With the rise of LinkedIn, some may say that the resume has gone by the wayside. Of course, that is a bit of an overstatement, but increasingly LinkedIn profiles are what really matter. In some respects, your LinkedIn profile acts as a living resume and construction project list that is easily available online for recruiters and potential employers to see. What can you do improve your LinkedIn profile and make it more likely that you’ll get contacted by a recruiter or hiring manager? Here are a few tips to improve your LinkedIn profile.
Complete Your Profile
Make sure you have a completed profile. Many users fill in the most important information but leave out what they deem less important. Having a completed profile shows you have perseverance and are committed to your career. Most everyone fills out the work experience and education sections. The accomplishments, interests, and volunteer experience sections are the areas that are most often left blank. Accomplishments in particular, are an important area to complete because you can showcase the achievements you have had in your career as well as continuing education and certificates.
Proofread, Proofread, Proofread
Make sure your profile is free of punctuation mistakes and grammatical errors. Check for spelling, tense, and agreement first, as these are the most common blunders. Proofreading is extremely important because it shows you have attention to detail. Also make sure that the punctuation is uniform. It also helps if you vary the length of the sentences. Using bullet points is also helpful since they make it easier to read, especially since most recruiters and hiring managers will be scanning the profile.
Include the Details
Use as many examples as you can in your descriptions — i.e. a project that you delivered under budget. Instead of just listing your former job duties, illustrate your achievements. How did you make money for the company, save money for the company, or improve processes and procedures for the company? Be specific about what your role included and how those tasks affected the company. Employers want to be able to envision how you can contribute to their company.
Consider Organization
If you worked for a firm, you want to list the name of the firm first, then, underneath the title, list the roles that you had and the projects that you worked on. This will show that the projects were under one umbrella— i.e. not a job hopper. It is a clear organizational structure that every recruiter and hiring manager will recognize and be able to follow. Also, include multi-media elements, such as photos and videos to show additional detail of each project.
These are just a few simple steps you can take to make your LinkedIn profile an effective tool for hiring managers and recruiters to learn more about you. Following these tips can help you complete your profile and keep it up to date for an impressive online presence.
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