What is an optimized LinkedIn profile?
Having an optimized LinkedIn profile means you have a complete and updated profile with the right and relevant industry-specific keywords recruiters look for and a strong professional online brand that ranks high in LinkedIn searches.
Why you should optimize your LinkedIn profile
LinkedIn has revealed that having a complete and optimized LinkedIn profile alone makes you 40 times more likely to receive opportunities and be found.
Additionally, having an optimized LinkedIn profile helps you:
- Appear in more LinkedIn search results and become more visible on LinkedIn.
- Build and strengthen your professional brand.
- Get more opportunities, from jobs to connections and networks.
- Position yourself as an expert in your field or industry.
- Establish your credibility.
- Stand out if you apply for a job via LinkedIn.
- Build relationships with other professionals and even with recruiters
How do you optimize your LinkedIn profile?
To optimize your LinkedIn profile, you need to:
- Make sure your LinkedIn profile sections are complete and regularly updated.
- Ensure that you appear on LinkedIn searches when recruiters look for people like you by adding relevant keywords to your profile.
- Make the recruiter want to click and view your profile once you appear in LinkedIn search results.
- Hook the recruiter’s attention so when they view your LinkedIn profile, they’ll want to read more about you.
24 of the best LinkedIn profile tips that work
Jobscan has compiled a list of 24 LinkedIn profile optimization tips to guide you as you leverage the largest and most powerful networking platform in the world.
2. Think like a recruiter
Now that you have pinned down your LinkedIn goals, you need to switch hats and think like a recruiter. Because ultimately, it is the recruiters and hiring managers who call the shots.
So you must be strategic about what you include in your profile to solidify your professional brand and impress recruiters.
Here are some questions you need to ponder:
- What type of job candidate would the recruiter like to hire for the position you are interested in?
- What skills would the recruiter or prospective employer want you to have to succeed in the job?
- What problems would the recruiter want you to solve?
- What information on your profile would the recruiter love to see?
- What keywords or skills would the recruiter most likely search for?
You may also go so far as to seek help from real recruiters and ask them what they would search for to find the candidate for the specific role. Like your goals, you can use this information to guide you as you build and optimize your profile.
6. Use a great LinkedIn headshot
Having a professional LinkedIn profile picture gives you 21 times more profile views, 36 times more messages, and 9 times more connections.
Additionally, in less than 100 milliseconds after looking at your profile picture, a hiring manager or recruiter will form their impression of you.
So make sure you have a recent, decent, crisp, well-lit, and professional profile picture. Ideally, the size of your profile picture should be 400 x 400 pixels.
8. Create a strong LinkedIn headline
Your LinkedIn headline is one of the heavily weighted sections of your LinkedIn profile, so you have to put careful thought into crafting one that helps you appear in recruiter searches.
With 220 available characters, your LinkedIn headline is your one-liner resume that encapsulates your professional identity. Additionally, it’s the first section a recruiter or hiring manager sees after your name when they search LinkedIn or view your profile.
By default, your current job title becomes your LinkedIn headline. To increase the impact of your headline, you need to maximize the 220-character limit and make the headline powerful enough to grab the attention of the recruiter.
What to include in your LinkedIn headline
- Current job title and company
- Unique value proposition
- Tangible achievements and accomplishments
- Areas of expertise or any specialties
- Hard skills
- Key certifications
- Professional credentials
- Relevant industry-specific keywords
You may also include other things you are most proud of. Here is an example of a LinkedIn headline from a real job seeker.
In this example, the job seeker leads with “Senior Digital Marketing Manager,” which is her current job title. This is critical because the job title is actually the most important search keyword.
The job seeker then packs a ton of meaningful and frequently searched hard skills separated by vertical bars/pipes (|).
12. Add your top measurable accomplishments in the description field in your LinkedIn experience section
The mistake most LinkedIn users make is that instead of zeroing in on their key achievements while in the role, they just explain what the company does or outline their job responsibilities.
Don’t make this mistake! Write your key accomplishments and achievements while in the role and prioritize those that are most relevant to your target job.
See all 24 Profile Tips and the complete Jobscan article