As a professional, your LinkedIn profile is one of your most powerful assets - we have put together our top tips on creating a stellar LinkedIn profile below.
1. Optimise your profile URL
When you first set up your LinkedIn profile, you will have been assigned a default URL. This usually ends in a series of random numbers and letters and doesn’t look particularly appealing. As a LinkedIn user, you can personalise your URL to make it easier for recruiters to find you by amending it to something more succinct, such as your name. If this is already taken, try including additional initials until you find one that is available.
Not only will this clean-cut URL look more attractive when featured on your CV or email signature, but it can also make you appear more technically minded as many professionals fail to update their LinkedIn profile URL.
" it can also make you appear more technically minded"
2. Include your skills and request endorsements
LinkedIn allows you to include a list of your relevant skills that will demonstrate to potential employers your key areas of expertise and where you could excel in the boardroom. We recommend pulling together a list of your top 10-20 skills and then arranging them in order of relevance to the kind of roles that you would like to secure. As a professional, you’ll have a vast number of skills that you could highlight but ensure you are selective, as quality is better than quantity.
Once you have added your skills to your profile, you can ask your connections to endorse the skills listed. An endorsement will add credibility to your brand - it is like a recommendation. When you look to reserve a hotel or visit a restaurant, it’s common to check reviews - it’s no different for employers and hiring managers who are looking for quality candidates. Endorsements validate that you possess the skills that you have listed.
Your skills also function as keywords and aid your profile’s search rankings. Remember, recruiters search LinkedIn using relevant keywords, so the more relevant keywords your profile contains, the more discoverable you will be on the platform.
"An endorsement will add credibility to your brand"
3. Use a professional headshot
We would recommend you get a professional headshot where your face and shoulders make up around 60% of the image. Remember, it can’t be any larger than 8MB in file size. Ensure that the image features an appropriate background and your attire reflects the kind of brand and values you want to portray to potential employers. Just like in a job interview, if you dress professionally, you’re conveying the impression that you are business-minded and are a suitable character to be appointed.
One final piece of advice is to check that your profile picture is actually visible. Many professionals are unaware that they have actually set their profile picture visibility to private, which will prohibit valuable connections from seeing the person behind the online persona.
" if you dress professionally, you’re conveying the impression that you are business-minded"