When looking for a new job in addition to updating your resume and reaching out to a recruiter, another critical step is updating your LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn is a tool both those employed and unemployed should update and check regularly. You can make these changes easily in a day and it will be one of the most important things you can do to further your career and set yourself up for success when job hunting.
Updated Headshot
Having an up to date professional headshot is a simple way to receive more engagement on your LinkedIn page. LinkedIn found that those with a photo had “21 times more profile views and 9 times more connection requests” compared to those who didn’t have a profile picture. While updating your profile picture, add a cover image as well which shows hiring managers you put the time and energy into your profile. If you want to use a nice, crisp stock image check out sites like Pexels or freephotos. If you need help changing or updating your background cover image here are LinkedIn’s tips.
Career Summary
LinkedIn is one of the first places hiring manager’s check during the interview process therefor it’s important to have a summary of your career trajectory at the top of your page. It’s a place to talk about yourself – from your career achievements and career choices to your hobbies and interests outside of work. Essentially it’s a place to “sell” yourself so it’s important to put your best self forward. Here are some examples of exemplary LinkedIn summaries.
Recommendations and Endorsements
Having positive recommendations from other LinkedIn members serve as a testimony to your work ethic and validation to future employers. Ideally you want recommendations that speak to a specific project or achievement instead of just a standard “Joe did a great job”. One recommendation to get those types of reviews is upon completing a project ask your manager or team member to write you a review while the project is fresh on their mind.
We hope these few simple suggestions help you when thinking about what you can do to improve your LinkedIn profile and if you still don’t have one, we highly recommend you consider creating a page.