Five Tips on Writing a LinkedIn Profile for Career Success

What are the secrets of writing a LinkedIn profile that will help you stand out? What should you mention in it? And, how can you use your LinkedIn profile to nail the job of your dreams?

LinkedIn has been one of the most popular channels for job search for a long time now. Expanded Ramblings report that there are at least 11 million job listings on the platform, and 3.4 million users have enabled the Open Candidate feature.

LinkedIn has done wonders and helped so many people across the globe find the job of their dream. And we’re sure it can help you too.

That is why we prepared a list of the five most effective tips on writing a LinkedIn profile that can take your job search on a new level.

Wondering what they are? Here are all the answers!

Five tips on writing a LinkedIn profile that will make a difference

1. Take your time to make it shine.

You only have one chance to make a good first impression. And you should everything you can to make that first impression outstanding.

When it comes to writing a LinkedIn profile, the only way to polish it until it shines is by investing time and effort into the description of every chapter in that resume.

First, you need to add information on your work experience, education, skills, and even volunteer experience.

The good thing is that the system keeps track of the completeness of your profile. It suggests what areas and sections to expand. So, follow their recommendations and complete your profile so that it stands out.

Recruiters use your profile to analyze how you fill into the picture and whether your skills and qualifications are exactly what they are looking for.

Do your homework and make your profile strong enough to stand out. Polishing your profile is the preparation stage. So, do it well!

2. Pick an appropriate photo.

A profile picture of you on a beach is not the best choice. Choose an image that is professionally appropriate, format it to the standards of the platform and upload it to your profile.

If you do not know for sure what picture to upload, consider taking a look around. See what professionals in your industry use as their profile image and follow their lead.

Consider smiling on the picture. This will make you look friendlier. And remember that a profile photo is your way of presenting your soft skills in a short and concise manner. So, what do you want to show? Passion? Open-mindedness? Positive attitude? Decide for yourself and upload an image that represents all these traits.

3. Write a summary.

A lot of recruiters judge candidates by their summaries. Of course, they should not. But they do.

Therefore, crafting an impressive summary is a must.

Now, the good summary does not necessarily have to be long. You can easily squeeze in all the juice into five short sentences. Make the bullet points with your strengths and qualifications so that they are easy to read.

Mention what industries you want to work in and what your biggest passions are. These statements will help the recruiters understand better what personality you have and what your key strengths are.

Do not bore the visitors with unnecessary details. Be concise and straightforward. After all, they only have a little time for each candidate to read.

And last but not least, use keywords in your summary. If you work in Tech, list key technologies you are working with. A lot of recruiters scan through the profile looking for keywords, so make it easier for them to find them right away.

4. Show accomplishments.

Your biggest worth as an employee is in your accomplishments. There is no point in having a long list of great skills if you have never achieved anything big enough to demonstrate on your LinkedIn profile.

Companies want to hire you because they assume that having you onboard will benefit them. If you want to nail the job of your dreams, showcase your biggest achievements in the workplace.

You might have doubled the number of warm leads thanks to a unique approach in Content Marketing, or you might have helped your team spend less time on ineffective communication by optimizing the process. Whatever can be viewed as an important accomplishment to your job description counts. So, display it vividly somewhere at the top of your profile.

This is your chance to sell yourself! So, use all the creativity you have and apply it here. It’s not as difficult as you might think! And the results won’t make you wait for too long.

5. Ask for recommendations.

One   of the best LinkedIn features is a chance to ask for recommendations. You can ask your former employers to write a recommendation. It does not have to be long. Just a few words on what it is like to work with you and how the company benefited from hiring you.

This will increase recruiters’ trust to you and increase their interest to your candidacy. However, it is better to ask for recommendations every once in a while. Otherwise, if all your former employers submit their letters of references all at the same time, it will look quite artificial and not trustworthy. Use this feature in a smart way!

It can be your friend, especially if your former employer is a well-known figure in your circles. But if not, having someone state that working with you is a real please or that you raise the bar and always strive to achieve even more than what is expected is an excellent way to boost your profile and nail that one job you wanted!

With the changing economic situation and growing unemployment rates, it is only wise to use all the opportunities you have to get a job of your dream. And with LinkedIn gaining its momentum right now, you have a chance to get the job using just this one tool.

It can be your powerful weapon if you use it right. So, take your time to fine-tune it to meet your needs and expectations and reap the positive results it will bring in the end. Do not forget to polish the profile until it shines: that is the top secret of writing a LinkedIn profile proven to be effective! Now, will you try it yourself?

Charles is a career mentor, writer, motivational speaker & human resources consultant with over 10 years of experience in HR sector. Apart from career mentoring, he loves photography and football. Find him on Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook & Google+.