LinkedIn profiles are very important in the job search process today. When hiring managers need candidates for a job opening, they often turn to LinkedIn and its more than 700 million active users worldwide.
If you are looking for a new job—especially in white-collar fields—you are likely to find an appealing role on LinkedIn. You need a standout LinkedIn profile to put yourself in the best position to land a job. Here’s how to create one.
What is LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a social networking platform focused on professional and business relationships. While platforms like Facebook and Instagram aim to showcase your personal brand, LinkedIn is designed to present your professional brand. Founded in 2002 and launched to the public in 2003, LinkedIn helps you build and maintain your professional network, showcase your skills and achievements, and connect with potential employers, colleagues, clients, and partners.
LinkedIn shares many features with other leading social networks, including user profiles, news feeds, posts with comments, private messaging, and paid advertising. Individuals and organizations alike can create a LinkedIn page. On LinkedIn, the term “connections” refers to the virtual relationship you establish with another user on the platform, similar to the concept of “friends” or “followers” on other social media platforms.
Users can request recommendations from colleagues and share relevant content about their industry and career. Companies can post job opportunities and highlight business achievements, maximizing what they can gain from LinkedIn as individual users.
Why should you have a LinkedIn profile?
With the business world now largely online, LinkedIn stands out as an essential tool for networking and advancing your career. The benefits of maintaining a LinkedIn profile include:
Networking Opportunities
LinkedIn brings the timeless practice of networking into the digital world. Whether you are a freelancer, consultant, or business owner, you can use LinkedIn to connect with colleagues, peers, mentors, industry experts, and prospective clients.
Building a strong network can open doors to new opportunities, collaborations, and allies within your industry. Large companies can win business contracts if they network with employees of bigger firms who have buying power.
Access to Job Opportunities
Hiring managers and recruiters use LinkedIn to search for potential candidates. An effectively designed LinkedIn profile can set you apart from other applicants.
Showcasing Skills
Your LinkedIn profile page acts as an online resume, allowing you to showcase your education, work history, positions held, certifications earned, and achievements accomplished. You can add new skills to your profile at any time to capture the attention of hiring managers.
Referrals and Recommendations
Colleagues can visit your LinkedIn profile to endorse your skills or provide recommendations. This adds credibility to your professional qualifications and may convince a potential employer to highlight your application.
Professional Branding
Your LinkedIn profile goes beyond your resume and recommendations—you can also publish content that highlights your personality and interests. You can showcase posts from other LinkedIn users, your colleagues, or industry thought leaders.
Sections of a LinkedIn Profile
A strong LinkedIn profile features several standout elements. These elements include:
LinkedIn Summary
The LinkedIn summary is an introductory summary that includes your profile picture, an optional background image, and a main description of yourself. You can also add an “About” section that summarizes your work and career goals in one or two paragraphs.
Section
“Open to”
The “Open to” section refers to the potential communications you are seeking, whether you are looking for a job or an employer.
Education
The education section lists the institutions you learned at and the certifications you hold.
Work Experience
Experience is the core part of most LinkedIn profiles. Here, you provide information about your past and current jobs, including job titles, company names, job descriptions, and achievements while working in these roles.
Licenses and Certifications
The licenses and certifications section includes professional licenses, certifications, and qualifications you have obtained. You can also list relevant training courses related to your work.
Skills
The skills section lists all skills relevant to your industry and experience. LinkedIn provides a wide range of skill tags, helping the site’s algorithms match you with suitable potential connections.
Recommendations
The recommendations section includes written testimonials from colleagues, supervisors, or clients about your work and character. You can request recommendations from people in your LinkedIn network.
Honors and Awards
Fill the honors and awards section with the awards and recognitions you have received for your professional achievements.
Languages
LinkedIn offers a language section to list the languages you speak. You can specify your fluency levels, from basic proficiency to native or bilingual fluency.
Publications
The publications section is where you can list articles, books, papers, or other publications you have written or contributed to.
Patents
The patents section is useful if you want to provide details about any patents you have invented or innovations you have developed.
