A Guide on Updating Your LinkedIn Profile (2018)
Do you know that completing your LinkedIn profile significantly increases your visibility to recruiters, thus a higher chance of being tapped by them for roles that are not yet advertised?
There are more than 350 million professionals that are on LinkedIn right now so it is no joke to build a professional profile on this website. LinkedIn is the top choice for recruiters today when you ask them where to find candidates for a job. The main reason is that LinkedIn profiles give recruiters the instant glimpse into a person’s career timeline which helps them easily identify who to profile for the role or not. LinkedIn profiles have a uniform style that makes it easier for recruiters to skim for information rather than downloading and checking CVs one by one.
So in a crowded site full of professionals like you, how do you stand out and be seen by recruiters all the time? The answer is simply completing your own LinkedIn profile.
If dating apps have algorithms to match you to a potential dating partner, so does LinkedIn that has an algorithm to match profiles to a recruiter’s candidate search. The LinkedIn algorithm is based on 4 sets of data: Profile completeness, Connections in common, Connections by degree (1st, 2nd, 3rd), and Groups in common. Profile completeness is the number one factor that makes your profile very visible to recruiters and headhunters. This is because a complete profile gives you credibility — that you are a real candidate with real experiences, not some fake account or poser account. If your profile is not identified as credible, there is no reason for the LinkedIn algorithm to put your profile at the top of search results. Priority will be given to profiles that have complete details and are therefore with credible credentials. Unfortunately for many, only 51% of LinkedIn users have 100% completed profiles!
So how do you know you have a complete profile? If you get stamped as “All-Star.” An all-star profile means a profile has comprehensive details on career timeline, schools attended, skills, certifications, and with a fairly good amount of connections.
So strive to fill in as many information as you can, and don’t forget to connect, connect, connect! LinkedIn is, after all, a professional networking site, so it is important that you connect with your colleagues and with people in the same field as you. Once connected to someone, it’s just like Facebook — you see their profile updates and what they share, but this time, updates are mostly career and job-related. The more connections you have, the more chances of you finding out any new job openings or potential referrers to a new company! Also, to qualify for an All-Star profile, you must be connected to at least 50 people.
A guide on updating your LinkedIn profile:
1. Update your profile picture. Make sure you look pleasant and professional. Avoid selfies and photos that do not focus on your face. Think of your profile picture as your resume photo. You don’t want a wacky photo as your first impression to potential employers, right? Extra tip: you also have the option to add a banner or cover photo. Best choice as banner will be a company-related photo. Some companies have marketing initiatives that include sending out LinkedIn banners for employees to use as part of company branding. You can check your marketing department if they have one ready for you!
2. Put your real name as the display name. Avoid too informal nicknames as much as possible. If you’re better off with your nickname, go for the one that your former and current colleagues know so they can easily identify you.
3. Edit your headline. This line goes below your full name. It usually contains your current title and where you are currently working, like “Audit Manager at E&Y.” But you can actually be creative on this one to stand out more. Some candidates use it as a tagline or subtitle of their ‘personal brand,’ like “Global Audit Expert | KeyNote Speaker | Thought Leader.” It’s up to you, but if you wanna keep it simple, stick with your title and current company. That will be enough for the recruiters to know what you do right on the first glance.
4. Update your summary. In one or two short paragraphs, describe your current role and your career in general. Share your main tasks and projects and what are your aspirations for the near future. This will give your profile viewers an idea of where you are now in your career and where you see yourself on your next job. Recruiters will evaluate you here quickly if you are a top candidate to consider for a role they are looking for, so make it concise and focus on achievements and specific career plans. Extra tip: You can write here in the first person. You can also write 50% for you, 50% about your current company. You can include a tip on how people can reach out to you (email or a personal website).
5. List your experience with the right logo and keywords. The main content of your LinkedIn profile is the Experience section. This is where you are mainly evaluated by recruiters as a potential candidate, so make sure you list down all your current and previous jobs, with start and end dates specified. Input all important keywords in the descriptions for each role, so if you are an auditor, make sure to include words such as “auditing” or “compliance” or “quality assurance” so your profile will still be included in search results when recruiters search with different words related to auditing. Put your official job title in previous roles, and tag your employer so company logos and hyperlinks will appear per position. List your key responsibilities and achievements per role, and feel free to add media/links — these can be portfolios or previous project presentations.
6. Add education and certifications. Include where you finished your highest educational attainment and what degree or subject matter. Include awards or honors received if any. Add certifications you received that are connected to your current field.
7. You can add plenty of other additional (optional) information that you think will help you look more impressive as a candidate. You can add other languages you can speak and how proficient, titles of your previous projects, short courses you have taken, honors and awards apart from school-related, organizations you are affiliated with, and volunteer experience if any.
For networking, don’t forget to join Groups relevant to your field and industry. Joining Groups will maximize your networking potential and you can utilize it to contact other group members with your same set of skills, or those with skills you aspire for. Utilize the power of networking!
Final Thoughts
Building your LinkedIn profile is already a way for you to build your personal brand. It is important to be impressive, but also authentic. Be honest about the information you share regarding your skills and achievements. Remember that both colleagues and future employers will be reading what you put up in your profile.
Most of all, be professional in all your interactions with fellow LinkedIn users. Share professional posts, thoughts, and ideas. Too personal posts are better off posted on your Facebook or Twitter. And when messaging with colleagues and recruiters, respond the way you would respond on office emails. Be approachable and professional at the same time.
If you follow all these tips, you’ll start receiving job invites and more connection requests because you’re finally searchable! You’re on your way to being a discoverable gem in a vast sea of hopeful career shifters and professionals. ★
