Pro tip for job seekers: Before you send out your resume, before you call your connections, before you fill out any applications, set up your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is the social network for all things career, and one of the main ports of entry to the business world, so treat it like your first impression.
For many potential employers, LinkedIn is where they look you up right after viewing your resume. In fact in one survey, cited LinkedIn as their preferred online talent sourcing hub. So even if social media isn鈥檛 your thing, make an exception for LinkedIn if you鈥檙e serious about finding a job.
LinkedIn鈥檚 oversized market share in professional online networking is actually good news, because it creates one central hub where you can set up and maintain a profile easily. The app also gives you a lot of control over your professional online presence, from what you choose to share and whom you want to connect with.
So what should a LinkedIn profile include? In this post, we鈥檒l go through the basics and then look at some LinkedIn best practices. Let鈥檚 start with getting set up.
What to Include in Your LinkedIn Profile
When you create a LinkedIn account, the app will walk you through the basic profile setup, so this should be pretty intuitive. It鈥檚 best to complete your profile before you make it public. LinkedIn鈥檚 own research shows that users with completed profiles including a are to get opportunities through LinkedIn. So, fill in all your info (this includes your photo) before you publish.
You鈥檒l be asked to submit your name, pronouns (optional), a headline that sums up what you do, current position, industry and education. Most schools and large companies have their own LinkedIn presence, so you鈥檒l start seeing fellow alumni and current or former coworkers pop up as recommendations.
You鈥檒l also be asked for your contact information. People will be able to contact you through LinkedIn, so you don鈥檛 have to share your phone number or messaging app handles directly if you鈥檇 rather not. This is also where you鈥檒l see your personal LinkedIn URL, which employers will often request.
The Strategic Art of LinkedIn Profile Writing
Writing your LinkedIn profile is equal parts art and science. You want your words to be clear, concise, intelligent, and optimized for LinkedIn鈥檚 search algorithm.
Unlike other social networks, you want to keep your LinkedIn profile very professional. It doesn鈥檛 mean you can鈥檛 have any personality in your profile, but it does reflect how you draft language and interact with others. This also depends somewhat on your line of work.
One way to put it in perspective is to think about how you would dress for the job you want, and how that might translate into how you write your profile. For example, if you鈥檙e looking for a job at a financial firm where you would wear business-professional attire, keep your tone and details more conservative and ultra-professional. If, by contrast, you鈥檙e a brand marketer seeking to join a creative team at a startup where everyone wears jeans and hoodies, a more writerly tone might make sense.
In general, no matter your industry, don鈥檛 get too cheeky. While this might appeal to a recruiter or hiring manager here and there, it鈥檚 likely to be a turn-off to some, or make you seem like an unserious candidate. Stay straightforward and find subtle ways to make your language shine. Speaking of language鈥
Use Search-Friendly Language
All the SAT words in the universe aren鈥檛 going to do your profile any favors if you haven鈥檛 used language that LinkedIn鈥檚 algorithm is designed to find. So you should use words that help it find you. Keywords are key!
Before you get fancy, make sure you鈥檙e using familiar titles for your roles. Make your headline an industry-standard job title or description that represents the work you do or want to do. So, for example:
DO: Marketing Data Analyst
顿翱狈鈥橳: Upbeat Marketing Data Guru
You鈥檒l also want to use specific words that might help you come up in a refined search (e.g., 鈥渇ashion,鈥 鈥渟ocial media,鈥 鈥淪EO鈥). This includes adding five or more skills. According to LinkedIn鈥檚 own research data, . So get your skills and search words in there first, and then you can go back and insert words like 鈥渋ndefatigable鈥 if you must.
Pro tip: If you need inspiration for your keywords, or you鈥檙e just looking to come up in the searches of particular recruiters, find a few job postings for positions that you would want to match with. Make sure the skills highlighted in the description are included in your own profile (as long as you actually have these skills!), and then browse the posting for recurring words that you might want to add to your summary or job history.
Don鈥檛 Wax Poetical
Speaking of word choice, one of the hallmarks of great writing is economy of words. This doesn鈥檛 mean boring words, but it does mean removing extraneous ones. Recruiters are going to skim for the highlights; don鈥檛 make them pull out their thesaurus.
Once you鈥檝e finished writing, go back through and see how many editorial adjectives you鈥檝e used and get rid of most of them. The recruiter wants information, not an ode to your achievements. A well-placed adjective where you鈥檙e describing yourself is a great opportunity to show some personality, but they鈥檒l stand out more if you haven鈥檛 overdone it elsewhere.
Synonyms Are Your Friend
The above notwithstanding, flexing your vocabulary in a restrained way is a very good thing. Going through resumes can be tedious, particularly when applicants rely on the same words over and over again. Words and phrases like 鈥渆xperienced鈥 and 鈥渄eadline-oriented鈥 get pretty stale for recruiters reviewing profile after profile.
So, instead of describing yourself as creative, say you’re a 鈥渂lue-sky thinker鈥; instead of 鈥渋ndependent,鈥 say you鈥檙e 鈥渟elf-directed.鈥 Below is a in resumes. We鈥檝e provided alternatives, but get creative (blue sky?) with your own:
| OVERUSED | ALTERNATIVE |
| Motivated | Keen |
| Creative | Enterprising |
| Enthusiastic | Fanatical |
| Track Record | Achievement |
| Passionate | Avid |
| Successful | Accomplished |
| Driven | Determined |
| Leadership | Supervisory |
| Strategic | Forward-thinking |
| Extensive Experience | Fluency |
Your LinkedIn Profile Picture and Background Image
If you鈥檙e wondering whether you should upload a profile picture, the short answer is yes. Everyone likes to attach a face to a name, and showcasing yourself in this way personalizes you to whomever is taking a look. Plus, profiles with photos get than those without.
That said鈥攖his might seem obvious but it bears repeating鈥攃hoose (or take) a nice, professional photo of yourself. It doesn鈥檛 necessarily need to be a corporate headshot (though if you鈥檙e at an executive level, that鈥檚 probably best). However, it should be a good, clear picture with a background that is not too distracting.
Make sure you鈥檙e in color, fully clothed, that your face is taking up most of the frame, and you鈥檙e wearing a friendly expression. No selfies, full-body shots or group shots.
Lastly鈥攁nd this becomes important in the event you鈥檙e asked to interview in person or over Zoom鈥make sure your profile picture is recent and genuinely resembles you. Showing up to an interview looking like an entirely different person isn鈥檛 the best, well, look.
When choosing a background banner (the image across the top and behind your profile pic), look for something that either showcases your industry or lends your page a little bit of your vibe. It might be more difficult to find something you can use in your personal photos, because of the shape of the banner. Instead, do an image search and choose a landscape or skyscape of where you live or have traveled, look for an image that represents your industry of choice, or choose something else entirely. Just use good judgment.
Next Steps鈥
You鈥檝e completed your profile, optimized your language, and uploaded a little imagery. You鈥檝e given recruiters a polished, LinkedIn-optimized preview of you as a business professional. What鈥檚 next?
Once you鈥檙e set up, LinkedIn will start doing its thing, suggesting connections based on your school and work history, and suggesting you to others. You鈥檒l be able to search and apply for jobs, and you may even get some incoming requests from recruiters.
Stay engaged. Now that you鈥檝e joined the Internet鈥檚 equivalent of the job seeker鈥檚 town square, keep your profile up to date and begin networking and engaging with fellow members, recruiters, classmates, friends, and coworkers past and future.
WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.
Call
Info Session