Volunteer Experience
The volunteer experience section allows you to describe your volunteer work, including organizations, roles, and contributions.
Test Scores
If you have test scores you wish to showcase, you can do so in the test scores section.
Organizations
In the organizations section, list your affiliations, including professional associations and advocacy groups.
Contact Information
Provide sufficient contact information, from email addresses to phone numbers to mailing addresses. This is especially important if you want potential employers to easily reach you.
How to Enhance Your LinkedIn Profile
Whether you are joining LinkedIn or have been on the platform for years, here are actionable steps to enhance your profile and, over time, find more business opportunities:
1. Think About Your Target Audience
The primary purpose of your LinkedIn profile is to generate valuable business connections. When crafting your profile, think about the types of people you want to work with and shape your page with them in mind.
If you are a software developer, mention the programming languages you excel in. If you are a manufacturer, highlight the equipment, capabilities, and space your company provides. A LinkedIn profile focused on your target audience can yield more relevant potential clients.
2. Update Your Profile Picture
Use a professional, clear headshot that represents you. Dress appropriately for your industry and ensure the picture is well-lit and in focus. Avoid informal or distracting backgrounds and consider utilizing a professional photographer if you are concerned about the quality of the image.
3. Turn Paragraphs into Bullet Points
Many hiring managers and recruiters review numerous LinkedIn profiles for a single job and may not spend much time on yours. Make it easy for them to extract relevant information about you by presenting your work and achievements prominently. Write concise paragraphs – such as in the “about” section – and look for opportunities to consolidate ideas into bullet points.
4. Show How Your Work Benefited Employers
It’s essential to describe the work you’ve done in the past and how it impacted you, but you can also benefit by demonstrating how your work improved the fortunes of past employers.
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For example, if you participated in a complete overhaul of your company’s e-commerce site, it might be helpful to explain the positive financial impact that the renovation had on sales.
5. Ask for more recommendations
Word-of-mouth recommendations can enhance your reputation with others. Ask colleagues, supervisors, and clients to provide recommendations that highlight your strengths and contributions.
Be sure to request recommendations only from people who know you in a work context – LinkedIn is not the right platform to showcase endorsements from friends and family.
6. Share content and engage
LinkedIn is a social networking site, and like other platforms, it rewards users who post content regularly. Keeping your target audience in mind, share articles, insights, or industry news that you think are valuable or interesting. Engage with posts and articles from other professionals by leaving thoughtful comments. You never know: a LinkedIn comment topic could lead to a new business connection and rapport.
7. Provide regular updates
Regularly update your profile to reflect your latest achievements, new skills, and career progress. Frequent updates can improve your visibility in your connections’ news feeds and search results. Research indicates that the best time to post on LinkedIn is at the beginning of the week, to maximize engagement.
8. Connect with others
LinkedIn allows you to connect with users you might not meet in real life. Send personalized connection requests with a brief introduction explaining why you want to connect. You may reach out to professionals in your industry, school alumni, or potential mentors.
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Frequently Asked Questions about LinkedIn Profile
Can everyone see your LinkedIn profile?
No, not everyone can see your LinkedIn profile. Like other social networks, LinkedIn offers various privacy settings that allow you to control who can see your profile and the information you share.
Is it necessary to customize your LinkedIn URL?
No, it’s not necessary to customize your LinkedIn URL – but it may be beneficial, especially if you plan to print it on business cards or display the URL on your website.
Are skills and recommendations valuable on LinkedIn?
Yes, skills and recommendations are essential elements of a LinkedIn profile. Listing skills on LinkedIn can help the platform’s algorithm match you with relevant jobs, and recommendations can serve as social capital and impress hiring managers who review your profile.
Should I list my entire work history on my LinkedIn profile?
You should include all experiences directly related to the type of job you are seeking. For example, if you’re applying to become a financial manager, list all previous jobs related to finance and accounting – not your summer job in high school as a lifeguard.
Can I list my volunteer experience on my LinkedIn profile?
Yes. LinkedIn provides a section to list volunteer experiences. Many hiring managers and recruiters view volunteer work as a positive trait; it can enhance your recommendation profile.
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