With LinkedIn constantly growing, consider some of the evolving aspects to making your profile look compelling.
Start with an Eye-Catching Photo and Headline
Employers want to see a photo of the person they’re considering hiring. It’s not enough to sell yourself with just the skills you have. While some people don’t bother to post photos on LinkedIn, an employer likely won’t consider you if you’re invisible to them. If you don’t want to take a new photo, upload a prior professional photo. But make sure it looks professional and not overly casual. Also, be sure it’s an up-close photo because LinkedIn’s photo box is quite small. Next to your name and photo, LinkedIn provides a headline that explains who you are. Carefully consider the words you use there because they rank on search engines. Research in-demand keywords for your career field so you can be seen first when an employer Googles up profiles for potential candidates.
Keep Your Summary Brief But Still Substantive
It’s not always easy to summarize everything you’ve done into shorter paragraphs. Regardless, it’s best that you make your summary as quick a read as possible while highlighting the strong points of your career history. Using bullet points is one of the best ways to organize it all. Even images are allowable in the LinkedIn summary as a way to make the most of our visual-based culture. At the end of the summary, it doesn’t hurt to give personal contact information so an impressed employer can take immediate action in scheduling an interview.
Getting Your Resume Out There
It’s hard to imagine why anyone using LinkedIn would want to make their profile private. While that’s an option, making it public so it’s searchable on the net (even if you aren’t looking for a job right away) is a way to make valuable connections for a time when you may need them for employment opportunity. The true value of LinkedIn is in the networking opportunities that now serve as the only way toward finding that elusive job. A surprising opportunity may come your way if you set up the contact settings section on your LinkedIn page. This shows employers what you’re basically looking for and why you have a profile. Also, take advantage of placing links in your profile to web locations that relate to your past employment life. For those who’ve done work online, you can show off your past work easily this way.
Contact us if you’re a professional in IT and want to find the job of your dreams. At the recruiting and staffing firm of Akraya, Inc., we’ll show you how to find the IT career you want using digital tools that shape the future of job search.
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