely show the impact you have through your work. A LinkedIn Recommendation recognises the great work you've done and also provides specific examples of how your skills, strengths, and experiences show up.
A good rule of thumb is to ask for 1 recommendation each month from a colleague, employer or client you’ve worked with. Customise your recommendation requests with a suggested draft, and be clear about what you want them to highlight in their recommendation. Finally, always remember to thank your referees for their time!
Summary
No matter if you're in need of a new role, members of your professional network as well as recruiters, hiring managers, and employers will be able to view your LinkedIn profile and reach out to you if they choose. Who knows — maybe you didn't even realise you were missing out on applying to your dream job. Make sure that you update your LinkedIn profile regularly, we recommend popping a reminder in your calendar every 6 months.
Now it’s time to get connecting!
Congratulations on taking these important steps to optimise your LinkedIn profile and build your personal brand. It’s time for you to get connecting and build your network!
LinkedIn Profile Optimisation Services
You have a story! Whether you're just starting out in your career, taking it to the next level, or simply pivoting to something new, your LinkedIn profile can help you bring your story to life.
If you're ready to take your LinkedIn profile to the next level, we're here to help you with the best way to achieve this. Book it in now: