Image courtsey: Unsplash
Image courtesy: Unsplash

When there’s thousands of other keen, hopeful, talented and super-clever individuals out there, all vying for your dream job, you have to go big to grab that role. Having an active LinkedIn profile can get you noticed, and can even act as a hands-on resume. These six easy tips will get you LinkedIn savvy:

Update your profile picture

You are more likely to be viewed if you have an updated and appropriate profile picture. An image that has you professionally looking upfront at the camera, smiling, with your eyes open and in a formal or semi-formal attire, standing before a non-racy background.

 Add a headline

A catchy headline draws people to your profile, and highlights your expertise. There’s no specific rule, but if you’re unsure, keep it concise and make sure to include your current skill-set, which includes industry specific keywords for optimising noticeability by recruiters.

 Optimise your summary

Expand on your headline with the knowledge and skills you’ve garnered over the years. Use words that define your style of management and working, such as- A keen eye for detail, quick on the uptake, patient and conscientious worker etc. If have multiple points you’d like to feature, go right ahead! But make sure they are bulleted and don’t exceed more than 500 words.

 Elaborate on experience

An important section that expands on the last positions held that directly impact the progress of your career. Emphasise on key achievements by giving suitable examples to back your skills. For instance- substantiate marketing landmarks by giving supportive data in numbers to demonstrate revenue generated. Relevant files for those who produce work of a visual nature can be uploaded in .txt, .pdf, .MP3 and .doc formats.

 Request for recommendations

Ask for recommendations and endorsements. Instead of telling the reader, a testimonial by an employer or colleague validates how great you are. A maximum of three will suffice. There’s no rule to how long it can be, but be reasonable. You can always request for a tweak, if you believe something doesn’t mesh well with your future career prospects.

 Optimise your digital presence with LinkedIn

  • Don’t abandon your profile. Instead look at influencers, share original or curated content and add volunteer experience.
  • Link your social media accounts to LinkedIn. Today, one of the first things a prospective boss will look at, after your LinkedIn profile, is your digital media presence. The more you link, the more hits you get, so make sure you keep things clean and controversy free on other all other online platforms!
  • Customise your LinkedIn URL to your name to feature on professional emails, resume and business cards. Every little helps.