How to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile in 5 Minutes and Get Hired

How to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile in 5 Minutes and Get HiredHow to Improve Your LinkedIn Profile in 5 Minutes and Get HiredHaving a LinkedIn profile just because every professional should have it just isnt enough. You have to keep it updated and make it attractive to the recruiter. Keep in mind there are thousands of LinkedIn profiles like yours and if you want the right peopleto notice you in the vast sea of other profiles, it needs to be darn good.LinkedIn profile is not just a digital version of your resume. Its a social network which means you have to be actively involved otherwise you might as well not be on it at all. To see how effective your profile is, LinkedIn shows you the strength of your account.To have an all-star rating of your LinkedIn profile will increase your chances of being noticed, and by extension hired.Today well tell you how to boost your LinkedIn profile and make the fruchtwein of this professional network.The LinkedIn profile essentialsDid you know that majority of LinkedIn accountshave never been completed at all? Your profile will qualify as complete if you haveAt least 50 connectionsYour Industry and Location filled inYour photo includedYour current position updatedEducation and at least two previous work experiences listedAt least three skills listedIf your profile contains all this, youre halfway through to an outstanding profile.Weve got 10 tips for you to improve your profile and become a LinkedIn all-star1. Make your profile visually appealingFirst of all, include a photo that does you justice. Ideally, it should be a good quality headshot where you look professional, natural and likable. Forget the holiday or party photos, cheesy selfies or cropped pictures where you have an alien arm around your neck.You can also add a background photo. Pick one that goes well with your profile picture and that evokes positivity. It doesnt necessarily have to be a picture closely connected to your industry, but of course, try to pick a pi cture that isnt completely offbeat.2. Write a catchy professional headlineHaving a brilliant headline is crucial because it is what people notice first on your profile. Hence, it should advertise you well. It should clearly describe your profession, e.g. UX Designer or Social Media Manager (alternatively with the name of the company youre currently working for). You can make more of your headline by adding an adjective such as Experienced UX Designer or Junior Social Media Manager.Depending on your experience and what youre looking for, your headline canserve as a call for new job opportunities, e.g. Junior Social Media Manager looking for new opportunities in startups. We recommend doing a little research and taking inspiration from what other people from your industry have written in their headline.3. Connect with more peopleIn general, people with a substantial amount of LinkedIn connections appear more professional. Were not saying you should now connect with just anybody only t o get as many connections as possible. First, go through your People You May Know page and send out a couple of invitations. Its best to connect with people from the same industry as you. People who might be potentially interested in you and what youre doing are also valuable connections. Find these people by searching concrete companies or groups that are related to your industry.4.Write a summary that sellsThe summary section is something similar to a cover letterbut in a lot briefer and more functional style. It is up to you whether you decide to give it a bullet point structure or use full sentences formed in a couple of paragraphs.Contrary to cover letter, the summary section on LinkedIn should be a lot briefer and shouldnt include embellishments, buzz words or any long descriptions. You should try to get right to the point and literally summarize the highlights of your professional career thus far.5. Polish up your experience and education sectionRemember that LinkedIn is not your resume, it doesnt have to be brief. In fact, feel free to revel in adding as many details as you want (in case theyre relevant, of course). List a couple of your most important duties, your most eminent achievements, results you delivered exceptionally well and things and skills you learned in each position. You can also attach additional documents or add media to each of your work experiences such as photos, videos, links or presentations.The same applies to your education. There is plenty of additional info that the recruiter viewing your profile might be interested in. Especially if youre a student or a fresh graduate, the more details you provide, the better. Add courses, awards, scholarships, mention your international experience or describe some of the most interesting school projects you participated in.6. Add volunteer experienceYou might be surprised, but recruiters and hiring managers regard candidates who have experience in volunteering as more attractive. Even if yo u think your volunteering experience is not relevant to your future job at all, it can earn you some extra credit with your future employer. You can also add causes you care about. Recruiters love active citizens7. Make a list of 10 of your strongest skillsSkills are one of the most important sections on LinkedIn. List around 10 of your strongest skills. Dont mix up skills that do not really correlate. If youre looking for a job in one specific area, list skills most relevant to this profession. If you need some inspiration, do a little research and see what other people from your industry listed in their skills section.8. Endorse and be endorsedOn LinkedIn, endorsements serve basically as an evidence for the skills you claim to have. Not only will your profile look more professional but the more endorsements you have, the higher rate in search results your profile gets. To get more endorsements, start by endorsing your connections. If you endorseother people for certain skills, the res a chance they endorse you back.You can also directly ask your friends or ex-colleagues to endorse you.9. Ask for recommendationsJust like endorsements, recommendations are an effective way to make your expertise more reliable because it has been acknowledged by other people. Needless to say, the most valuable recommendations are those written by people from your industry. Ask your previous tutors, teachers or colleagues to write a recommendation for you.10. Be active on LinkedInKeep in mind that LinkedIn is a social network so your activity is visible to anyone who wants to see it.Also, the more active you are on LinkedIn, the more chances you have to be noticed by the right people. You can write posts, comment on posts other people from your industry wrote, follow people and companies, actively participate in relevant groups, etc. The bonus is you might bump into an interesting job opportunity.Share Your Feedback or Ideas in the Comments