Extant Jobs - The Thursday Dispatch, Friday Edition
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Today, weâre talking LinkedIn tips, did you know they have even entered the fold as a gaming platform? Interesting play from the product folks at LinkedIn, as they try to increase user engagement and attract more users.
Below are some quick LinkedIn tips:
Your Profile Picture and Background:
Professional yet approachable: Choose a high-resolution headshot with a friendly smile and professional attire. If you donât have a headshot, check out your career center or local young professionals networking group to see if they have a contact or are doing headshots soon. Many companies offer free professional headshots, and services have even started taking headshots virtually! Profiles that have a profile picture uploaded are taken more seriously, are less likely to be perceived as a fake profile, and are more likely to be viewed in general as they are seen to be a bit more âprofessionalâ
Tip: choose a brick wall or solid background to make sure you are the focus, not the background
Branded cover photo: If you're a freelancer or consultant, consider a background image that reflects your brand, or your current city, but if itâs causing stress, just leave it blank
Headline and About Section:
Headline: Craft a clear and compelling headline that summarizes your value proposition. Include relevant keywords people might search for (e.g., Marketing Manager at [Company] | Social Media Expert)
About Section: Tell your story! Write a concise and engaging summary of your experience, skills, and career goals. Use keywords again and highlight your achievements. Look at people in your industry or coworkers to see how they use their about section
Tip: Donât use the LinkedIn âabout sectionâ generator. These keywords can directly impact how often you appear in recruiters search results, take your time and craft this section carefully.
Now, hereâs where we may get a bit controversial: filling in bullet points on experience sections and adding skills are a take-it or leave-it for us. Since we just gave you the keys to the kingdom for your resume, you donât necessarily have to repeat them for LinkedIn. There are a few caveats â read below:
Experience Section
Keep It Updated: This should also go without saying, but keep it as updated as possible. Nothing is more confusing than when reviewing a resume and the LinkedIn dates do not align.
Highlights Accomplishments: By adding in context, you can quickly add the quick hits of your resume and roles, however, brevity is key! Adding too much context can make your profile lengthy and difficult to navigate.
Example: if you had an investment banking internship, adding the group you were in is helpful, but no need to go into your responsibilities
Tip: as we recommend you tailor your resume to the job you apply for, its best to keep this section high level as to not conflict with your job specific resumes.
Relevant Experience: If you are more than 5 years out of college, make sure any high-school positions are removed.
Skills and Endorsements:
List Unique Skills: This is isnât the spot to only list Microsoft Excel. If you have experience with coding languages or other specific skills that are relevant to roles youâre applying for, put them in here. But as we noted in our resume guide, make sure you can back them up if tested.
Endorsements: We donât recommend asking for endorsements. They wonât move the needle on interviews and theyâre now akin to listing references on your resume.
Stay Active and Engaged:
Share industry updates and articles: Donât share just to share, but if you are part of any networking groups, come across interesting articles, or want to post an update on your job search, this is a great place. However, stay away from personal posts or blog post length diatribes.
Engage with others' posts: Comment, like, and share content relevant to your field.
Network and Build Relationships:
Connect with former colleagues, classmates, and interviewers: Requesting connections on LI is not a big deal and can help you find new people to connect with. Weâve had many people look through our connections and reach out for a warm intro â thatâs the beauty of LinkedIn! The search function is there for a reason, and you never know who may be already in your dream role.
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