Transcript: Optimizing your LinkedIn profile
In this video we will teach you how to optimize your LinkedIn profile so recruiters can easily find you.
Let’s start with the basics:
First upload a good profile picture. Your photo should be tailored to your LinkedIn profile, so avoid using cropped photos like wedding pictures. The Career Center offers free professional photos for LinkedIn profile pictures. You can schedule an appointment through Handshake to have one taken.
Next, make sure you have a good quality background picture that relates to your interests, it could be your career focus or where you are from. Again, keep it tailored to a work environment.
Once you have done that, start making connections. Work towards connecting with 500+ people on LinkedIn. Once you have over 500 connections, the chances of recruiters finding you are significantly higher.
In the next sections covered in this video it is important to include hard or technical skills that relate to your industry. Those could be anything like copywriting, forecasting, C++, Pivot Tables, or heavy equipment operation. You can also include soft skills like leadership, critical thinking, or teamwork, and by listing both types of skills, you will rank higher in recruiter searches.
So, how do you write your headline?
Start with your title. This could state that you are a student at BYU-Idaho or your current work position, list the past titles you have held, and then skills that relate to your area.
Next is the About Section
In this section you get to share more about your journey in the career path you chose, your passions, past experiences, and future goals.
First, write 2-3 sentences about your story. You can include things like why you chose your major, and why you chose your current career path.
Second, write 3–4 sentences about your past experiences. Share a few things you have learned, along with some of your accomplishments and passion projects.
Third, write 2–3 sentences about your future. What are your goals for your career, what kind of jobs you are open to, and why should people connect with you?
Fourth, write 1–2 sentences about your hobbies and interests. Share some of the things you like to do for fun or topics you are interested in. This can help your connections find a common interest with you, which could be helpful to build rapport in a potential informational interview.
And finally, include your skills and specialties. List your hard or technical skills along with some strategic soft skills. Remember it is important to include skills so recruiters can easily find you in a search.
Now let’s work on the Work Experience section.
First, for each experience write 2–4 sentences that describe the company and your position. What were you hired to do? What products or services did the company offer? What are the values or goals of the company?
Second, list 2–5 accomplishments you had in the company. Organize your accomplishments using bullets or icons because this allows recruiters to skim and read through easier.
Third, make a list of skills related to this position. Just like you did in the about section, write down hard and soft skills you used specific to your position.
Finally, add photos, external documents, sites, videos, or presentations to provide recruiters with more insight about the value you bring to an organization.
Even though you have listed your skills in the about section and your work experience, LinkedIn provides a section where you can list all your skills. It is a good idea to list them here again. You are limited to 50 skills, so be intentional with what you choose to list.
Another section to help build your credibility is the recommendations section.
For each position you have held, ask your supervisor and coworkers to write you a recommendation on LinkedIn. Recruiters and hiring managers tend to read recommendations written about you and will learn more about the value you bring to an organization.
We’ve talked about the most important sections, but make sure you complete all available sections, so you have an "all-star" account, which helps you rank higher in searches.
Bonus tip: If you want to rank even higher in a recruiter's search, make sure you are posting content on LinkedIn. To learn more, watch our video that covers posting content on LinkedIn.