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Five LinkedIn Profile Tips for Job Seekers in the New Year

New Years Resolution: Find Dream Job

How long ago was it when job search required a cup of coffee and the Sunday morning classifieds? It’s amazing to think how archaic that seems in today’s digital age. Most of us have even upgraded the coffee maker from the old fashioned automatic drip style that seemed to take forever, to the single cup, on demand coffee servers of today’s Keurig machines.

Opportunistic job seekers everywhere have smartly focused their attention on online profiles and resumes on as many different websites as possible. It’s all done in an effort to build as much of an online presence for your career as possible. With over 250 million registered users, LinkedIn remains the site where your professional appearance takes center stage on social media. Optimize your LinkedIn profile to optimize your career opportunities. Here are five Linkedin profile tips to help you:

  1. It’s Not Facebook – This seems like a no brainer. But, it’s important to remember that LinkedIn is your face in the professional world. It should be treated as an organic resume that employers could be looking for at any given moment. Be careful not to treat it like Facebook and post about your daily trials and tribulations. Keep it current by updating your profile regularly and definitely keep it professional.
  2. Say Cheese – Think before you post, but also think before you add your profile picture. A picture of you in your pajamas, playing Xbox with an empty bag of Doritos by your side may be fine for other social media sites. But, it does not belong on your LinkedIn profile. Add an image that shows you facing forward with a nice smile and attractive clothing.
  3. Take Your Time – Fill out your profile accurately and completely. Don’t embellish or outright lie, but definitely fill in every detail you can think of. This is especially true when filling in past job descriptions and the listed skills section. Tell prospective employers about all your triumphs and successes at each job clearly and with completeness.
  4. Beware the Default Headline – For some reason, LinkedIn will use your most recent job title as your headline by default. You may not want this to be the case. So, click the little pencil next to the headline and you will be able to edit this for whatever you think the best headline is to describe your professional profile.
  5. Endorse of Course – Sometimes it seems trivial to have people endorse you for every little thing on LinkedIn. But, you never know when someone will see an endorsement on your profile from a person that garners a lot of respect in their world. Much like a good reference on a written resume, an endorsement from the right person can really work in your favor, and may even put you over the top in a very competitive job market.

AKRAYA is a nationwide staffing firm. Our clients trust us, our consultants believe in us, and our employees are laser-focused on empowering both to succeed. Contact us today for how we can help you as a job seeker or an employer looking for talent. We would love the opportunity to speak with you.

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