Some LinkedIn users recently discovered an interesting feature - searchers' love for keywords. So the founder of the startup, Roshan Patel, created a fake account of a New Yorker and startup founder with a good track record of employment and education, as well as a note about his own startup. After only 24 hours, this imaginary startup entrepreneur received an offer to talk on LinkedIn from a representative of a venture capital fund. Another user of this social network indicated in her profile work experience at Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google. Only with a small nuance - it was a user experience, but with company names that recruiters will definitely respond to. What comes out of this? The fact that LinkedIn works if you know how to use it. And the first step to career development with the help of this social network lies in improving the profile of a specialist. So, let's talk about how to do it right.
"Objective" function
The first step in creating an effective LinkedIn profile is to define your career goals and orientation. This will allow you to choose the right strategy for building your profile, attracting the attention of employers, and achieving your professional goals.
To achieve this goal, use the "Objective" feature on LinkedIn, which allows you to provide a brief description of your professional goal or orientation. This section can be useful for employers who are looking for certain specialists or candidates for a specific position. Here are some tips to help you take advantage of this feature and improve your profile:
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Articulate your career goals: Before writing your objective profile description, think about what goals you want to achieve in your career. For example, you may wish to advance in rank, change your field of activity, or direct your career in a more analytical way.
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Focus on key skills: In an objective profile description, you can show your key skills and experience. Consider the skills you need to achieve your career goals.
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Emphasize your achievements: don't limit yourself to a simple list of your job duties. Write about your achievements and the results you got in the process of your activity.
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Be specific: Remember that your objective profile description should be definite and aimed at achieving specific goals. Avoid general phrases that do not give a clear picture of you and your professional interests.
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Please check your spelling and grammar before posting your profile description. Avoid making mistakes that can ruin your professional reputation.
Profile photo
Your LinkedIn profile picture is an important part of your personal brand and professional reputation. It helps create a first impression of you as a professional, as well as establish trust and attract the attention of potential employers, clients, or colleagues.
Here are some requirements that should be met when choosing a photo for your LinkedIn profile.
Be professional: Choose a photo that matches your profession and business. Dress as you would normally dress for work, but don't forget about comfort. The photo must be clear and high-quality, without blurring or distortion. It is better to choose a photo with high resolution and bright colors. Use the light. Light plays an important role in creating mood and expressing emotions. Choose a light that suits your face and provides sufficient illumination. Direct your gaze into the camera – looking into the camera establishes a connection between you and your viewer and creates the impression of personal familiarity. The background of the photo should be simple and not distract attention from your face. It is better to use a background in one color or natural background, for example, trees or a wall.
It's also important to remember that your LinkedIn profile picture should be relevant to your profession and business, and not too personal or unprofessional.
"Summary" section
LinkedIn's Summary section is a resume of key information. It is an important element of your profile that can attract the attention of potential employers and colleagues. Here are some tips to improve this section:
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Write a short but exceptional headline. Your headline should reflect your skills and experience, as well as express your personality. For example, "Finance expert with project management experience."
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Create a short description of yourself: A short description can be used to highlight your key skills and achievements.
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Highlight your greatest achievements. In this section, you can mention your biggest achievements and projects you have completed. It is important to provide specific numbers and facts to demonstrate your experience and skills.
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Highlight your key skills. A list of key skills can be useful to emphasize your core competencies and provide an easy transition to other sections of your profile.
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Add a personal touch. In this section, you can add a brief description of your hobbies, interests, and personal goals to showcase your personality and create a more personal connection with your professional contacts.
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Remember the audience: It is important to keep in mind that this is your opportunity to briefly introduce yourself and your professional personality. Target your messages to your audience, and remember who will read them. Target your messages to those you want to engage with or focus on. What matters is to use keywords that are relevant to your professional field and specialization. These words will help you find more contacts and can help you get ahead in your job search.
"Experience" section
In the "Experience" section on LinkedIn, you can describe your work experience and achievements at various companies. Write a brief description of the company. It should contain a summary of the company's activities and its size. For example, "an international company headquartered in New York that develops software for financial institutions." Describe your position and duties. It is important to describe your achievements and the results you have got. Add recommendations. If you have references from colleagues, clients, or managers, you can add them to your work experience. References can help highlight your skills and qualifications. Remember the format: when describing your work experience, use clear and concise wording. Another important aspect of completing the chapter is don't forget the time frame! It is important to indicate the exact dates of your employment with each company. This will give a potential employer a clear picture of how long you've worked at each location and what experience you've gained. Also, if you have held several positions within the same company, indicate the exact dates and positions so that it is clear how you developed in that company and what achievements you made.
Section "Skills"
The "Skills" section of LinkedIn is very important for you to attract the attention of potential employers and find useful professional connections. Add completed courses, certificates, diplomas, and other qualifications you have obtained from recognized institutions. This will help show your professional skills and knowledge of the relevant field.
Add your soft skills such as communication, leadership, organization, and others. They are very important for any job and can show that you have not only technical skills but also the ability to communicate and interact with others.
Add your technical skills – such as knowledge of various software products, knowledge of programming languages, analytical and mathematical skills, and more. Add your professional experience and skills you have acquired in various work projects and tasks. This will show that you have the necessary experience and ability to work in specific areas.
Ask for feedback and recommendations from colleagues, customers, or employees. This will indicate your professional competence and skills, confirmed by the trust of other people. Use keywords that are related to your profession and industry. This will help your profile appear in searches related to your specialty. Therefore, it is important to think about how potential employers will look for specialists in your profession. Confirm the skills of the colleagues you work with so they can do the same for you. This can be a reason to get endorsements from other LinkedIn users who also think you are qualified and professional.
Use the "Skills Assessment" function, which allows you to take an online test on the skills that you have indicated in your profile. This can further confirm your knowledge and skills in a particular field.
Adding knowledge and education to your LinkedIn profile can help increase your credibility as a job candidate. In the "Education" section, you can add your education. Write the name of the educational institution where you studied and the specialty or degree you received. If you have any honors or awards, you can add them as well. If you attended any courses or received certificates, you can add them to the "Education" or "Certifications" section. For example, if you have completed a course on financial statement analysis, you can add this to your profile and include the name of the course and information about the organization that delivered it.
Add links to your LinkedIn profile on other social networks, on your resume, and your website if you have one. To link to your LinkedIn profile elsewhere on the web, such as on your blog or in an email, use the opportunity to create your own LinkedIn business card.
If you are looking for a job, add a banner with the message "Open for work" to the photo. This will attract additional attention from recruiters and clients. And don't forget to subscribe to the pages of the companies you are interested in, to track their status and not miss the appearance of an interesting vacancy. And remember about the community of colleagues - communicate, add new contacts, and develop your profile. After all, colleagues and like-minded people are the main value of any network!
