Nowadays, the proper construction of the online professional persona is significantly crucial for job seekers, as most companies and recruiters use professional platforms, and especially LinkedIn, to find the best candidates. Thus, people who want to find a job online join LinkedIn, try to create effective online profiles, build a circle of business contacts, and market themselves.
If you fit this category, then let us see how to best present your online profile.
1. Picture, Headline and Summary
To begin with, a LinkedIn profile has a specific structure that resembles a traditional resume, starting with a single (formal) photograph of a user as an “eye-catcher”, that aims to promote your professional persona and to create an impression of being conscientious. In fact, a LinkedIn profile with a picture is viewed 14 times more. To that extent, it is advised to put a professional image, which also reflects your personality as much as a photo can do.
Next to the photo there is space for your name and working area or job title. In that section, it is suggested to put the right information to improve your chances of being found, by thinking about what key words people will use to search for someone in this area. A useful tip is to look at what words other people of your working area choose to put in that section, or search in Google for trends, so that when a recruiter looks for a professional in that field, your name will come up among the others. As a matter of fact, with the right keywords, your profile will be viewed 8 times more. Thus, make sure your contact details are always up-to-date.
Below the photograph and the headline there is space for a Summary, where you have the freedom to describe yourself and your skills, either in a text format or with bullets, The Summary section is the first section from where recruiters start to create an idea about you, therefore it is the ideal opportunity for you to construct and promote your personal brand and storytelling in such a way as to attract the recruiters and make them continue exploring your profile further below. On top of that, when you are in the job seeking process, this section is suitable to express that you are looking for new opportunities in your field.
2. Education, Work Experience and Skills
To continue with, there are the sections of educational background and working experience in the form of lists, formatted automatically in chronological order based on the respective dates inserted by you. In the education section, it is suggested to add any relevant courses or activities to the job you want to find, with the suitable use of terms. In the working experience, you can start with a short description of the company’s purpose, followed by your main responsibilities, as well as any projects you were responsible for and their outcomes. The next section includes your skills and expertise, where connections can endorse you at any time. Try to insert any relevant and useful skills you have that connect with the job you want to find, and ask for your connections to endorse you, by endorsing them too.
3. Recommendations, Volunteering and Interests
Another important feature of LinkedIn is the recommendations area, which usually includes brief statements about your performance from former colleagues or employers, so that your professional profile will be additionally verified and your personal brand will be strengthened. Although recruiters know by now that sometimes the recommendations might be written from friends or good colleagues, it is an additional asset for your professional status.
Furthermore, at the bottom of a LinkedIn profile, you can fill in any volunteering experience and the causes you care about, as well as any organizations or groups you are a member of and the people you are connected to. These sections are equally important, as they complete your professional self and indicate to the recruiters that you are socially active. In addition, LinkedIn offers to its users the possibility to share with your contacts any changes or additions you make in the profile if you want to, which is advised for job seekers to do, in order to make their presence more visible within the network.
To put it in a nutshell, a complete, coherent and structured profile can give you the opportunity to attract as many recruiters as possible, and eventually help you get the job you are looking for. Thus, market yourself as best as you can, network and be active online.
Good luck!
Written by: Myrto Koulama