Since the site was officially launched in 2003, LinkedIn has risen at prolific speeds. From attracting 4,500 members to its network at the end of its first month in operation, to now boasting more than 433,000,000 members worldwide, LinkedIn has become the largest professional network on the internet, in the world.
With more and more employers and businesses turning to LinkedIn to assist them in their recruitment requirements, it’s not surprising that, according to LinkedIn statistics, professionals are joining the business networking community at a rate of more than two new members every second. Students and recent graduates are the fastest-growing demographic on LinkedIn, which has more than 40 million student and recent graduate members.
Naturally, the better a member’s profile is, the more chances they have at standing out in a heavily saturated LinkedIn marketplace to potential employers. If you are thinking about joining LinkedIn or are perhaps already member and want to improve your profile on the world’s largest professional online network, take a look at the following tips on how to write the perfect LinkedIn profile.
Write a concise and catchy headline
Similar to how a catchy headline entices readers to read an article, a catchy LinkedIn summary will help lure an employer to your profile and take a further look. Write an engaging summary that accurately and concisely sums up what you do and your professional identity.
Show off your merits
Designed to promote personal brands, LinkedIn isn’t a place to be modest about achievements. Similar to a winning CV, an effective LinkedIn profile puts talents, skills and experience on the pedestal they deserve. Though despite this, a LinkedIn survey found that 34% of women said they shy away from talking about their achievements on LinkedIn, with 56% admitting they had missed out on promotional opportunities as a result.
Instead of being modest about your achievements, shout out loud about them, after all you wouldn’t attend an interview and be reluctant to talk about your skills and achievements, at least not if you wanted the job!
Aim to be endorsed
Endorsements are a powerful feature of Facebook, a little like a testimonials page on a website or word of mouth advertising down the pub!
Endorsements are important as they enable recruiters to recognise a LinkedIn member for their expertise in a specific area.
One good way to boost your endorsement rally is to endorse others. As Smart Online Success notes:
“Reciprocity is a powerful element of influence.”
Endorse people for their genuine skills and experience, beginning with colleagues you know well. You can even ask your connections to endorse you by sending them a message asking them whether you can do anything for them and if they could possible endorse you for a particular skill or achievement.
Include a picture of yourself
While some might argue that adding an image to your profile encourages a breeding ground of discrimination, the brutal truth is that most LinkedIn profiles have an image attached to them and therefore failing to attach your own image could be viewed as being a little strange. Furthermore, in a study conducted by TheLadders, an eye tracking heatmap revealed that recruiters spend 19% of the time spent studying a LinkedIn member’s profile, looking at the picture.
Ensure that your profile picture is a professional image that depicts you in your most professional light.
Make your profile stand out
As well as uploading a clear, professional image to your profile, make yourself stand out from the millions of other members by adding interesting features to your profile, such as design work, commendable projects and presentations.
Update your LinkedIn status regularly
Unlike the likes of Facebook and Twitter, updated a LinkedIn status can have a tendency to go overlooked.
Uploading regular insightful comments, posts and content to your LinkedIn profile will not only give other members more reason to endorse you, but it will denote professionalism within your profile and augment you as an expert in your given field, all favourable traits when it comes to employers scanning your profile for potential employment.
This blog post was written by Hadyn Luke. Hadyn Luke is Contract Manager at CMS Vocational Training (CMSVOC). CMSVOC offers a wide range of commercial and government-funded training courses and coaching opportunities throughout Yorkshire and the North of England.