With over 930 million LinkedIn users worldwide, it’s important to make your LinkedIn profile stand out from the crowd.
Having a LinkedIn account is a must if you’re looking for a job, but it’s not enough to just have an account, you need to have an optimised profile.
A good LinkedIn profile not only draws attention to potential employers, but also opens doors to a world of career opportunities!
Are you unsure on how to make your LinkedIn profile stand out? Check out these 9 useful tips:
1 Achieve All Star Level
According to LinkedIn, users with complete profiles are 40x more likely to receive career opportunities than those with incomplete ones. To achieve All Star Level, you need to complete your profile and here’s how to do it:
✅ Create an account on LinkedIn
✅ Go to your profile and you’ll see various options to edit, and a progress bar
✅ Follow and complete the steps shown below the progress bar
2 Upload a Good Profile Picture
LinkedIn profiles with a profile picture get 21x more profile views and 9x more connection requests compared to profiles without a picture.
Of course, you can’t just upload any picture – you need to have a professional one! Choose a profile picture keeping in mind the following criteria:
✅ It should be taken recently
✅ With high resolution
✅ It should be a close-up, well-lit picture with a neutral background
✅ You should be well-dressed with no accessories (such as glasses or a hat)
✅ You should be smiling and looking at the camera
3 Customise Your Background Photo
Adding a background photo is also a good way to make your LinkedIn profile stand out and give it a professional feel.
Your background photo is the one that shows behind your profile picture. Ideally, it should be high quality, visually pleasing, professional, and relevant to either your profession or personality.
Source: Austin Belcak, Cultivated Culture
4 Make an Eye-Catching Professional Headline
By default, your headline is the most recent job title on your profile. Make sure to edit this and write a more eye-catching one.
A good rule to follow is to briefly explain what you do and who you help, so employers will know what you bring to the table from the get-go. However, you’re free to customise this however you want, just make sure that it’s simple, clear, and compelling.
Source: Sid Lipsey, LinkedIn
5 Write an “About” Summary That Represents You
Your LinkedIn “About” section is possibly your best way to showcase yourself, think of it as your very own sales pitch! This is where you can showcase your professional story, including your work experience, achievements and values.
Write a summary that tells the audience about all of those. Make sure that it’s concise and creative, using keywords related to your industry. Don’t forget to make sure that it connects with the readers!
Source: Kate Reilly, LinkedIn
6 Customise Your LinkedIn URL
Your LinkedIn URL by default is your full name, followed by some random numbers. Customising it can be a great way to brand yourself. It’s also a practical way to reference your LinkedIn account on your CV, email signature, or business card.
You can make your URL your full name or your business name. Keeping it simple and professional is a good way to go!
7 Ask for Recommendations
Having recommendations is key to making your LinkedIn profile stand out. This show as proof of your skillsets to potential employers.
To do this, ask your previous or current colleagues to write you a recommendation. Then, go to their LinkedIn profile, click “More”, and select “Request a recommendation”.
Source: Lewis Parrott, TheHireUps
8 Highlight Your Skills
LinkedIn users with 5 or more skills on their profile get messaged 33x more and receive 17x more profile views. Additionally, about 44% of companies on LinkedIn use the skills filter to look for potential candidates. Thus, making it extremely important to add your skills to your profile.
Use keywords relevant to your profession and include as many skills as possible to better increase your chances of getting discovered by employers.
Source: Austin Belcak, Cultivated Culture
9 Add Your Name Pronunciation
The name pronunciation feature is also a great addition to your LinkedIn profile. It can help you make a good impression and instantly connect with anyone that views your profile.
While only available on the LinkedIn mobile app, this feature allows you to record a 10-second audio of your name pronunciation and display it on your profile.
Source: David Petherick, LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a powerful tool for professionals, but not everyone knows how to make their profile stand out. There are more ways to optimise your LinkedIn account, but these 9 tips should help you on the right path.
If you find these tips helpful, make sure to check out our other blogs to take your career to the next level!
