Use LinkedIn to Make Yourself More Hireable

Summary: Here are 20 tricks to help you make sure your LinkedIn profile is established in such a way that it will attract employers.

LinkedIn may be the most valuable tool in the professional world. The site is even more important when you are actively searching for a job. An outdated profile or unprofessional picture can ruin your chances of even being selected for an interview. Here are 20 steps to make sure your LinkedIn profile is in tip top shape.

1. The first thing you need to do is turn off your activity feed before getting started on a lot of changes to your profile. Your connections don’t want to see their newsfeed filled with your updates.
2. Start with the basics. Customize your URL to your name, or as close to it as you can. Update contact information if needed.
3. Make your profile photo a professional one.
4. Use keywords in your profile that are found in the job listings for jobs you want.
5. Use the summary space to tell your story. Include photos, videos, links, or other related details in your summary to help you tell your story. The summary should be personal, as if you are having a conversation with the viewer.
6. Don’t use third person anywhere on your profile.
7. List any volunteer positions or organizations you below to.
8. Request recommendations from colleagues to add credibility to your profile.
9. You can remove recommendations that make you look bad or you simply don’t want on your profile.
10. The skills and endorsement sections need to be kept up-to-date.
11. If you keep a professional blog, add it to your profile.
12. Have enough connections to make you appear well established. You don’t have to know everyone you connect with.
13. If you happen to be job hunting while employed, change your privacy settings to reflect that matter.
14. You want enough details on your profile to be clear but not so many that it is overboard.
15. Use important keywords multiple times throughout your profile.
16. Reinforce your brand by reusing and repurposing content you have in other places.
17. Create more than one “job” entry if needed to appropriately reflect changing roles and responsibilities.
18. Customize the order of the profile content to your needs.
19. Use an appropriate background photo that helps build your personal brand.
20. Be on LinkedIn once a day.

Read these related articles to learn more:

The Best Ways to Attract Recruiters with Your LinkedIn Profile

10 Words Not to Use in Your LinkedIn Profile

25 Top Tips for Giving your LinkedIn Account a Makeover

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